Terrific Tandems On Terrible Teams

Move over, Batman and Robin!  The Mets have their own Dynamic Duo in R.A. Dickey and Jonathon Niese.

R.A. Dickey picked up his 19th win of the season on Saturday, holding the Marlins scoreless into the ninth inning in the Mets' 4-3 victory.  Dickey's win came less than 24 hours after Jonathon Niese picked up his 12th win.  Combined, Dickey and Niese have an outstanding 31-15 record.  Unfortunately, their magic on the hill has not found its way to their fellow moundsmen, as the rest of the team is a combined 37-68.

With 31 of the team's 68 wins, Dickey and Niese can lay claim to 45.6% of the team's wins.  As amazing as that might seem, it's not the highest percentage in team history.  If the season ended today, the twosome's 45.6% total would rank fifth all-time in team history.  The top five are:

• 1968: Jerry Koosman (19-12) and Tom Seaver (16-12) earn 47.9% of the Mets' 73 wins.
• 1994: Bret Saberhagen (14-4) and Bobby Jones (12-7) earn 47.3% of the Mets' 55 wins.
• 2003: Steve Trachsel (16-10) and Al Leiter (15-9) earn 47.0% of the Mets' 66 wins.
• 1975: Tom Seaver (22-9) and Jon Matlack (16-12) earn 46.3% of the Mets' 82 wins.
• 2012: R.A. Dickey (19-6) and Jonathon Niese (12-9), earn 45.6% of the Mets' 68 wins.

But Dickey and Niese do have one thing over the other four pitching duos.  At 31-15, Dickey and Niese have combined to post a .674 winning percentage.  The rest of the team's 37-68 record translates to a .352 winning percentage.  That's the largest difference in winning percentage between any two Mets pitchers in a single season compared to the rest of the team.  Here are the top five in this category (min. 12 wins per pitcher):

• 2012: R.A. Dickey and Jonathon Niese (31-15, .674), others (37-68, .352), .322 diff.
• 1994: Bret Saberhagen and Bobby Jones (26-11, .703), others (29-47, .382), .321 diff.
• 2003: Steve Trachsel and Al Leiter (31-19, .620), others (35-76, .315), .305 diff.
• 1973: Tom Seaver and George Stone (31-13, .705), others (51-66, .436), .269 diff.
• 1968: Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver (35-24, .593), others (38-65, .369), .224 diff.

R.A. Dickey and Jonathon Niese have been two of the bright spots on an otherwise lousy team.  But at least they're not alone.  The Mets have had a number of terrific tandems on terrible teams before.  And some of the pitchers in those tandems went on to become among the best in franchise history.

The 2012 season might not be one of the best in club annals.  However, with the tag team duo of R.A. Dickey and Jonathon Niese leading the way, they might someday become a terrific tandem on a not-so-terrible team.  Ya gotta believe.