August 16, 1987: Mets Score Club-Record 23 Runs

The late Harry Caray probably wishes he hadn't been taken out to the ballgame on August 16, 1987.

Note:  I originally published this piece five years ago on Mets Merized Online, but this Mets game from 1987 has always fascinated me, and I have since uncovered some more oddities about this game.  Therefore, I felt compelled to make some quick edits and share this piece once again with you.  Enjoy!


The New York Mets are currently playing a three-game set against the Chicago Cubs at Citi Field.  Twenty-seven years ago today, the Mets were also playing the Cubs, although the venue on that lazy Sunday afternoon was Wrigley Field in Chicago.  One year after winning the 1986 World Series, the Mets were battling the St. Louis Cardinals for the division title and needed to win the finale of their four-game series against the Cubs after dropping the first three games.  They were in the throes of a poor stretch that saw them lose six out of eight games after they had cut the Cardinals’ lead in the division from 10½ to 3½ games.  In that eight-game stretch, they had scored only 20 runs.  They needed to bust out of their slump quickly if they were going to continue to stay in the race with St. Louis.  Fortunately, the wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field on August 16 and the Mets’ bats were ready to take advantage.

The starting pitchers were Ron Darling for the Mets and a kid for the Cubs who had just been recalled from the minors after being sent down two weeks earlier due to a poor 6-10 start for the big club.  You may have heard of him.  He was a scrawny 21-year-old kid named Greg Maddux.

The Mets jumped out of the box quickly, scoring three runs in the first inning to take an early lead.  The lead had extended to 7-0 by the time the Cubs came up to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning.  However, Ron Darling struggled in the fourth, giving up a grand slam to catcher Jody Davis.  That was followed up by a home run from the next batter, a rookie who was pinch-hitting for Cubs reliever (and former Met) Ed Lynch.  That rookie was Rafael Palmeiro, who hit the tenth of his 569 career home runs to cut the Mets lead to 7-5.

Fortunately for Darling, manager Davey Johnson did not remove him from the game despite the poor inning.  He was allowed to put out the fire he started and pitch the minimum five innings required to qualify for the victory.  Because of that, Darling was able to stick around to reap the benefits of the additional fireworks displayed by his teammates as they continued to ride the jet stream out of Wrigley Field.

The Mets immediately responded to the Cubs’ five-run fourth by scoring three runs in the fifth inning and seven additional runs in the sixth.  They now had a commanding 17-5 lead, but the Cubbie carnage continued.  Not satisfied with a lead of a dozen runs, they scored three additional runs in both the seventh and eighth innings.  Jesse Orosco relieved Darling in the seventh and gave up four runs in his inning of work, but by then, the Mets had already put the game away.  A run by Chicago in the ninth inning off Jeff Innis produced the final tally in the Mets’ 23-10 shellacking of the Cubs.

The offense was powered by Lenny Dykstra and Darryl Strawberry.  Eights were wild for the two Met outfielders, as they combined for eight hits, eight runs scored and eight runs batted in.  Strawberry in particular smoked the Cubs’ pitchers, as all four of his hits went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run).

Dykstra and Strawberry - two smiling California kids who put lots of frowns on Cubs fans' faces on August 16, 1987.

In doing so, Strawberry became just the third Met to produce four extra-base hits in one game, joining Joe Christopher, who accomplished the feat in 1964, and Tim Teufel, who turned the trick just six weeks prior to Strawberry.  Strawberry added a stolen base in the second inning, making him the first and only Met to collect four extra-base hits and a stolen base in the same game.

Strawberry also became just the third Met to score five runs in a game, after Lenny Randle in 1978 and Lee Mazzilli in 1979.  In addition, the Straw Man drove in five runs, making him the first Mets player to have a five-run, five-RBI game in franchise history.  The only other Met to accomplish that rare feat since August 16, 1987 is Edgardo Alfonzo, who produced six runs and five RBI against the Houston Astros on August 30, 1999.

Dykstra also made Mets history in the game, becoming the first Met to collect seven at-bats in a nine-inning game.  The only Met to match Dykstra since then is Luis Hernandez, who went 3-for-7 in an 18-5 thrashing of the Cubs in 2010, which, just like Dykstra's record-setting effort 23 years earlier, took place on a lazy Sunday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Strawberry and Dykstra victimized several Cubs pitchers that day, including starting pitcher Greg Maddux.  Maddux collected almost 10% of his 355 career wins against the Mets.  His 35 victories (against 19 losses) are the most by any pitcher against New York.  However, one of his worst pitching performances against the Mets (or any other club) took place on that Sunday afternoon in the North Side of Chicago.

