centerfield maz

Former Mets Catcher & Hurricane Katrina Survivor: Barry Lyons (1986-1990)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Barry Stephens Lyons was born June 3, 1960 in Biloxi, Mississippi. The southern man was an All American catcher at Delta State, originally getting drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1981 but didn’t sign. The next year he was drafted by the New York Mets in the 15th round & this time he did sign.

He batted .316 with 12 HRs 7 87 RBIs winning the 1984 Carolina league MVP with the A ball Lynchburg Mets. His MLB career was set back in 1985 when the Mets acquired Gary Carter & his future was to be the Hall of Famer Carter’s back up. But that season he hit well at AA Jackson, driving in 108 runs batting .307 with 11 HRs. The Mets minor league teams he played for won championships at all three minor league levels.

Lyons started out on the Mets squad in April 1986 but soon was sent down to Tidewater when he went hitless in nine games, losing his job to Ed Hearn. Originally when the Mets won the World Series, Lyons, Terry Leach, Dave Magadan and Randy Myers didn't get World Series rings. But Randy Myers campaigned to have rings made for them with the Mets permission.

Just before the 1987 season began, he got a chance to play when Ed Hearn was traded to the Kansas City Royals for David Cone. Lyons became Gary Carters back up for the next two seasons until Mackey Sasser arrived.

One of his biggest moments came on Aug. 20, 1987 when he hit a game winning grand slam off Kelly Downs of the Giants at Shea Stadium. "We were 2 1/2 games out after that game," Lyons said. "I felt I helped the team." Overall in 1987 he played in 53 games, batting .254 with 4 HRs 4 doubles & 24 RBIs.

The next year he played in 50 games batting .231 sharing back up duties with Mackey Sasser. In 1989, Gary Carter missed ten weeks of action giving Lyons a chance to start. Unfortunately he injured his foot and missed time of his own. He put up career highs of RBIs (27) games played (79) & at bats (235) but only hit .247.

Behind the plate he threw out a career best 27% of base stealers & posted a .980 fielding percentage. By 1990 Carter was at the end of his career & got released. This led to Lyons and Sasser battling for the vacant catcher’s job. Lyons was the opening day catcher & hit a HR in the Mets 12-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was better defensively, but he hit only .238 and was sent back to Tidewater where he hit only .171.

He was released in early September, and got picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He spent the next three seasons in the minors, and then had one last hurrah with the White Sox. In 1995 he had career highs in average (.266) & HRs (5), with a six-game hitting streak and a four RBI game. At the end of the season he retired at age 35.

Retirement: After baseball he became a minor league manager, a broadcaster and ran a baseball academy. In 2002, Lyons was involved in bringing pro baseball back to his hometown of Biloxi becoming the GM for the Biloxi Breeze.

During Hurrican Katrina his home was destroyed &he lost all his possessions, including his 1986 World Series ring. Luckily his family all managed to survive as they rode out the storm. He is currently trying to get a minor league baseball stadium included in the rebuilding of Biloxi.

Former Mets Player Famous for "The Harmonica Incident": Phil Linz (1967-1968)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Philip Francis Linz was born on June 4, 1939 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was a utility infielder who got signed by the A.L. New York club in 1957. In the minors he hit well, batting .321 in 1960 at Greensboro in the Carolina League. The next year he won the Texas League MVP Award batting .349 playing short stop for Amarillo.

Linz came up to the majors in 1962 batting .287 with 8 doubles & six steals in 71 games. He didn’t play in that year’s World Series, but got a chance to see action in the next two Series while on the losing end. In the 1964 Series he replaced the injured Tony Kubek at short stop, getting to bat in the leadoff spot. He went 7-21 with two solo HRs in the Series, one coming off St. Louis’ Bob Gibson in the 9th inning of Game #7. Ironically Linz only hit 11 HRs in his entire seven year career spanning 519 games.

Linz is famous for what is known as “the harmonica incident”. He was playing harmonica to the tune of “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, after a loss to the Chicago White Sox on the team bus . Manager Yogi Berra thought he was mocking the team, and told him to stop.

Linz couldn’t hear him & continued playing. Berra threatened to come back there & kick his butt if he didn’t stop. Linz still didn’t hear him & asked Mickey Mantle what he said. Mantle said “he said to play louder”. Linz followed the instruction & Berra came to the back of the bus knocking the harmonica out of his hand. The powers that were in charge of the team were convinced Berra had lost control of the team. He was fired even after winning the pennant at the end of the season.

Linz remained a utility player, never hitting like he did in the minors again. After four seasons in the AL, he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in November of 1965 for Ruben Amaro. His batting average dropped to the lower .200’s through the years & in July of 1967 he was traded to the New York Mets for Chuck Hiller.

There he was reunited with his former manager Yogi Berra, who was now a Mets Coach. Linz played in 24 games as a reserve infielder in 1967 batting .207.

In 1968 his year was highlighted by a four hit day in Atlanta & a five hit game in Philadelphia on July 6th where he also drove in three runs in the Mets 11-6 win. In early August he drove in seven runs in a seven game stretch, gathering up eight hits.

Overall in 1968 he got into 78 games, playing as Kenny Boswell’s back up at second base, as well as some pinch hitting roles, batting .209 with 17 RBIs. With the glove he posted a .963 fielding percentage, making ten errors at second base.

In his seven year career Linz hit .235 with 322 hits 11 HRs 64 doubles 13 stolen bases & 96 RBIs over 519 games. He played in 190 games at short stop, 102 games at second, 82 games at third base & 22 games in the outfield.

Retirement: After baseball he owned a nightclub & was been a long time Vice President of a title insurance company in New York.

2000 N.L. Champion Mets Utility Infielder: Kurt Abbott (2000)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Kurt Thomas Abbott was born on June 2, 1969 in Zanesville, Ohio. Abbott attended high school in St. Petersburg Florida getting drafted by the Oakland A’s in the 15th round in 1989. He spent four years in the A’s minor league system before having his best season in 1993 batting .319 at AAA Tacoma, & getting a brief 20 game call up.

He was traded to the Florida Marlins where he would be the team’s main short stop in 1994, with career highs in hits (107) HRs (17) & RBIs (60). He batted .255 but struck out 94 times (4th in the league) and made 15 errors (5th in the league). The next year he only hit 8 HRs & struck out 110 times making 19 errors (3rd most in the league).

By 1996 Abbott was suffering from vision problems & striking out way too often. Also a young Edgar Renteria was ready to take over the Marlins short stop position, & Abbott became his back up. He played at short stop & in the outfield during the Marlins 1997 Championship team, batting a career high .274.

Abbott went 2-8 in the NLDS against the Giants. In the NLCS he batted .375 with a double against The Atlanta Braves appearing in two games. In the World Series he was 0-3 as a pinch hitter. After the World Series he was traded to the Oakland A’s. He was soon traded to the Colorado Rockies becoming their main second baseman batting .273 in 1998. After the 1999 season he was signed by the New York Mets as a free agent.

Abbott is almost a forgotten man, but he played in 79 games for the 2000 NL Champion Mets, at short stop & second base as a utility infielder. In April he started out getting hits in his first three Mets games. He played in 16 games that month & was batting .308 going into May. His average plummeted down to .200 entering June.

On June 8^thhe had one of his brightest moments as a Met, hitting a 10^th inning walk off HR against the Baltimore Orioles Juan Mercedes in an inter league game at Shea Stadium. Two months later, on August 7^th, Abbott hit an 11^thinning HR in Houston breaking a 5-5 tie giving the Mets a 6-5 win over the Astros.

At short he made six errors in 128 chances turning ten double plays, while his batting average fell to .217. When short stop Rey Ordonez went down for the season with injury, the Mets didn’t have enough faith to give Abbott the position. They traded away Melvin Mora to the Baltimore Orioles for veteran Mike Bordick. In 157 at bats, Abbott ended up batting .260 with 6 HRS, 7 doubles 22 runs scored a .283 on base % & 12 RBIs.

Post Season: In the post season he went hitless in both the NLDS & NLCS appearing in three games in those two series with five at bats. He saw action in all five World Series games, beginning in Game #1 as he hit a one out double in the 9th inning, but was stranded on second base.

His hit advanced Todd Pratt to third as the Mets were still leading 3-2, but failed to score in the inning for insurance. He went 0-3 in the next three games as a pinch hitter, getting the start in the fifth game going 1-3.

The next year Abbott signed as a free agent with the rival Atlanta Braves, appearing just six games before ending his career. In a nine season career he played in 702 games, batting .256 with 523 hits 109 doubles 62 HRs 242 RBIs & a .305 on base %.

Former Mets Infielder: Kelvin Chapman (1979 / 1984-1985)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Kelvin Keith Chapman was born June 2, 1956 in Willits, California. The five foot eleven second baseman was signed out of Santa Rosa Jr. College as an amateur free agent by the New York Mets in 1975. After showing a good glove & batting .306 at A ball Wausau in 1977, he quickly moved up in the Mets organization.

Chapman had a great Spring Training in 1979 &was promoted right past AAA ball stealing the Opening Day Mets second base job from Doug Flynn. In those days the Mets & manager Joe Torre tried anything to get a win. Flynn was an outstanding fielder but a light hitter. The Kelvin Chapman experiment at second base lasted only 35 games & 80 at bats; as he hit only.150. Doug Flynn got his job back and went on to earn a gold glove.

Chapman spent the next four years in AAA mostly at Tidewater as a the teams second baseman. He started out hitting well there in 1984, and Davey Johnson called him up to be a right handed platoon with Wally Backman.

He hit .289 in 197 at bats with 3 HRs 13 doubles 23 RBIs & a 3.56 on base %. In 1985 his average plummeted to .174, and after 62 games he got sent back down to AAA Tidewater that July.

He never made it back to the big leagues, getting released at the end of the season. In a short three year career (172 games) Chapman was a lifetime .223 hitter, getting 94 hits with 3 HRs, 17 doubles & 34 RBIs, posting a .954 fielding percentage.

