The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of the Mets: Tom Seaver

The Franchise.  Say those two words to any Mets fan and they'll know exactly who you're referring to.  To get that moniker, a player needs to have seen it all.  He needs to have experienced the highs that go with being the best, both as an individual and as part of a team.  But he also should know what it's like to fail and come just short of achieving his and the team's goals.

During the beginning of his career, the Mets' franchise player experienced a last place finish, followed by a quick rise to the top of the baseball world.  Individual awards would follow, as would the team's fall to mediocrity.  The Mets eventually shocked the baseball world again, only to be the laughingstocks of the league just a few years later.  And through it all, "The Franchise" kept doing what he did best until his best wasn't good enough for the franchise.

Just as the Mets eventually came back from their darkest days, so did "The Franchise", who returned to the team just as it was about to rise from the ashes that had been smoldering for seven long seasons.  And once again, a lower-case franchise blunder allowed the upper-case Franchise to walk away before a last ditch effort to have him end his wonderful career wearing blue and orange came to a crashing halt.

After so many victorious thrills and agonizing defeats, "The Franchise" called it a career after two decades in the game.  But what a career it was.

Call him "The Franchise", "Tom Terrific" or "The Greatest Player in Mets History".  (Getty Images)

George Thomas Seaver became a Met by accident.  Originally drafted by the Dodgers in the tenth round of the 1965 June Amateur Draft, Seaver balked at a $2,000 offer by Los Angeles, as he was looking for a hefty $50,000 sum.  When then-scout Tom Lasorda could only offer $3,000, Seaver walked away from his first professional contract, choosing to stay at the University of Southern California.

Seven months later, the Atlanta Braves selected Seaver in the secondary phase of the January draft and Seaver signed with the team, earning a $40,000 bonus.  But that contract was voided by Commissioner William Eckert because USC had played an exhibition game that the Braves did not know about prior to signing Seaver.  Baseball rules prohibited the signing of college players once their teams had played a game, even if that game didn't count in the standings.  In addition, once Seaver signed the now-voided contract with the Braves, he became ineligible to return to the USC baseball team, putting him in baseball limbo and making him a free agent.  As a result, a special lottery was held to determine which team had the right to sign the former Trojan pitcher.  Surprisingly, only three teams - the Indians, Phillies and Mets - entered the lottery for Seaver's services.  Defying not-so-overwhelming one-in-three odds, the Mets won the lottery, changing their franchise's fortunes forever.

Seaver spent his first season in professional ball at the Triple A level in Jacksonville.  That was his only year in the minors, as he posted a 12-12 record with the Suns, to go with ten complete games, four shutouts and 188 strikeouts in 32 starts.  During that same 1966 campaign, the Mets lost fewer than 100 games for the first time, finally climbing out of the National League basement.  Hope seemed to be on the horizon for New York and that hope arrived a season later, when Seaver was promoted to the big leagues.

The Mets regressed somewhat in 1967, going 61-101 and once again finishing in last place in the ten-team Senior Circuit, but Seaver proved that the Mets had done right in participating in the lottery for his services.  The 22-year-old neophyte set franchise records for wins (16), complete games (18) and strikeouts (170) and was the first starter in club history to post an ERA under 3.00 (Seaver finished the year with a stellar 2.76 ERA), becoming the ace of the staff in his rookie season - one that culminated with the National League Rookie of the Year award.

The 1968 season brought two new faces to the team that would help put an end to the 100-loss campaigns in Flushing - manager Gil Hodges and lefty starter Jerry Koosman.  As manager of the Washington Senators, Hodges ended the club's perennial rendezvous with triple-digit losses and the American League cellar and turned them into a middle-of-the-pack team, as Washington finished in sixth place in the ten-team American League in 1967.  Hodges then returned to his New York roots via a rare player-for-manager trade, as the Mets sent pitcher Bill Denehy and his one major league victory, along with $100,000 in cash to Washington in exchange for Hodges.  The deal became one of the best in Mets history, as Hodges ended up winning more championships as a manager (one) than Denehy won games as a pitcher (zero) after the two men switched uniforms.

Meanwhile, Jerry Koosman, who made his major league debut just one day after Seaver made his in 1967, but couldn't pitch well enough to stay at the big league level, flourished when given a second chance in 1968.  Retaining his rookie status in '68, Koosman surpassed Seaver's stellar debut campaign, winning 19 games, posting a 2.08 ERA and striking out 178 batters.  Seaver was also spectacular in 1968, going 16-12 with a 2.20 ERA and 205 strikeouts, becoming the first Met to reach the 200-K mark.  It would become a staple of Seaver's career.

