It was forty years ago today ...

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That was great. Lindsey got me darn excited.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: September 23rd, 1973 -- 2nd of the two-game series vs the Cards at Shea Tommie Agee* hits a 1st inning 2R HR against Geroge Stone. Those would be the last runs the Cards would get in this game although it wouldn�t be due to Stone. After allowing five hits over the first two innings and only being saved from further damage by two StL GiDPs, Yogi chose not to wait around for more and Stone was gone for a PH-er in the bottom of the 2nd even though there were two outs and nobody on at the time. The PH move didn't pay off (Lute Barnes struck out) but the relief did as the Mets got four innings of 1-hit ball from Harry Parker and zeroes over the final three from McGraw On the offensive side, the Mets loaded the bases in the 3rd on three straight walks but netted only one via a Cleon Jones Sac Fly Staub�s single knocked in Garrett (who had led off with a single) in the 5th to tie the game before Garrett�s (there�s that name again!) 2-RBI Triple in the 6th put them ahead to stay. Cleon�s 7th inning HR ended the scoring. Pitt won a DH from the Expos this day so the Mets� lead actually shrunk to just 1/2 game. But it dropped St Looie to 3 full games out and the Expos & Cubs to 3.5 * Agee had been picked up by the Cards from Houston about five weeks earlier. This HR would be the final one of his career and his second to last hit. He would try hooking on with the Dodgers the in �74 but was released during spring training and would never play again.

I went to that game. The Mets gave out coffee mugs with the Mets logo and a sticker with a player's autograph -- and not just the stars and popular players. Some of the mugs had Duffy Dyer's autograph. I think that just about every Met was represented. I got two mugs -- a Willie Mays and a Tug McGraw.

[Zvon]

G-Fafif wrote: Postgame show is on! [youtube]s7Usnpt-7m4[/youtube]

This is a great listen

[Frayed Knot]

Yes, I�d like to thank Steve Albert for filling in on our 1973 review.

Now unfortunately, on this date in NYM history (Sept 26 - Game 158 - final home game) their 7-game winning streak came to a crashing halt with an 8-5 loss to the Expos.
The Expos jumped on Tom Seaver for 4 runs in the 1st inning, an inning which included only 2 hits, but 4 walks (1 intentional) a passed ball, a double, and a big 2-out/2-run single from former/future Met Tim Foli. A fifth run was added in the 2nd and final inning Seaver would pitch that night.

The Mets climbed back into the game in the bottom of the 2nd on a 2-out single from Lute Barnes followed by a 3R HR from ... Yup, Wayne Garrett!
The Mets even tied the game on Grote�s single in the 5th and took Seaver off the hook.
But Bob Bailey�s 2R HR off Harry Parker in the 7th, and Felipe Alou�s RBI single off McGraw in the 9th capped the scoring.

Another future Met, Mike Marshall, pitched the final four innings for his 13th win of the season. In all, Marshall would end the season with a 14-11 record -- all in relief -- on 92 appearances, 73 games finished, 31 saves, and 179 INNINGS PITCHED. He finished 2nd that year in the CY (and 5th in MVP) on his way to winning the CY the following season with 106 games, 83 finished, and 208 innings

NYM ---
PIT -0.5
STL -3.0
CHC -3.5
MON -3.5


Four games remain, all with the Cubs.

[Zvon]

179 Innings! Yikes. 14 wins yea but I forgot he had 11 losses. 200 in relief that next year?! What a freak.

[Frayed Knot]

No Mets game today (Thurs, Sept 27th) but the only two NL games that were played that day both involved the teams remaining alive in the NL East race.

1) The Phillies outlasted the Pirates in a 13 inning tilt in Pittsburgh
The two clubs traded 2R HRs in the 1st inning
- Del Unser off Bruce Kison in the top of the 1st
- Al Oliver off Barry Lersch in the bottom half.
And that was it for the scoring until Greg Luzinski lumbered home on a passed ball (I�m assuming he lumbered. Did the Bull ever do anything but lumber?) with two outs in the top of the 13th with what stood up as the winning run.
The Pirates wound up with 11 hits and 5 walks in the game but just the two 1st inning runs.
Phillies 3 - Pirates 2

2) In St Louis, Reggie Cleveland shut out the Cubs on a complete game 1-hitter as Lou Brock�s 2R HR in the 6th provided all the runs.
Cardinals 2 - Cubs 0


Going into the final weekend of the regular season the top of the East looked like this"
METS --- (4 games remaining)
PITT -1.0 (4 games)
StL -2.5 (3 games)

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Four games remain, all with the Cubs.