Retirement: After baseball he first operated a sporting goods store & batting range in Ukiah, California. He then coached at Mendocino College in his hometown of Willits, California.

1933 World Champion New York Giants Pitcher: Roy Parmalee (1929-1935)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Le Roy Earl Parmelee was born April 25, 1907 in Lambertville, Michigan . The six foot right hander, came up with the New York Giants in 1929 and got his first career win against the Brooklyn Dodgers, while pitching in only two games that year. He saw limited action going 2-6 in 32 games over three seasons, until 1933 when he found himself in the World Champion Giants rotation under manager Bill Terry.

Parmelee went 13-8 with a 3.17 ERA, striking out 132 batters (5th in the NL) pitching in 218 innings. He did not pitch in the World Series due to strong performances by Carl Hubble & Hal Schumaker. Parmelee was a wild pitcher who had occasional control issues. He led the league in hit by pitches four times, wild pitches twice & walks once. The Giants won 90 plus games the next two seasons but lost out to the St. Louis Gas House Gang Cardinals & Chicago Cubs respectively. Parmelee went 10-6 with a 3.42 ERA in 1934, fourth most wins on a staff of Carl Hubbell (21 wins) Hal Schumaker (23 wins) & Freddie Fitzsimmons (18 wins).

In 1935, his last year in New York Parmelee won a career high 14 games (14-10), leading the league with 97 walks. He pitched 226 innings posting a 4.22 ERA. He was traded to the Cardinals in 1936 and went 11-11, before moving on to the Cubs & Philadelphia A’s. He retired in 1942 after pitching three seasons in the minors.

In a ten seasons going 59-55 lifetime with a 4.27 ERA walking 531 batters, hitting 55 batters & throwing 53 wild pitches in 1120 innings pitched. He retired in Michigan and passed away in 1981 at age 74.

The First No Hitter In Mets History: Johan Santana (June 1st 2012)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Congratulations to Johan Santana who finally pitched the first no hit game in Mets history.

I sat watching this game not in my centerfieldmaz room but in the living room with a chance at the TV after a long day/week of work. As the game rolled on I thought (as I did every time a Mets pitcher went into the 5th inning with a not hitter) this could be the night. But usually it doesn't work out so the tension didn't mount for me until the 7th / 8th innings. By then I didn't move from my spot on the couch, no calls, no texts no moves. I admit it was one of my happiest regular season Mets moments as an emotional wave went through me. After all these years & all the great pitchers that I have seen get close to a no hitter, tonight the Mets finally had a pitcher toss a no hitter.

As a diehard fan from a very young age, I remember my favorite player of all time Tom Seaver getting so close five times, but ending up with one hitters. Yes, I remember the 35 one hitters by the likes of: Nolan Ryan, Gary Gentry ( twice), Jon Matlack (twice), David Cone (twice), Steve Trachsel (twice), Terry Leach, Bobby Jones, Sean Estes, Tom Glavine, John Maine, Pete Schourek, Jonathon Niese , RA Dickey & the combined efforts as well. I was even at Shea Stadium in September 1984 for Dwight Gooden's one hitter, when a Ray Knight's miscue at third base was ruled a hit. Just like announcers Gary Cohen & Howie Rose said, I almost felt like I'd never see one in my lifetime.

But last night Johan Santana the greatest Mets pitcher of this era finally did it as Cohen called it: "He struck him out! It has happened. In their 51st season, Johan Santana has thrown the first no-hitter in New York Mets history.” Oh Bob Murphy I can hear your call if you were still with us for the happy recap!! The game began with the surprising 2012 New York Mets one game out of first place in a tight NL East. Johan Santana was 2-2 but suffered from lack of run support as his 2.75 ERA proves. His return from shoulder surgery this season has been very successful. Remember, in his last outing he threw a complete game four hit shutout against the San Diego Padres.

Tonight the Mets certainly gave him enough run support, eight runs led by Lucas Duda with a three run HR & an RBI sac fly. Things got interesting in the 6th inning when a Carlos Beltran line drive was called foul when it appeared it may have been fair on replays. In any event that the way it goes, the ruling stands, foul ball. Then in the 7th Queens native, Mike Baxter chased a Yadier Molina fly ball to deep left over his head. He made a spectacular leaping catch crashing into wall & injuring himself in heroic fashion. Daniel Murphy made a nice grab at a liner from Carlos Beltran in the 8th inning, as did Andres Torres for the first out of the 9th off the bat of Matt Holiday.

With the Shea fans on their feet going wild and the rest of us at home hanging on to the edge of our seats, Allen Craig flied out to Jeff Nieuwenhuis for out number two. As the tension mounted like it was the World Series, I thought of Tom Seaver & Dwight Gooden, Jimmy Qualls, Joe Wallis & Leron Lee (see below). Then with two strikes Santana struck out David Freese for the historic third out, for the first time in Mets history Mets fans saw a Mets no hitter. A tear jerker for sure. Oh what a great day in Mets history & it will be remembered forever.

The announcers knew how important it was to the us long time fans as did Santana himself. He said "I am very happy & happy for you guys, the first one" as he acknowledged the Citi Field crowd after the game. A special Thanks to manager Terry Collins & pitching coach Dan Warthen who let Santana finish out the game with 134 pitches, almost twenty more pitches than they wanted him to throw.

Across the country another great Mets pitcher, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan who was throwing out the first pitch at a game in Anaheim between his former Angels team & his current team he's the GM over, the Texas Rangers commented on the feat. "They've had a lot of history of one-hitters, and it's because of the great pitchers they've had there," Ryan said. "When you think of Tom Seaver and Dwight Gooden there, and some of the other guys, it's amazing they never did."

"Short of Tom Seaver, I couldn't think of a better guy to have this recognition," Mets third baseman David Wright said.

A Look Back at Three No Hitters Tom Seaver Took Into the 9th Inning

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 06:49:00 +0000

JULY 9th 1969

If there was ever a night in which a sports team first earned respect & recognition as a true contender, it was July 9th 1969. It is one of the most important nights in Mets regular season history as well as one of the greatest Mets regular season games.

The Mets were an expansion team in 1962 and lost a record 120 games. The team consisted mostly of washed up veterans & below average young players who never had a chance to develop. By 1969 they had finished last all but one year, but had some good young players who came through their system as well as some of the best young pitching arms in baseball.

By July 9th 1969 the Mets were playing the best baseball in their short history under manager Gil Hodges. The Mets were taking on the first place Chicago Cubs, whose manager was the old New York Giants legendary Manager Leo Durocher. The Cubs were the best team in the NL at that time, with Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Fergie Jenkins & Billy Williams, as well as slugger Ron Santo, former Met Jim Hickman (21 HRs) Todd Hundley's dad Randy Hundey & 20 game winner, New Jersey's own Bill Hands.

But the Mets were creeping up to the Cubs in the standings, surprising everyone & were the talk all around baseball. The Cubs didn't take them seriously and many others outside of New York also thought they were a farse. On July 9th 1969 that all changed. The night before Jerry Koosman beat Fergie Jenkins putting the Mets just 3 1/2 games behind the Cubs in the standings. Going into the seond game of the series 51,000 fans piled into Shea Stadium to witness Tom Seaver go up against Ken Holtzman.

In the Mets line up that night was Tommie Agee CF- Bobby Pfeil 2B- Cleon Jones LF- Donn Clendenon 1B- Ed Charles 3B- Ron Swoboda RF- Jerry Grote behind the plate & Al Weis at short stop as Bud Harrelson was in the Military Reserves.

The Mets wasted no time as Tommie Agee led off with a triple & Bobby Pfeil doubled to score Agee. The Shea fans were up & excited right away not knowing the treat they were in for. In the 2nd inning the Mets got two base runners on errors at short & third base. Tom Seaver helped his own cause with a single to right & Agee then doubled home Al Weis; 3-0 Mets. Cleon Jones added a solo HR in the bottom of the 7th as by this time the crowd was going crazy.

Tom Seaver said he felt like he could throw the ball where ever he wanted that night, hit every corner & have every pitch go exactly where he wanted. His fast ball was over powering, he struckout the lead off batter Don Kessinger in the first. In the second inning he blew away the side and just rolled along from there. That night Cubs hitter Al Spangler struk out three times, Ernie Banks, Kessinger, & Ted Abernathy all went down on strikes twice each. Seaver did not allow any hits nor any walks along the way & was going into the 9th with a perfect game.

In the 8th inning he struck out Banks & Spangler for K's #10 & #11. In the top of the 9th with the Shea crowd on their feet, Randy Hundley led off & cowardly attempted to bunt for a hit, but was the ball was played cleanly for the out by Seaver. The next hitter was a guy named Jimmy Qualls.

Qualls was playing in just his 18th game & Seaver wasn't familiar with him. Seaver was a genius in knowing the hitters, thier weakness & ho to get them out. But with Qualls he had never faced him nor had any scouting reports. Qualls singled to centerfield ruining the no hit bid as well as the bid for a perfect game. Seaver just slapped his glove as the Shea crowd gave him a huge standing ovation. The next batter popped out & Don Kessinger flied out to Cleon Jones for the third out to end what became known as "The Imperfect Game".

The Mets Fell as far as ten game back on August 13th but on September 9th they took over first place & never lost their lead. The Amazing Mets went on to win the 1969 World Series as one of the best underdog stories in baseball history.

Tom Seaver won his first Cy Young Award that Year leading the league in wins (25) going 25-7 with a .781 winning %. He struck out 208 batters (tenth in the NL), the first of a record setting nine straight seasons with over 200 strike outs. He posted a 2.21 ERA (4th in the NL) with 18 complete games (7th in the NL), five shut outs (6th in the NL) 273 innings pitched & 36 starts. This was the first of five one hitters thrown by Tom Seaver & the third in Mets history up to that point.