The Mets finished 73-89 in 1968, prompting Hodges to proclaim that the team would win 85 games in 1969.  He based his prediction on the fact that the team lost 37 games the previous season by a single run.  "If you win half of those," Hodges said, "you are a contending ball club."

Defying the odds, the team did make it to the lofty 85-win plateau, reaching the prophetic skipper's total with three weeks left in the regular season, helped in part by the team's 41-23 record in one-run games.  They then proceeded to win 15 more contests, winning the division title to advance to the inaugural National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves - the team that tried in vain to sign Seaver just three years earlier.  Seaver was a huge part of the Mets' success in 1969, winning 25 games - a franchise record that still stands to this day - and nearly became the first Met to toss a no-hitter.  In fact, Seaver retired the first 25 Chicago Cubs batters he faced on July 9 before surrendering a clean single to Jimmy Qualls to break up his bid for perfection.  This is the same Jimmy Qualls who finished his career with 31 hits, or 171 fewer than Seaver had as a batter in his career.  Seaver would take no-hitters into the ninth inning again in 1972 and 1975, but neither of those near no-nos would be as cherished as his "Imperfect Game" against the Cubs in 1969.

Cleon Jones catches the final out of the "Imperfect Game" as Tom Seaver ponders what might have been.  (MLB.com)

Seaver's fantastic season - he also posted a 2.21 ERA and struck out 208 batters - earned him his first Cy Young award.  Seaver would have been the unanimous winner of the award had one vote not gone to Braves knuckleball pitcher Phil Niekro.  But Seaver got the last laugh, defeating Niekro in Game One of the NLCS.  The Mets went on to sweep the Braves in the best-of-five series to win their first National League pennant and a date with the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

Although Seaver lost the first game of the Fall Classic in Baltimore, he came back with a tremendous performance in Game Four at Shea Stadium, pitching ten innings of one-run ball.  The Orioles' sole tally of the game scored on a sacrifice fly by Brooks Robinson in the ninth inning, a play that is now famous in Mets' lore because of Ron Swoboda's jaw-dropping diving catch.  Upon completing the top of the tenth, Seaver was removed for pinch-hitter J.C. Martin, who reached base on an errant throw by Orioles' reliever Pete Richert, which allowed pinch-runner Rod Gaspar to scamper home from second base with the winning run.

Seaver's complete-game, extra-inning masterpiece gave the Mets a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and Jerry Koosman's complete game win the following day wrapped up the Mets' first World Series championship.  In a span of three seasons, Seaver helped transform the Mets from cellar dwellers to penthouse occupants, and he reflected upon the team's sudden rise to the top of the baseball world in a post-game locker room interview with Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson.

"No matter what happened, no matter where we were ... we never put our heads between our legs and we always fought and it's the greatest feeling in the world."

With a nucleus built around the young pitching staff that included Seaver, Koosman, Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan, the Mets were expected to contend for many years to come.  But the team that surpassed Hodges' 85-win prediction never won that many games again under Hodges' leadership, racking up 83 victories in 1970 and 1971.  The sudden death of Hodges prior to the start of the 1972 campaign shook up everyone on the team, but none more so than Seaver.

"It was utter disbelief," said Seaver.  "I don't think Gil's death had an effect on the team but it had an effect on the individuals... He prepared you for your career - and unfortunately one that turned out to be not having him as a manager."

Seaver clearly was affected as an individual during the 1972 season, his first without Gil Hodges as manager since his rookie campaign.  After completing what was arguably his finest season in 1971, setting career highs in complete games (21) and strikeouts (289), while leading the league in ERA (1.76) and WHIP (0.946), Seaver dropped off a bit under new manager Yogi Berra, completing eight fewer starts, striking out 40 fewer hitters and watching his ERA go up by more than a full run, although 13 complete games, 249 Ks and a 2.92 ERA are numbers most pitchers would love to have.  Not satisfied with his season in 1972, Seaver set out to return to championship form in 1973.  It took his teammates a little longer to join him.

Seaver thrived under Gil Hodges and missed him terribly after he was gone.  (Bob Moreland/St. Petersburg Times)

The 1972 season saw the Mets get off to a strong start (32-13 in their first 45 games) before limping to the finish line (51-60 after their hot start).  The hangover continued into the 1973 campaign, as the Mets were below .500 most of the season.  Although Seaver posted an impressive 2.08 ERA through his first 19 starts, he only had nine wins to show for it.  But from July 18 to September 13, Seaver made sure the team wouldn't saddle him with no-decision after no-decision.

