Reversal of Misfortune...A Mets Dynasty

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I vowed I was gonna keep it simple for this post season, just post boxescores and keep it moving.

And, then Game 1 happened. Mets lose, 6-5, in 15 innings to Braves in the opener of the NLCS at Shea. Quite frankly, we didn't deserve to win.

Steve Carlton might disagree. Lefty was solid before leaving with two on and one out in the eighth and the Mets holding a 3-0 lead. In stepped Bruce Sutter, who walked Don Baylor on four pitches to load the bases. Rob Wilfong - yes, Rob Wilfong - lines a bases-clearing double into the left-field corner to tie the game.

If that wasn't bad enough, the Mets had four - count em, 1, 2, 3, 4! - runners thrown out at the plate and LF Dusty Baker and former Met CF Billy North each threw out a pair.

They scored a run in the 11th, we scored a run in the 11th. They got a run in the 14th, we countered with a run in the 14th. But, when Lou Piniella scored on a wild pitch uncorked by Lee Smith to break the 5-5 tie, New York had no more rebuttals left.

Brutal loss.

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Mets lose 1B Cecil Cooper for remainder of the playoffs with a strained hip muscle.
He goes to IL and 1B Rafeal Santo Domingo is called up.

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Mets bow in Game 2.

Nolan Ryan, seriously? Fans 12. Walks 10!!! Ties the NL playoff mark for free passes in a game set by our Steve Carlton. Adn, sets Mets' playoff record for Ks in a game. What a rollercoaster ride.

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Another extra inning contest that Jim Rice leans in Mets' favor with a two-run homer in 11th. Amazins win 5-3 to force Game 4.

Reggie Jackson, Mr. Disappointment the last two years in the playoffs, homered as did Ron LeFlore.

Props to Jack Baker. Reliever worked final two innings to notch the win.

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Finally, Mr. October shows up!

Reggie Jackson slugged a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to snap a 1-1 tie and spark New York to a 5-2 win to force a Game 5 at Shea.

Reggie went 3 for 4 and George Brett unloaded his second homer of the playoffs. Vida Blue gets win.

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Yes, the Mets outlasted the Braves, 4-3, in Game 5 to claim ninth National League pennant. But, by no means did it come easy.

An early 2-0 lead was shortlived with the Braves tied it in the top of the third. George Brett, the series MVP, put the Amazins back on top with an RBI single in the fourth.

Johnny Bench and Reggie Jackson began the fifth with back-to-back singles, Pete LaCock moved them up with a sacrifice bunt and Robin Yount delivered a sac fly to open the gap to 4-2.

Nolan Ryan was touched for three runs and five hits over seven innings en route to the win and Mike Scott threw the closing two frames.

Up next, a showdown with the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. KC blanked Detroit, 6-0, in Game 5 of the ALCS.

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Mets struck for four runs in the seventh and duplicated the number in the ninth to walk away from Game 1 of the 1979 World Series with a 10-3 victory over the Royals.

George Brett struck the big blow, lacing a two-run double in between an RBI single by Rick Manning and run-scoring double from Jim Rice, as the Mets seized a 6-2 lead in the top of the seventh.

In the ninth, Rice blasted a three-run homer that was backed immediately by a solo shot from Reggie Jackson.

Can't say enough about Pete LaCock and Manning, both bench guys who have embraced their chances to contribute.

Steve Carlton gets the dub and props to Dave Stewart for his work out of the pen.

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A string of timely hits in the top of the first and grand slam during an explosive closing ninth fueled the Mets to a 9-3 victory and a 2-0 lead in the Fall Classic.

Before I delve into the highlights, quick salute to Pete LaCock. Signed to a minor-league contract in the off season, LaCock has stepped up to replace injured Cecil Cooper with quality play using both his bat and glove.

Ron LeFlore and Jim Rice sandwiched singles around George Brett's misplayed ground ball to load the bases with no outs in the top of the first. Reggie Jackson fanned for the first out but Johnny Bench lifted a sac fly, followed by RBI singles from LaCock and Robin Yount to build a 3-0 cushion.

The Royals drew to within 4-3 before the Mets put the game away in the ninth, keyed by a grand slam from Johnny Bench.

Bench finished with five RBIs while Yount and LaCock each accounted for three hits in the 15-hit barrage.

Tom Seaver worked seven innings, conceding a two-run homer to Mike Ivie that got KC within a run in the seventh. Tippy Martinez worked the final two frames for the save.

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George Brett and Johnny Bench - each wielding a scorching post-season bat - fueled the Mets to a 5-3 decision in Game 3 and a 3-0 lead in the World Series.

Bench's two-run single in the third lit the fuse for New York, which scored two more in the fourth on a sac fly by Ron LeFlore and an RBI single from Brett.

