Mets

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

The two Big Apple baseball teams won 200 games between them! When has that happened in the past, if ever?

1986 was close; the Mets won 108 and the Yankees 90 = 198.

[Déjà Bru]

There was a write-up on Terrance Gore, 31 years old, been around the league for 8 seasons:

He has only 16 career base hits, but he has stolen 43 bases. He has more game appearances (112) than plate appearances (85). This year, Gore has stolen three bases while collecting only one hit, a single in Wednesday’s season finale.

He has exactly one run batted in during his career. But he does have three World Series rings.

Baseball is a game of specialists. There are all-or-nothing sluggers, weak-hitting infielders who are slick with their gloves and left-handed relievers who are expected to neutralize a few key hitters per game.

But as the Mets prepare for their wild-card series against the San Diego Padres, and a potential deep run in the postseason, they are committed to perhaps the game’s most specialized player: Terrance Gore, a speedy veteran who is officially an outfielder but spends the majority of his time on the basepaths.

[dsvitak]

Ladies and Gentlemen...may I present Herb Washington.

105 games played, with not one at bat, OR defensive play. Ever.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...ashihe01.shtml

[Amazin69]

Gore has three rings; Max Scherzer has one.

Anybody else? (I haven't checked.)

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by dsvitak

Ladies and Gentlemen...may I present Herb Washington.

105 games played, with not one at bat, OR defensive play. Ever.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/p...ashihe01.shtml

The article that I was reading about Gore had this to say in that regard:

These changes [pitch clock, only two pickoff attempts, bigger bases] could lead teams to experiment with adding speed to their rosters. But Gore scoffs at the idea that any fast guy — think Herb Washington, an All-American sprinter signed by the Oakland A’s in 1974 to middling success — can learn the ins and outs of base stealing overnight.

“I do a lot of homework,” he said. “You can’t just go get a track guy and tell him to run the bases and see what happens. He might be successful a couple times, but his percentage is not going to be good.You’ve got to know the game. You’ve got to know the pitches, the pitch count, who’s hitting, who’s playing first base.”

But bizarre-statswise, yes, Washington is the clear winner in this category.

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Gore has three rings; Max Scherzer has one.

Anybody else? (I haven't checked.)

That article also said this:

Perhaps the most compelling statistic? Gore has three World Series championship rings, more than the rest of the 2022 Mets combined. On a team with several stars, including Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz and Jeff McNeil, who have no postseason experience at all, Gore is a grizzled veteran, even if he only has one career R.B.I.

[Amazin69]

$43,333,333 worth of has-been.

I knew I shouldn't have watched.

(And I should have turned it off the moment I saw that the Mets were wearing the quasi-racist black uniforms, just as Charlie "Back up the Truck" Samuels would have liked.)

[Amazin69]

I have had faith in Jurickson Profar, despite his history as a Rangers bust.

Now was NOT the time to prove me right, kid. Can we start Peterson in Game 2?

I guess beating up on the DC Doormats doesn't mean as much as we thought/hoped/deluded ourselves that it does?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

1986 was close; the Mets won 108 and the Yankees 90 = 198.

I think 1998 would be the record-holder: Yankees win 114, Mets win 88, 202 total.

(Should be 203 but Angel Hernandez, grumble, mutter, yada-yada-yada. Also we choked the whole final week. But still, a record's a record.)

[Westheim]

Dead.

Jake has been just as **** as Max Blue-Eye* the last few weeks. I don't see why anybody would get their hopes up.

+++

*That one works better in German. We call a black eye a blue eye. And he pitched with a black eye that one time, and ... and he has one... that is way too much explaining for a pun. I once again apologize and try to dissolve myself into thin air now.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

I think 1998 would be the record-holder: Yankees win 114, Mets win 88, 202 total.

(Should be 203 but Angel Hernandez, grumble, mutter, yada-yada-yada. Also we choked the whole final week. But still, a record's a record.)

Ah! Very good, thanks. I should have thought of 1998! (I used to be "1998 Yankees" here a long time ago.)

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

I think 1998 would be the record-holder: Yankees win 114, Mets win 88, 202 total.

(Should be 203 but Angel Hernandez, grumble, mutter, yada-yada-yada. Also we choked the whole final week. But still, a record's a record.)

Pretty sure 1942 is the record holder. The Yankees won 103 and Brooklyn won 104, 207 total.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by pilight

Pretty sure 1942 is the record holder. The Yankees won 103 and Brooklyn won 104, 207 total.

Well, we really shouldn't go further back than 1958 because before then, New York had three major league baseball teams. For example, add the 85 wins of the 1943 New York Giants to your total, equaling 292! Ah, those were the days in New York! (Unfortunately and fortunately, I'm too young to remember them. )

[pilight]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, we really shouldn't go further back than 1958 because before then, New York had three major league baseball teams. For example, add the 85 wins of the 1943 New York Giants to your total, equaling 292! Ah, those were the days in New York! (Unfortunately and fortunately, I'm too young to remember them. )

Yeah, but 1942 makes a closer match to this year. Brooklyn's 104 wins left them sitting home for the postseason.

