The Most With The Least: Pat Zachry (1977-80)

One of the toughest things for any athlete to do is replacing a living legend.  In addition to fulfilling his personal goals and the team's needs on the field, the new player has to prove himself to the fans of the player he replaced.  It's not an easy task, and some players, despite performing relatively well, are never able to live up to the fans' expectations.

In 1977, one such player joined the New York Mets.  This player had already tasted individual and team success before he called Flushing home, and he continued to succeed in the Big Apple.  There was only problem.  The Mets were a team in disarray when he joined them and most importantly, he was asked to fill the shoes of a franchise player.  Not just any franchise player, but "The Franchise" himself.  And because of that, his personal successes with the team were never fully appreciated by the fans who only wanted their team leader back.

Tall, lanky and not Tom Seaver.  That was Pat Zachry in a nutshell.  (Image courtesy of Topps)

Patrick Paul Zachry took his time making it to the big leagues.  Drafted out of high school in 1970 as a 19th round pick by the Cincinnati Reds, Zachry was never a top prospect.  But after slowly rising through the ranks, Zachry had a stellar season at AAA-Indianapolis in 1975, leading the American Association with a 2.43 ERA (min. 10 starts).

The Cincinnati Reds also had a memorable 1975 campaign, winning their first World Series title in 35 years.  The Big Red Machine, as they were known, had All-Stars and future Hall of Famers at every position.  Their starting rotation, however, was a little suspect.  Only two pitchers on the 1975 Reds made more than 26 starts and the combined 3.62 ERA of the team's starting pitchers was nearly a run higher than the bullpen's ERA.

Cincinnati then traded Clay Kirby and his 4.72 ERA in 19 starts to the Montreal Expos during the off-season and went with Pat Darcy as the fifth starter in 1976.  This allowed Zachry to join the Reds in 1976 as a relief pitcher.  But Darcy was awful in three April starts, allowing 14 runs in 16⅓ innings.  By mid-May, Darcy was out of the rotation and Zachry had stepped in.  Five months later, Zachry was on top of the world.

Despite not earning his first win until May 9, Zachry finished his first year in the majors with a 14-7 record and 204 innings pitched.  He allowed just eight home runs and finished among the league leaders in ERA, FIP and K/9 IP.  Zachry was also the winning pitcher in Game Two of the National League Championship Series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Game Three of the World Series versus the New York Yankees.  By season's end, Zachry had earned a World Series ring and the National League Rookie of the Year Award, which he shared with San Diego Padres pitcher Butch Metzger.

Zachry had a poor start to the 1977 campaign, as did the Reds, who were playing .500 ball for most of the first two months of the season.  At the same time, the relationship between the Mets and their ace pitcher, Tom Seaver, was rapidly approaching its breaking point.  After a Daily News article by Dick Young claimed that Seaver was upset at former teammate Nolan Ryan's new contract with the California Angels and mentioned the wives of both players, Seaver demanded a trade.

"That Young article was the straw that broke the (camel's) back," Seaver said.  "Bringing your family into it with no truth whatsoever to what he wrote, I could not abide that.  I had to go."

June 16, 1977 Daily News cover

On June 15, Seaver got his wish, as the Mets completed "The Midnight Massacre" trade with the Reds, sending Seaver to Cincinnati for Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman.  At the time of the trade, Zachry had a 3-7 record and a 5.04 ERA with the Reds, which was the exact opposite of Seaver's 7-3 mark and 3.00 ERA with the Mets.  Although Zachry managed to turn his season around in New York, going 7-6 with a 3.76 ERA in 19 starts with his new team, Seaver was even better in Cincinnati, winning 14 of his 20 starts and finishing the year with a 21-6 record - his fifth and final 20-win season.  Seaver also led the league with seven shutouts and a 1.01 WHIP.  The Mets ended the year without "The Franchise" and with a new pitcher who couldn't prevent the team's first last place finish since Seaver's rookie season in 1967.