As for Jimmy Qualls, he would play in 43 games in 1969 batting .250 (30-120) with no HRs 5 doubles 3 triples & 9 RBIs, posting a poor .266 on base %. He would get traded to the Montreal Expos in April 1970 & play most of the year in the minors. He played in just nine games getting one hit in nine at bats. He spent the next two years in the minors while getting traded to the Chicago Whites Sox where he played eleven games in 1972 going 0-11. Qualls ended his career in the minors in 1973 as Tom Seaver went on to win his second Cy Young Award. Qualls was a lifetime .223 hitter.

JULY 4TH 1972

On the Fourth of July 1972 the Mets were in second place just one game behind the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 43-27 record, the third best record in the NL. Yogi Berra was the teams manager just three months after Gil Hodges suffered his fatal heart attack in Spring Training.

That day Shea Stadium was filled with an excited Holiday crowd for a double header with the Mets & San Diego Padres. The Padres sported their bright yellow uniforms & were in last place in the West under manager Dom Zimmer, an original 1962 Met.

That day the great Willie Mays was batting leadoff & playing centerfield for New York with Bud Harrelson at short, Wayne Garrett at third, John Milner (the rookie slugger) in left field & batting cleanup, Jim Fregosi was at third base (just a few months after being acquired in the Nolan Ryan trade) Ed Kranepool at first, Teddy Martinez in right field & Duffy Dyer behind the plate as Seaver's battery mate.

In 1972 Tom Seaver was 21-12 (second in the NL in wins) with 249 strikeouts (second in the NL) & a 2.92 ERA. It was the only season in a four year span Seaver did not win the NL ERA title or the NL strike out title. Although that season he had the league's best strike out per nine inning ratio (8.53). He pitched 262 innings (7th in the NL), threw three shut outs with 13 complete games (8th in the NL).

In the 4th of July 1972 game Seaver began blowing Padre hitters away early on, as he had six strike outs in the first four innings. In the bottom of the 3rd inning the Padres helped out Seaver, after Bud Harrelson singled, Kirby walked four straight batters giving the Mets a 2-0 lead. That's all Seaver would need as he rolled along into the 9th inning with 11 strike outs and a no hitter in tact. It was the second time Seaver took his no hitter into the 9th inning, the first since that classic night in July 1969.

Previously in the top of the 8th, Seaver allowed two walks and had a close call when Derrell Thomas a line drive to right, but it was caught by Teddy Martinez. Martinez was an infielder & only played 54 career games in the outfield. In the top of the 9th inning the Shea Fans were on their feet & going wild with every pitch as Seaver went after history. The first batter Dave Roberts grounded out to second base and Leron Lee came up next.

Lee singled up the middle to centerfield spoiling the no hit bit. The next batter Padre slugger Nate Colbert (who was second in the league with 38 HRs that season) grounded into a double play to end the game. Seaver did earn the win his 11th of the season, going 11-4 at that time, lowering his ERA to three. It was the fourth one hitter thrown by Tom Seaver who was just 27 years old at the time & the ninth in Mets history.

The spoiler that night Leron Lee, played eight years in the major leagues. He was with the St. Louis Cardinals (1969-1971) San Diego Padres (1971-1973) Cleveland Indians (1974-1975) & Los Angeles Dodgers (1975-1976). He was primarily a reserve outfielder playing in 614 career games, batting .250 lifetime with 404 hits in 1617 at bats. He hit 31 HRs 83 doubles 13 triples with a .307 on base % & 152 RBIs.

In 1977 Lee went to Japan & became a star player for the next decade. He led the league in HRs & RBIs in 19777 & won a batting title in 1980. He hold one of the highest all time batting averages in Japan. Lee revolutionized Japanese baseball, before he arrived most American players were past their prime when they went to play there. He changed their view of former American players coming over to play the game there. Leron Lee was the Oakland A's batting coach in their 1989 Worlds Championship season. Leron Lee is the uncle to current MLB player Derek Lee.

SEPTEMBER 24th 1975

On September 24th at Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Mets were 11 games back of the Pittsburgh Pirates in third place with 1 80-78 record. Roy McMillan was the Mets interim manager after Yogi Berra had recently been fired. Tom Seaver took on the Cubs pitcher Rick Reuschel who was 11-17 on the year leading the NL in losses. The Cubs were in fifth place 17 1/2 games back and their manager was former Met Jim Marshall.

That season Seaver was to win his third Cy Young Award, leading the league in wins going 22-9, leading the league in strike outs (243) & was third in ERA with a 2.38 average. That year Seaver pitched 280 innings with 15 complete games (both third best in the NL), he threw five shut outs (4th in the NL) & made 36 starts (7th in the NL).

On that Wednesday afternoon the Mets line up had Del Unser in CF- Felix Millan 2B- Mike Vail -LF, Rusty Staub -RF, Dave Kingman -3B, Ed Kranepool -1B, Ron Hodges catching, & Mike Phillips -SS for the injred Bud Harrelson. Seaver shut the Cubs down going into the 9th inning, not allowing any runs nor any hits. It wasn't the usual Seaver game where he was blowing hitters away, as he had only six strike outs going into the 9th. Seaver was attempting to make Mets history in front of less than three thousand Cub fans, taking a no hit bid for the third time in his career.

As the 9th inning began at Wrigley Field Seaver looked better than he had maybe the whole game, he struck out Don Kessinger & Cubs slugger Rick Monday. Then came the the rookie outfielder Joe Wallis who was playing in his 15th career game. Wallis singled to right field breaking the hearts of Seaver & Mets fans everywhere. With Jose Cardenal up, Wallis stole second base. Cardenal was intentionally walked & Seaver struck out one of the best Cubs hitters; Andre Thorton.

Unfortunately, Rick Reushel wasn't throwing a no hitter but was shutting out the Mets on just four hits himself. The game went to extra innings, Tom Terrific started the 10th inning and got the first out. He them gave up a single to Manny Trillo & double to catcher George Mitterwald. Trillo was nailed at the plate as Gene Clines threw a relay to short stop Mike Phillips who then threw home to Ron Hodges who stood his ground & tagged out Trillo. The Mets went hitless against reliever Ken Crosby in the 11th. In the bottom of the inning Skip Lockwood came on to pitch for New York, relieving a tired Seaver.

Lockwood allowed a single to Monday then a walk to Joe Wallis. Cardenal bunted over the runners & Andre Thorton was intentionally walked. Then Lockwood walked Bill Madlock (the 1975 NL batting champion) to force home the winning run. As Bob Murphy would say "Oh What a wild one at Wrigley.... It was the fifth & final one hitter thrown by Tom Seaver. It was also the twelfth of thirty five one hitters in Mets history.

Joe Wallis had a five year MLB career playing with the Cubs from 1975-1978. In 1975 he hit a career high .286 (56 at bats) with one HR & four RBIs. The next season he played in 121 games batted .254 with 5 HRs & 21 RBIs. In June of 1978 he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Mike Vail who was the Mets left fielder that day at Wrigley Field when Wallis spoiled the no hitter. Wallis played in Oakland through 1980 when he was released after hitting .141 in 23 games. In his career Wallis was a .244 hitter with 216 hits 16 HRs 36 RBIs a .317 on base % & 68 RBIs.

Former Shea Stadium Hot Dog Vendor & Pitcher: Ed Glynn (1979-1980)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:33:00 +0000

Edward Paul Glynn has the honor of being one of very few Met players, to have actually been born in Flushing, New York. The tall six foot two, left handed pitcher was born was born on June 3, 1953, a good decade before Shea Stadium was even there. While growing up in Flushing, he saw Shea Stadium get built and eventually got a job there as a hot dog vendor. He became a hot dog vendor watching Tom Seaver pitch & seeing some good Mets teams. He went from selling hot dogs to the Shea pitcher's mound just a decade later, not bad for the kid from Queens. The Mets even honored him when he became a pitcher, awarding him with a hot dog vendor box with his name & number painted on it.

Glynn was drafted by the Tigers in 1971 while pitching at Francis Lewis high School, at age 18. He pitched through A ball in 1972 moving up to A ball Clinton in 1973 as the Mets were winning the NL Pennant. By 1975 he was at AAA Evansville & made his MLB debut at Tiger Stadium on September 19th allowing two runs in 2.2 innings to the Boston Red Sox. He took the loss and went 0-2 that month in three appearances.

He pitched in only 26 games for Detroit from 1975-1978 going 3-6 getting eight starts before becoming a full time reliever. Glynn was traded to the Mets during Spring Training 1979, for right handed pitcher Mardie Cornejo who had gone 4-2 with three saves and a 2.45 ERA for the ’78 Mets staff.

Glynn began the season at AAA Tidewater going 0-1 in 17 appearances. He was brought up at the start of June, and was thrilled to be pitching in the neighborhood he grew up in at the major league level. Glynn debuted as a Met on June 1st, 1979 & earned a save at Atlanta beating the Braves 5-4. The next day the Braves beat him, getting a run in the seventh inning for the win. That first week he got two saves on the road & then came home to a big cheering section of family & friends pitching the seventh inning against the Houston Astros in his Shea Mets debut.

He earned four saves with a 1.69 ERA in a dozen appearances during his first month. In July he earned two more saves & was credited with three holds out of the bullpen. On September 6th he earned his first Mets win, a 5-3 Mets victory in the first game of a double header at Philadelphia against the Phillies. On the season he was third best out of the Mets bullpen with seven saves (behind Skip Lockwood – nine saves & Neil Allen- eight saves). Glynn's 3.00 ERA was second best on the entire staff (in more than 60 innings) as well. Overall he was 1-4 striking out 32 batters while walking 40, pitching 60 innings over 46 games.

