G-Fafif

=metirish post_id=127491 time=1685842105 user_id=72] I wonder what the Mets record is on HOF induction days

=metirish post_id=127416 time=1685822357 user_id=72] Surprised Piazza isn't there

HOF Day here at Citi Field. Mets try to avert infamy.

DiComo says deal is official, Mets sending cash to Cubs for reliever likely to eventually evoke “who?” from the same forum whose attention his name commanded today.

Versus Bassitt: Nimmo CF Lindor SS McNeil 2B Alonso 1B Baty 3B Marte RF Vientos DH Canha LF Alvarez C - Verlander RHP (2-2, 4.80)

"Vinny, you've been acquired by the Mets." "What?" "The Mets -- in New York." "Where?" "I just told you where." "I'm so confused!"

The 1916 Philadelphia A's were statistically worse than the 1962 Mets: 36-117 for a winning percentage of. 235, behind our Originators' .250. If the 2023 A's go 38-124, they'll be a fitting sequel to their A'scestors.

Dates are deceptive unless every game corresponds. When one season begins April 11 and the other begins March 30, there's little semblance of parallel.

Pete Alonso through 55 2023 Mets games: 20 HR 1980 Mets through 55 2023 Mets games: 13 HR HR 13 in 1980 was The Steve Henderson Game, lifting the Mets to 27-28, only 1 GB the 2023 Mets at present. The 1980 Mets' 20th HR, via Claudell Washington (his 4th in 2 games), came in Mets game 64.

With Carrasco last night, followed by Scherzer, followed by Verlander scheduled to start consecutive games, the Mets are set (weather/injuries/whatever permitting) to feature three consecutive triple-digit winners. Carrasco has 105 career wins, Scherzer 204, Verlander 246. When they pitched in succession last weekend, it marked the 63rd time the Mets rolled out such a specifically credentialed trio, but the first time in 17 years. Here's how it breaks down by year and pitchers. Pitchers not necessarily listed in order they pitched in a given spin of the rotation. 2023: Carrasco, Scherzer, Verlander (1x) 2006: Martinez, Gl@v!ne, Trachsel (6x) 2005: Martinez, Gl@v!ne, Trachsel (5x; Steve was sidelined until August) 2004: Leiter, Gl@v!ne, Trachsel (21x) 2003: Leiter, Gl@v!ne, Trachsel (8x following Trax's 100th W 8/7/2003) 2003: Gl@v!ne, Cone, Leiter, Astacio (1x — the only 4-pack of 100+ winners in a row) 1993: Gooden, Saberhagen, Tanana 1976: Seaver, Koosman, Lolich This accounting excludes Mets starters en route to 100+ career wins but not there yet (Seaver prior to mid-May 1972, for example, or Jon Matlack, who didn't reach 100 until his Texas tenure).

Pete's leading the 1980 Mets, 19 to 11, through 51 games.

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Was that the year that the Daily News did "Mets vs Maris"? Yup.

Pete Alonso's 18th home run came in the 2023 Mets' 49th game. The 1980 Mets' 18th home run came in their 63rd game (Claudell Washington's third of the day).

