Flashback: May 17, 2007 - Rally At The Old Shea Corral

Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters

Six years ago today, the Mets were playing the finale of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium.  Because the Mets were about to play their crosstown rivals in the Subway Series the following night, manager Willie Randolph decided to keep most of his regular players on the bench for the Thursday matinee to keep them fresh for their weekend tilt against the Yankees.

Out were Jose Reyes, David Wright and Carlos Beltran.  In were Ruben Gotay, Julio Franco and Endy Chavez.

By the sixth inning, the Cubs had a four-run lead on the Mets behind starting pitcher Juan Guzman.  When the Mets came up to bat in the bottom of the ninth, they were trailing 5-1 and closer Ryan Dempster was summoned by manager Lou Piniella in a non-save situation to record the final three outs.  Dempster never even recorded out No. 2.

Randolph was content to let his big boppers stay on the bench in the ninth, but his replacement corps made him reconsider his original plan by reaching base against Dempster.  First, David Newhan lined a single to center.  Then Carlos Gomez stroked a one-out single of his own.  A walk to pinch-hitter Carlos Beltran loaded the bases for Endy Chavez, who also took ball four.  That made the score 5-2.  With Dempster needing to throw strikes, Ruben Gotay lined an 0-2 pitch to left for an RBI single.  Now the tying run was in scoring position and the winning run was on first.  That was all for the Cubs' closer, as Lou Piniella removed a livid Dempster for the left-handed Scott Eyre.

With the bases loaded and the Mets now trailing 5-3, David Wright came off the bench to pinch-hit for the lefty-swinging Shawn Green.  Prior to the at-bat, Wright had never appeared as a pinch-hitter in 1,776 career plate appearances.  It took one pitch for Wright to have a 1.000 career batting average as a pinch-hitter.  Wright’s RBI single off Eyre closed the deficit to 5-4 and kept the bases loaded for Carlos Delgado - one of the few everyday players who played all nine innings.

After a 2006 season in which Delgado produced 38 HR and 114 RBI, the first baseman underachieved during the first month and a half of 2007.  Entering the day, Delgado was batting .217 with three homers and 19 RBI in 36 games.  But he had always done well against Scott Eyre, collecting three hits and four walks against the southpaw in 11 career plate appearances for a gaudy .636 on-base percentage.  After taking a first-pitch ball from Eyre, Delgado grounded a hard smash that found a hole between first and second, scoring Chavez from third base with the tying run and Gotay from second with the winning run.

Photo by Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Incredibly, the Mets scored five runs in the ninth inning, snatching an improbable 6-5 victory from Lou Piniella and the Cubs.  The win allowed the Mets to go into the Subway Series on a high note, while the Cubs went back to Chicago wondering what went wrong.

This year, neither New York nor Chicago are doing particularly well.  With the Astros now playing in the American League, the Cubs have spent most of the season in Houston’s customary spot - the basement of the National League Central - while the Mets are playing like a team determined to finish in fourth place for the fifth consecutive season.

Today, on the six-year anniversary of their thrilling come-from-behind win against Chicago, the Mets are opening up a three-game series with the Cubs at Wrigley Field.  Only David Wright remains from the team that rallied from a four-run ninth inning deficit on May 17, 2007.  But just because most of the names have changed doesn’t mean the Mets aren’t capable of giving their fans a reason to believe.

Anything can happen on the field on any given day.  Six years ago today, something special did happen on the field at Shea Stadium.  Through sheer willpower and their unwavering desire to win, the Mets pulled off an unlikely victory over the eventual Central division champion Cubs.  It just goes to show that even when all appears lost, there is always a glimmer of hope that the day can end with a happy recap.

These Mets Are Streaking Like Few Mets Teams Have Streaked Before

With tonight's 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Mets have suffered six consecutive defeats.  It marks the second time the team has gone through a six-game losing streak in 2013.  How rare is it for the Mets to lose at least six straight games twice before they had played 40 games?  It's only happened three times before, and it hadn't happened in over three decades.