In 1980 he made three appearances in April, taking a loss at Houston while earning credit for a hold in Philadelphia. On May 4th he got the win in 6-2 Mets victory over the San Diego Padres. On June 26th he earned a win at Wrigley Field & a week later earned another win on the Fourth of July. That victory came at Shea against the Montreal Expos as Jose Cardenal, Steve Henderson & Lee Mazzilli all drove in late inning runs. Overall it was his last win in New York, he went 3-3 with a save on the year, He posted a 4.13 ERA, striking out 32 batters lowering his walks to 23 in 52 innings of work.

Just as the 1981 season was to start he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for Dominick Bullinger who never suited up at Shea. Glynn spent three season with the Indians, having his best year in 1982 (5-2 with four saves, posting a 4.17 ERA). Glynn’s contract was purchased by the Mets once again in 1984. He would spend the Mets glory years of the 1980’s at AAA Tidewater going 7-10 from 1984 through 1987. In 1985 he was briefly with the Red Sox organization as well.

In 1990 at age 37, he made another return to the Met organization in an attempted comeback, pitching his final game at AAA Tidewater. In his ten year career Glynn was 12-17 with 12 save, 184 strike outs 151 walks s and a 4.25 ERA in 265 innings pitched over 175 games played.

Former New York Giants Italian / American Star Catcher: Gus Mancuso (1933-1938)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:25:00 +0000

August Rodney Mancuso was born on December 5, 1905 in Galveston, Texas. The Italian American catcher was known as Gus or the nickname “Blackie”. He began his career in St. Louis in 1928 with the Cardinals and played on two pennant winners in 1930 & 1931 as a back up to Jimmie Wilson. In 1931 Mancuso played in 56 games as catcher & threw out a league leading 54% of would be base stealers. The 1931 Cardinal team won the World Series beating Connie Mack's Philadelphia A's after losing to them the prior season. In 1932 he became the teams regular catcher although they fell to sixth place in the NL.

In 1933 Mancuso got traded along with Ray Starr to the New York Giants for Ethan Allen, Jim Mooney, Bob O'Farrell and Bill Walker. In New York he would become one of the best catchers in the game during the 1930’s. Manager Bill Terry credits Mancuso with turning the pitching staff around and helping the Giants go from sixth place to winning the World Series in 1933. They would also win two more pennants in 1936 & 1937.

Mancuso helped a great Giants pitching staff become one of the game's best, as he caught Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell's screwball and three other Giants greats; sinker baller Hal Schumacher, knuckle baller Freddie Fitzsimmons & Roy Parmalee. Not only did he handle a pitching staff well, It was almost impossible to steal on Mancuso.

He would throw out 50% or more of would be base runners seven times in his career & never have a percentage under 38% in any season. His caught stealing percentages were among the league's top three catchers six different seasons.

In his career he averaged 48%, which is 24th best all time. He led the league in put outs three times & in catching base runners attempting to steal twice, coming in second place two other times in that category. He would catch 120 games or more in four straight seasons with the Giants. With all the work behind the plate, he also led the NL in errors three times & passed balls twice.

In 1933 the Giants won their first pennant in nine years, Manager Ralph Terry gave alot of credit to his catcher. Mancuso was so good defensively he came in sixth in the MVP voting even though he batted .264 with 6 HRs & 56 RBIs. In the 1933 World Series he had a bunt single in Game #2 contributing to a six run Giant sixth inning. In the final Game #5 he doubled home a run in the Giants 4-3 win over the Washington Senators.

In 1935 he hit .298 making the All Star team as a reserve catcher. In an extra inning game that season at the Polo Grounds against the St. Louis Gas House Gang Cardinals, Mancuso caught all 27 innings of the contest. In the 1936 Giants NL Pennant season, he had his best year at the plate. He batted .301 with 23 doubles a .351 on base % while having career highs in HRs (9) RBIs (63) hits (156) & runs scored (55).

He led the league's catchers in putouts, base runners caught stealing, & finished second in assists. That year he finished eighth in the MVP voting. In the World Series he hit .263 (5-19) with two doubles & an RBI. The popular New York catcher even got his face on a 1930’s Wheaties cereal box.

The Giants repeated as NL Champions again in 1937, as Mancuso threw out 60% of would be base stealers (2nd in the league). He led the league in put outs for the third time, was second in assists (104) & 5th in fielding at .982 %. He missed time when a foul tip broke his ring finger on his right hand. Harry the Horse Danning became the clubs main catcher & when Mancuso returned they shared time at the position. In 86 games Mancuso batted .279 with 4 HRs & 39 RBIs. He made another All Star game & and getting to his fifth career World Series.

He spent six seasons in New York, before going on to being a backup catcher with the Chicago Cubs (1939) Brooklyn Dodgers (1940) & St. Louis Cards (1941-1942). He returned to the Giants in 1942 when Danning was serving in the military. Mancuso now 37 years old, shared time with 35 year old veteran Ernie Lombardi and also served as a pitching coach. He didn’t hit well in his later years; batting only .198 in 94 games in 1943 followed by a .251 average in 78 games for 1944. He then played his final season in Philadelphia when his old Giants battery mate Freddie Fitzsimmons became the manager.

He finished his 17 season career playing in 1460 games, batting .265 with 1194 hits 53 HRs 197 doubles 16 triples 545 RBIs & a .328 on base %. Behind the plate he had 5613 put outs making 148 errors in 6564 chances. In 1360 games behind the plate he posted a .977 fielding % while throwing out 48% of base runners.

Retirement: He became a coach for the Cincinnati Reds in 1950, and then managed in the minor leagues. Outside of baseball he was a newspaper columnist, a beer distributor, as well as a broadcaster working with Harry Caray.

His brother Frank Mancuso played four seasons for the St. Louis Browns in the mid 1940’s. Gus Mancuso passed away in Houston, Texas in 1984 at the age of 78. He is a member of the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.

Former Italian /American St. Louis Browns Catcher: Frank Mancuso (1944-1947)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Frank Octavius Mancuso was born May 23rd, 1918 in Houston Texas. He is the younger brother of New York Giants catcher Gus Mancuso Frank Mancusco was the youngest of seven children and followed in his brothers footsteps as a catcher. The six foot right hand hitting Mancuso served in the United States Army during World War II.

In 1942 serving as a paratrooper he suffered a serious injury & was discharged. It looked as though his baseball career was over, especially being a catcher. The injury reulted in a condition where when he looked straight up he would lose the flow of oxygen to his brain making him pass out. He was also unable to look straight up to catch pop flies. He defied the odds & made it to the big leagues with the St. Louis Browns in 1944.

That year he played in 88 games batting just .205 with one HR 11 doubles & 24 RBIs.In 87 games behind the plate he led the AL with 17 errors. In 1944 the Browns won their only American League title, finishing first for the only time in their 52 year existence. (In 1954 the franchise moved & became the Baltimore Orioles.)

The 1944 World Series was the all St. Louis Series as the Cardinals defeated the Browns in six games. Mancuso appeared in two Series games getting a pinch hit RBI single, which tied up Game #2 at Sportsman's Park.

In 1945 he became the Browns main catcher batting .268 with 13 doubles one HR & 38 RBIs. He allowed the second most steals in the league (46) making six errors with 11 passed balls (3rd in the AL). The following season he played 87 games, splitting time with four other Browns catchers most notably Hank Helf (69 games). That season he allowed the most stolen bases in the AL (44) throwing out 27% of the base runners trying to steal. He played one more season with the Browns before finishing up his career with the Washington Senators in 1947.

In a four year career Frank Mancuso batted .241 with 241 hits 37 doubles 7 triples 5 HRs & 98 RBIs. Behind the plate he threw out 28% of runners trying to steal with a .972 fielding %.

Retirement: After baseball he served on the Houston City Council for thirty years before retiring. He passed away in 20007 after suffering a heart attack at age 89.

Mid Seventies Mets Pitcher: Rick Baldwin (1975-1976)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Rickey Allen Baldwin was born June 1, 1953 in Fresno, California, the home town of Mets Hall of Famer Tom Seaver. The tall six foot three, side armed right handed throwing Baldwin, was drafted by the New York Mets in ninth round of the 1971 draft. In 1972 he was second on the Mets A ball Visalia staff, to Cecil Reynolds going 12-8 leading the team with 90 strike outs. Baldwin won nine games at AA Memphis (1973) & AA Victoria (1974) while posting winning records in each of the next two seasons.

In 1975 Baldwin impressed the team and made it North out of Spring Training with a lot of promise for his future. The team gave him Tug McGraw’s old uniform number 45, since McGraw had been traded to the Phillies that off season. Baldwin made his Mets debut in the second game of the 1975 season pitching a scoreless 8th at Shea Stadium in a loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.

On April 11th, he blew a 9th inning game at Pittsburgh as he was brought in to relieve Jerry Koosman with the bases loaded & a 3-1 lead. Baldwin allowed a two run single to Rennie Stennett, and then Mac Scarce who had come over in the Tug McGraw trade gave up the final losing hit. In his next outing Baldwin blew a two run lead to the Cardinals in St. Louis but was taken off the hook as the Mets scored seven runs to win the game 14-7.

Baldwin then earned his first save on April 20th in three innings of relief against the Chicago Cubs. In that game he did allow three runs. By June Baldwin became one of the Mets top relievers out of the bullpen, something they needed badly after they had traded away McGraw. By the All Star break he had four saves but also had blown five saves as well. Upon his return he saved two more games on the road in Chicago & St. Louis.

In September he earned his third & final win on the year pitching four scoreless innings at Shea against the Montreal Expos. For the 1975 season, Baldwin would be second on the club to Bob Apodaca in saves with six. He led all Mets pitchers in appearances with 54 going 3-5 with a 3.33 ERA, he had 54 strike outs with 34 walks in 97 innings pitched.

In 1976 he started out the year at AAA Tidewater, having a good year going 8-4 with 14 saves, posting a 2.31 ERA. He was called up to the Mets for two brief weeks in June then returning again in September. In 11 games with New York he appeared in 22 innings and posted a 2.26 ERA, with no record.