Stirring tribute to Rick Hummel from St. Louis colleague and friend Bernie Miklasz. It was 1983, and the Orioles were playing the Cardinals in a normal evening of spring-training baseball. I was the emergency beat writer covering the Orioles, filling in for a Baltimore News American colleague who required knee surgery. I just turned 24 years old, and wasn't ready to handle the duty of reporting on a major-league baseball team. I was nervous, clumsy, lacked confidence, and was just hoping to survive an unnerving experience. Future Hall of Famer Eddie Murray barked at me with intense anger because I sat in the wrong seat on the team bus. Orioles coach Frank Robinson – one of my idols as a kid in Baltimore – refused to give me an interview and was unusually cruel about it. Tim Stoddard, a 6–7 relief pitcher, literally shoved me out of the way when I approached his locker. I was the target of pranks, I missed my girlfriend, I missed peace, and I just wanted to get out of there. Boy, could I use a friend. Before the Friday-night exhibition game started at Miami's Bobby Maduro Stadium, the door opened to the small booth I used as a workstation. There was a knock on the door, I opened it, and in walked a striking figure. He had a wild head of hair that was more white than gray. He wore a satiny red jacket and slacks. He wore glasses and that warm smile and looked like a fantastically friendly person. It went something like this: Hi, I'm Bernie Miklasz. Just helping out the newspaper, covering the O's. Nice to meet you. I'm Rick Hummel from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. How's it going? I had never met Rick Hummel, but I knew of him. Of course I knew of him. If you loved baseball, and ball writing, and your heroes were sportswriters, then Rick Hummel was high on the list of people to admire, even from long-distance range. In 1983, Rick Hummel was well on the way to becoming a baseball-writing god. I was surprised to see this man standing in the doorway, smiling at me, literally giving me a pat on the back. This doesn't happen, especially in those days. The veteran baseball writers tended to look down on younger writers, and really didn't care to shake hands and buddy up. They had this “get outta my way” attitude that could be quite intimidating to an aspiring baseball writer. This was not Rick Hummel. This was the opposite of Rick Hummel. He was the sportswriting equivalent of The Humane Society, looking after shaky, overwhelmed “kid” sportswriters, metaphorically adopting them and feeding them in post-game meals, and protecting the youngsters from the mean old ball writers. Hummel didn't know me. But somehow he was aware of my rookie, emergency call-up status. Of course he would show up at a time when I just needed friendly advice from a highly respected journalist who understood the process of becoming a ball writer. We talked for 10 minutes or so, and he generously shared ideas on how to deal with truculent players, contentious managers, crabby coaches. He schooled me on the best way to earn respect from those players and managers and coaches. I couldn't believe his instant, generous kindness. And it made a huge difference. It really did. After that, I managed to start settling into the job. All because of a short conversation with one of the greatest baseball writers of all time, who took interest in me when he had no reason to do so. That was the first time I met him. This was the first time he entered my life. This was the first time Rick Hummel made a difference in my life, making it better personally and professionally and by teaching me about his craft. A profession that became much of who I am. I never told him this, and I should have, but I thought I would have embarrassed him or made him uncomfortable. But on that March of 1983 night when Hummel left that small writing booth in Miami, I put my head down and cried a little. I know I sound overly dramatic here, but I was in a tough spot and felt alone. I was just so grateful that someone – and a prominent someone – understood what I was going through and wanted to help. I didn't ask him to. No one told him to go see the inexperienced, goofy Baltimore kid. Rick Hummel just knew. I cried a little that night, and I cried again Monday morning – some 40 years later – when I learned of his death at age 77. I cried a little today, when I opened this laptop to start writing my tribute to The Commish. His passing is a painful loss for everyone who knew him. His passing has left our little world colder. I just know that our world isn't the same without him in it. The man was a St. Louis institution. He educated baseball fans young and old on the nuances of baseball strategy for a fuller understanding of the sport. His game stories were exquisite. He could take a crazy, complicated, 10-9 game and explain everything that happened in a concise, tight, highly detailed manner. It was a forensic report – but more entertaining and fun. I don't know how he did this through the decades; it still takes me five paragraphs to say hello. Apologies to many wonderful baseball writers, but none were better than The Commish in the art of writing a sharp, insightful gamer. To read him was a delight, a necessity, and a master class. More great stuff within. https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com/bernie-on-the-great-rick-hummel-from-the-first-time-i-met-him-to-our-final-conversation-he-made-my-life-better/https://www.scoopswithdannymac.com/bernie-on-the-great-rick-hummel-from-the-first-time-i-met-him-to-our-final-conversation-he-made-my-life-better/

Future classic NY Mets picture, with the bright colors of 2020s bandanas, the full majesty of the wraparound shades players wore to ward off glare, and the graphics of regional sports networks in potentially their dying days on full display. (Also, that's me over Lindor's left shoulder, for all Guardians pregame watchers to see/barely notice.) http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/wp-content/uploads/F296D6F1-CBA4-4F6C-9D45-BC97A34079FA.jpeg> http://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/wp-content/uploads/F296D6F1-CBA4-4F6C-9D45-BC97A34079FA.jpeghttp://www.faithandfearinflushing.com/wp-content/uploads/F296D6F1-CBA4-4F6C-9D45-BC97A34079FA.jpeg

Showalter shows his closet to the Athletic. Nothing is as synonymous with Showalter's on-field look as his jacket. When he was a rookie manager with the Yankees in the early 1990s, Showalter got all of his coaches custom-made Starter jackets. The company had a plant in his hometown in Florida and Showalter made friends with the family. He says he did it in his next stop, Arizona, too. That was before the league tightened up rules governing what could be worn on the field. Now, you have to wear MLB-issued stuff. Showalter does technically wear MLB-issued stuff, but none of it is new. He instead wears previously OK'ed items from years ago, a loophole he thinks drives the league nuts and one they'll probably try to close when he's done managing. “I know the head clubbie KK (Kevin Kierst) would not go to yard sales but look at thrift shops for old Mets stuff and try to get a cool one-of-a-kind windbreaker for him,” said Nationals pitcher Trevor Williams, who was with the Mets last year. “He was looking at eBay and Craigslist for jackets.” Shopping for Showalter is simple: find something unique and, if he likes it, buy a boatload so you don't run out. No one can quite figure out the pattern to the jackets. If the Mets are winning, you'd think Showalter would ride with the same one but he doesn't. He's not superstitious so much as he's detail-oriented. On Fridays, he likes to wear black. But the rest of the rotation — there are usually two or three jackets in his locker — appears totally random. There are heavier and lighter jackets, the latter of which have the lining removed to keep them even cooler during the summer months. The elastic inside is also adjusted. “It's too long (otherwise),” Showalter said. “I'm 5-foot-10. Does that qualify as custom?” What Showalter wears under the jacket is a source of great debate. The only photos of him in the team's uniform top are from the Mets' official photo day in spring training. “And maybe a commercial?” Williams said. “I'm not going to say he does or doesn't wear (the uniform), for politically correct reasons,” Hunter said. Showalter grins. “You're going to get me in trouble,” he said. “Let's just say, when they do those (game-worn) giveaways during the season, whoever gets mine, it's a really new jersey.” https://theathletic.com/4542155/2023/05/23/mets-buck-showalter-fashion/https://theathletic.com/4542155/2023/05/23/mets-buck-showalter-fashion/