Throughout his major league career, which resulted in a much-deserved call to the Baseball Hall of Fame this year, Maddux was always known as a control pitcher, as he walked fewer than 1,000 batters in over 5,000 innings.  But on August 16, 1987 against the Mets, Maddux pitched 3⅔ innings and was charged with seven earned runs allowed.  He gave up six hits and a very un-Maddux-like five bases on balls.  Let's dissect Maddux's effort to see just how much of an anomaly this game was for him.

Greg Maddux would have preferred starting at Shea Stadium on August 16, 1987.

Greg Maddux made 740 starts in his big league career.  He issued five bases on balls or more in just 20 of those starts.  But in 14 of those 20 starts, he lasted at least six innings, giving him more time to issue those free passes.  Maddux wouldn't have another game in which he lasted fewer than four innings and allowed five or more walks until 2004, a year in which he produced his first ERA above 4.00 since - you guessed it - 1987.

Maddux also allowed seven earned runs in the game, which was the first time he had ever allowed that many runs in one of his starts.  Maddux would go on to allow seven or more earned runs in a start a total of 27 times in his career, including three more times against the Mets, but he never walked more than three batters in any of his other seven-run efforts.  The game on August 16, 1987 was the only time in his 23-year career that Maddux allowed seven or more runs and walked more than three batters.  And that was from a future Hall of Famer who beat the Mets more than any other pitcher in the 53-year history of the club.

Going into their series finale against the Cubs on August 16, 1987, the Mets were in a hitting slump and got out of it in a major way at Wrigley Field.  They scored more runs in that one game than they did in their previous eight contests.  By doing so, the Mets established a new franchise record with their 23-run outburst in Chicago and were able to use that game as a stepping stone that carried them all the way until the last week of the season, when they were eliminated from playoff contention by the Cardinals.  And it all happened 27 years ago today.
 

What Should The Mets Do With Jordany Valdespin?

Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images

In 2012, Jordany Valdespin put his name in the Mets record book with one swing of the bat, crushing a three-run homer off Phillies closer Jonathan Papelbon on May 7 for his first major league hit.  The homer propelled the Mets to a 5-2 victory over their division rival in Philadelphia.

Valdespin had a knack for providing big blasts off the bench in 2012, as his five pinch-hit homers broke the Mets franchise record set by Danny Heep in 1983 and tied by Mark Carreon in 1989.  Overall, Valdespin hit eight home runs for the Mets last year.  But his ability to hit the ball out of the park wasn't his only talent.

The 25-year-old from the Dominican Republic produced a total of 18 extra-base hits, scored 28 runs, collected 26 RBIs and stole 10 bases for the Mets in 2012, all without reaching 200 official at-bats.  Do you know how many Mets in team history have produced 18+ XBH, 28+ runs scored, 26+ RBIs and 10+ SB in the same season, regardless of the number of times they came up to the plate?  The answer is quite a handful, with the majority of the players doing it in full seasons of 500 or more at-bats.  But how many of them did it in as few a number of at-bats as Valdespin collected?  The answer is zero.

Let's just consider those players who, in 300 at-bats or fewer, matched or surpassed the number of extra-base hits, runs scored, RBIs and stolen bases that Valdespin achieved for the Mets in 2012.

 

Player	Year	AB	XBH	Runs	RBI	SB
Joe Christopher	1962	271	18	36	32	11
Claudell Washington	1980	284	30	38	42	17
Daryl Boston	1992	289	27	37	35	12
Jose Reyes	2003	274	21	47	32	13
Jordany Valdespin	2012	191	18	28	26	10

Only four players in Mets history have been able to produce a season in which they matched or surpassed Jordany Valdespin's 2012 totals in extra-base hits, runs scored, runs batted in and stolen bases, while collecting fewer than 300 official at-bats.  But all of them needed at least 80 more at-bats to achieve the numbers posted by Valdespin in only 191 at-bats.

Valdespin's production in 2012 was not a fluke.  In 2011, his last full season in the minors, Valdespin collected 52 extra-base hits, scored 69 runs, drove in 60 and stole 37 bases in 511 at-bats between AA-Binghamton and AAA-Buffalo.

Although Valdespin hit .241 for the Mets in 2012 (he hit .294 in the minors in 2011), his ability to drive the ball, find his way around the bases, and swipe a bag or ten are invaluable to a team needing whatever offensive spark it can get.  In addition, Valdespin proved to be versatile on the field, playing all three outfield positions and the two middle infield spots.

