Reversal of Misfortune...A Mets Dynasty

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Damn!

Mets dropped back-to-back 2-1 outcomes to the Phils before winning, 9-8, in 11.

Phillies also ended Dick Selma's 10-game win streak, handing him just his second setback of the season. He is 15-2.

Pirates swept through the Cubs. We are two games back with two games remaining. Outlook is bleak.

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Tip of the cap to the Pirates, who ended the season on an eight-game heater to put us away.

Mets didn't help their cause, going 2-3, in the final two series against Philly and Chicago, two sub-500 teams. Major disappointment.

And, now the dynasty is behind the IRL pace. The Mets claimed the first of their two World Series titles in '69 and we pissed away our chance to match that in our first real pennant chase.

Gotta go back to work.

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Roberto Clemente ran away with the NL batting crown, finishing at an amazing .369. Check out his numbers...just an incredible season.




His performance is a painful reminder that we missed him for an entire month, a span in which we went 12-12 from July 20 to August 20. Hurts to think what a difference maker like him could have offered us in that stretch that might have changed the outcome of the division race.

Tony Perez was a beast for us. Tied for third in home runs with 44, second in RBI with 130. Tony was so consistent throughout.

Johnny Bench hit .285 with 15 HRs and 82 RBI. Reggie Smith batted .301.

Our final offensive stats...



On the mound, Dick Selma...DICK SELMA!!

Who saw this guy coming? Selma went 16-2 with a 1.78 ERA. And, what about Lew Krausse? He was 16-5 with 2.34. Nelson Briles 14-9...Grant Jackson 13-12...who knew that Steve Carlton would be the only guy in the rotation to finish with a record below .500 (12-13)?

Our final pitching numbers...


And, lastly, where we stacked up against the field...

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White Sox swept Cleveland in three and Reds wiped out Pirates in four to set up World Series, which the ChiSox claimed in six.

Mr. October, Reggie Jackson, went 3 for 4 with a double and his fifth HR of the post season in Game 6, to go with his three RBI. He knocked in 10 runs in the post season.

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GOLD GLOVE
Props to our SS Buddy Harrelson for earning his first Gold Glove honor.


SILVER SLUGGER
Saluting Tony Perez on being named the Silver Slugger recipient at 3B in the National League.


MANAGER OF THE YEAR
Gil Hodges got absolutely hosed on NL Manager of the Year. That honor went to Scott Rhodes of the Atlanta Braves. Soak this one in...the Braves "improved" from 83-79 in '68 to a whopping 85-77.

Conversely, Hodges, in his first season at the helm for the Mets, steered an organization that had yet to experience a winning season to a 97-65 mark. That showing not only coming on the heels of a 68-94 disaster in '68 but also marking the most wins in a season for a franchise whose previous highwater mark was 75-87 in 1965.

Sorry, I'm biased but Hodges was undeniably robbed.

CY YOUNG
Next...National League Cy Young. It went to Juan Marichal, who was 21-7 with a 1.77 ERA. No one is going to gripe about that choice. Well deserved.

But, here were the top 8 vote getters...


JuanMarichal, San Francisco (21-7, 1.77)
Tom Seaver, Houston (15-10, 2.17)
Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles (17-12, 2.66)
Gaylord Perry, Pittsburgh (19-10, 2.13)
Larry Jackson, Atlanta (23-7, 2.30)
Fergie Jenkins, Pittsburgh (19-10, 2.90)
Bob Gibson, St. Louis (16-12, 2.72)
Jim Maloney, Cincinnati (20-6, 2.63)

All have really good numbers.Koufax, Gibson, Seaver and Jenkins were all in the top five in strikeouts (our own Steve Carlton led the National League in that department with 282).

But, how about these numbers...16-2, 1.78? That would be Dick Selma. No consideration? None? Really?

All I can think of that may have held him back...all the guys above made at least 34 starts and no more than 35...Selma only made 22. He missed over two months mid season with an elbow strain. Selma got NO love from the voters.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Hard to argue with Hank Aaron getting the nod here...in a landslide. Hammer hit 52 bombs, drove in 113 and carried a .302/.390/.613 slash line.

But, gotta give shoutout to runner-up Tony Perez. He played 3B all season for us and was locked in the entire campaign at the plate. Perez collected 44 homers and 130 RBI while his slash line was .318/.388/.579.

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A sign of success? Mets drafted from the 18th position, our lowest draft position so far.

Ken Griffey fell to us in that spot and could not pass him up. Will give us depth early in the OF and eventually, when Clemente retires, we can shift Smith to a corner spot.

Got Fred Andrews in the second round. Shortstop is not a position we are deep at in the organization.

Added Jeff Fahey in the third round. Catcher another spot we are lean at.

