30 Years of Great Performances in Met Losses

[G-Fafif]

They do something memorable, but they can't enjoy it. They're asked about it afterwards and they have to hang their heads and say it doesn't matter. What a shame. Chronologically, since 1980, here is a tentative list of the greatest individual performances by a Met position player in a REGULAR-SEASON Met loss.

(We'll leave out pitchers since the Mets are lousy with hard-luck losers who lacked only support and/or a reliable relief corps behind them.)

And the nominees are:

August 5, 1980: Doug Flynn triples three times. Expos beat Mets, 11-5.

October 3, 1985: With Mets desperately needing to beat St. Louis to stay alive in a pennant race for the ages, Keith Hernandez goes 5-for-5 and drives in a pair of runs. Cardinals beat Mets, 4-3.

August 28, 1988: Gregg Jefferies electrifies Shea with a single and a double in his first two plate appearances as a major league starter, foreshadowing the September (and maybe career) to come. Giants beat Mets, 7-4.

July 14, 1991: Needing an outfielder and wanting to keep him away from behind the plate, Buddy Harrelson inserts Mackey Sasser in right field for his first start ever at the position. In the top of the first, with Bip Roberts on second, Tony Fernandez lines a ball to deep right. Sasser turns around, crashes into the wall, makes the catch, turns again and fires to Kevin Elster to double off Roberts. Next batter is Tony Gwynn, who crushes a ball above the right field wall. Sasser goes back, leaps and grabs it. Two putouts and an assist in his very first inning as a starting right fielder. Seven innings later, Mackey breaks up Greg Harris's bid for a no-hitter with a leadoff double. Padres beat Mets, 2-1.

April 26, 1995: Todd Hundley helps christen Coors Field with a sixth-inning grand slam, one of four hits he collects on Opening Night in Colorado. The last big swing, however, belongs to Dante Bichette in the fourteenth. Rockies beat Mets, 11-9.

May 6, 1995: Edgardo Alfonzo chooses to make his first major league home run an inside-the-park job, which contributes to the building of an 11-4 lead. It would become the biggest lead the Mets would ever blow. Reds beat Mets, 13-11.

August 5, 1998: En route to setting the Mets' single-season batting average standard, John Olerud bangs two doubles, one of them for two RBI. He also handles a fifth-inning ground ball and turns it into a 3-6-3-2 triple play, Snow out at first, Kent out at second, Bonds out at home. Giants beat Mets, 6-4.

May 17, 2001: Desi Relaford starts at short and records an RBI double. Bobby Valentine moves him to the mound for the top of the ninth and he pitches a 1-2-3 frame before singling in the bottom of the ninth. Padres beat Mets, 15-3.

June 21, 2006: Jose Reyes hits for the cycle. When he singles to clinch it in the bottom of the eighth, the Ho-ZAY! chant rocks Shea Stadium in earnest for the first time. Billy Wagner comes on for the save in the ninth. Reds beat Mets, 6-5.

August 15, 2006: Jose Reyes hits three homers, good for four RBI. Phillies beat Mets, 11-4.

September 25, 2007: As Mets cling tenuously to first place, Moises Alou extends team record hitting streak to 29 games with a 4-for-5 night. His last hit is a three-run, ninth-inning double that brings the Mets to within one run of a tie score. Nationals beat Mets, 10-9.

May 19, 2010: In the top of the fourth inning, Angel Pagan lifts a fly ball to center over the head of Nyjer Morgan that Morgan severely misjudges. Morgan's leap allows the ball to bounce off the wall into no man's land. Pagan steams ahead and scores on an inside-the-park homer. In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the bases loaded, Pagan, playing center, dives and catches a sinking liner off the bat of Roger Bernadina. It goes as a sacrifice fly, but it could have been a good deal worse. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Pagan makes another diving, thieving grab of a sinking liner, this time against Cristian Guzman. Baserunners on second and first are caught off guard as the umpires make a deliberate call on the catch. The end result is an 8-2-6-3 triple play, with Pagan overthrowing second, Henry Blanco backing up the the throw and Jose Reyes making an unnecessary relay to first. Nationals beat Mets, 5-3.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Who on Earth compartmentalizes great individual performances in Met losses and can call on 12 of them over 30 years?

Gfafif, that's who. Wow.

That Alou game reawakened an old heartbreak. Gawd. F him though.

The Hernandez game, for sure. But I think maybe Pagan wins this one.

[G-Fafif]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Who on Earth compartmentalizes great individual performances in Met losses and can call on 12 of them over 30 years? Gfafif, that's who. Wow. That Alou game reawakened an old heartbreak. Gawd. F him though. The Hernandez game, for sure. But I think maybe Pagan wins this one.

Not neatly compartmentalized, but a few sprang to mind and I dug through the memory banks/baseball-reference from there. Feel free to add any others you think of (if you can bear to think of them). Pre-1980 graciously accepted as well. Doug Flynn's three triples represented a baseline for thinking "what a waste," and 30 happens to be a nice, round number.