His attitude and behavior aren't always exemplary, and sometimes his defense leaves a little to be desired, but there's no question that Valdespin can be dangerous at the plate and on the basepaths.  Like your favorite adult beverage, Valdespin might be harmful in large doses, but when he's used in reasonable amounts, he can create quite a buzz at Citi Field.  And if the Mets want to do what's best for the team, they'll use Valdespin in moderation in 2013.

One Season Wonders: Joe Christopher

When the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers packed their bags for California after the 1957 season, the New York metropolitan area was left without National League baseball for the first time since 1882, the year before the New York Gothams (who later became the Giants) played their inaugural campaign.

Three years after the defection of the Giants and Dodgers to the West Coast, New York was given a new National League team.  Along with the Houston Colt .45s, the New York Metropolitan Baseball Club (or Mets, for short) would be part of the first wave of expansion in the National League.  Naturally, both the Colt .45s and the Mets would need to stock up their major league rosters with players, so in 1961, a special expansion draft was held.

Former Brooklyn Dodger great (and future legendary manager) Gil Hodges was selected seventh by the Mets in the draft, two spots after another former World Series champion.  That fifth pick was a part-time player with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1959 to 1961, appearing in three games for the Bucs in the 1960 World Series.  In his sole plate appearance in the Fall Classic (he appeared as a pinch-runner in the other two games), he was hit by a pitch.  Of course, that made him a perfect candidate to be on the Mets.

Who was the player with a 1.000 career World Series on-base percentage who the Mets felt should be drafted before local hero Gil Hodges?  None other than outfielder Joe Christopher.

Joe Christopher, the man who was four picks behind Hobie Landrith in the expansion draft.

Joseph O'Neal Christopher was never much of a power threat in the minors, hitting a total of 24 home runs at various minor league levels from 1955 to 1960.  As a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he displayed even less of an ability to take the opposing pitcher deep, or to get anything other than a single.  In 254 at-bats as a Pirate, Christopher collected a mere 13 extra-base hits, of which only one was a home run.

As an original Met in 1962, Christopher more than doubled his career at-bat total, but was still considered a singles hitter, picking up 18 extra-base hits in 271 at-bats for the fledgling Mets.  Although his home run total went up to six, his batting average left a lot to be desired, as Christopher hit .244 in 1962, the same average he compiled in three seasons as a Pirate.

As a result, Christopher began the 1963 season in the minor leagues with the AAA-Buffalo Bisons, hoping to play his way back to the Polo Grounds.  That extra seasoning in the minor leagues awakened Christopher's power stroke, as he swatted 19 HR in 85 games with the Bisons, earning a July call-up to the Mets.  Alas, his minor league power did not translate well at the big league level, as Christopher only hit .221 with seven extra-base hits (one homer) in 64 games with the Mets.

It appeared as if Joe Christopher was never going to become a great hitter in the major leagues.  But the Mets were about to christen a new ballpark in Flushing in 1964.  The opening of Shea Stadium awakened the Mets fanbase, as attendance nearly doubled once the team moved from the Polo Grounds to their new stadium.  The fans weren't the only ones awakened by the move.  Joe Christopher was awakened as well and National League outfielders soon found out that they would have to position themselves just a little bit deeper whenever he came to bat.

Joe Christopher wore his Mets jacket to hide his budding power from opponents.

After beginning the 1963 season in the minors, Joe Christopher was part of the Opening Day lineup in 1964.  It didn't take long for Christopher to prove that he belonged in the major leagues, as his fourth inning home run against the Phillies provided the Mets with their first run of the new season.  Of course, this was before 1970, so the Mets lost their opener, 5-3, on the way to losing their first four games.

The Mets finally broke through in the win column in their fifth game, shutting out the Pirates, 6-0.  Of course, Joe Christopher was the offensive star of the game, reaching base in each of his four plate appearances.  Christopher singled, doubled, walked and was hit by a pitch.  He also scored two runs and stole a base.

Although Christopher was hitting .308 through the Mets' first 26 games, his Opening Day home run was still his only homer of the year.  Furthermore, he had only driven in three runs.  That all changed on May 14, when Christopher's power and run-production finally emerged from its month-long slumber.

From May 14 to the end of the month, Christopher batted .338 and had an impressive .493 slugging percentage.  In 19 games, he banged out three doubles, one triple and two home runs, but what was most impressive was his 14 RBI during the 2½ week stretch, a stretch that culminated with one of the most memorable games in Mets history.

On May 31, the Mets were scheduled to play a doubleheader with the San Francisco Giants at Shea Stadium.  The Mets lost the first game, with Joe Christopher going 1-for-4 with a run scored.  But in the nightcap (and we do mean nightcap), the Mets and Giants played for 7 hours and 23 minutes (still a National League record for longest game by time) before the Giants won the game in the 23rd inning.  However, had it not been for Joe Christopher's bat, the game might never have gone into extra innings.

