DETROIT - There were a ton of reasons why the Oakland A's and Cincinnati Reds were baseball titans in the early to mid '70s.
And, quite a few are instrumental reasons these Mets are such a force. From Vida Blue's mastery on the mound to Tony Perez's precision at the plate, the Mets were a tour de force in Game 1 of the 1971 World Series, emphatically upending the host Detroit Tigers, 6-2.
Blue fashioned 5 1/3 innings of no-hit craftsmanship on the hill, neutralizing the AL champ. Bill Freehan broke up the gem, looping a single in center.
Meanwhile, Perez was powering the offense for New York, going 5 for 5 with a homer, two runs scored and three RBI. He joined Willie Crawford as the second Met to collect five hits in a game this post season.
Perez delivered run-scoring singles in the first and third innings and blasted a solo home run in the ninth. Johnny Bench slugged a three-run homer in the sixth.