These were the most exciting, tense, nervous, hopeful, and awesome games I ever experienced as a Met fan. I wanted them to win soooooooo bad.

[Frayed Knot]

Another day with no game for the Mets - rained out in Chicago.
So going into what should have been the final day of the season, the Mets still have four games on the schedule.

But there was some help coming from elsewhere.
In Pittsburgh the Expos scored 3 unearned runs in the 6th inning off Doc Ellis to come from behind and beat the Pirates 3-2.
Another win (his 14th) on 3-2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Montreal�s Mike Marshall.

In St Loius, Diego (father of David) Segui picked up a win for the Cards with FIVE innings of 0 run/2-hit relief

All hail multiple inning relief pitchers.

Standings at the end of the day:
METS --- with 4 games to play
PITT -1.5 back with 3 to play
StL -2.0 back with 2 to play

[Edgy MD]

Thank you, Al Oliver, for the boot.

The Pirates of the time, known for their hitting, also had decent pitching. The defense, not so much.

[Frayed Knot]

And on Saturday the 29th ... the Mets are again rained out, making it the 3rd day in a row with no NYM game.

In Pittsburgh, the Expos scored 5 in the 2nd off Nelson Briles and held on to win 6-4

In St Louis, Bob Gibson was good, Steve Carlton was not as a 7-1 StL win allowed the Cards to leap over the Pirates in the standings.

METS --- (4 games left)
CARDS -1.5 (1 game left)
PIRATES -2.0 (2 games left)

[Zvon]

This is great FK because I forgot these details.

[Zvon]

Rains stopped

[Frayed Knot]

Yes they did - long enough at least for the Mets to get in a Double-Header in Wrigley Field on Sunday, September 30th

Game 1: Mets lose 1-0 on a Ron Santo 2-out RBI single in the 8th. Arrrrgh!
Jon Matlack wound up going all the way and got hung with the loss.
Rick Reuschel started for the Cubs, relieved by Bob Locker after Reuschel walked Matlack leading off the 8th. Garrett successfully sac-bunted but then Matlack was thrown out at 3rd on a Millan grounder and Staub struck out to end the inning.
Mets got the leadoff runner on in the 9th too on a Milner single but the rally died on another sac bunt, then a K, a Walk, and a Kranepool ground out.


Game 2: Mets romp 9-2 as Koosman shines but Fergie Jenkins doesn�t.
Kooz winds up going all the way and both Chicago runs were unearned.

Meanwhile ...
- The Pirates romped over visiting Montreal
- The Cardinals, behind four scoreless/hitless innings of relief from Rick Wise (so, y'know, the Carlton trade wasn't ALL bad) beat Philly 3-1


So the situation is this:
- the Mets lead the East by one full game over the Cards but still have two games remaining in Chicago
- the Cardinals are the only one of these contenders who managed to finish their regular season on time, so they can only hope the Cubs do a sweep job which will get them into a play-in situation.
- and it could be a three-way tie as the Pirates, though a game and a half back, have a make up game from earlier in the season. They need not only the Cubs sweep but a win of their own to force a three-way tie.

And here's the kicker: the Piitsburgh makeup is against the Padres, a team that had finished their season a day earlier (on Saturday - there was no scheduled game on Sunday in SD, I can only assume because of football and stadium issues). So the lowly (59-102 at this point) Pads had to be yanked out of their off-season plans and flown across the country to western PA, all for a game that means absolutely nothing to them and has only a sliver of hope for the team they're playing. Bet they liked that!

[Frayed Knot]

Monday, October 1st
On the day after the season was scheduled to be over and during a more or less steady rain in front of a listed 1,913 fans in Wrigley Field, the Mets win game one of the scheduled DH of make-up games to clinch their second NL East crown in four years.

Tom Seaver was matched up against Burt Hooten

2nd inning -- a solo Cleon Jones HR (he must have had as hot a September as Garrett) got the first run on the board.

3rd -- a leadoff single by Staub was followed by walks to Milner & Jones and then a 2 RBI single off Grote�s bat although the Mets failed to capitalize further despite 1st & 2nd and no outs.