In 13 starts over the two-month stretch, Tom Terrific pitched 118⅓ innings, incredibly averaging over nine innings per start.  Seaver won eight of those starts, posting a 1.29 ERA and 0.90 WHIP while holding opposing batters to a .200/.239/.276 slash line.  Included in those starts was a 12-inning, 12-strikeout performance against the Reds in August and an 11-inning, 12 strikeout game versus the Phillies in September.  When Seaver's streak began, the Mets were still double digit games out of first place.  By the time he defeated the Phillies with his Herculean effort on September 13, the Mets had moved to within 2½ games of first place.  Finally, on September 21, Seaver put the Mets in first for good with a complete-game victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Ten days later, the Mets wrapped up their second division crown in five seasons with Seaver earning the title-clinching win over the Chicago Cubs.

The disappointing (to him) 1972 campaign was no longer in Seaver's rear view mirror, as Seaver's 1973 campaign saw him lead the league in ERA (2.08), complete games (18), strikeouts (251), WHIP (0.976), fewest hits per nine innings (6.8), strikeouts per nine innings (7.8) and strikeout to walk ratio (3.92).  Seaver earned his second Cy Young Award and received MVP consideration for the sixth time in seven years.  But Seaver couldn't help the team win its second championship despite having a stellar postseason.  In four games against the Reds and A's, Seaver pitched to a 1.99 ERA, 1.073 WHIP and had 35 strikeouts in 31⅔ innings, but the Mets lost three of those four starts.  With the Mets holding a three games to two lead in the World Series, manager Yogi Berra tabbed Seaver to pitch the potential championship-clinching game on three days rest rather than going to a well-rested George Stone.  The decision failed miserably, as Oakland won a pitchers' duel in Game Six and then took the seventh and deciding game, defeating Jon Matlack on short rest instead of what could have been Seaver on normal rest.  

Passing a kidney stone is a daunting experience.  But passing up Stone for Seaver was enough to give repressed memories to fans for years to come and served as the beginning of the end for the Mets as we knew them.  In fact, Seaver's long-time teammate, Ed Kranepool knew Berra's costly decision to start Seaver over Stone was wrong from the moment it was made.

"Sometimes managers will affect a short series.  The best team is going to win in 162 games, but when it comes to the World Series, a critical mistake by a manager can affect the game.  Sometimes (managers) are asleep,"  said Kranepool.  "George (Stone) was our hottest pitcher down the stretch.  If they knock him out, big deal, we got (Game Seven) with the whole staff.  Yogi is the greatest guy in the world, he's a sweetheart, he's a nice guy but I wouldn't want him to lead me to war."

With the team still stewing over their bitter defeat in the World Series, the 1974 squad became the first to finish with a losing record since 1968 and the first to lose 90+ games since Seaver's rookie campaign.  Seaver's season was easily the worst of his eight-year career, as he won just three of his first 15 starts with an ERA approaching 4.00 during that time, before finishing his injury-plagued year (he suffered from shoulder and hip pain) with a mediocre 11-11 record and 3.20 ERA.  His poor showing caused him to be left off the National League All-Star roster for the first time and also caught the attention of New York Daily News writer Dick Young, who claimed that Seaver "was an agent of discontent among his teammates."

Brushing off his subpar showing in 1974 as well as Young's comments, Seaver rebounded with his third Cy Young Award-winning season in 1975, posting a league-leading 22 wins and 243 strikeouts to go with a 2.38 ERA and 1.088 WHIP.  His pitching brethren, however, did not follow suit, as the rest of the team combined to go 60-71 with a 3.63 ERA and 1.365 WHIP.

Only Sandy Koufax had ever won three Cy Young Awards.  Until Tom Seaver matched him.  (Larry C. Morris/Getty Images)

The opposite was true in 1976, as Seaver could only manage a 14-11 mark on a team that went 86-76, which at the time was the second-most wins in franchise history.  Although Seaver did extend his major league record with his ninth consecutive season of 200 or more strikeouts - Seaver's 235 whiffs gave him a fifth National League strikeout crown - he was no longer the top winner on the team, as both Jerry Koosman (21-10, 2.69 ERA, 200 strikeouts) and Jon Matlack (17-10, 2.95 ERA, team-leading six shutouts) set new career highs in victories.

The 1976 campaign was also the first without original team owner Joan Payson, who passed away just days after the completion of the 1975 regular season.  Upon her death, ownership of the club shifted to her husband, Charles Payson, and their daughter Lorinda de Roulet, but baseball operations were placed solely in the hands of team chairman M. Donald Grant.  As much as Charles and Lorinda were not really fans of baseball, Grant was not a fan of spending money on his own players or on other teams' players, as free agency had just begun around that time.  This, of course, came into play when it was time to negotiate Seaver's contract.

