RIP Wes Gardner, 1961-2026

[Cowtipper]

Wes Gardner, who pitched for the Mets in 1984 and 1985 and was involved in the trade that brought aboard Bob Ojeda, John Mitchell, Tom McCarthy and minor leaguer Chris Bayer, died today. 

He was 1-3 with a 6.03 ERA in 30 relief appearances with New York and 17-27 with a 4.80 ERA in 159 games (44 starts) in the 6 succeeding campaigns. 

[Edgy MD]

Among the 1985 Mets not invited to board the bus to 1986 were both Wes Gardner and Ron Gardenhire.  That can't be a coincidence.  Clearly, Frank Cashen had a gardening hangup.

Gardner came from the same part of the country as a Kevin McReynolds and was similarly something of a fish out of water in both New York and Boston.  He was an early practitioner of the splitter.  I think both he and Sisk learned it in the Mets system from John Cumberland.