5th -- a leadoff double by Garrett and a Millan single were the end for Hooten.
Reliever Mike Paul (who would make just 2 more appearances in his ML career)
allowed both runners to score on a Staub single and a Milner Sac Fly.
But then four singles in the bottom of the 5th netted two runs for the Cubs and it was 5-2 Mets

7th -- Mets nudged it to 6-2 but Seaver failed to record an out in the bottom half as his day ended with a single and a Rick Monday 2R HR.
Seaver wound up K-ing only 2 and giving up 4 runs on 11 hits over the six innings, but he left them with a lead and foretunately the laws in place at that time allowed Yogi to go to his best reliever even though it was only the 7th inning. Tug would respond by getting the final nine outs while facing just nine hitters. An infield single, K, then GiDP ended the game and the pennant chase.

The Pirates, playing simultaneously, were behind in their make-up game with what must have been an entirely disinterested Padre team. But the outcome of that game became irrelevant the moment the Met game ended and the Buccos would, in fact, go on to lose.
That all made the final NYM cushion: 1-/1/2 games up on the Cards and 2-1/2 on the Pirates-- seem more comfortable than it actually was even before you consider the fact that the Mets were in 6th place in their division August 30th and in 5th as late as September 11th.


The 2nd game of the DH was supposedly going to be played and the Mets had to put off any adult beverage celebrations. But because it would probably be a photo-finish as to which team wanted to play the game LESS, saner heads prevailed and the rain gave everyone the excuse they were looking for.

[Zvon]

Very well told.

Pretty sure I told this story before but I'll always repeat it when I can.

I cut school for the first time ever for this game. I had cut out of school early before, or skipped a class here or there, but I never before had gone to bed thinking tomorrow I'm gonna cut school. And I couldn't watch the game at home. My folks would not approve of me taking off, even knowing what a fan I was of the Mets (these days kids take off for vacations with their parents. Those days you didn't even consider doing something like that). So I had a plan to just float around the neighborhood (Corona, Rego Park, & Elmhurst) the morning hours and shortly before the game go to Macys on Queens Blvd and watch it there in the TV department. And that's just what I did.

First I thought I should buy something, ya know, so I had an excuse for being in the store. I went to the record dept. and looked for a single that would catch my eye. Couldn't get and album, I only had a buck and change on me. I chose a song by Elvis Presley, a song that was released years before but was back on the radio getting airplay for some reason. I had never bought anything by the King. By the time I was aware of him and buying records myself he was a Hollywood card board cutout. But I bought this single, In The Ghetto, because I liked it. It was real.

Then I headed to the TV department with my purchase. I wouldn't just be watching the game on one TV, but on rows of color TVs, all seemingly set to different color saturations and hues. This was perfect! The guy who was the TV salesman eventually could see what was up and by the third or fourth we were talking and watching the game together, just chillin. I don't think the TV Dept had any customers that day. A small group did form around me as the game went on and maybe there were 6 to 8 people there at the end, as Tug pumped his glove walking off the wet field on that drab grey day. Funny, I don't remember much of the game itself, like Cleon's homer, but I vividly remember Tug at the end. I had jumped on the YOU GOTTA BELIEVE bandwagon as soon as that started rolling, and it was so perfect that Tug was the one to bring it home.

I did a lot of things that weren't really good things as a teen, like cutting school for this game, and I usually got busted for whatever it was. This one, I got away with.

Now I had only one thought in my mind. How do I get tickets to the playoffs?

[Edgy MD]

On a cold and wet October morn
Another little young believer's born
In the Metto... (in the Metto...)

[Frayed Knot]

Zvon wrote: I cut school for the first time ever for this game.

A teacher in school (Mr. O'Sullivan IIRC) commandeered a TV - so I was able to catch at least part of this including the end.

Edited October 2, 2013 by Guest

[G-Fafif]

[youtube:xvg05an3]VseFNzVB0mA[/youtube:xvg05an3]

Bill Mazer, for those who didn't cut, didn't have an enlightened educator or didn't get home in time to catch the end (as I did).

[Zvon]

Frayed Knot wrote: Zvon wrote: I cut school for the first time ever for this game. A teacher in school (Mr. O'Sullivan IIRC) commandeered a TV - so I was able to catch at least part of this including the end.