In 1981, the Mets were 4-4 after nine games (one game ended in a tie).  Immediately after that rare tie, the Mets embarked on a seven-game losing streak to fall to 4-11.  By May 9, the Mets were already 8-15 and eight games out of first place.  They then proceeded to lose their next nine contests to fall to 8-24.  Fortunately, the mid-season strike and subsequent unlikely pursuit of the second half division title made most people forget about the putrid first half of the season.

Sixteen years prior, the team went through two separate six-game losing streaks.  After a decent (for them) 6-7 start in 1965, the Mets dropped six in a row to fall to 6-13.  Immediately after their first six-game losing streak, the Mets won seven of their next 11 games, only to lose another six straight to drop to 13-23.  The Mets would go on to lose 112 games that year, meaning they had plenty more long losing streaks during the season.

And then there are the 1962 Mets.  The team with the all-time worst record in the modern era also became the first Mets team to suffer two losing streaks of at least six games within the first 40 games of the season.  The expansion Mets lost their first nine games of the season, but then went 12-10 over their next 22 games.  The success was short-lived, as the Mets followed up their better-than-medicore 22-game stretch with a still-standing club record 17-game losing streak.  Since the first nine games of the skein occured within the first 40 games of the season, the 1962 Mets became the first team to endure multiple six-game losing streaks in the first quarter of the season.

The Mets have rarely had more than one six-game losing streak in the first 40 games of a season.  They accomplished that futile feat three times in the franchise's first 20 seasons, but had not suffered the indignity over the last 32 years.  That is now a thing of the past, as the 2013 Mets have just lost six straight games for the second time this season.

During the franchise's first few seasons, the Mets were known as lovable losers.  But there's nothing lovable about losing in 2013.  Long losing streaks will tend to take the love out of any fan base.
 

DJ Joey B Presents: A Scott Atchison Top Ten List

What's up, Mets fans?  It's time for our latest countdown.  Today, I'm spinning a special playlist for you.  You see, everyone's favorite AARP member, Scott Atchison, has been placed on the disabled list with bone spurs in his elbow.  He has been replaced on the active roster by Collin McHugh, a pitcher young enough to be his son. 

That's what the Mets want you to believe.  But this DJ knows better.

It's no secret that Scott Atchison has not been pitching well this year.  And after I reveal my special top ten list, it'll also be no secret what the real reasons are for the Mets reserving a room for Captain Graybeard at the DL Hotel.  Let's boogie!

Top Ten Reasons Why Scott Atchison Was Really Replaced On The 25-Man Roster:

10.  Julio Franco was upset that Atchison was about to pass him as the oldest player to ever don a Mets uniform.

9.  The Mets were afraid that the Geritol in Atchison’s locker would cause him to test positive for PEDs.

8.  Shaun Marcum felt uncomfortable that reporters were mistakenly calling him Scott Atchison.

"Hello, SNY viewers.  Please don't call me Scott Atchison.  I'm Shaun Marcum."

7.  There was no money in the budget for a Scooter to transport Atchison from the bullpen to the mound.

6.  Justin Turner was afraid he’d knock out Atchison’s dentures if Atchison ever did anything pie-worthy.

5.  Fred Wilpon found out that Atchison was the one stealing signs at the Polo Grounds when Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round The World to take the pennant from his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers.

4.  When Jay Horwitz butt-dialed Scott Atchison, Atchison responded by saying he didn’t accept collect calls.

Scott Atchison doesn't accept collect calls?  He is a pitied fool.

3.  The Mets did not want turmoil in the clubhouse after Matt Harvey took offense to Atchison calling him a young whippersnapper.

2.  Atchison was taking up too much space on team flights by insisting on carrying his Betamax and 8-track tape players on every road trip. 

… and the No. 1 reason why Scott Atchison was really replaced on the 25-man roster is …

1.  Betty White kept calling the clubhouse asking when Atchison was getting off work. 

 "Scott!  Oh, Scott!  Don't you walk away from me!  I can hear your creaking joints all the way over here!"

The Real Reason Why Angel Hernandez Blew The Home Run Call

On Wednesday night, infielder Adam Rosales of the Oakland Athletics hit what appeared to be a dramatic game-tying homer off Cleveland Indians' closer Chris Perez with two outs in the ninth inning.  But the long drive was ruled a double by the umpires, and after a quick check of instant replay, the call was upheld.