In 1977 Baldwin was rolling along at 4-1 at AAA Tidewater when he was called back up in late May. He would appear in 40 games mostly in middle relief, going 1-2 with a save and a 4.45 ERA. On June 21st he earned his only victory against the Atlanta Braves. He pitched the last game of the 1976 season earning the save at Busch Stadium in the Mets 6-4 win over the Cardinals. That game would be his last MLB appearance.

He was drafted away by the expansion Seattle Mariners in 1977 but never cracked their big league staff. He pitched at AAA through the 1978 season, ending his big league career. In his three year career he appeared in 105 games, going 4-7 with seven saves & a respectable 3.60 ERA, striking out 86 batters with 75 walks in 182 innings pitched.

Former Cy Young Winner & One Time New York Mets Pitcher: Dean Chance (1970)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Wilmer Dean Chance was born on June 1, 1941 in Plain Township, Ohio. He was originally signed by the Baltimore Orioles then was picked up by the Washington Senators in the 1960 expansion draft. The six foot three right hander then got traded to the expansion Los Angeles Angels for Joe Hicks that December. He went from the low levels of the minor leagues right up to AAA Dallas- Forth Worth where he was 9-12.

After a brief call up in 1961, he won 14 games leading the Angels staff in wins in 1962. He posted a 2.96 ERA, striking out 127 batters in 206 innings pitched, coming in third in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 1963 he won 13 games for the 9th place Angels although he lost 18 games (third most in the AL) posting a 3.19 ERA.

He became one of the first pitching stars for the Los Angeles Angels along with the Hollywood styling Bo Belinski. In 1964 Chance was one of the best pitchers in baseball, winning the Cy Young Award (at the time only one Cy Young Award was given out to both leagues) & coming in fifth in the MVP voting. Chance led the AL in wins (20) ERA (1.65) complete games (15) shut outs (11) & innings pitched (278). He also had a career high 207 strikeouts (3rd most in the AL).

The next year the Los Angeles Angels became the California Angels, Chance won 15 games, leading the staff going 15-10 (8th best in the AL). He posted a 3.15 ERA striking out 164 batters pitching four shut outs. At the time the Angels needed hitting real bad, and after Chance went 12-17 leading the AL in walks in 1966 (although he posted a 3.08 ERA) he was traded to the Minnesota Twins for Don Mincher & Jimmie Hall.

Chance rebounded to win twenty more games (20-14) for the Twins in 1967 leading the league in games (39) complete games (18) & innings pitched (283) while posting a 2.73 ERA. The Twins were in the tight '67 pennant race with the Chicago White Sox right through September, but both teams lost out to the Boston Red Sox on the last day of the season in "their Impossible Dream" season.

In 1968 Chance was 16-16, eighth most wins in the AL & second most losses in the league. By 1969 his career fell off, appearing in only twenty games going 5-4 as the Twins won the AL West but lost to the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS. In that Series he gave up three earned runs in two innings pitched. In December of 1969 he was traded along with Bob Miller, Graig Nettles and Ted Uhlaender to the Cleveland Indians for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams. After going 9-8 he was released and picked up by the New York Mets in mid September of 1970.

At the time the reigning World Champion Mets were only 2 ½ games out of first place with two weeks left in the season. They wanted Chance's veteran experience for the stretch run & possible playoffs. He made his Mets debut on September 20th, but gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning pitched in a crucial loss to the first place Pittsburgh Pirates. Two nights later he earned a save in a 7-6 win at Philadelphia.

On September 25th, he took a loss at Three Rivers Stadium, to the Pirates, putting the Mets 3 ½ back & pretty much ending their pennant chances. He is immortalized forever as a Met in a 1971 Topps baseball card, but was traded to the Detroit Tigers before the start of the 1971 season.

In his 11 year career he was 128-115 with 1534 strikeouts 83 complete games 33 shutouts & an excellent 2.92 ERA.

Retirement: Back in 1969 he became a boxing manager and promoter. In the 1990s he created the International Boxing Association & has been the president since its inception.

Former Italian / American New York Giant: Babe Barna (1941-1943)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Herbert Paul Barna was born on March 2nd, 1915 in Clarksburg, West Virginia. The six foot two left handed hitter, attended West Virginia University where he was a star athlete. There he set a school hitting record batting .485 eventually earning the nickname "Babe". Barna was a star player in the minor leagues leading the American Association in steals (29) in 1941, then in HRs in both 1944 (24) & 1945 (25) Later on he led AA in hitting later on in 1951 (.358).

Barna first debuted with the Philadelphia A's in 1937 appearing in just 19 games for legendary manager Connie Mack. He went 14-36 in 14 games that September for the seventh place A's. In 1938 he hit .300 at A ball & got back up to the A's club for nine brief games going 4-30. Barna spent the next three years in the minors, having his contract purchased by the New York Giants in 1941.

For the Giants he hit .336 at AAA Minneapolis stealing 29 bases (best in the league) with 24 HRs & 105 RBIs. He made his Giants debut on September 20th & hit a two run HR gathering up three hits in the 7-3 win over the Boston Braves. He would play in ten games that month batting .214 with one HR 5 RBIs.

In 1942 he had the best year of his career, playing in a career high 104 games as the New York left fielder. He hit .257 with 6 HRs 8 doubles 58 RBIs & a .333 on base %. His biggest stretch came from June 15th through June 26th when he hit three HRs, driving in three runs in each of those games he homered in. In those games he had 13 hits & drove in 13 runs, all at home in the Polo Grounds. In July he had two separate four RBI games where he also hit HRs. The next season he hit just .204 in 40 games with the Giants & then was traded to the Boston Red Sox finishing out the season batting .187.

Barna would spend the next decade in the minors finishing out a long 15 year minor league career batting .311 lifetime with 290 HRs & 1229 RBIs. At the major league level he hit .232 with 12 HRs & 96 RBIs in 207 games played over five seasons. Barna passed away in 1972 at age 56 in Charleston, West Virginia.

Mid Nineties New Jersey Born Mets Player: Joe Orsulak (1993-1995)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Joseph Michael Orsulak was born on May 31st, 162 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. The six foot left handed hitting Orsulak attended Parsippany Hills High School getting drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 6th round of the 1980 draft. He hit well enough in two years to go from A ball to AAA Hawaii by 1983.

He debuted with the Pirates in 1983 playing in seven games. By 1985 he was the Pirates regular outfielder batting .300 with 14 doubles 24 stolen bases a .342 on base % 7 21 RBIs coming in sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 1986 his average fell to .249 & he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles at the end of the year. He spent five seasons with Baltimore as a regular player, batting over .280 three times, while posting good on base percentages.

In 1992 he helped christen the new Oriole Park at Camden Yards getting two hits in a game against the Cleveland Indians. His strong arm had him lead the AL in assists (22) in 1991, while making a league leading 13 assists just in left field alone. That year he also posted a perfect .1000 fielding % as a left fielder. He came in fifth place with eight assists in right field in both 1992 & 1994. In December of 1992 Orsulak signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.

Orsulak was considered the fourth outfielder for the '93 Mets, but he actually got into more games then Vince Coleman & Ryan Thompson. He got into 134 games overall (fourth most on the club). Orsulak made his Mets debut on April 5th Opening Day playing centerfield & batting 6th. He had a good start batting over .290 by early May, when he hit his first Mets HR in a 4-0 win over the Florida Marlins. He kept his average up having eight multi hit games in May & starting out June with a nine game hit streak, hitting safely in 13 of 16 games.

In July he got his average over .300, he had three separate three hit games & hit two HRs both coming in the final week of the month. On August 30th he hit a bottom of the 8th inning HR to break a 4-4 tie against the Houston Astros, leading the Mets to a 5-4 victory. For the season he batted .284 (second on the club to Eddie Murray's .285) with a .331 on base % 8 HRs 15 doubles & 35 RBIs. In the outfield he had nine assists with a .978 fielding %.

In 1994 he pinch hit on Opening Day staying in the game to go 0-2 in the Mets 12-6 win at Wrigley Field. He got the starts in the next two games & drove in runs in each of them. He had a big start to May hitting a three run HR against the Dodgers in 1 7-4 Mets win at Shea onMay 1st. Two days later he hit a grand slam HR against Michael Jackson & the San Francisco Giants. From May 10th through May 17th he hit two more HRs and drove in eight runs.

On May 17th at Shea Stadium he hit a two run HR against the Florida Marlins & then won the game with a walk off RBI single scoring Todd Hundley. In June he produced 13 runs, with four multi RBI games, although the Mets lost all but two of the games he drove runs in on. He ended the strike shortened season batting .260 with 8 HRs 3 doubles 42 RBIs & a .299 on base %.

In 1995 Orsulak was the Mets main left fielder, playing alongside Bret Butler & Carl Everett. On Opening Day he came into the game late, driving in a run in an extra inning loss to the Rockies at Coors Field. On April 29th his bases loaded single off Vicente Palacios scored Bobby Bonilla with the game winning run. By mid May he was batting over .400, naturally he tailed off but kept his average above .290 through mid August. On June after coming into the game late, he singled up the middle off Florida's Randy Veres, scoring Tim Bogar with the games winning run.

In July he had another game winning moment, when his 7th inning sac fly scored Jeff Kent breaking a 2-2 tie against the Pittsburgh Pirates. On August 7th, he hit a three run HR off Florida's Terry Mathews, bringing the Mets from a 2-1 deficit to a 5-2 victory. He had another big day later in the month getting three hits & driving in three runs in a 7-6 Mets win over the San Diego Padres. For the second place 1995 Mets, Orsulak batted .283 with one HR 19 doubles a .323 on base % & 37 RBIs.

Orsulak put in an under rated three year career with the Mets, batting .276 with 579 hits 35 HRs 221 RBIs & a .331 on base % in 338 games. Orsulak was let go to free agency signing a deal with the Florida Marlins. He hit just .221 and was traded to the Montreal Expos in the Cliff Floyd deal. Orsulak played the 1997 season with the Expos batting .227 in 106 games closing out his career.