I was attending Cathedral Prep at the time, just a few blocks away from Macys, next to Newtown Field. There were some kool teachers there but not that kool.

Macys looked like this in those days.

[Zvon]

G-Fafif wrote: [youtube]VseFNzVB0mA[/youtube] Bill Mazer, for those who didn't cut, didn't have an enlightened educator or didn't get home in time to catch the end (as I did).

" They're a tough team to follow because you have to have a stomach made of cast iron and a brain with a....well, forget about the brain part."
lol.
The Seaver being tired stuff was interesting.

[Edgy MD]

He seemed to have trouble finishing a lot of thoughts.

[Frayed Knot]

Saturday, October 6th, 1973

I had forgotten that MLB used to leave such a long gap between the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs, in this case the Mets had Tuesday through Friday off and the Reds one day longer.
So the pitchers are all rested which means Seaver gets to start two consecutive games as would Cincy�s Jack Billingham.

The Mets had two singles and a walk in the top of the 1st, but a Cleon Jones GiDP ended the threat with no runs scored.
In the 3rd, Buddy Harrelson drew a two-out walk and was doubled in by Seaver himself for 1-0 lead.
The bad news is that double would turn out to be the final hit for the Mets that day.

Billingham went 8 innings and wound up with a line of 3 hits, 3 walks and 6 Ks.. Tom Hall walked Staub to begin the 9th but then Pedro Borbon came in to get the final three outs (and, no, he was not pinch hit for by Manny Mota)

In the 8th Seaver gave up a one-out HR to Pete Rose which tied the game ... and then in the 9th a one-out game-winning HR to Johnny Bench
Seaver: 8.1 IP, 2 Runs, 6 Hits, 0 BBs, 13 Ks

[G-Fafif]

FK3tklU31MY

Al Albert handling Mets Wrapup duties this Sunday, leaving Bill Mazer time to prepare for Sports Extra on Channel 5.

[Frayed Knot]

Thanks for doing the heavy lifting on this one Al.
Nothing like a complete game 2-hit shutout to even things up.
Of course the Mets were getting 2-hit into the 9th themselves, but then got five of their seven hits for the game in the top of the 9th to turn a 1-0 cliffhanger into a (somewhat) comfortable 5-0 win and a split in the Queen City.

[Frayed Knot]

Monday, October 8th, 1973

The series shifted to Shea Stadium for game 3 and, amazingly, both teams managed to make it there and were ready to go despite having played in southern Ohio the previous day. It�s a shame that baseball teams have lost the technology over the last four decades to be able to do that in October.

But ready to go they were in Queens on Monday (afternoon, of course) after the weekend in Cincinnati and the Mets jumped on Reds starter Ross Grimsley early. In games 1 & 2 six of the eight runs had been scored in the 8th inning or later, but here a Staub solo HR in the 1st was followed by a Garrett Sac Fly, a Millan RBI single in the 2nd. That was enough for Sparky Anderson who saw Staub coming up again and quickly pulled Grimsley w/2 outs and 2 on in favor of lefty specialist Tom �The Blade�* Hall. But the strategy backfired as Rusty promptly hit a 3R HR giving the Mets an early 6-0 lead to Koosman before he went out for the 3rd frame.

Kooz actually ran into trouble in the 3rd, giving up a leadoff HR to Dennis Menke and then 3 straight one-out singles for a second run. But he buckled down to get both Tony Perez & Johnny Bench with 2 on to end the inning.
The Mets completed the scoring by tacking on a run in the 3rd (a Koosman RBI) and two more in the 4th as Koosman coasted to a complete game 8-hitter.

Final score: Mets 9 - Reds 2
Mets lead series 2-1.




* The nickname had to do with his thin build as Hall was listed at 6� 0�/150
Holy Shit, my high school self was thicker than that!

[G-Fafif]

Also, a signature fight, which Bill Mazer audibly shakes his head over.