In 1978, the first full year after the departure of Seaver, Zachry had a Seaver-like first half of the season.  When Zachry pitched a two-hit shutout against the Phillies on July 4, his record stood at 10-3 with a 2.90 ERA.  Making his phenomenal first half even more impressive was that the team was 22-41 in games started by other pitchers.  For his first-half efforts, Zachry was named to the National League All-Star team for the first time, although he wasn't called upon to pitch in the Midsummer Classic.  Even with the All-Star nod, Zachry still hadn't become the fan-favorite Seaver was.  However, he was giving the team the best chance to win games, just as his trade counterpart used to do.  Unfortunately, as much as Zachry was matching Seaver in the wins department, he couldn't match Seaver's run of good health.

From 1967 to 1976, Seaver made at least 32 starts in each season for the Mets.  Zachry combined to make 31 starts with the Reds and Mets in 1977, but could only make 21 starts with the Mets in 1978.  Zachry's first full season as a Met ended on July 24, when he injured himself upon being removed from a game against his former team.  After Pete Rose singled for Cincinnati in the seventh inning to extend his hitting streak to National League record-tying 37 games, Zachry allowed George Foster to drive Rose in with a single of his own.  When manager Joe Torre removed Zachry from the game, the right-hander took out his frustrations by kicking a concrete step in the dugout, fracturing his left foot and ending his season.

It was more of the same for Zachry in 1979, as he had a fantastic start to the season, going 5-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his first six starts, but once again, the injury bug defeated him more often than opposing teams did.  Zachry missed a month after his third start of the season because of inflammation in his pitching elbow, then aggravated the injury once he returned in late May.  He did not return to the Mets again until early May 1980.

Despite winning just six of his 26 starts in 1980, Zachry may have had his finest season with the Mets after his year-long stay on the disabled list.  Unfortunately, the Mets gave him very little run support when he was on the mound in 1980, which explains his 6-10 won-loss record.  Zachry allowed two earned runs or fewer in 14 of his 26 starts.  He earned a loss or no-decision in eight of those 14 starts.  He also held the opposition scoreless in six of his starts, but the Mets somehow managed to lose three of those games.  In all, the Mets lost 15 of Zachry's 26 starts during the 1980 campaign.  They scored a total of 26 runs in those losses, averaging 1.7 runs per game in the defeats.  Even Seaver in his prime would have had a tough time winning games with that putrid run support.

Through the 1980 season, Zachry had a 28-23 record as a Met, making him only pitcher - starter or reliever - who pitched for the team in each season from 1977 to 1980 to post a cumulative winning record.  Zachry was also second to Craig Swan in that time period in ERA (3.35), ERA+ (107) and batting average allowed (.252).  The Mets were 38-35 in Zachry's 73 starts during his first four seasons with the team, posting a .521 winning percentage in his starts.  When any other pitcher started, they were a completely different team, going 207-323 for a .391 winning percentage.

The strike-shortened 1981 season changed baseball forever.  It was also a turning point in Zachry's career.  Prior to the season, the Mets signed Zachry to a five-year, $2 million contract.  The Mets took a chance on Zachry, even though the Texan had not been able to stay healthy for much of his Mets career.  It was something that had frustrated Zachry ever since he kicked the dugout step in 1978, but with the new contract signed, Zachry aimed to leave his injury history in the past.

Image courtesy of Donruss

"I'm looking forward to staying in one piece for the year.  I'm relieved that the whole thing is over.  I felt O.K. physically, and now I feel better mentally, too."

General manager Frank Cashen also looked forward to having Zachry's services through the 1985 season, although he also couldn't help but discuss Zachry's injury history.

"If Pat Zachry can stay free of injuries, he has the natural equipment to be a great pitcher, " Cashen said.  "At the age of 28, (he) should be just coming into his prime.  He figures to be one of our starting pitchers for the next five years."

Zachry did manage to stay healthy in 1981 for the first time in four seasons, but he did not perform as well as the team expected, leading the league with 14 losses.  (On the flip side, Seaver paced the National League with 14 wins.)  In addition to his league-leading loss total, Zachry finished with an ERA above 4.00 for the first time as a Met.  Once again, the lack of run support was front and center in Zachry's starts, as the team scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his 24 starts.  But this time, Zachry also contributed to his high loss total, as he allowed four runs or more in ten of his 24 starts after allowing 4+ runs in just 23 of his first 73 starts in a Mets uniform.