Prior to the 1976 season, Seaver asked Grant for a three-year, $825,000 contract.  Seaver had just won his third Cy Young Award, joining Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers to have won as many as three.  Grant would have none of Seaver's demands and threatened to trade him to the Dodgers for Don Sutton if he didn't agree to the chairman's terms.  Eventually, Seaver agreed to a three-year, $675,000 deal that would keep him in Flushing.  At the same time, slugger Dave Kingman had noticed the multi-million dollar contract that the Yankees had offered Reggie Jackson and wanted a comparable deal.  When Grant offered Kingman a paltry $200,000, the Sky King held out for more, causing Grant to blame Seaver for what he felt were exorbitant demands by Kingman, as if Seaver's contract squabbles had coerced Kingman to ask for the financial compensation he felt he deserved.

Seaver and Kingman began the 1977 season unhappy with their deals, but still on the team.  By the time the season was half-complete, that would no longer be the case.

Entering the 1977 campaign, New York tabloid writers were mostly on Seaver's side of the argument, seeing how instrumental "The Franchise" was in the success of the franchise.  One such writer was Maury Allen of the New York Post.

"When you have the best pitcher in the world, you sign him, you don't humiliate him," wrote Allen.  "Grant can't stand opposition from Seaver or anybody."

Unfortunately, one writer stood steadfastly with Grant, and that was all it took to get Seaver to ask for a ticket out of New York.  Going back to 1974, Dick Young of the New York Daily News had always been critical of Seaver and how he affected the Mets clubhouse.  But once free agency began, Young really unloaded upon Seaver, calling him a "pouting, griping, morale-breaking clubhouse lawyer poisoning the team."  On the morning of June 15, 1977 - the day of the trade deadline - Young and fellow Daily News scribe Jack Lang took opposing views on the Seaver vs. Grant feud.

"My unhappiness started with the contract negotiations a year-and-a-half ago," said Seaver to Lang.  "All of a sudden, nine years of performance for the Mets was thrown out the window... They even threatened to trade me if I didn't sign it, so I signed."

That deal would have kept Seaver in New York until 1978.  However, the night before the Daily News article was published, Seaver went directly to owner Lorinda de Roulet, bypassing Grant in the process, and finalized a three-year contract extension that would pay him $1.1 million to remain a Met through the 1981 season.  The next day, in his counterpoint to Lang, Young brought up Seaver's good friend and former teammate, Nolan Ryan.  Young also brought up someone else who was quite dear to Seaver.

"Nolan Ryan is now getting more than Seaver", wrote Young in his article, "and that galls Tom because Nancy Seaver and Ruth Ryan are very friendly and Tom Seaver long has treated Nolan Ryan like a little brother."

A dick and a Dick helped push Tom Seaver out of New York.  (AP Photo/Daily News photo)

Seaver had tolerated years of criticism from Young and had always turned the other cheek rather than retaliate.  But once Young brought Seaver's wife into his smear-fest, that was the final straw for Seaver and his decade-long tenure in New York.  "Get me out of here," screamed a disgusted Seaver.  And with those five words, Seaver backed away from his million dollar extension and demanded to be traded.  By the end of the day, "The Midnight Massacre" was complete, with Seaver being dealt to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Steve Henderson, Doug Flynn and Dan Norman.  In addition, Dave Kingman was shipped off to San Diego for Bobby Valentine, which effectively silenced the two players who were most vocal when it came to how much they should be paid for their services.  Or so Grant thought.

At the time of the trade, Seaver had a 7-3 record for the last place Mets and Kingman was leading the team with nine homers and 28 RBI.  Once the deals were consummated, the Mets went 38-63 to end the season with 98 losses.  Meanwhile, Seaver and Kingman let their play on the field do the talking for them.  Seaver posted his fifth 20-win season in 1977 and led the league in shutouts (7) and WHIP (1.014), which helped him finish in a third-place tie for the Cy Young Award, while Kingman continued to hit the long ball, peaking two years later when he smacked a league-leading 48 homers and drove in 115 runs for the Cubs.

From 1977 to 1982, the Mets finished in last place four times, never winning more than 67 games.  But with the sale of the team in 1980 to Nelson Doubleday and Fred Wilpon, the days of playing in "Grant's Tomb" were soon to be over.  By 1983, the team had brought back Kingman, traded for George Foster, were about to call up top hitting prospect Darryl Strawberry and were soon to acquire perennial Gold Glove winner Keith Hernandez.  One other veteran was added to the mix in 1983 - one that was happy to return now that M. Donald Grant was no longer running the show.