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Increase our depth behind the dish by acquiring Duffy Dyer.

It felt like the right thing to do

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Still in search of our first playoff apperance, here are the 1970 Mets...

[Art Deco]

You gotta give Rollie a handlebar mustache

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Done!

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One handlebar mustache, one regular mustache and some beards removed..

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The Mets beging the 1970 campaign on the road against the vaunted Pittsburgh Pirates. Looking to extracted a little payback to get us off on the right foot.

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No one in the National League gets off to a hotter start than SS Buddy Harrelson. Over the first five games, he leads the majors with a .522 average and the Mets begin the year, 3-2.

Harrelson subsequently goes down with an oblique strain (another sign this is a TRUE Mets' Dynasty) and we lose our SS- the one position in the entire organization where our depth is razor thin - for 5-6 weeks.

Forced our hand...we traded away 3B Graig Nettles to Detroit in exchange for SS Larry Bowa. Tony Perez will move to 3B and Don Mincher plays 1B.

We end April 10-9 and in 3rd place, a game behind the Cardinals in the NL East.

Defending world champion White Sox finish April with a league-best 17-4 mark.

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We end May with a 28-22 record and sit three games back of the first-place Pirates, and all-too familiar position for us.

Reggie Smith put together a 21-game hitting streak and Don Mincher homered in four straight games.

Roberto Clemente ends May boasting a league-best .398 batting average.

Need to acknowledge that Minnesota Twins' LHP Jerry Koosman spun a no-hitter.

We can never line up our offense and pitching to click at the same time. This year, our bats are among the best in the league and our pitching is suffering.


Behold our offensive numbers...


Now, see what we are doing on the bump...

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On June 12th, it felt like things couldn't get much worse. A disasterous seven-run seventh inning, fueled by an error wiped out a 6-0 lead and lifted the Braves to a 7-6 triumph at Shea. The loss dropped the Mets to 31-29, 7 1/2 games back of Pittsburgh for the top of the NL East.

But, things changed in a hurry. The Mets finished the month on a 13-3 tear while the Pirates suffered a downward turn, including a pair of setbacks against the Amazins to close out the month.

Thus, here is where we stand on July 1...


The uptick coincides with the disappointing news that the Mets had to send LHP Steve Carlton down to Triple A. To say Lefty has no come close to his potential would be an understatement. The 25-year-old harbors a 1-10 record and 5.38 ERA in 13 starts.

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Johnny Bench unloaded a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth as the Mets completed a sweep of the Pirates with a walk-off 6-5 victory, marking their 11th win in 12 games.

With one out, Roberto Clemente singled and moved to second when Tony Perez walked. A wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, thus leading Pittsburgh to intentionally walk Mincher in an effort to set up a possible double play with Bench on deck. Instead, Bench ended the contest in grand fashion.

Win gives Mets a one-game lead over the Pirates in the NL East.

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Demoted to Triple A after a less than favorable 1-10 start, LHP Steve Carlton was recalled by the Mets and immediately paid dividends.

Carlton went the distance, scattering seven hits and a walk against 10 strikeouts as the Mets routed the Cardinals, 13-3.

Win improved the record to 51-33 and puts us two games up on the Pirates.

Don Mincher launched a pair of homers and Joe Morgan, who is batting over .300 and starting to resemble what we hoped for, supplied a single, double, triple and three RBI.

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A week ago, Roberto Clemente trailed Hank Aaron for the starting right field spot in the All-Star Game voting. Today, Clemente is the top vote-getter in the National League, surpassing Aaron for the starting nod and will be one of three Mets in the starting lineup.

As mentioned in a previous post, Joe Morgan is starting to blossom and his bloom has been noticed. He earned the start at second base while the smooth and consistent Tony Perez is going back to the mid-summer classic as the starter at third base.

Grant Jackson, arguably the biggest surprise in the starting rotation, and Dick Selma, who has effortlessly transitioned from front-line starter to back-end closer, were named to the pitching staff, while Johnny Bench and Reggie Smith were selected as reserves.

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Damn, the All-Star Break!!!

The mid-summer hiatus is the only thing capable of stalling the surging Mets, who enter the break with seven representatives heading to Dodger Stadium to compete for the National League, and reside atop the NL East with a four-game lead over the Pirates.

A look at the numbers...



At the plate...


On the bump...

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Mets come out of the All-Star break and pick up a 5-4 win in 11 innings against the host Dogers. Combined with a Pirates' loss, New York widens its lead in the NL East to five games. The Mets also extended their winning streak to 11.

Been meaning to note what Roberto Clemente is doing. With a pair of singles in the victory, Clemente boasts a .415 batting average. Worth keeping an eye on as he pursues the change to become the first player since Ted Williams to hit .400 in a season.