At the conclusion of the 1981 season, Joe Torre - the only manager Zachry had pitched for as a Met - was relieved of his duties.  Torre was replaced by George Bamberger, who used an unorthodox approach when managing his starting pitchers during the 1982 campaign.  No pitcher made more than 24 starts for the Mets in 1982, and every starter pitched out of the bullpen as well.  Other than Randy Jones, who made 20 starts and eight relief appearances, every other pitcher who made at least a dozen starts for the Mets also made at least 12 appearances out of the bullpen.  Included in that group was Pat Zachry, who started 16 games and pitched in relief 20 times.

Zachry suffered without a set role, posting his second straight 4.00+ ERA in 1982.  He also had a 1.50 WHIP and struck out just 69 batters (both figures were his worst in any season he made 10+ starts).  Two months after the conclusion of the 1982 campaign, the Mets re-acquired Tom Seaver, as general manager Frank Cashen sent Charlie Puleo, Jason Felice and future major league manager Lloyd McClendon to Cincinnati for the beloved Met.  Eleven days after that trade was completed, Cashen sent Zachry to Los Angeles for outfielder Jorge Orta, ending the 30-year-old's tenure as a member of the Mets.  Zachry spent the final three years of his five-year contract as a relief pitcher for the Dodgers (1983-84) and Phillies (1985), hanging up his spikes at the age of 33.

(Photo by Tony Triolo/Getty Images)

In six years with the Mets, Zachry went 41-46 with a 3.63 ERA, which didn't exactly make Mets fans forget about Seaver.  But from 1977 to 1980, a Pat Zachry start was as good a chance as Mets fans had to see their favorite team win.  When he played his final game with the Mets in 1982, Zachry ranked in the team's all-time top ten in wins (41; T-7th), complete games (20; 9th), shutouts (6; T-7th) and WAR (7.3; 7th).  To this day, he still ranks in the team's top twenty in games started (113; 19th) and is 13th in both complete games and shutouts.  And he accomplished all this despite missing significant chunks of time due to injuries and playing for Mets teams that performed poorly on the offensive side.

Pat Zachry was never going to replace Tom Seaver in the hearts of Mets fans.  Nor was he ever going to replicate Seaver's gaudy numbers on the mound.  But for four seasons before signing his long-term deal, Zachry performed as best as he could given the circumstances he was faced with.  The Mets were a shadow of the team they were in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when they won two National League pennants and a World Series title.  By the time Zachry joined the team in 1977, the Mets had already begun what turned into the darkest seven-year period in club history.  Zachry was one of the lone bright spots on the club, making an All-Star team and winning games when most other Mets pitchers were having difficulty doing the same.

But Zachry was just part of the franchise, not "The Franchise".  He filled his own shoes quite admirably during his time in New York.  If only he hadn't been expected to fill someone else's at the same time...



Note:  The Most With The Least is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting those Mets players who performed at a high level without receiving the accolades or playing time their more established teammates got, due to injuries, executive decisions or other factors.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 4, 2016: Benny Agbayani
January 11, 2016: Donn Clendenon
January 18, 2016: Tim Teufel
January 25, 2016: Hisanori Takahashi
February 1, 2016: Chris Jones
February 8, 2016: Claudell Washington
February 15, 2016: Moises Alou
 

The Best On The Worst: Skip Lockwood

When the New York Mets won the World Series in 1969, the trophy they received was quite unique.  In addition to it being the first World Series trophy handed out to a team that had to win a league championship series before winning the Fall Classic, it was also the only trophy to feature a pennant for the Seattle Pilots.

The Pilots were an American League expansion team in 1969, joining the Kansas City Royals as Junior Circuit neophytes.  But after just one season in the Pacific Northwest, the team packed its bags days before the beginning of the 1970 season and headed to Milwaukee to become the Brewers.