In his first five seasons with the Reds, Seaver posted a 70-33 record, finally completed the no-hitter that eluded him on three occasions as a Met, and had three top-five finishes in the Cy Young Award vote, including a second-place finish behind Fernando Valenzuela in the strike-shortened 1981 campaign.  But Seaver's 1982 season was one of physical pain (shoulder) and professional embarrassment, as the 37-year-old struggled through 21 starts, averaging barely over five innings per outing and posting a 5-13 record, 5.50 ERA and 1.617 WHIP.  The Reds wanted nothing to do with Seaver entering the 1983 season, and the Mets were quick to bring him back to Flushing.

(Focus On Sport/Getty Images)

Seaver posted his second consecutive losing season in 1983, going 9-14 in 34 starts.  Although that represented his worst record in 12½ seasons as a Met, Seaver did improve his ERA by nearly two runs (3.55) and his 231 innings were the most he had thrown since 1978.  At age 38 and in his 17th season in the big leagues, Seaver managed to lead all Mets starters in innings pitched and ERA, as well as strikeouts (135) and WHIP (1.242).  He also tied for the team lead in starts (34), complete games (5) and shutouts (2).  Seaver's return to New York did not help the Mets in the National League East standings, as the team finished the 1983 campaign in last place with a less than spectacular 68-94 record.  However, that still represented the most wins the Mets had recorded since 1976 - Seaver's last full season with the team.  

But the place where the Mets really reaped the rewards of Seaver's return was in the ticket booth.  Whenever a pitcher other than Seaver started for the Mets at Shea Stadium in 1983, an average of 12,284 fans were in attendance.  But in Seaver's 19 starts at home, the average attendance nearly doubled to 23,007 fans.  The Mets had seven home dates during the 1983 season in which they surpassed 30,000 fans.  All seven were Seaver starts.

Despite the obvious attendance boost that Seaver gave the team, the Mets front office failed to protect him in the free agent compensation draft.  Although Seaver was under contract for the 1984 season, the Mets incorrectly assumed that his age (Seaver turned 39 in November), contract (he was due to earn nearly $800,000 in 1984) and his 20-37 won-loss record over the previous two seasons would discourage potential suitors from scooping him out of the compensation pool.  They were wrong.  For the second time in seven years, "The Franchise" parted ways with the Mets, this time going to the Chicago White Sox.

"It's a personal decision," said Seaver about the Mets' decision to leave him unprotected.  "I don't feel betrayed, and I'm not going to blast anybody.  But I'm upset.  It was a mistake, they admit that."

Seaver left New York just 27 wins shy of 300 for his career and two victories away from 200 as a Met.  He then proceeded to go 31-22 for the White Sox over the 1984 and 1985 campaigns, despite the fact that Chicago was a combined 159-165 over the two seasons.  Seaver pitched nearly 500 innings over the two seasons and had 16 complete games and five shutouts, with one of those complete games coming on August 4, 1985 at Yankee Stadium, when Seaver earned his 300th win.  Not bad for a supposedly washed-up quadragenarian.

After splitting the season between the White Sox and Red Sox in 1986 (and watching the Mets win the World Series from the visitors' dugout), Seaver got one more chance to play for the Mets when he was signed by the team on June 5, 1987 after a rash of injuries felled several of the club's pitchers.  But the third time with the Mets was not the charm for the 42-year-old Seaver, as a poor outing in a simulated game on June 20 - one in which Seaver allowed Mets backup catcher Barry Lyons to go 6-for-6 against him with a home run - ended Seaver's comeback and career.

"In my heart, I feel the time has come for me not to play anymore," said Seaver at his retirement press conference.  "I've used up all the competitive pitches in me... I don't know what the future holds for me.  That's what I'll be digesting for the next year.  I'm sure the answer is out there.  I'm not going to rush into anything."

The future for Seaver held many accolades.  First, in 1988, his number was retired by the Mets, making him the first player in franchise history to have his number permanently removed from circulation.  (Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges were bestowed that honor as managers.)  Then, in 1992, Seaver was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving the support of 98.8% of the voters - a record that stood until Ken Griffey Jr. was named on 99.3% of the ballots in 2016.

Tom Seaver.  Hall of Famer.  Baseball Legend.  (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Tom Seaver was named "The Franchise" not just because he's the Mets' all-time leader in the majority of pitching categories.  He received that nickname because he brought life to a dormant franchise.  When he first pitched for the Mets in 1967, Seaver gave fans hope that the team was finally heading in the right direction.  Two years later, he helped deliver a miraculous championship to the masses.  When he left in 1977, the hopes of the franchise went with him and the team embarked through a moribund period that lasted for more than half a decade.  Once Seaver returned in 1983, fans flocked to Shea Stadium to see him pitch when nothing else would bring them to the ballpark.  And until Mike Piazza was enshrined in Cooperstown in 2016, Seaver was the only Hall of Famer wearing a Mets cap on his plaque.