In a 14 year career he batted .273 with 1173 hits 186 doubles 37 trples 57 HRs 405 RBIs 93 stolen bases & a .324 on base % in 1494 games played. As an outfielder he made 105 assists with a .982 fielding % in 1253 games.

Short Time Original Mets Pitcher: Herb Moford (1962)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:25:00 +0000

Herbert Moford was born on August 6th, 1928 in Brooksville Kentucky. The six foot one right-hander spent a total of 17 years in the minor leagues going 147-131 in 462 games pitched at that level. In 1954 he won 17 games (17-14) at AA Columbus and made his debut the next year with the St. Louis Cardinals.

He was 1-1 with a 7.88 ERA in 14 games through mid June when he was sent back down to the minors. He was 1-6 the rest of the year & was traded to the Detroit Tiger organization for Bob Thorpe. He returned to the majors in 1959 going 4-9 with a 3.61 ERA & was soon traded to the Boston Red Sox.

In 1959 he was shelled for two HRs & four earned runs in his Red Sox debut against the Washington Senators on April 16th. In his third & final outing of the season he was hit for five runs on five hits , again by the Senators. His ERA ballooned to 11.42 as he lost both decisions & was shipped back to the minors the rest of the year. He ended up in Baltimore Orioles organization until December 1961 when he was purchased by the expansion New York Mets.

Moford was an original Met, pitching a scoreless 7th inning in the first game ever played in Mets history. He was the third Met pitcher to ever take the mound, following Roger Craig & Bob Moorhead. He also pitched in the first Mets home game, two days later allowing one run in two innings to the Pittsburgh Pirates, in the Polo Grounds.

On April 17th, 1962 the Houston Colt 45's Don Buddin tagged him for a three run HR in extra innings to give him his only Mets decision, a loss. In seven appearances he was 0-1 with seven strike outs & six walks with a 7.20 ERA. He pitched one more year in the minors before ending his brief four year career, He was 5-13 with a 5.03 ERA in 50 games, 78 strike outs & 64 walks in 157 innings.

Retirement: After baseball he became a tobacco farmer & cattle rancher in Minera Kentucky. Moford turned to politics, becoming the campaign manager for former team mate Jim Bunning, who once ran for the Governor of Kentucky.

Bunning of course is best remembered for throwing a perfect game against the Mets on Father's Day 1964. Moford passed away in December 2005 at age 77 in Cincinnati Ohio.

Former Bronx Born New York Giant: Billy Jurges (1939-1945)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Thu, 31 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

William Frederick Jurges was born on May 9th, 1908 in the Bronx, New York. He grew up in Richmond Hill, Queens getting signed by the Chicago Cubs in the early 1930’s. By 1933 he would become the Cubs short stop and one of the best defensive gloves in the league.

He led the NL in fielding % four times from 1932-1937, as well as put outs, assists & games played one time each. Jurges anchored a strong infield of Stan Hack, Billy Herman and Charlie Grimm or Phil Cavarretta. He batted a career high .298 in 1937, winning a pennant & playing in one of his three World Series with the Cubs. He drove in runs in first two Series (1932 & 1935).

Back in 1932 Jurges received an alarming phone call, from his ex-girl friend lounge singer Violet Valli. She soon appeared in his hotel room with a gun, attempting to kill herself. Jurges pulled the gun from her but suffered two gunshot wounds, one in the hand & one in the ribs. He missed playing in the 1932 World Series, the famous series where Babe Ruth supposedly called his HR shot. Some believe this incident inspired the scene in the novel & the movie “The Natural”.

In December of 1938 he came over to the New York Giants with team mate Demaree & spent the next seven seasons with the Giants. He was their main short stop from 1939-1943 before becoming the great Buddy Kerr’s back up. These were not good years for the Giants, as they did not win any pennants under Hall of Famers Bill Terry & Mel Ott.

In 1941 he had his best Giants season, batting .293 with a .361 on base %, 25 doubles & 61 RBIs. In his career he had five twenty plus doubles season, & two seasons of ten or more triples.

In 1946 he went back to the Cubs palying out his last two seasons. In his 17 year career he played in 1816 games, 1540 games at short stop (54th all time) with 3133 put outs (37th all time) 4959 assists (59th all time) with a .964 fielding %. He batted .258 with 1613 hits 245 doubles 55 triples 43 HRs & 656 RBIs.

Retirement: After his playing days he was a minor league coach & then a coach for the Washington Senators. In 1959 he was named manager of the Boston Red Sox. He improved the team from 8th to 5th place & helped promoted Pumpsie Green breaking the Red Sox color line. He left the team in 1960, due to nervous exhaustion; during Ted Williams final season. He the scouted many years for Washington, Texas & Houston retiring in Clearwater Florida. He passed away in 1997 at the age of 88.

Currernt Mets Player Scott Hairston (2011-2012) & His Long Line Of Baseball Relatives

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Scott Alexander Hairston was born on May 25th, 1980 in Fort Worth Texas. He comes from a long line of major league baseball players going back to his grand father, father & brother. At the time Scott was born, his father ; long time major leaguer Jerry Hairston was playing in Mexico. Scott's brother Jerry Hairston Jr. also is a major leaguer & played with the New York Mets.

Scott Hairston attended Canyon del Oro High School in Arizona which also featured a talent of future major leaguers at the time; Ian Kinsler, Chris Duncan, Shelly Duncan & Brian Anderson. Hairston then attended Central Aizona College with Kinsler, getting drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001. He would hit at least .300 all but once, in eight minor league seasons. In 2004 he made the Diamondbacks and became the teams main second baseman batting .248 with 13 HRs & 29 RBIs.

He spent most of the next two years in the minor leagues returning for 76 games in 2007. That July he was traded to the San Diego Padres and hit 8 HRs while batting .287 in 31 games the rest of the season. By this point he became a full time outfielder, getting inTo 112 games in 2008 as the Padres fourth outfielder. That June the Padres set a record by becoming the first team in history to win four straight games by a 2-1 score. In the record setting fourth game, Hariston hit a walk off game winning HR against the New York Mets & Pedro Feliciano for the 2-1 record setting victory.

Midway through the 2009 season he was traded to the Oakland A's but returned to San Diego for the next season. In 2010 he was a team mate along with his brother Jerry, both playing as reserves with the Padres. Scott played in 104 games batting just .210 with 10 HRs 10 doubles & 36 RBIs. In 2011 he signed with the New York Mets as a free agent.

He was used right away making his Mets debut on Opening Day as a pinch hitter. On April 14th he hit a 9th inning two run HR off Colorado's Huston Street although the Mets still lost the game 6-5. In mid June he hit two HRs in the same week both coming on the road in Pittsburgh & Atlanta. On June 29th Hairston tripled & drove in three runs in an inter league Mets 16-9 win at Detroit against the Tigers.

That summer he had a big day at Citi Field against the Philadelphia Phillies. First he doubled home two runs off Cole Hammels & then later hit a three run HR off Danny Baez in the 11-2 Mets rout. His season was cut short in August as he ended the year playing as a utility player in 79 games, batting .235 with 7 HRs 8 doubles & 24 RBIs.

In 2012 Hairston hit his first HR in Philadelphia off Cliff Lee in the Mets 5-2 win there. He then hit for the cycle & drove in four runs on April 26th in a Mets 19-9 loss at Coors Field.

Through April 2012 Scott has played nine years in the majos batting .244 with 453 hits 101 doubles 77 HRs a .303 on base % & 228 RBIs.
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Jerry Wayne Hairston Jr. was born May 29th 1976 in Des Moines Iowa. The five foot ten, right hand hitting utility player plays all infield as well as all outfield positions. After attending Southern Illinois University the older brother of Scott Hairston was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 1997 draft.

Hairston went on to a long career playing with the Orioles from 1998-2004. Hairston stole 29 bases in 2001 & stole 21 more the next year. In his 2004 season he batted his Oriole best .303 playing in 86 games. He then moved on to the Chicago Cubs (2005-2006) Texas Rangers (2006-2007) Cincinnati Reds (2008-2009) A.L. New York club (2009) San Diego Padres (2010) Washington Nationals (2011) Milwaukee Brewers (2011) & Los Angeles Dodgers (2012).

In 2008 with the Reds he hit a career best .326 in 80 games while stealing 15 bases. In 2009 & 2010 he showed the most power of his career hitting over ten HRs in each season. Through April 2012 he has played in 1282 games batting .258 with 1029 hits 215 doubles 64 HRs 147 stolen bases a .327 on base % & 372 RBIs.

_________________

Jerry Wayne Hairston Sr. was born on February 16th 1952 in Birmingham, Alabama. The five foot ten switch hitting outfielder / first baseman was signed out of high school by the Chicago White Sox in 1970. Jerry reached the big leagues rather quickly as he batted over .290 three of his first four minor lague seasons. After hitting .347 at AA Iowa he was called up to the 1973 White Sox team.

Jerry Hairston was never a power hitter but was a fine reserve player who did a great job of pinch hitting. Hairston spent his entire MLB career (14 seasons) with the White Sox, except for a brief stint in Pittsburgh (51 games) in part of the 1977 season. From 1978-1980 he also played in the Mexican League, returning in 1981.

Back in 1975 he batted .283 with a .407 on base % playing 69 games, seeing the most Sox action as a left fielder alongside Pat Kelly & brief Met Ken Henderson. On October 4th 1981 he hit a grand slam HR against the Minnesota Twins in the 8th inning bringing the score from 12-5 to 12-9. In the 9th inning he then singled home two more runs including the game winner, giving him a six RBI day. In the second part of his MLB career he hit a career best .294 with 5 HRs 22 RBIs in 1983.