FYuWIu-awvU

Bill remembers a precedent from the ancient 1934 World Series. Strangely, 1934 was closer to 1973 than 1973 is to now.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Frayed Knot wrote: Monday, October 8th, 1973 The series shifted to Shea Stadium for game 3 and, amazingly, both teams managed to make it there and were ready to go despite having played in southern Ohio the previous day. It�s a shame that baseball teams have lost the technology over the last four decades to be able to do that in October. But ready to go they were in Queens on Monday (afternoon, of course) after the weekend in Cincinnati and the Mets jumped on Reds starter Ross Grimsley early. In games 1 & 2 six of the eight runs had been scored in the 8th inning or later, but here a Staub solo HR in the 1st was followed by a Garrett Sac Fly, a Millan RBI single in the 2nd. That was enough for Sparky Anderson who saw Staub coming up again and quickly pulled Grimsley w/2 outs and 2 on in favor of lefty specialist Tom �The Blade�* Hall. But the strategy backfired as Rusty promptly hit a 3R HR giving the Mets an early 6-0 lead to Koosman before he went out for the 3rd frame. Kooz actually ran into trouble in the 3rd, giving up a leadoff HR to Dennis Menke and then 3 straight one-out singles for a second run. But he buckled down to get both Tony Perez & Johnny Bench with 2 on to end the inning. The Mets completed the scoring by tacking on a run in the 3rd (a Koosman RBI) and two more in the 4th as Koosman coasted to a complete game 8-hitter. Final score: Mets 9 - Reds 2 Mets lead series 2-1. * The nickname had to do with his thin build as Hall was listed at 6� 0�/150 Holy Shit, my high school self was thicker than that!

This also happened in Game 3...

CDkRC520-iY

[Frayed Knot]

October 9th, 1973

And on the day after the fight, the most hated man in New York comes back to haunt them.

George Stone & Fred Norman get the starts.
Mets tag Norman for a run in the 3rd on a Millan single.
Stone is near perfect through 6 but gives up a one-out HR to Tony Perez and finishes his days with one run on 3 hits in 7 IP.
McGraw relieves Stone and winds up with 4.1 scoreless but somewhat shaky innings which included 4 hits, 3 walks plus an error (his own). But Tug left the bases full of Reds in the 9th, then again in the 10th, then left 2 on in the 11th.

Met bats, meanwhile, got just 2 hits after Millan�s single off of Norman (5 innings) and 7 innings from 3 different relievers. Funny how Sparky Anderson was known as �Captain Hook� for his quick removal of pitchers. Joe Maddon would shirley call him an amateur for using �only� 4 pitchers through 12.

And speaking of the 12th inning, Harry Parker relieved Tug and gave up a HR to the 2nd batter he�d face: Pete Rose
Staub, Jones & Milner went down quitely in order in the bottom half and the series was tied.

[Zvon]

This was a very nerve wracking game. Rose's homer took so much out of the crowd. Him running the bases swinging a fist up in the air. I'll never forget that. After the game 3 fight and bad behavior of one stupid Met fan who, sitting in the mezzanine section right up back behind me, threw a big liquor bottle.

Now people were throwing stuff at Rose for a bit as he took left field, cardboard cups, hot dogs still in their wrapper, any kind of paper goods that was throw-able, and it was kinda funny. It almost looked like it was lightly snowing paper debris of all shapes and sizes just over him from that entire corner of the stadium. Then that bottle went flying over my head, and it was like slow motion how it sailed down and bounced on the turf twice and coming to rest at Rose's feet.

There was an audible groan from the crowd. Some went very quiet, some went rabid. I was a quiet one. That was way over the line. I looked back, some people were jumping and pointing to the person who threw it, upper mezz off left field. I could not see the specific person. Only heads, everyone was up on their feet. I don't know if anything was done to the person who threw it. It was bedlam at that moment. I'm not sure if Sparky came out first or Rose walked in. IIRC Rose picked up the bottle and began to trot toward the infield. Sparky was coming out of the dugout and gesturing for his team to come off the field. Anderson stood there,at the edge of the infield dirt and waved them in toward the dugout, and the Reds walked off the field.

Any way, long story even longer, when Rose was running around the bases, pumping his fist in the air, that was directed towards us fans. No HR pump before or since was so fitting and so real. Rose got us back the best way possible. On the field with his bat.

[Frayed Knot]

And then there was the scene with Rusty, Mays, and maybe one or two others, walking out to LF pleading with the crowd to calm down so they could finish the game.

The other thing about the fight (going back to game 3 for a moment) is that no one got tossed despite there being two separate fairly rough scuffles.
No way that would happen today even though I wish it would (as long as things don't involve bats or head-hunting).