There was only one problem.  Instant replay clearly showed that the ball was indeed a home run, striking a metal railing above the yellow line at the top of the left field wall.  But even with a set of electronic eyes in the replay room, the umps still got it wrong.  And who was the crew chief that was probably watching Law & Order: SVU instead of the actual home run replay?  None other than longtime Mets' nemesis Angel Hernandez.

But even though Oakland manager Bob Melvin might not forgive Hernandez for his egregious call, we at the Studious Metsimus staff do.  After all, we know that Hernandez is still mourning the loss of his umpiring mentor.

In November 2010, the great comedic actor, opera singer and umpire Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84.  The versatile thespian was influential to many comedians for his deadpan delivery on screen, but his work in the first "Naked Gun" film was a little too influential to an enemy of Mets fans (and now A's fans, as well).

For years, Mets fans have had a hate/hate relationship with umpire Angel Hernandez.   His strike zone has been wider than CC Sabathia's waistline whenever the Mets are batting.   He has also developed a rare form of temporary blindness that has resulted in numerous calls at the plate going against the Mets, as Mike Piazza (circa 1998) and Paul Lo Duca (circa 2006) can attest.

Whenever Angel Hernandez has been on the field for a Mets game, bad calls have always followed.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise to Mets fans that he has based his entire style of calling games on the umpiring work of Leslie Nielsen.  Don't believe me?   Take a look at this video clip, which Hernandez accidentally left behind the last time he umpired a game at Citi Field.



When John Franco went ballistic on Hernandez after his blown call at home plate gave the Braves a crucial victory over the Mets in 1998, that was Leslie Nielsen's influence.  Similarly, when Paul Lo Duca spiked the ball at home plate after another poor call by Hernandez during a game in 2006, it was right after the arbiter had viewed his favorite film (or as he liked to call it, his umpiring instructional video).

Angel Hernandez has been working with a heavy heart since the end of the 2010 campaign, when his mentor and inspiration passed away.  Most teams honor those who have died by wearing black patches or armbands on their uniforms, such as the "Kid 8" patches the Mets wore in 2012 to honor Gary Carter.

Hernandez has also worn black to honor the late Leslie Nielsen, but he has been wearing it in a way that is not only appropriate in cold weather cities (like Cleveland last night), but has allowed him to come up with new excuses for missing critical calls against the Mets and other big league teams (see photo below).

Yes, that really is Angel Hernandez under all that black.

Leslie Nielsen starred in countless films over his long career.  His passing in November 2010 has been mourned by millions of fans worldwide.  But one fan has been taking it just a little harder than most.

Nearly thirty months ago, Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84.  This Mets blogger has missed him for his comedic acting ability and impeccable timing, but surely Angel Hernandez has missed him for quite a bit more (even if he just called you Shirley).

Matt Harvey Is A Bloody Good Pitcher

Matt Harvey has been fantastic this year.  Entering tonight's action against the Chicago White Sox, Harvey was 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, allowing 21 hits in 40⅓ innings.  Harvey also had struck out 46 batters while walking only 12.

How good has Harvey been through his first 16 major league starts?  One stat says it all.  Harvey has a .267 career batting average as a hitter, while opposing hitters have a .182 batting average against him.  In fact, Harvey has held batters to a meager .265 on-base percentage through 16 career stats.  That means Harvey has a better chance of collecting a hit as a batter than opposing batters have of reaching base against Harvey.

Yeah, he's that good.  In fact, you might say Harvey has been bloody good since making his major league debut last July.  And now we have photographic evidence to back up this claim.

Matt Harvey, the Mets' sanguine starter.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word sanguine as blood red and bloodthirsty.  It also means confident and optimistic.

Matt Harvey is truly the Mets' sanguine starter, in every sense of the word.  And opposing hitters are becoming his prey.  It's good to know that every fifth day (or eighth, if rainouts continue to have their way with the Mets' rotation), the Mets can send out a bloody good pitcher to the mound.

Ballapeño's Bullpen: A Quick Anniversary Note To My Colleagues

Hola, everyone!  This is your favorite stuffed pepper, Ballapeño Pepe Sanchez Gomez del Chapulín Colorado, but you may call me Ballapeño.

