centerfield maz

David William Wallace was born on September 7th, 1947, in Waterbury Connecticut.  The five-foot ten right hander attended the University of New Haven getting signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1969.  Minor Leagues: Wallace would spend nine seasons in the Phillies minor leagues, five of them at the AA level. Overall, he spent parts of twelve seasons in the minor leagues going 48-37 with a 4.11 ERA in 360 appearances.  MLB Career: Wallace made brief appearances in three seasons at the major league level.  In 1973 he appeared in four games over July & August, for the last place Philadelphia Phillies ( 71-91)  posting no record. He allowed nine earned runs in 3.2 innings posting a whopping 22.09 ERA. In May 1974 he had three appearances, taking a loss to the San Diego Padres on May 7th, the only decision of his career. In 1978 he was released by the Phillies & signed with the Toronto Blue Jays. He appeared in four games with Toronto at the big-league level. Wallace retired

1973 Mets N.L. Pennant Season:   Tug started out the season with another Opening Day save, after relieving Tom Seaver to finish off ta shut out of the Philadelphia Phillies.  At the end of April, he had four straight saves and was posting a 1.59 ERA, just like the Tug McGraw of old.  But in May he began to struggle, on May 4th he entered a tie game against the Astros, with the bases loaded in the 8th inning. He walked three runs in & had to be removed, the Mets lost it in extra innings.  On May 6th, he came  into  the game in the 6th inning, with two on & the Mets up on the Astros 7-3. He gave up a double to Cesar Cedeno & a three run HR to Bob Watson tying up the game. In the 7th, he gave up two hits & then walked two batters blowing the  four-run  lead having to be removed again. The Mets blew the game losing 14-8. Tug did get a bit on track saving three games until May 19th, when he served up HRs to the Pirates Bob Robertson & a three runs blast to Willie Stargel

After the Pennant- 1974:   After their pennant season, the Mets struggled the next season.  McGraw was no exception. On Opening Day he gave up a walk off HR to Mike Schmidt in Philadelphia. He did earn his first save the next day. On April 14th, he took an extra inning loss at Shea, this one to the Phillies as well. On May 5th the Padres tagged him for two runs, to come from behind in a 5-4 win, earning him another loss. By May 15th, his ERA was an enormous 9.00. In a June 30th double header he gave up HRs in both ends, taking the loss in the night cap, when Bake McBride hit a 10th inning HR.  It wasn't until July 28th, when he earned his first win. In August he did win four games but also blew two games where he took the loss.  Player of the Week: On August 27th he was given a start at Shea against the Astros. He gave up just one run in six innings to earn the 4-2 win. On September 1st, he threw his only career shut out. It came against the Atlanta Braves in a 3-0 win, where he a

Monday August 28th, 1989: For the first time in MLB history, the two reigning Cy Young Award winners faced off against each other in a regular season matchup The New York Mets sent Frank Viola to the mound to face the reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers & their ace, Orel Hershiser. Frank Viola had been the A.L. Cy Young winner while pitching with the Twins in 1988. One year after earning the World Series MVP for 1987 World Champion Minnesota Twins.  Viola came to New York in 1989 on the July 31st trade deadline.  It was a huge addition to the Mets team, as the Long Island born Viola returned home.  He went 8-12 that year in Minnesota & was 1-3 entering this game on a personal three game losing streak with an overall 9-15 season record.  Orel Hershiser had a similar season the previous year. He was the NL Cy Young Award winner & the World Series MVP as the Dodgers surprised everyone to beat the Mets in the NLCS & then the Oakland A's in the Fall Cl

Michael Ausley Maddux was born August 27, 1961, in Dayton, Ohio. Mike Maddux is the younger brother of future Hall of Fame pitcher, Greg Maddux. The six-foot two right-handed pitcher attended the University of El Paso Texas. Maddux was then drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth round of the 1982 draft. He pitched five seasons in the minors before getting a 1986 call up to the Phillies.  MLB Debut: He made his MLB debut on June 3rd pitching into the second inning, as the Los Angeles Dodgers welcomed him with five runs on five hits. He took his first loss that day & started out at 0-5 before getting a win on August 15th. In his first year he was 3-7 with a 5.42 ERA. After that season he became a career journey man middle reliever for 15 seasons. He pitched with the Phillies (1986-1989) for four years going 10-13 overall with a 4.40 ERA. He then went to the Los Angeles Dodgers (1990) & San Diego Padres (1991-1992).  It was there in 1991, Maddux had his best year