Nolan Ryan cruised through six before Ellis Valentine tagged him for a solo homer and Toby Harrah added a two-run double to whittle the Mets' advantage down to 5-3 in the seventh. Ryan finished with eight strikeouts.

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For the sixth time in the organization's brief history, the New York Mets have claimed a World Series crown.

Didn't see this one coming, but the Mets completed a four-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 5-1 triumph in front of the home crowd at Shea Stadium.

Rennie Stennett, the free-agent signing tasked with the unenviable job of replacing Joe Morgan at second base, delivered a two-out, two-run double to get the Amazins off and running.

In the fifth, Ron LeFlore singled, stole second and third and dashed home on a Jim Rice sac fly to pad the advantage to 3-0. Vida Blue helped his cause in the sixth with an RBI single to make it 4-0.

Blue tossed seven scoreless innings to get the decision and Robin Yount - despite his four errors in the series - was selected MVP. Where his leather betrayed him, his lumber did not. Yount hit a blistering .562 in the series with three runs, two RBI and a double.

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Just admiring the numbers manager Gil Hodges has crafted during his tenure in Flushing.

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Days after winning our six World Series in 10 appearances, our owner Ruben Woodward wants to break stones over a guy who was instrumental in a title run.


Johnny Bench has a post-season pedigree second to none during his time with us. These are his numbers from just this year's playoffs.


And, his career playoff resume...

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Adding to the glory of a World Series trophy, the Mets picked up some post-season hardware as well.

NL MVP: George Brett picks up his first MVP honor.

NL Cy Young: Nolan Ryan wins it for the third consecutive year.

NL Manager of the Year: Seems like Gil Hodges wins this every season.

Gold Glove: 2B Rennie Stennett

Silver Sluggers: 1B Cecil Cooper, 3B George Brett

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Here's the list of our free agents who we are in negotiations with...

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Mets absorb a couple of big hits on the free agent market.

1B Cecil Cooper turned down our offer to sign with the Detroit Tigers and, even more painful, RF Reggie Jackson spurned the Mets in favor of going across town to the Yankees.

In turn, the Mets signed free agent Oscar Gamble to play RF and inked Willie Montanez to a minor-league contract with an eye toward he and Pete LaCock competing for first base.

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Quietly upgraded in RF. Losing Reggie sparked us to sign Oscar Gamble, who led the American League last year in home runs (48), batting average (.353), on-base percentage (.456), slugging (.643) and OPS (1.100).



Losing Cecil Cooper hurts and not expecting Willie Montanez to deliver comparable numbers while playing first base.

Our key will remain our stellar pitching staff.

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The Eighties have brought an abundance of issues that the Mets' organization have yet to contend with, even dating back to our infancy.
Some examples, you ask? Certainly.

• A team wallowing near the bottom of the NL East...ok we were bottom feeders when we entered the league in 1962 and remained there for eight seasons, but, c'mon, that was to be expected.
• A pitching staff, long our muscle, now an Achilles' heel..some guys just not putting up the same numbers as in recent years.
• An off-season acquistion already asking to be traded...the stones on Oscar Gamble?!?! Hey pal, we just won seven World Series, so forgive us for having a down year upon your arrival.
• A stalwart complaining about where he's batting in the order...this one is interesting because, as I shared in an early post, owenership has never been cool with Johnny Bench. Very few of the coaches on staff - with the exception of manager Gill Hodges - have any type of relationship other than poor with him. But, I've been willing to ignore all that noise while he delivers post-season hardware year after year. That said, he chirped about not being happy hitting fifth in the order. Ok, I placated him and moved him to cleanup.

At the time, we were 13-18 and 7.5 games back in the East. Very little has changed since then. In fact, things have only gotten worse.


Here is what we are doing at the plate...


And, on the bump...


I'm paying the consequences for some long-term deals that in hindsight, I'd walk back. However, when I measure it up against what we've accomplished, I think I can live with seven titles at the expense of a looming overhaul.

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The Mets have plummetted to the cellar of the NL East due to a combination of bad chemistry and injuries they simply are no longer equipped to address through depth.



SS Robin Yount (thumb) and C Johnny Bench (oblique) each went on the DL in early June, adding to the mounting misery in Flushing.

The hard times signal a looming overhaul. There is some age in the lineup, as well as the rotation, and it certainly looks like we will be active sellers at the trade deadline.

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Handwriting was on the wall and the Mets' front office read it loud a clear. After a decade of dominance, the Amazins began the unfortunate process of dumping salary and intrusive forces from the clubhouse.

Among the marquee names traded at the deadline CL Bruce Sutter, LHP Tippy Martines and RF Oscar Gamble. Among the prospects landed were RHP Storm Davis and C John Wathan as well as bullpen specialist Kent Tekulve.



It will be fun to watch how long we take to rise from the ashes.