centerfield maz

Wednesday August 1st, 1973: On this night a rain out from May 10th was rescheduled making it a classic twi-night double header. 27,189 fans came out to Shea on this August evening as Yogi Berra's Mets (46-57) were still eleven games under .500, dead last in the NL East. They were coming off a four-game losing streak that dropped them to 10.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals. They had also dropped the opener of this series to Danny Murtaugh's Pittsburgh Pirates (51-53).  In the first game of this twin-bill Tom Seaver (12-5) entered the game with an ERA under two (1.96) & was going for his fifth straight win as he went up against a struggling Steve Blass (3-6).  Trivia:  Steve Blass had been one of the league's top pitchers from 1968-1972, helping his team win the 1971 World Series, as he is still the last NL pitcher to throw a complete Game #7 victory in a Fall Classic. In the top of the 1st inning, Seaver allowed a double to Al Oliver, but other than that started o

  Tuesday, August 1st, 1989 : The NL East was a tough division, as the Montreal Expos were in top leading the Chicago Cubs by two games. The St. Louis Cardinals were in third place, five games back with New York Mets right behind them seven games back.  At the trade deadline, the Mets traded the popular Mookie Wilson to Toronto, they also acquired Frank Viola from the Twins in a blockbuster deal. On this night game the two division rivals went at it, as Davey Johnson's Mets (54-50) went up against Whitey Herzog's Cards (54-48) at Busch Stadium in St. Louis in front of 40,444 fans. The Mets Sid Fernandez (8-3) went up against Scott Terry (7-9). It was to be a big night for Kevin Mcreynolds. In the 2nd inning, Kevin McReynolds started out with a double to left. He scored on Barry Lyons' double making it 1-0. In the 6th inning, Juan Samiel doubled to left, Howard Johnson singled to bring him in for the Mets second run. After Darryl Strawberry flew out, Kevin McReynolds homered

Kevin Michael Collins   was born August 4, 1946, in Springfield, Massachusetts. In high school he competed against future MLB players Mark Belanger & Fran Healy. Collins was signed out of high school by the New York Mets in 1964 for $25,000. He was part of Casey Stengel’s “Youth of America” young Mets players of the mid-sixties.  Collins made the club out of Spring Training 1965 at age 17. Unfortunately, he tore a muscle in his throwing arm & had to wait until September to make his debut. Mets Debut: His first career game was at Shea Stadium on September 1st, 1965, pinch hitting in the 5th inning, in a game against the Houston Astros. His first hit came on September 22nd against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in just eleven games that month batting .184. He then spent the next two seasons in the minor leagues playing on an infield with Ken Boswell, Sandy Alomar & Amos Otis. In 1966 he hit .251 with 6 HRs & 32 RBIs at AA Williamsport. He was then promoted

In July of 1973 there still wasn't much going right for the New York Mets. Injuries to the starting players were killing them. The teams biggest HR hitter hamstring injury. Catcher Jerry Grote was out with a wrist injury. Shortstop Bud Harrelson had hurt his left hand when the Reds Bill Plummer crashed into him trying to break up a double play. He missed almost all of June then went down again with a fractured sternum after crashing into Rennie Stennett of the Pirates at the end of July. Left Fielder Cleon Jones suffered a wrist injury diving for a ball & then in June was placed on the DL after he was hit in the elbow with a pitch. Willie Mays was showing his age in center field, he could not be in the lineup on a steady basis. George the Stork Theodore suffered an eye injury when he was hit with a ball in June, then he had the brutal outfield collision with Don Hahn fracturing his hip. Jon Matlack missed a small amount of time after getting hit in the head with a line driv

Nicholas Raymond Plummer was born July 31st, 1996, in Lathrup Michigan. The five-foot ten outfielder bats left-handed & throws righthanded. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft, the 23rd overall pick. Plummer would miss the entire 2016 season due to a wrist injury. He returned having a miserable 2017 where he batted just .198 in 92 games. His next years were just as bad at the plate, he batted .205 in 2018 & then .176 in 2019. Then came the Covid-19 season where he did not play at all. In 2021 he had his best minor league season, batting .280 with 15 HRs & 54 RBIs. On July 8th, he hit three HRs including a walk off HR for the Springfield Cardinals. He was named Player of the Month with 6 HRs five doubles & 21 RBIs batting .326. He then set a team record reaching base safely in 33 straight games. He was promoted to the AAA Memphis Red Birds. At the end of the season, after not being promoted to the Cardinals big league

Felix (Lamela) Mantilla was born on July 29, 1934, in Isabella, Puerto Rico. Mantilla was one of the first Puerto Rican players to be signed & play in the major leagues. He was signed one year after Roberto Clemente in 1952. In 1953 he played A ball with the Jacksonville Bears as a teammate of Hank Aaron. 1954 Mantilla hit 16 HRs at AA Toledo, & then batted over .270 the next two seasons.  Braves Career: In 1956 he came up as a reserve infielder with the Milwaukee Braves and was Hank Aaron's roommate during his time there. Mantilla spent six years with the Milwaukee Braves mostly as an all-around utility man, not a big hitter but a good glove.  Post Season: He won back-to-back pennants with a good Braves team in 1957 & 1958. The 1957 team beat the AL New York team in a seven game World Series.  Mantilla played in five 1957 World Series games going hitless in ten at bats.  He made four game appearances on the field in the 1958 series. Mantilla played all infield

Wednesday July 30th, 1969: Gil Hodges second place Mets (55-42) were playing good baseball thru July, chasing the first place Chicago Cubs. But on this day, they dropped a twin bill to the team that gave them the most trouble in 1969, the Houston Astros. The Mets manager Gil Hodges demanded that his players gave it 100% at all times, no matter what the score or situation was. He also demanded discipline from his team as well. On this day, he sent a message to his team, that no slacking off would be tolerated, not even from his team's best hitter, who was chasing the NL batting title. The incident has become legendary in Gil Hodges lore & in the 1969 Mets story. Harry Walker's fifth place Houston Astros (52-49) came in to play a double header in a wet rainy Shea Stadium in front of 28,922 fans.  In the first game of the twin bill, the Astros destroyed the Mets 16-3, highlighted by an eleven run 9th inning that featured two grand slam HRs from "the toy cann

In 1961 after Casey Stengel had been fired, he  turned down several managerial jobs, the Detroit Tigers, San Francisco Giants & Los Angeles Angels, all wanted him. Instead he went to work for Glendale Valley Bank, in Glendale, California which was owned by his wife's family.  His old friend, George Weiss  was now working as General Manager for the expansion New York Mets. Originally Stengel did not to manage an expansion team, because the rules of the expansion draft guaranteed the team would not be a competitive team. Weiss e ventually convinced his old friend  to return to baseball & take the job as the Mets first Manager.  Right away he began talking in what was known as his famous "Stengelese". During the expansion draft when the Mets first pick was an unknown catcher named Hobie Landrith.  Casey said, said, "You have to have a catcher or you'll have a lot of passed balls".  On October 2nd, 1962 Casey was introduced by Mets owner Joan Whitney Pay