[swoboda]

We just have to erase that disaster from our memories. Only need to win one game.... tonight.

[dsvitak]

Originally Posted by swoboda

We just have to erase that disaster from our memories. Only need to win one game.... tonight.

Hey..I'm a Cardinals fan. I feel your pain.

[Amazin69]

Durocher (in Nice Guys Finish Last, his autobiography) claims he said that 1942 Brooklyn team was not going to win the pennant, when they had their big lead on the Cardinals. They had led by 10 games on August 5, but went 30-20 down the stretch (like the Mets, not bad, but not enough to keep pace with the scorching Cards) and finished two games back.

Largest leads ever blown:

1914 NY Giants, led by 15 games on July 5. (They were 40-24, the Boston Braves were 26-40. The Braves were last in an 8-team NL; the nearest team to the lead was the Cubs, 3.5 games back.) The Giants went 44-46 the rest of the year, while the Braves went 68-19, winning by 10.5 games. The 25.5 games gained is a record, AFAIK.

Some attributed the success of the "Miracle" Braves to the Native American luck symbol they wore on their caps on opening day.

Damn Germans ruined it for everyone…

1978 Red Sox, led by 14 games on July 19. (Sox were 62-28, Yanks 48-42. Yankees were fourth, Boston led Milwaukee by 9 games.) Boston went 37-35, Yankees went 51-21. Yanks won 1-game playoff.

1951 Dodgers, led by 13 games on August 11. (70-35, Giants were 59-50.). They went 26-23 while the Giants were going 37-8, and lost a 3-game playoff.

1995 Angels, led by 12.5 games on August 21. They were 66-41, Seattle was 53-53. (The Rangers were 9.5 behind California.). Complete flop, going[B] 12-25/B] while the Mariners went 25-13 to close the 144 game season, and then won a 1-game playoff.

(The Mariners actually took a 3 game lead in late September, but dropped 3 out of 5 while the Angels [much like the 1978 Red Sox] swept their final 5 to force the playoff. So the Angels actually went 7-25 down the stretch before salvaging a little pride.)

2022 Mets, led by 10.5 on June 1st. (Mets were 35-17, Braves were 24-27.) Mets went 66-44 the rest of the way, while Atlanta went 77-34 and won the division on…a tiebreak, Lorde help us.

1942 Dodgers, as noted above. 74-30 on August 5, Cards were 63-39. Dodgers go 30-20, Cards go 43-9, win by 2.

1969 Cubs, led by 10 games on August 14. (74-43, Mets were 62-51, in third place [Cardinals were 9 back]). They tanked completely, going 18-27 (worse than the Pirates and Cards, and 4 NL West teams, too) while the Mets went 38-11, winning by 8 games. Bill "Froggy" Hands went 4-3 in September, and Ferguson Jenkins was 3-4; the rest of the team was 1-10.

So, this year's Mets are not the worst of the worst, choke-wise; like the 1942 Dodgers, they played .600 ball from the high-water mark, which would usually be enough. And they had the best "hey, it's still early" excuse.

But still. Hell of a list to be on, FFS.

[Westheim]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Damn Germans ruined it for everyone…

Sorryyy... (looking down in shame, scratches around the infield dirt with his foot)

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

Sorryyy... (looking down in shame, scratches around the infield dirt with his paw)

Fixed that for you. Don't forget yourself. ()

[Amazin69]

My apologies; I probably should have said "Nazis", but I felt the gentle tone might be seen as making light of things then. Don't mean to conflate things.

Moving on, just as the Mets might be…Buck has posted tonight's lineup, and he's repeating some of the things that have driven me nuts all season. (Batting McNeil 6th or lower, playing Darin Ruf.) As this could be my last chance to have a first-guess, let me take a shot:

Nimmo, CF (L)
Marte, RF (R)
McNeil, LF (L)
Alonso, 1b (R)
Lindor, SS (S)
Escobar, 3B (S)
Canha, DH (R)
Guillorme, 2B (L)
Nido, C (R)

Notes:

• How hard is it to put the OBP guys in front of the thumpers? Guys who score runs, then guys who drive in runs. It's not so complicated.

• Yes, Lindor's had a lovely season, but not because of his BA/OBP. Let him protect Pete, for a change.

• Canha DHs because Guillorme is a Gold Glove 2B, Marte has the best arm on the team, and McNeil provides skill and flexibility. That leaves Mark without a chair. More time to practice his HbP skills?

• Yes, a lefty is starting, but Snell probably won't go very deep. Guillorme's glove is worth the platoon advantage for a couple of ABs. Besides, what's our righty DH options? Ruf? Vientos? Alvarez? Luis can probably out-hit all of them combined.

• One day, Alvarez may be an excellent hitter and a skilled receiver. But at the moment, he hasn't made decent contact against anyone but the Nats. At least Nido can bunt.

All JMO, but come ON, Buck! Seriously, Ruf??? Bad Buck!

[BBGiovanni]

Mets win game, what time is the parade!?!