Wasn't thinking of this as a poll initially, but I agree it would be hard to top Angel for shiniest medal of valor. Then again if he stops at third and is driven in and/or he starts a double play and the next guy grounds out, it's just another loss.

But he didn't and it wasn't and that's baseball for ya.

[Guest attgig]

no Endy Chavez catch?

[G-Fafif]

attgig wrote: no Endy Chavez catch?

Was only thinking regular season. Will specify above.

But that was pretty good, defensively.

[MFS62]

It has to be Angel in the outfield.
The Triple play sets it apart from the other feats, which are more common.
I heard he was the first player to do both (ItPHR) and TP in the same game in over 50 years.

Later

[Gwreck]

Angel's TP was nice but let's not forget that the umpires' abject failure to make a clear call was a big assist. I'd probably give this to Keith or Jose's cycle.

[G-Fafif]

Losing the cycle game was a gut punch, albeit a harmless one in the scheme of divisional things.

Mackey's Magical Mystery Tour in right field remains a sentimental favorite. Mets had won ten straight going into that game. Then Sasser makes those two incredible plays and you think NOTHING can possibly go wrong.

Then it became 1991 again.

[Guest Edgy DC]

That Flynn Game was special to me, but Keith's 5-5 was so grindey that I had to go with that.

I can't think of Alou ever having a cold spell as a Met. He could hit every day of the week if he could stay on the field.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Gwreck wrote: Angel's TP was nice but let's not forget that the umpires' abject failure to make a clear call was a big assist. I'd probably give this to Keith or Jose's cycle.

Plus, he threw the ball over Reyes' head. If the runners had not been confused by the non-call this may have been a mere double play.

My favorite part of the triple play was Reyes throwing to first instead of tagging the guy who he was leaning against on second base. I think Blanco was the only person involved in this play who knew what the hell was going on.

[Guest Edgy DC]

It seems unfair that Angel only got credited with one assist.

[Gwreck]

??

It almost seems unfair he gets credited with any assists, given the throw he made into the infield.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

G-Fafif wrote: Losing the cycle game was a gut punch, albeit a harmless one in the scheme of divisional things. Mackey's Magical Mystery Tour in right field remains a sentimental favorite. Mets had won ten straight going into that game. Then Sasser makes those two incredible plays and you think NOTHING can possibly go wrong. Then it became 1991 again.

Agreed on the Mack-inations. I don't know that I ever rooted for anyone to get over a personal hump like I did for Mackey (who's probably still in my personal top-5 favorites). The abject weirdness of this make it a medal contender, but still behind Angel and my number one, Keith in the pennant race. (Context HAS to make this the one, no?)

[Guest Edgy DC]

For pitching performances, I have to fly this baby up the flagpole.

[metirish]

The Pagan-Kazanski link 1:11 PM By Mike Rose Before Angel Pagan hit an inside-the-park home run and started a triple play in the same game Wednesday night, Philadelphia's Ted Kazanski was the last player to do so 55 years ago. When reached by phone Thursday morning, the 76-year-old Kazanski remembered the triple play he started that day far more than his inside-the-park home run. That's because - get this - the triple play ended their season. "One swing," he said, "Bam! The season's over." All these years later the memory of that play is still fresh in the former shortstop's mind thanks to the incredible abruptness - not to mention oddity - of seeing a baseball season end on a triple play.

[HahnSolo]

I would have assumed most of Ted Kazanski's home runs were bombs.

[Guest Edgy DC]

They were having fun with his name in the booth lasty night, but neither guy mentioned Ted Kazynski.

[Guest Kong76]

I'm taking Angel regardless of how it exactly came about. It hasn't
come about since '55 if I heard correctly?

Keith gets enough lovin'.

[Guest themetfairy]

Kong76 wrote: I'm taking Angel regardless of how it exactly came about. It hasn't come about since '55 if I heard correctly?

That is correct.

Plus Angel threw D-Dad a ball last September, making him D-Dad's BFF (or so I've been calling him all season).

[Theoldmole]

I missed this thread before, but did anyone mention Endy?

[Gwreck]

Yes. This was limited to regular season.

[Zvon]

I was so hungry for some post season action in 1985, that one stands out to me the most.
I knew we had the team to get there, and having a superduper Met team was so new then.
I didn't feel disappointed in the team either.
I was just glad that the team had become exciting.

[G-Fafif]

Continued research on the topic has unearthed several more examples of great individual Met position player performances in regular-season losses over the past thirty years:

August 12, 1982: Rusty Staub crowns four-run, sixth-inning rally with a bases-clearing double to give Mets a 5-3 lead at Shea. Before the seventh-inning stretch arrives, the Mets will have used four pitchers to record three outs. Cubs beat Mets, 13-6.

June 26, 1983: Rusty Staub ties the National League record for consecutive pinch-hits with eight to start the ninth at Shea. The hit begins a rally that will see the Mets load the bases and bring the potential tying run to bat with George Foster. But Staub is stranded on third. Phillies beat Mets, 8-4.

June 22, 1985: Rusty Staub hits what turns out be the last home run of his 22-season major league career, a pinch-hit three-run job off Jeff Reardon that gives the Mets a lead in the bottom of the seventh. Expos beat Mets, 5-4.