He threw a no-hitter as a member of the Cincinnati Reds.  He won his 300th game pitching for the Chicago White Sox.  But he won his only championship with the New York Mets.  In 20 big league seasons, Tom Seaver experienced all the highs and lows a player can face.  He pitched for winning teams and he pitched for second division clubs.  He also dealt with an untrustworthy front office and the backstabbing media as well as he could.

"The Franchise" will always be loved and remembered in New York.  It's unfortunate that not all of his memories of New York are ones he would love to remember.


Note: The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of the Mets is a thirteen-part weekly series spotlighting those Mets players and personnel who experienced the best of times and the worst of times with the team.  Please come back next week for the latest installment.

A Look Back At The Astros-Mets 50-Year Rivalry

In 1962, the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s made their National League debuts, the result of Bill Shea's promise to bring a third major league - the Continental League - into existence.  Once Major League Baseball made a deal to expand in 1961 and 1962 (Los Angeles and Washington were given American League expansion teams in 1961), the Continental League was put on the shelves and New York had a National League franchise again.

Except for the 1986 campaign, the Mets and Astros (the Colt .45s changed their name to the more politically correct Astros when they moved from Colt Stadium to the Astrodome in 1965) have never had a direct rivalry with each other.  However, they've still had many similarities and differences over the years.

With the Astros moving to the American League in 2013, today's game marked the final time the 1962 expansion mates squared off against each other in an intra-league game.  Let's look back at their rivalry over the years, doing our best to keep our tears from staining our scuffed Mike Scott baseball cards.

Mike Scott won 14 games in four seasons as a Met, but almost ended the Mets' championship dreams in 1986 as an Astro.

In 1962, the Mets finished the season with the worst record in modern baseball history, going 40-120 in their inaugural campaign.  They would go on to lose 100 or more games in each of their first four seasons, and five of their first six.  Meanwhile, the Astros never lost more than 97 games in any of their first six seasons.  In fact, they did not lose 100 games in a season until 2011, when they went 56-106 in their 50th year of existence.

The 1969 Mets won 100 regular season games en route to their first World Series championship.  It was the first time in franchise history that they did not finish with a losing record.  Although the Astros did not qualify for the postseason for the first time until 1980, the 1969 season was also the first time they did not finish with a losing record.  That team finished with a .500 record at 81-81.

The Astros didn't experience their first winning season until 1972, when they finished the year with an 84-69 record.  Interestingly enough, in 1973, the Astros also finished above .500, winning 82 games, the same total won by the Mets when they believed their way to the National League pennant. It's too bad the Astros didn't play in the NL East that year, where they would have competed for a division title.  In the NL West, their 82-80 record was only good enough for fourth place, 17 games behind the division-winning Cincinnati Reds.

Although the Astros have won six division titles and one split-season division title during the 1981 strike season, they did not win a playoff series in any of the seasons in which they finished in first place.  It wasn't until 2004 that the Astros finally won a postseason series.  In their 43rd year of existence, the wild-card winning Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves in five games in the best-of-five NLDS, before succumbing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in the NLCS.  They advanced to their first World Series the following year, but they were swept by the Chicago White Sox.  In both 2004 and 2005, the Astros won postseason series, the only times in club annals that they were able to do so, even though they failed to win a division title in those years.  By comparison, the Mets have qualified for the playoffs seven times (five division titles, two wild cards) and have won at least one playoff series in all but one of those seasons, losing to the Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS.

The Mets have had more postseason success than the Astros, but Houston has fared batter during the regular season and in head-to-head matchups.  In their first fifty years of existence, the Mets have had 23 winning seasons (seasons above .500) and 27 losing campaigns.  Meanwhile, the Astros can claim 24 winning seasons, 22 losing years and four seasons in which they finished with a .500 record.  The Mets and Astros have rarely been good at the same time, as both teams have finished with winning records in the same year only 13 times in 50 years.

In head-to-head matchups, the Astros have dominated the Mets in the regular season.  Houston has won 308 times in 567 games, with the Mets winning 258 times and one game ending in a tie.  Even the World Champion 1969 Mets, winners of 100 games during the regular season, had trouble against the Astros, losing ten times in 12 games.  Of course, when it mattered the most, the Mets won their only postseason matchup against Houston, taking the 1986 NLCS from the Astros in six games.