That season he broke up a perfect game bid by Detroit Tigers pitcher Milt Wilcox. Harrison singled with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning. It was the fifth time in history a perfect game was foiled with two out in the 9th. In his 14 year career he batted .258 with 438 hits, 91 doubles, six triples, 30 HRs a .362 on base % & 205 RBIs. In his pinch hit career he hit eight HRs & batted .258 (90-349).

Retirement: After his playing days, he spent seven years as a minor league manager with the White Sox. In 2012 he was promoted to assistant hitting coach under new manager Robin Ventura.

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Samuel Harding Hairston was born January 20, 1920 in Crawford Mississippi. He played seven seasons in the Negro Leagues with the Birmingham Black Barons & Indianapolis Clowns. In 1951 he got to the major leagues playing with the legendary Minnie Minoso as a team mate on the Chicago White Sox. He would play in just four MLB games going 2-5 with two walks & an RBI.

Retirement: After his playing days he became a White Sox scout and drafted players like Carlos May, Lee Richard, Lamar Johnson & Reggie Patterson. Sammy became a long time minor league instructor as a White Sox bullpen coach (1978). He then managed the Birmingham Barons for twelve seasons until his passing in 1997 at age 77.

Early Eighties Mets Pitcher: Dyar Miller (1980-1981)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Dyar Miller was born on May 29, 1946 in Batesville, Indiana. The Indiana farmer attended Utah State University and got signed by the Philadelphia Phillies in 1968. The tall right hander was soon released & then signed on with the Baltimore Orioles. He was 12-10 with a 3.23 ERA at AA Dallas / Fort Worth in 1970 but remained at that level until 1973 due to the talented Orioles pitching depth at AAA. At AAA Rochester in 1974 he won another 12 games & then was 5-0 in 1975 posting a 2.20 ERA. He finally got a call up to the Orioles staff at age 29 that season.
As an Orioles reliever out of Eral Weaver’s bull pen, Miller was 6-3 with eight saves and a 2.72 ERA. In 1976 was second to O's reliever Tippy Martinez in saves by one game, as heposted seven saves going 2-4 while posting a 2.94 ERA. At the trade deadline in 1977 he was traded to the California Angels for Dick Drago.

He pitched well in Anaheim in 1978 going 6-2 with a save & a 2.66 ERA, out of their bull pen. His contract was purchased by the Toronto Blue Jays then he was sent to the Montreal Expos to complete an earlier deal. He was released after Spring Training 1980 & then signed as a free agent with the New York Mets that April.

He pitched 31 games as a middle reliever for the 1980 Mets, posting a strong 1.93 ERA going 1-2 with one save. Miller was usually good for two or even three innings of solid relief work. In 1981 he appeared in 23 games of the strike shortened season (1-0) with a 3.23 ERA. He worked on his Indiana farm during the strike, returning to the team after play resumed.

But Miller was gone from the team in early September & retired from the game at age 35. In his seven year career he went 23 -17 with 22 saves, a 3.23 ERA & 235 strike outs in 465 innings pitched over 251 appearances.

Retirement: Miller is a longtime friend of Tony Larussa, in 1987 he joined Larussa on the Chicago White Sox Pitching staff. Since 1996 he has been a long time AAA coach in the Cardinals organization.

Former Rookie of the Year & Late Seventies Mets Reliever: Butch Metzger (1978)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Wed, 30 May 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Clarence Edward Metzger was born on May 23, 1952 in Lafayette, Indiana. The six foot right hander went to high school in Sacramento, California getting drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the second round of the 1970 draft. Metzger was a starter in the minor leagues, by 1973 he was 10-3 at A ball Amarillo getting moved up through the ranks. In 1974 he was 12-10 at AAA Phoenix getting a call up to the Giants that same year.

At Candlestick Park he only pitched in four games before getting traded down the Coast to the San Diego Padres along with Tito Fuentes in exchange for infielder Darrell Thomas. He got a cup of coffee in 1975 after going 15-7 at AAA Hawaii, but was still having serious control issues.

By 1976 he made the Padre staff and surprised everyone by winning the Rookie of the Year Award, sharing the honors with future Met, Cincinnati’s Pat Zachary. Metzger pitched strictly as a reliever getting to 10-0 by August and already had himself eleven saves. Going into September he tied former New York Giants pitcher Hooks Wiltse's record of winning the first twelve decisions to start out a career.

Metzger finished out the year at 11-4 with 16 saves (5th most in the league) posting a 2.92 ERA. He finished the most games in the league (62) striking out 89 batters in 123 innings pitched.

In 1977 he struggled again with control issues, walking 12 batters in 22 innings pitched, and not earning any saves or wins. He was sent to the St. Louis Cardinals for pitcher John D'Acquisto & infielder Pat Scanlon. He went 4-2 with seven saves posting a 3.11 ERA for the rest of the 1977 season, pitching in a solid St. Louis Cardinal bullpen. But the Cards soon traded away their main closer “The Mad Hungarian” Al Hrabosky to the Kansas City Royals for Mark Little. Metzger too became expendable getting placed on waivers where he was picked up by The New York on April 5, 1978.

Metzger pitched middle relief in 25 games for the ’78 Mets getting credit for three holds. His biggest highlight came on May 27th when he earned a win pitching one inning, in the 9-7 Mets win at the Houston Astrodome. Overall he was 1-3 with a 6.51 ERA, walking 23 batters in 37 innings with 21 strike outs. The Mets were not impressed and were concerned about his control issue history. By July his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies, but he never made it out of the minor leagues.

Retirement: In his five year career Metzger was 18-9 with 23 saves & a 3.74 ERA, pitching 293 innings, walking 140 batters while striking out 175. After baseball the former Rookie of the Year, became an longtime MLB scout.

Former Mets Backup Catcher: Mike Difelice (2005-2007)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Michael William Difelice was born on May 28, 1969 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, getting drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the eleventh round of the 1991 draft.

He didn’t hit for power or average but was always a fine defensive catcher. He threw out over 45% of would be base runners from 1994-1996 earning a quick cup of coffee with the ’96 Cardinals.

In 1997 he saw action in 93 games, sharing time with Tom Lampkin, batting .238 with 4 HRs & a career high 30 RBIs. In 1998 he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the expansion draft becoming an original Devil Ray. He would spend three and a half seasons with Tampa throwing out over 40% of base stealers twice, batting a career high .307 in 1999 (179 at bats). That season he also hit a career high six HRs, & repeated that the following season.

On July 31st 2001, he was traded to the Arizona Diamond backs, but in August he was arrested in Pittsburgh after allegedly slugging a female, as well as a parking attendant at the Area 51 nightclub. He would get released from Arizona in early September as they went on to win the World Series two months later.

DeFelice would play with four more teams; the St. Louis Cardinals (70 games in 2002) the Kansas City Royals (62 games in 2003), the Detroit Tigers (13 games) & Chicago Cubs (4 games) in 2004, as well as spending some more times in the minor leagues before getting signed by the New York Mets in 2005.

By this time he was 35 years old, in New York he was used as a third string catcher, bullpen catcher & spring training mentor. He mostly helped out the club during times when the other main catchers were injured. He would spend three seasons with the Mets playing 42 games at the major league level, batting .171 (14-82) with six RBIs, three doubles & a triple. The aging catcher threw out just three of the fourteen base runners attempting to steal on him.

Trivia: When he came up to bat the music he chose was the John Sebastian, Loving Spoonful song; “Daydream”. DiFelice was certainly a gamer, & stood up for his teammates.

On the next to last day of the 2007 season as John Maine flirted with a no hitter, there was a bench clearing brawl when the Marlins threw two close pitches at the Mets’ Luis Castillo. As the benches emptied, Difelice boldly ran into a pack of Marlins players going after catcher Miguel Olivo. The brave DiFelice was surrounded by nothing but Florida visiting jerseys.

In 2008 he returned to Tampa & played in seven brief games before requesting to be released. He became just the second player to wear all three Tampa franchise uniforms. In a thirteen year career, he played in 554 lifetime games with 368 hits a .236 average, 28 HRs 83 doubles & 167 RBIs. Behind the plate he had a .988 fielding percentage & threw out 36% of would be base stealers.

Retirement: Since 2009 he has been manager of the Rookie level Kingsport Mets located in Kingsport, Tennessee in the Appalachian League..

Former Mets Second Round Draft Pick: Dwight Bernard (1978-1979)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:35:00 +0000

Dwight Bernard was born May 31, 1952 in Mt. Vernon Illinois. The six foot two right hander attended Belmont University in Nashville Tennessee. He was the Mets second round draft pick in 1974 and went 7-4 with the AA Victoria Mets that season.

He was promoted to AAA Tidewater the next season going 9-9 behind Craig Swan, Randy Sterling & Bill Laxton. He would pitch at AAA Tidewater for four seasons winning nine games again in 1977 going 9-13.

He cracked the depleted Met bullpen in 1978, debuting on June 29th in relief against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. On July 30th he blew a save in Houston & took a loss to the Astros. In September he was 1-4 blowing a win & a hold opportunity. He went 1-4 in 1978 making 30 appearances with 26 strike outs & 27 walks in 48 innings with a 4.31 ERA. The next year was worse as he made 17 appearances, but had a 4.50 ERA in late May when he was sent to AAA Tidewater.

He returned in August going 0-3 with a 4.70 ERA in 30 appearances. He allowed 59 hits & 26 walks in just 44 innings pitched. He was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in the off season for pitcher Mark Bomback. Bernard toiled in the minors in 1980 then was a member of the Brewers 1982 AL Champion pennant team.

He made 47 appearances, with six holds going went 3-1 with a 3.76 ERA. He saved six games on days when Brewer ace reliever Rollie Fingers was resting. Bernard pitched four scoreless innings in the post season, including one inning of relief in Game #6 of the World Series’ against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bernard then pitched in the minors for three seasons, through 1985.

In his four year career he was 4-8 with six saves in 115 games. He struck out 92 batters walked 86 in 176 innings pitched. Bernard became a long time AAA pitching coaching, most recently with Tacoma.