Legendary St. Louis baseball beat man Rick Hummel, 77. You may have seen him in SNY's Keith Hernandez documentary. The Cardinals and all of baseball were saddened to learn today of the passing of Hall of Fame writer and friend Rick Hummel at the age of 77. Hummel, nicknamed the “Commish”, covered the Cardinals for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 50 years before retiring after the 2022 season. The Busch Stadium Press Box is named after both Rick and Hall of Fame writer Bob Broeg, who also covered the Cardinals for the Post-Dispatch. Cards skipper Oli Marmol honored Hummel by dressing in a way few baseball managers do anymore, wearing his actual uniform for last night's game. https://uni-watch.com/2023/05/23/cards-skipper-wears-full-uni-to-honor-fallen-sportswriter/https://uni-watch.com/2023/05/23/cards-skipper-wears-full-uni-to-honor-fallen-sportswriter/

The Metropolitan influence is strong this year in Japanese baseball. When Kodai Senga delivered a 99-mile-per-hour fastball to Luis Arraez of the Miami Marlins on April 2, he became the 14th Japanese player to appear in a game for the Mets, the most of any team in the major leagues. The Seattle Mariners are next with 11. It is a connection fostered over the years, with enthusiastic support from Bobby Valentine, the former Mets manager, who has led teams in both the United States and Japan. And the pipeline, it appears, goes both ways: This season, five of the 12 managers in Nippon Professional Baseball spent at least part of their playing careers with the Mets. The rookie managers Masato Yoshii of the Chiba Lotte Marines and Kazuo Matsui of the Seibu Lions, along with Tsuyoshi Shinjo, the second-year manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, all made their major league debuts with the Mets. Shingo Takatsu of the Yakult Swallows and Kazuhisa Ishii of the Rakuten Golden Eagles played in Queens after starting elsewhere. Though unnamed, Armando Reynoso figures into a fond Yoshii memory of how Bobby V got things done. Japanese managers have historically been known for being far more demanding. Rarely content to leave things to their players, they tend to nitpick the form of their pitchers and demand things be done by a time-honored book. Asked if he was emulating a communication style he observed in the United States, Yoshii quickly attributed his approach to something he gained from his Mets experience with Valentine. “I'll never forget Bobby coming to me once to say that a rehabbing pitcher was about to rejoin the rotation, so how would I feel about pitching out of the bullpen,” Yoshii said. “I said, ‘I'm not comfortable there and prefer the rotation.' He went with a six-man rotation after that. I was forever appreciative. That's the kind of openness I strive for here.” Also, Tsuyoshi Shinjo,was unimpressed by Norfolk. “For lunch we smeared peanut butter and jelly over two pieces of bread and called that a meal,” he said in Japanese. “For showering, we got these ragged towels that barely dried us. It made me realize that the guys who actually make it to the big leagues must have such a will to fight by surviving that environment to emerge from it after so long.” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/sports/baseball/a-resume-must-have-for-japanese-managers-mets-experience.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/23/sports/baseball/a-resume-must-have-for-japanese-managers-mets-experience.html

The listing for 5/19 refers to the final score as 3-2. It was 10-9.

Odd call to pull Scherzer at 86 pitches on doubleheader day. Also odd to go Raley for only 9 pitches. Very aggressive baserunning all around. Not just on Sanchez getting thrown out at the plate, and McNeil out (after replay) stretching for a double, but also Pete going first to third on a single to short center. I do like the aggressiveness, but combined with Marte getting picked off first, 3 outs on the basepaths is a lot. Callus on the thumb got cut. Max said he offered to stay in. "I'm no Roger Clemens," he implied.

Sunday, May 21, 7:10 p.m. (2/2) vs RHP Shane Bieber (3-2, 3.20) on ESPN Nimmo CF Lindor SS McNeil 2B Alonso 1B Baty 3B Canha RF Vientos DH Pham LF Álvarez C - Verlander RHP (1-2, 4.76)

It appears that Scherzer's zeroes did not go for naught.

1,201. Gary Sanchez