Only four players who were members of the 1969 Pilots ended up joining the Mets after their short time in Seattle.  One was Jim Gosger, the only non-pitcher to play for the 1969 and 1973 Mets who never appeared in a postseason game for either team.  Two others were pitchers Jack Aker (1974) and Mike Marshall (1981), both of whom never appeared in a major league game after their one season with the Mets.  The fourth former Pilot who eventually touched down in Flushing as a member of the Mets had a far more respectable (and longer) career in New York.  In fact, he became one of the few dependable relief pitchers on a team that needed more than just a little relief.

The bespectacled Skip Lockwood had an eye for being a great relief pitcher for the Mets.

Claude Edward Lockwood (or "Skip" as he was better known) was a career American Leaguer prior to becoming a Met in 1975.  After his one season in Seattle, Lockwood was used mostly as a starting pitcher by the Brewers from 1970 to 1973, then became a full-time reliever as a member of the California Angels in 1974.  Lockwood spent one miserable season with the Halos (2-5, 4.32 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) and was then traded to the Yankees, who released him prior to the start of the 1975 season.  One week after he was let go by the Yankees, he was signed by the Oakland Athletics, but Lockwood never pitched for the A's, as Oakland sent the six-year veteran to the minor leagues, where he remained until he was purchased by the Mets in July.

After the departure of Tug McGraw following the 1974 season, the Mets turned to Bob Apodaca to close out games for the team in 1975.  Apodaca had a wonderful season for the Mets in '75, saving 13 games and posting a stellar 1.49 ERA.  But he had two stints on the disabled list during his first season as the team's closer, which included a one-month stay on the DL that kept him off the mound until late July.  Needing a dependable and healthy arm in the bullpen, the Mets turned to Lockwood, who surprised himself and the team by dominating National League hitters over the season's final two months.

Lockwood pitched in 24 games for the Mets in 1975, allowing just 28 hits in 48⅓ innings.  Opposing hitters batted just .174 against him and he matched Apodaca with a 1.49 ERA.  But what was more surprising was the number of strikeouts Lockwood was recording.  From 1969 to 1974, Lockwood fanned 450 batters in 810⅔ innings, an average of 5.0 K/9 IP.  But in less than 50 innings for the Mets in 1975, Lockwood struck out 61 batters, averaging 11.4 K/9 IP.  In 14 of his 24 appearances, Lockwood fanned three or more batters, despite pitching two or fewer innings in nine of those 14 games.  Perhaps his greatest effort came in the season's final game, a game in which he was called upon to pitch the Mets to a winning record, and help Tom Seaver win his third Cy Young Award.

The Mets went into Game No. 162 with an 81-80 record, needing a win to secure its sixth winning season in seven years.  Tom Seaver entered the game with a 21-9 record and 2.29 ERA.  But San Diego's Randy Jones had also recorded a 20-win season in 1975 and was leading the league with a 2.24 ERA.  Jones also had three more complete games and one more shutout than Seaver.  The one thing Seaver had going for him was that he was leading the league in strikeouts, while Jones pitched to contact, as evidenced by his 108 Ks in 285 innings.  Seaver was not very good in his final start of the season, allowing four runs in five-plus innings against the Philadelphia Phillies.  Seaver was pitching in and out of trouble all game, allowing four hits and five walks.  After allowing the first four batters to reach base against him in the sixth inning, manager Roy McMillan pulled Seaver for Skip Lockwood.  Lockwood retired all 12 batters he faced, striking out six of them, allowing the Mets to hold on for a 5-4 victory over the Phillies and preserving Seaver's league-leading 22nd victory.

Lockwood's perfect four-inning performance in the season finale earned him a save, but he saved more than just the game.  He saved Seaver's bid for the Cy Young Award, which he earned by just ten votes over Randy Jones.  He also saved the Mets' quest for a winning season, allowing the team to finish an otherwise mediocre season with an 82-80 record.

When the 1976 season started, new Mets manager Joe Frazier decided that Lockwood was going to be the team's primary closer, with Apodaca pitching earlier in games if he was needed to do so.  Lockwood responded to his new role brilliantly, going 10-7 with a 2.67 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and a team-leading 19 saves.  With 10 wins and 19 saves, Lockwood became the first pitcher in team history to reach double digits in both categories in the same season.  Only Jesse Orosco (1983, 1984) and Roger McDowell (1986) have been able to match Lockwood's feat.