The Mets fell behind early, trailing the Giants by five runs after three innings.  But after scoring two runs in the sixth, Joe Christopher hit a game-tying three-run homer with two outs in the seventh.  It was one of four hits by Christopher in the game, who also scored two runs and drove in three in the 8-6 loss to the Giants.

Even after a 23-inning loss, Joe Christopher still had reason to smile.  He was having a great season.

Joe Christopher's power came out in full force as summer arrived.  Although his batting average took a tumble in June, going down to a season-low .280 (well, not quite - he was actually hitting .250 after beginning the season with one hit in his first four at-bats), he had a tremendous month with power and run production.  In the month of June, Christopher hit six homers and drove in 19 runs.

His mini-slump in the batting average department probably cost Christopher a spot on the National League All-Star team.  By the break, Christopher's batting average was down to .277 even though his other numbers (.438 slugging percentage, 9 HR, 36 RBI, 32 runs scored) were all All-Star-worthy in this pitching-rich era.  Although Christopher was denied the opportunity to play in the only Midsummer Classic played at Shea Stadium (that honor went to Ron Hunt, who only had three home runs and 22 RBI at the break, but was hitting .311), he used his snub as motivation to have an even better second half.  And what a second half it was.

In his first 19 games after the break, Christopher hit .377, with six doubles, a homer and 13 RBI.  Then, from August 7 to August 18, Christopher went on an absolute tear.  Over the 11-game stretch, Christopher hit .477 (21-for-44).  But what was most impressive was how the extra-base hits just kept on coming.  Christopher banged out seven doubles, two triples and three homers over the nearly two-week period, scoring 11 runs and driving in nine more.  The final game of the hot streak, in which Christopher went 4-for-5 with a double, two triples and a homer, coincided with the Mets' longest winning streak of the year, a five-game skein that matched the franchise's longest in their short history.

The Mets weren't going anywhere in 1964, other than another last place finish.  But Christopher kept on hitting even after the Mets were officially eliminated from contention in the 10-team National League.  From August 28 to September 18, Christopher hit .315 and had a .534 slugging percentage, rapping out nine extra-base hits, crossing the plate 12 times while picking up a dozen RBIs.  At season's end, Christopher's numbers were far better than anything he had accomplished before.

For the year, Christopher hit an even .300, with 26 doubles, eight triples, 16 HR, 76 RBI and 78 runs scored.  He became the first player in Mets history with at least 500 at-bats to bat .300 over a full season.  Christopher also set franchise records for base hits (163) and runs scored (78).  Prior to 1964, Christopher had played parts of five seasons in the major leagues, accumulating 674 at-bats for the Pirates and Mets.  Over those five seasons, he had hit .239 with 24 doubles, six triples, eight home runs and 57 RBI.  He surpassed all of those numbers in 1964 alone.

Joe Christopher was the first Shea superstar, but his star fizzled almost as fast as it rose.

Unfortunately, Christopher could not produce a similar campaign after 1964.  The following season, Christopher played in 148 games, but was only able to hit .249 with 18 doubles, three triples, five homers and 40 RBI.  His slugging percentage also went down from .466 to .339.  Figuring he was done, the Mets traded Christopher to the Boston Red Sox after the 1965 season for utility infielder Eddie Bressoud.  Bressoud only played one year in New York, batting .225 with 10 HR and 49 RBI before being shipped off to St. Louis.

Christopher only collected one hit as a member of the Boston Red Sox in 1966 before being traded to the Detroit Tigers.  For the next two and a half seasons, Christopher bounced around from team to team, playing for the minor league affiliates of the Tigers, Braves, Cardinals, Pirates and Phillies.  He never played in the major leagues again.

Joe Christopher was one of the first players the Mets drafted to play for the team in their inaugural 1962 season.  It took him three seasons, but he finally had his breakout year in 1964, albeit for a 109-loss team.  One year later, the promise Christopher showed as a 28-year-old was all but gone and by the time he was 30, he was out of the major leagues.  Joe Christopher was a true one-season wonder for the Mets, but for that one year, he gave the fans who packed into the newly-opened Shea Stadium something to cheer about.  It was a welcome change for a team whose only "star" had been their septuagenarian manager.


Note: One Season Wonders is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting those Mets who had one and only one memorable season in New York.  For previous installments, please click on the players' names below:
 
January 2, 2012: Bernard Gilkey
January 9, 2012: Terry Leach 
January 16, 2012: George Stone
January 23, 2012: Roger Cedeño
January 30, 2012: Frank Viola