Lenny Dykstra and the Mets raised the roof at the Astrodome in Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS.

The Mets and Astros came into the National League together in 1962.  Both teams have experienced highs and lows over the years.  Both teams have had special players suit up for them, such as Nolan Ryan, Tommie Agee, Sid Fernandez, Dwight Gooden, John Franco and some guy named Mike Scott (all of whom were Mets before they became Astros) and Ron Taylor, Tommie Agee, Rusty Staub, Ray Knight, Carlos Beltran and Billy Wagner (who played in Houston before they came to New York).  Even Yogi Berra was important to both teams, managing the Mets to within one win of a World Series title in 1973 and serving as the Astros bench coach when they played the Mets in the 1986 NLCS.  But after this year, both teams will rarely play each other again, with the schedule makers determining how often they play each other in interleague play.

Although the Mets and Astros have rarely had a rivalry in the National League a la Dodgers-Giants and Cubs-Cardinals, it will be sad now knowing that the Mets will never play a National League game against their fellow expansion mates again.  The last 50 years have been full of similarities and differences between the Mets and Astros.  Today was no exception.

In the first-ever Mets-Astros game in 1962, the Mets came from behind to tie the game in the ninth inning, only to lose.  In today's final National League tilt between the two teams, the Astros came from behind to tie the game in the ninth, but this time the Mets pulled it out on Ike Davis' walk-off home run.  It was a fitting way to end the last intra-league game between these two teams.

It's a shame that this rivalry will never be the same again.

Joey's Soapbox: Six Degrees of Mets Contention

Hi, everyone.  This is Joey Beartran, coming to you from atop my soapbox.  After a four-day hiatus, baseball is finally back tonight as the Mets take on the Atlanta Braves for the first game of a three-game series at The House That Ted Built.  (No, I’m not referring to Mark Wahlberg’s foul-mouthed furry friend … and as Forrest Gump would say if speaking about that particular Ted, “No, we are not relations.”)

Tonight also marks the first of 12 consecutive games in which the Mets take on teams that currently have better records than they do.  After their weekend series in Atlanta concludes, the Mets will travel to Washington to take on the first place Nationals, followed by a six-game homestand at Citi Field against the NL West-leading Dodgers and another date with the Nats.

How they perform in this 12-game stretch could answer a lot of questions about what this team is and where it’s headed.  But even after the fortnight is complete, the Mets will still have many questions that must be answered.  Here are six questions that come to mind.


Can R.A. Dickey continue his run of excellence?

Although he went 12-1 prior to the All-Star Break, he did not fare well against teams who already had seen him at some point this season.  So far, Dickey has made 17 starts this year.  Of those 17 starts, three of them came against teams who had already faced him in 2012.  His ERA in those three starts is an ungodly 7.79.  Even Tim Lincecum would shake his head at that figure.  If Dickey can make the proper adjustments before teams get too familiar with him, then he will continue to be the team’s co-ace.  But if he doesn’t, Frank Viola might hold on to the title of “Mets’ last 20-game winner” for another year.


Can Johan Santana’s arm hold up for another 15 starts?

When Johan Santana threw his 134-pitch no-hitter, Terry Collins pushed his next start back two days.  After turning his ankle on a play at first base last Friday, Collins is once again pushing Santana back two days, sending him to the mound on Sunday instead of tonight’s second-half opener.  Fortunately, last week’s near-injury was not arm-related.  In fact, Johan’s arm has held up quite well this season, enabling him to make more starts during the season’s first half than most experts predicted he’d make all season.  Although Santana is not on a Stephen Strasburg-like innings limit, the Mets will have to monitor his workload, especially if they remain competitive for the rest of the season.  Burning out in August could spell doom for the Mets in September.


Is Matt Harvey ready for the bright lights of the big stage?

With Dillon Gee’s artery surgery potentially keeping him out of action for the rest of the season, the Mets are going to insert Miguel Batista into his spot in the rotation.  Should he fail, Jeremy Hefner or the man who has enough frequent flier miles to get him free travel for a lifetime (Chris Schwinden) could step into the role.  But another option that is being discussed is top prospect Matt Harvey.

Photo by Michael Baron

Although Sandy Alderson has been trying to keep him at Buffalo for as long as he can, Harvey might have to be called upon to help the parent team before rosters expand in September.  Over the past 20 years, the Mets have not had much success when they have called up pitching prospects too soon (see Jenrry Mejia, Mike Pelfrey, Generation K).  But Harvey has pitched at every minor league level, succeeding wherever he has pitched.  If he does get called into Wally Backman’s office to get the good news (Backman himself has gone on record saying that Harvey is ready for the big leagues), his performance with the Mets over the final 2½ months of the season could not only determine the Mets’ outcome this year, but also for many years to come.