Skip Lockwood circa 1976

Lockwood also recorded 108 strikeouts in 94⅓ innings in 1976, making him the first Mets relief pitcher to strike out over 100 batters in a single season.  (Tug McGraw struck out 109 batters in 1971, but he started one game that year, striking out nine batters in that start.  Therefore, he recorded exactly 100 Ks in relief in 1971.)  The only Mets reliever since Lockwood to have at least 108 Ks in one season is Armando Benitez, who whiffed 128 batters in 1999.

Once again, Lockwood was virtually unhittable, as he held opposing hitters to a .186 batting average in 1976.  That gave Lockwood a combined .182 batting average against him in 1975 and 1976.  According to baseball-reference.com, that made Lockwood the hardest pitcher to hit of all pitchers who threw at least 100 innings in '75 and '76.  Only three other pitchers (Dave LaRoche, Mark Littell, Charlie Hough) held opposing batters to a sub-.200 batting average over those two seasons, but all of them allowed a batting average of .192 or higher.

The Mets finished the 1976 campaign with an 86-76 record.  It was the second-highest win total in franchise history after the 1969 World Championship team.  But it would also be the last time the Mets sniffed a winning record until 1983.  As good as Skip Lockwood had been in 1975 and 1976, even he couldn't prevent the Mets from falling to the bottom of the NL East in subsequent seasons.

The 1977 season started off poorly for the Mets.  By late May, the team was in last place with a 15-30 record and manager Joe Frazier was out of a job.  By year's end, the Mets had lost 98 games, as well as top pitcher Tom Seaver (traded to Cincinnati) and top slugger Dave Kingman (traded to San Diego).  The team couldn't hit, finishing dead last in the National League in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs and runs scored.  Additionally, the team's top starting pitchers after Seaver (Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack) combined to go 15-35 with an ERA approaching 4.00.  Skip Lockwood also had what would be a considered a down year for him, but his down year still made him one of the most dependable pitchers on an otherwise inconsistent team.

For the year, Lockwood went 4-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.13 WHIP, striking out 84 batters in 104 innings.  Although he was still very stingy against opposing hitters, allowing them to bat just .227 against him, it was the highest batting average recorded against him in his first three years as a Met.  Even so, Lockwood recorded his first 20-save season in 1977 while blowing only four saves.  The never-ending turmoil between the players and the front office seemed to have an effect on Lockwood's performance over the first three months of the season.  Through June 29 (two weeks after the notorious Midnight Massacre), Lockwood had a 4.23 ERA and had lost four out of five decisions.  But from June 30 to September 12, Lockwood pitched like he always had for the Mets, posting a 1.87 ERA in 30 appearances and holding opposing batters to a .196 batting average while recording 11 saves.

Lockwood had a similar season for the Mets in 1978, going 7-13 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 73 strikeouts in 90⅔ innings.  But Lockwood only recorded 15 saves in 1978, mainly because he had to be shut down with a shoulder injury after making just one appearance in September.  It's not like the Mets needed him during the season's final month, as the team finished in last place with a 66-96 record.

After two consecutive so-so seasons with the Mets, Lockwood was primed for a comeback season in 1979, especially since he was in the final year of a three-year contract he signed prior to the 1977 campaign.  With free agent dollars on the horizon, Lockwood was on a personal mission to succeed, even if his teammates appeared to be on their own missions to fail.  The Mets lost 99 games in 1979, but Lockwood was absolutely brilliant.  Over the first two months of the season, Lockwood was nine-for-nine in save opportunities and posted a 1.49 ERA, matching his earned run average from his first year as a Met.  But after allowing a run on June 6, Lockwood tore a shoulder muscle, ending his outstanding season prematurely, even though the team's physician, Dr. James C. Parkes, originally thought he was not seriously injured.

Skip Lockwood

"He has stiffness in the back of the shoulder.  He pulled some small muscle fibers.  But with heat and massage and rest, he should be ready to pitch Saturday.  We don't think it's serious."