Today is Cinco de Mayo, a day that is celebrated by stuffed peppers all over the world.  It is also becoming quite popular among Mets fans because it gives them the opportunity to drink for a reason other than to forget the latest meltdown by the bullpen.

But the main reason for this note is not to talk about the failures of the Mets' relevistas this year.  As Dikembe Mutombo would say, "not today".  Today is about wishing my colleagues at this site a very felíz aniversario.  It was three years ago today that Señor Ed Leyro and Señora Taryn Cooper (she was just a señorita back then) decided to take the plunge and tie the knot.  Three years later, that knot has become more unbreakable than it has ever been.

On the day they said "si, si, si" to each other, the Mets lost their game to the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4, in ten innings.  They lost when relevista Pedro Feliciano allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in the tenth, Orlando Cabrera.  Señor y Señora then drank muchas margaritas to celebrate their marriage and to forget the Mets' latest walk-off loss (they had una dozena such losses that year).

Since then, the Mets have given them two wonderful anniversary presents, defeating the Giants, 5-2, in 2011 and taking out the Diamondbacks last year by the final score of 4-3.  I believe the adult beverages we consumed after those games were far more celebratory.  (I don't remember.  I was told that I passed out after two tequila shots.  I claim I went on siesta for the rest of the day.)

Today, the Mets play los Bravos de Atlanta at Turner Field.  It is the first time the Mets have been on the road on Cinco de Mayo since the day Señor y Señora got married.  The last two years, the Mets have made sure they had a happy anniversary.  This year, they might need stellar work from the bullpen to avoid another walk-off loss like the one they had in Cincinnati on May 5, 2010.

I will drink to a Mets victory should los Mets defeat los Bravos.  I will also gladly offer a toast to Señor y Señora on the date of their third anniversary.  I just hope I don't have mas bebidas with them to try to forget a difficult defeat.

¡Felícidades to all on Cinco de Mayo and a happy anniversary to Señor y Señora!

May The 4th Be With You: The Mets Who Powered Up In New York

Just because Bernard Gilkey witnessed different Star Wars in this photo, the force was still with him as a Met.

Today is May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars Day to those who believe in the force.  (May the 4th be with you - get it?)  In honor of the special day, I decided to do some research on the Mets players who hit with more power after they came to New York.

Shea Stadium and Citi Field have never been confused with smaller, bandbox parks.  As a result, home run hitters have never been plentiful in Flushing.  But some have come to New York and thrived as home run hitters in parks that were never conducive to such displays of power.

Let's look at the ten players who unexpectedly gave the home run apple a workout after they came to New York, comparing their home run output before they called Flushing home to what they produced after they became Mets.

 

Player	AB pre-NY	HR pre-NY	AB in NY	HR in NY	AB/HR pre-NY	AB/HR in NY	Diff.
B. Gilkey	2133	52	1353	52	41.0	26.0	15.0
D. Clendenon	3651	110	861	45	33.2	19.1	14.1
K. Hernandez	4076	81	3164	80	50.3	39.6	10.7
B. Bonilla	3294	116	1779	95	28.4	18.7	9.7
H. Johnson	576	19	3968	192	30.3	20.7	9.6
M. Cameron	3528	131	801	42	26.9	19.1	7.8
R. Ventura	4542	171	1513	77	26.6	19.6	7.0
T. Agee	1230	37	2416	82	33.2	29.4	3.8
C. Floyd	3132	132	1643	81	23.7	20.3	3.4
C. Beltran	3467	146	3133	149	23.7	21.0	2.7

As you can see, only three players had a difference of 10.0 of better.  What does that mean in regular English for those of you who don't speak stats?  It means that Bernard Gilkey, Donn Clendenon and Keith Hernandez needed 10 fewer at-bats to homer as Mets as they did when they were with their old teams.

Gilkey homered every 26 at-bats as a Met, while it took him 41 at-bats on average to homer as a Cardinal.  Clendenon collected over 30 at-bats for every homer he hit before calling Shea home, but once he came to New York, he circled the bases every 19.1 at-bats.  Even Keith Hernandez, who never had a 20-homer season in the majors, found New York to his liking when it came to hitting home runs.  Hernandez homered once every 50 at-bats in St. Louis, but it took him fewer than 40 at-bats on average to jack one out in New York.