June 18, 1997: In the signature moment of his brief major league career, pinch-runner Steve Bieser coaxes a two-out, eighth-inning balk out of David Cone to score from third base and tie the rubber game of the first Subway Series at Yankee Stadium. Yankees beat Mets, 3-2.

May 1, 2000: Jay Payton dashes to the Pac Bell Park left-center field wall and leaps above it, his shoulder crashing into the padding, his glove stretched just above the hands of a teenage fan, to rob Bill Mueller of a sure home run to end the bottom of the third inning. Giants beat Mets, 10-3.

June 26, 2002: Mo Vaughn�s second home run of the night is a blast off Kevin Gryboski that hits about two-thirds of the way up the Budweiser sign on the Shea Stadium scoreboard and leaves a dent. Braves beat Mets, 6-3.

August 21, 2005: All but packed off and sent back to Norfolk after not having played as an emergency callup, Mike Jacobs is given a pinch-hitting assignment on the wrong end of a blowout. He uses that plate appearance, the first of his major league career, to blast a three-run homer and help secure his place on the Mets� roster for the rest of the season. Jacobs becomes the fourth Met to hit a home run his first time up. Nationals beat Mets, 7-3.

August 23, 2007: Marlon Anderson caps a six-run sixth-inning rally with a three-run pinch-homer, giving the homestanding Mets a 7-6 lead. Padres beat Mets 9-8.

July 26, 2008: Jose Reyes sets tone for Mets offense by doubling to lead off bottom of first and coming around to score on an Endy Chavez triple. He will add a double in the second, a homer in the fourth and a single in the tenth, going 4-for-8 by the time the night is done. Cardinals beat Mets, 10-8.

[G-Fafif]

I'll throw in one more in the spirit of those rare things you see in the course of a baseball season even though it doesn't technically involve what we'd call a position player: a Met pitcher hitting a home run. That's the sort of delightful happenstance that convinces you everything is going your way. But it ain't necessarily so. Mets pitchers have hit 46 home runs, from Carlton Willey in 1963 to John Maine in 2007. Somehow, 11 of them came in Met losses.

The most egregious episode, no doubt, occurred at Shea on May 20, 1967. Jack Hamilton walloped a grand slam off ex-Met Al Jackson (who himself had homered off future Met and Hall of Famer Warren Spahn in a 1964 loss to the Milwaukee Braves) to break a 0-0 tie in the second inning. Staking himself to a 4-0 lead on the only grand slam ever hit by a Met pitcher, Hamilton gave up three runs in the top of the third (starting with an RBI single to Jackson) and had let the Redbirds tie it in the fourth on an Orlando Cepeda home run. Wes Westrum let Jack face one more batter, Tim McCarver. McCarver, no doubt inspired by the twinkle in the eye of Derek Jeter's father seven years prior to the shortstop's birth, singled and Hamilton was removed. Final score: Cardinals 11 Mets 9.

Since we are using the last 30 years for our parameters, let us note a Met pitcher has hit a home run in a losing cause five times since 1980: Rick Aguilera once, in 1986 (Aggie had 3 career Met HRs); Jason Isringhausen twice, in 1996; and Doc Gooden twice, in 1990 and 1993. Most appropriate to include here among best individual "position player" performances in a Met loss, I believe, is this one:

May 27, 1990: With two out and the Mets trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Dwight Gooden, having allowed two runs (only one earned) and five hits, bats for himself. Gooden homers to left off Ed Whitson to knot the score at two. It's the third home run of Doc's career (he will hit seven as a Met, eight overall). Doc goes out for the eighth, surrenders a leadoff single to Fred Lynn, is victimized by a Mike Marshall error on a Bip Roberts sac bunt -- putting runners on second and third with nobody out -- and, after retiring Robbie Alomar on a groundout and intentionally walking Tony Gwynn to load the bases, is touched for a single through the right side by Joe Carter. With the Mets now trailing 4-2, Davey Johnson removes his starting pitcher. It's the last time Davey Johnson will do that, as the Mets will be rained out the next night in Cincinnati, and Frank Cashen will replace Davey with Buddy Harrelson the day after that. Padres beat Mets, 8-4.

FYI, the other four Met pitcher home runs that came in losses: Jerry Koosman in 1968 (one of two Kooz blasted as a Met); Don Cardwell in 1968 off future Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry (one of three Cardwell hit as a Met out of 15 lifetime); Tom Seaver in 1972 (one of three Seaver hit that season; Tom homered six times as a Met and six more times as a Red); and, in relief, Tug McGraw in 1972.

[G-Fafif]

Double-obsessive FYI: Other Mets besides Jack Hamilton (1967) and Todd Hundley (1995) to have hit grand slams in Met losses:

Frank Thomas (1962)
Eddie Bressoud (1966)
Tommie Agee (1971)
Rusty Staub (1973)
Gary Carter (1985)
Joe Orsulak (1994)
Cliff Floyd (2005)
Carlos Delgado (2008)
Fernando Tatis (2009)