Short Time Original Met: Bobby Gene Smith (1962)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Tue, 29 May 2012 03:30:00 +0000

Bobby Gene Smith was born on May 28, 1934 in Hood River, Oregon. In 1952 he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an outfielder. He would hit .300 twice in the minors making the Cardinals as a reserve outfielder for three seasons (1957-1959). He hit a HR in first career game but didn’t hit too many more as the season went on.

He was labeled the ultimate six o’clock hitter by teammate Bill White, meaning he would hit HRs in batting practice but rarely in the real game.

He was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carl Sawatski in December 1959. He hit a career best .286 in 98 games with the 1960 Phillies, hitting 4 HRs with 5 doubles & 27 RBIs. Smith was the New York Mets 32nd pick in the 1961 expansion draft, making him an original Met.

Smith appeared in the third game in New York Mets history as a pinch hitter in the 9th inning, grounding out against Pittsburgh’s Roy Face. Smith’s Mets career was very short, lasting just eight games. In that time he got three hits (3- 22).

He drove in two runs on April 23rd when he tripled at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, driving in Felix Mantilla & Elio Chacon. At the end of April he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for Sammy Taylor.

Two months later he would be traded to the St. Louis Cardinals. He did not reappear in the majors until 1965 finishing out his seven year career with the California Angels. He batted .243 lifetime with 13 HRs 35 doubles & 96 RBIs in 476 career games. He was a good outfielder posting a perfect .1000% in 1962 & .986% lifetime.

Former Mid Sixties Mets Third Baseman: Ken Boyer (1966-1967)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:36:00 +0000

Kenton Lloyd Boyer was born on May 20, 1931 in Liberty, Missouri. He was one of fourteen children, & two of his brothers player major league baseball as well; Clete Boyer (1955-1971 Kansas City A's, A.L. New York & Atlanta Braves) Cloyd Boyer (1949-1955 St. Louis Cards & Kansas City A's). Three other Boyer brothers played minor league baseball as well.

Ken was signed by his local St. Louis Cardinals in 1949, originally getting tried out as a pitcher but he hit too well & was shifted to third base. Boyer served two years in the military before returning to the Cardinals and becoming a regular by 1955.

In his rookie year he hit .264 with 18 HRs 62 RBIs 22 stolen bases & led the league in caught stealing with 17. From there he only got better; Boyer would play in seven All Star Games & win five gold gloves. He batted over .300 five times, while hitting 20 or more HRs & driving in 90 or more runs eight different times.

In 1964 he won the NL MVP Award leading the Cardinals to a World Championship. He hit .295 leading the NL in RBIs (119) with 24 HRs 30 doubles 10 triples & a .365 on base %.

Post Season: In the World Series he hit a Game #4 grand slam HR off Al Downing to lead the Cards to a 4-3 victory. His brother Clete playing for the AL N.Y. team later admitted he was happy for his brother, because it was his first World Series.

In Game #7 the two became the only brothers to both HR in the same World Series game. Ken had three hits & scored three runs in the game as the Cards won it 7-5 to win their first championship since 1946. Overall he hit .222 in the Series with two HRs six RBIs & five runs scored. Boyer was named the Cardinals team Captain by this time and appeared on the leader board in most major categories throughout these years.

He was in the Top Ten in RBIs seven times, hits- on base percentage & batting average five times each as well as HRs, triples & runs scored four times each. He drove in 90 or more runs seven straight seasons tying Pie Traynor’s record for third baseman. He ranks second behind Albert Pujols in Cardinal history for HRs by a right handed batter & third overall. Defensively he won five gold gloves at third base, and led the league in games three times, double plays five times, assists twice & put outs once.

In 1957 he played one season in centerfield & led all NL outfielders in fielding (.996 %). All time he played 1785 games at third base (20th all time) with 3652 assists (19th all time) 1567 put outs (31st all time) with 264 errors (41st all time). He began to have back problems after the Cardinals championship season & was traded to the New York Mets in October 1965 for Al Jackson & Charley Smith.

He was the Mets main third baseman for the 1966 season & bad back & all led the team in RBIs (61) & doubles (28). He was second in HRs (14) third in hits (132) & batting (.266). At third base he posted a .951 fielding % making 21 errors (third most at 3B) with 292 assists (second in the NL).

In his first four games he had seven hits, drove in runs in each game, had three doubles & hit his first Mets HR. By the end of April he was batting .395 with 2 HRs 11 RBIs after just eleven games. In June he had ten multiple hit games bring his average up to .295 by the middle of the month. In the first week of August he had six hits with three HRs & six RBIs. He closed out the year with a ten game hit streak in September, driving in ten runs for the second straight month.

He began 1967 with New York but 56 games into the season he was batting just .235 with 3 HRs & 13 RBIs when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox for a player to be named later & Billy Southworth.

The Mets would eventually send Sandy Alomar to the Sox & receive J.C. Martin to complete the deal. Boyer would finish his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1969 season. After 15 seasons he played in 2034 games (201st all time) with 2143 hits (192nd all time) 282 HRs (152nd all time) 318 doubles, 68 triples 1141 RBIs (171st all time) 105 stolen bases & a .349 on base%.

Retirement: After his playing days he managed for seven seasons at the minor league level. He was a Cardinals coach in the 1971 & 1972 seasons then replaced Vern Rapp as manager in 1978. After finishing fifth that year he brought them to a third place finish the following season, but was let go after 51 games of the 1980 season, while in fourth place.

Boyer passed away at age 51 in 1982 from cancer. His uniform number 14 was retired by the Cardinals in 1984, he is the only Cardinal to have his number retired & not be in the Hall of Fame.

The First Canadian Born Mets Player: Ray Daviault (1962)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Raymond Joseph Robert Daviault was born May 27, 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The right handed pitcher had ties with all three National League New York baseball teams at one time or another in his career. The six foot one, right hand pitcher was originally signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954. He pitched in their organization for six seasons mostly at the A ball levels or lower.

In 1960 he went to the San Francisco Giants organization & pitched in there for two seasons. He was a best 13-5 with a 2.76 ERA in 1960 at AAA Rio Grande Valley. He was a ten game winner (10-9) in 1961 for the AAA Pacific Coast League Tacoma club, before getting drafted by the New York Mets in the 1961 expansion draft.

Daviault was an original 1962 Met & became the first Canadian born player to don a Mets uniform. He became known as "Frenchy" due to his Quebec background & was remembered as a good natured guy with a fine sense of humor.

Daviault debuted in the second game in Mets history in relief of pitcher Herb Moford. He finished out the game & although he didn’t allow any hits in two innings of work, he walked four batters allowing a run. He briefly pitched at AA Syracuse in May but returned to the ’62 Mets staff on June 10th. On July 7th he earned his first & only MLB win, it came in the first game of a double header, pitching two innings against the St. Louis Cardinals at the Polo Grounds.

Although he gave up the go ahead run in the top of the 9th he was saved as the Mets won it in the bottom of the 9th on a dramatic walk off HR by "Marvelous" Marv Throneberry. The rest of the year he earned four losing decisions & blew a save. On the year Daviault would make 36 appearances going 1-5 with a 6.22 ERA,. He had 51 strike outs allowing 14 HRs & 48 walks in 81 innings of work.

He spent 1963 with the AAA Buffalo Bison's retiring from baseball the following year due to arm injuries. He appeared in Canada playing baseball for the Lachine Mets in 1967 under manager (former Met) Tim Harkness.

Former Italian / American Player & Manager: Joe Altobelli (1977-1979 / 1983-1985/ 1991)

noreply@blogger.com (contact @ centerfieldmaz@gmail.com) — Mon, 28 May 2012 03:00:00 +0000

Joseph Salvatore Altobelli was Born on May 26, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. Altobello was son to Italian immigrant parents. In the early fifties Altobelli, known as Alto, was a Detroit All City high school player. At the next level, he set a record in the Florida State League with a 36 game hit streak. He was a slugging prospect, hitting 47 HRs for the Rochester Red Wings from 1963 to 1966.

He only played for three seasons at the major league level, with the Cleveland Indians & Minnesota Twins. He would never hit above .221 posting five HRs 28 RBIs & eight doubles for the 1961 expansion Twins. He was a versatile fielder playing all outfield positions, as well as first base, making only three errors in 98 games, posting a .989 fielding percentage.

In 1966 he began a successful eleven year minor league managerial career in the Orioles farm system. In six years at Rochester from 1971-1976, his team finished first four times, and made the playoffs each year. The 1971 team was led by Minor League Player of the Year Bobby Grich, and featured five future MLB managers. They were; Johnny Oates, Don Baylor, Ray Miller & Mike Ferraro.

Utility infielder Ron Shelton would become a successful Hollywood screenwriter and director whose works included “Bull Durham”, “White Men Can’t Jump” and “Tin Cup.”. In “Bull Durham” the characters, Crash Davis and Nuke LaLoosh were based upon Altobelli & the hard-partying Steve Dalkowski.

In 1977 he got his first MLB manager job with the San Francisco Giants, which he held for two seasons. Even though his Giants finished in third place in 1978, (16 games above .500) he was still fired after the season. In 1983 he replaced Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles. There were some big shoes to fill, but the team he inherited was very good.

He led them to 98 wins & An N.L/ pennant. In the World Series Baltimore defeated Philadelphia in five games, giving him his only Championship. He then coached for the AL New York team & the Chicago Cubs, replacing Don Zimmer as manager for a brief period.

In his managerial career he went 437–407 (.518). He went back to Rochester serving as the clubs GM (1991-1993) then a special assistant (1994-1997) & finally a color commentator for 11 years (1998-2009).

Honors: He retired in 2009 becoming known as Mr. Baseball in Rochester. In September of 2010 he was honored with a statue at the Red Wings ball park, as the city officially declared it Joe Altobelli Day in Rochester.