Much has been made of the power outage suffered by Jason Bay after coming to New York.  Bay averaged 30 homers per season during his first six full seasons in the majors, but managed a total of 26 homers in his three years as a Met.  But not much has been said about the players who displayed more power after reporting for duty in Flushing.

The force was with players like Bernard Gilkey, Donn Clendenon and Keith Hernandez after they were acquired by the Mets.  And once they arrived in New York, they hit the ball with more force then they ever had for their previous teams. 
 

The Mets Who Believed A Walk Was As Good As A Hit

Lucas Duda is a great admirer of pitches.  After all, he's kept the bat on his shoulder for 91% of first pitches he's seen and 68% of all pitches, regardless of the count.  By not taking his hacks at the plate, Duda has walked 21 times through the Mets' first 26 games.  But by the same token, it's quite a challenge to pick up a hit without swinging at a pitch every so often.  That would explain why Duda only has 19 hits.

Through the season's first month, the Mets' leftfielder has reached base via a hit two fewer times than he has taken ball four.  How rare has this been in franchise history?  Almost as rare as a Rey Ordoñez home run.

Let's take a look at the players who have come closest to accomplishing this rare feat for the Mets, considering only those players who played regularly or semi-regularly and had no more than 20 more hits than walks (min. 300 PA).

   

Player	Year	Plate Appearances	Hits	Walks
Elio Chacon	1962	449	87	76
Bobby Klaus	1965	337	55	45
Joe Foy	1970	399	76	68
Wayne Garrett	1970	454	93	81
Ken Singleton	1971	366	73	61
Wayne Garrett	1972	377	69	70
Bud Harrelson	1974	412	75	71
Wayne Garrett	1976	305	56	52
Ron Hodges	1983	305	65	49
Robin Ventura	2001	549	108	88

As you can see from the list above, there have been just ten instances in Mets history in which a player with at least 300 plate appearances came within 20 walks of his full-season base hit total.  Wayne Garrett is the only player to accomplish the rare feat more than once, doing it three times.  Garrett is also the sole player to have more walks than hits in a season in which he compiled at least 300 plate appearances.

But why stop with 300 plate appearances?  Why not delve a little deeper to see how many players had more walks than hits, regardless of the number of plate appearances?  So that we don't have players with one hit and two walks on the list, let's just consider players with at least twenty hits and walks.  The list is shorter than Bill Pulsipher's career in New York.

 

Player	Year	Plate Appearances	Hits	Walks
Wayne Garrett	1972	377	69	70
Ron Hodges	1984	132	22	23
Tom Herr	1991	192	30	32
Rickey Henderson	2000	124	21	25
Jay Bell	2003	142	21	22

That brings us back to Lucas Duda.  With 19 hits and 21 walks in his first 99 plate appearances, Duda is one hit away from joining the walk firm of Garrett, Bell, Henderson, Herr and Hodges.  But since Duda stands to collect far more at-bats than his colleagues in the firm did in their unusual seasons, he might end up etching his name on the list that includes those everyday players with the best eyes and most patience at the plate.

Players such as Wayne Garrett, Bud Harrelson, Ron Hodges and Robin Ventura were fan-favorites during their time in New York, but none of them hit for a particularly high average.  Hodges was a .240 hitter in 12 years as a Met, while Garrett (.237) and Harrelson (.234) were regularly out of contention for the batting title by late April.  Ventura did hit .301 in his first year in New York, but hit .232 and .237 in his other two seasons as a Met.  They couldn't hit, but they didn't have to.  They found other ways to reach base.

Lucas Duda is hitting .250 through the Mets' first 26 games.  But with two more walks than hits, his on-base percentage sits at an impressive .424.  Duda is never going to compete for a batting title, but like a number of Mets before him, he doesn't have to.  He can still contribute to the team's offense even with his share of oh-fers at the plate, as long as those oh-fers include a walk or two.

Little leaguers are taught that a walk is as good as a hit.  For Lucas Duda and a select number of players in Mets history, it appears that major leaguers have been taught that mantra as well.