--Dr. James C. Parkes, Mets team physician

The Mets tread water over the next two months without their top reliever, but the lack of an experienced closer came back to haunt them, as the team lost 40 of 50 games from August 5 to September 25, going 2-14 in one-run games over that time period.  Relievers were responsible for eight of the 14 losses, with future Mets closer Neil Allen earning four "L"s.  How bad was the team's relief corps after Lockwood succumbed to his injury in June?  Lockwood's nine saves led the team in 1979, even though he didn't throw a pitch after June 6.

Despite his penchant for losing one-run affairs, the Mets decided to keep Allen as their closer in 1980, waving goodbye to Skip Lockwood.  Allen would go on to save 69 games for the Mets in four-plus years with the team, but he was never as dominant as Lockwood was, posting a 3.54 ERA and 1.45 WHIP.  Allen also lost 40 games and blew 23 save opportunities from 1979 until his departure on June 15, 1983 in the trade that netted the Mets their future captain, Keith Hernandez.

Skip Lockwood pitched his last game for the Mets on June 6, 1979.  He signed a free agent contract with his hometown team, the Boston Red Sox, prior to the 1980 season, but never saw eye-to-eye with manager Don Zimmer, who constantly misused him.  The Red Sox released him after the season came to an end.  Lockwood then signed a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos, but his career came to an end during the 1981 players' strike without ever playing a game for the Expos.

When you look back at the numbers posted by Skip Lockwood during his 12-year major league career, it appears as if Lockwood was a less-than-ordinary pitcher.  He had a very low winning percentage, going 57-97 as a starter and reliever.  Lockwood also had a 3.55 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, numbers that were fairly average for the era in which he pitched.  But during his five years as a Met, Lockwood was as good a relief pitcher as the team had ever seen.

From 1975 to 1979, Lockwood pitched in 227 games for the Mets, all in relief.  In those five seasons, Lockwood recorded 24 wins and 65 saves, posting a 2.80 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and striking out nearly a batter an inning (368 Ks in 379⅔ innings).  What made this all the more impressive was that the Mets' combined record over those five seasons was 361-449.  In other words, Lockwood pitched beautifully on a team that played horribly.

On a team that has had its share of great pitchers over the years, Skip Lockwood's name is usually overlooked.  However, of all pitchers in Mets history with at least 300 innings pitched for the team, Lockwood ranks very highly in several categories.  Through the 2013 season, Lockwood is among the team's all-time leaders in ERA (2.80; 4th all-time), WHIP (1.11; 4th), batting average against (.213; 4th), on-base percentage against (.285; 5th), slugging percentage against (.319; T-4th) and strikeouts per nine innings (8.72 K/9 IP; 2nd).  Also, his 65 saves rank him 9th all-time in Mets history.  Prior to becoming a Met, Lockwood never allowed opposing batters to finish a season with an on-base percentage under .300 against him.  In five years with the Mets, his opponents' year-by-year OBP against him was .287, .265, .288, .298 and .292, respectively.  Basically, Lockwood had opposing hitters on lockdown once he became a Met.

Skip Lockwood became a Met after spending six seasons with the Pilots, Brewers and Angels - teams that never posted a winning record during his time with them.  He played a key role in helping the Mets to a winning record - his first as a major leaguer - in 1975.  He then became the team's top closer in 1976, also a winning season for the Mets.  But Lockwood never got to play for a winning Mets team again, as the team spiraled its way to the bottom of the division.

Lockwood was one of the greatest and most unheralded relief pitchers in the history of the Mets franchise.  It's a shame that he never got to experience the thrill of a pennant race with the team.  But then again, when you're one of the best players on some of the worst Mets teams, that kind of deal comes with the territory.

You can't discuss the best closers in Mets history without mentioning Skip Lockwood.

Note:  The Best On The Worst is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting the greatest Mets players who just happened to play on some not-so-great Mets teams.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:

January 6, 2014: Todd Hundley 
January 13, 2014: Al Jackson
January 20, 2014: Lee Mazzilli
January 27, 2014: Steve Trachsel
February 3, 2014: Rico Brogna