Will Jason Bay’s return help or hurt the team?

Prior to his latest concussion, Jason Bay was hitting .187.  Bay was so confused at the plate that even Ike Davis was giving him tips on how to improve his batting average.  With Bay now playing in rehab games, his return to Flushing appears imminent.  But with Scott Hairston tied for the team lead in homers and with Bay also swinging from the same side of the plate as Hairston, it may be time for Bay to either:

a) play a different position,
2) ride some pine, or
iii) start getting some frickin’ hits already!

We all appreciate that Jason Bay goes all out on the field (his concussions are proof of that).  He also hustles to first on every ground ball in the hole, every pop-up that might fall in, or whenever he strikes out and the ball evades the catcher’s mitt.  But if he really wants to show off his hustling skills, how about trying to extend a single into a double?  Fans would really go for that.  You know why?  Because that means he actually got a hit!  What I’m trying to say is, Jason Bay is a likeable guy.  He’d be even more likeable if he was actually productive at the plate.  And if he was more productive at the plate, the Mets would have a better chance at winning more ballgames.


Will David Wright continue to carry the team on his back?

I guess David Wright really does carry the team on his back.

If you look at the everyday lineup, you’ll notice that four players have already reached double figures in home runs (Wright, Hairston, Duda and Davis).  There are also four players with 40 or more RBIs (Wright, Murphy, Duda and Davis).  Although that suggests that a good chunk of the lineup is contributing, that hasn’t exactly been the case.

Scott Hairston still can’t hit right-handed pitching and has only been forced into everyday action because of Bay’s continued membership in the injury of the month club.  When he was in his formative years, Lucas Duda clearly eschewed Tom Emanski’s Defensive Drills videos for something else.  I have more confidence in a blind driver getting through a demolition derby unscathed than I have in Lucas Duda making a routine catch in the outfield.  If not for his three-day power surge a few weeks ago, Daniel Murphy would still be asking former Met Rey Ordoñez for tips on how to hit with power.  Oh, and speaking of Rey Ordoñez, we heard a rumor that he has also been in contact with Ike Davis in an attempt to help him raise his batting average.

This brings us back to David Wright.  He has been the one consistent bat in the everyday lineup since Opening Day, reaching base in all but four of his 82 starts.  If not for Andrew McCutchen’s performance with the first place Pirates, Wright would be at the top of the National League MVP race.  Unless the players batting around him can turn things around, Wright will have to continue to keep his back in shape, not because of last year’s injury, but because he’ll need it healthy to carry his teammates on it.


And finally … one last question …  one that doesn’t need any embellishment … and that question is,


Who the @&%$ is going to fix this godawful bullpen?!?!

"Put me in, coach.  I'm ready to play!"

Well, that about does it for tonight.  I’m going to get off my soapbox now so I can get ready for tonight’s game.  Hopefully, I won’t have to climb back on it anytime soon to complain about something else bugging me regarding the Mets.  But I wouldn’t count on it.  Such is life as an animated inanimate Mets fan.

I hope you enjoy tonight’s game, the second half of the season, and the third half which will hopefully begin for the Mets shortly after the regular season ends on October 3.  (Yogi Berra helped me with my math.  Don’t judge.)  Let’s Go Mets!

One Season Wonders: George Stone

The 1972 Mets began the season with the tragic loss of manager Gil Hodges to a fatal heart attack.  New manager Yogi Berra took over the team in April and led them to the best start in franchise history.  By late May, the Mets had a 6½-game lead in the NL East.  On June 3, the Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves by the final score of 5-2 to improve their record to 31-12.  But within that victory, the Mets suffered a significant loss, as Rusty Staub was hit by an errant pitch thrown by Braves' reliever George Stone.

Coming into that fateful game, Stone had been one of the worst pitchers in the National League.  He had faced 62 batters in 1972 and allowed more than half of them (32) to reach base.  Opposing batters were hitting a whopping .491 against him over the first two months of the season causing his ERA to balloon to 11.70.  Ironically, his control wasn't that much of a problem, as he had walked only five batters and had yet to hit anyone with a pitch.  Then Rusty Staub's hand got in the way and everything changed for the 1972 Mets.

Prior to the series against Atlanta, Staub was putting up MVP-caliber numbers for the Mets.  In the team's first 41 games, Staub was hitting .323 with seven home runs and 27 RBI.  He also had an excellent eye at the plate, walking 20 times while striking out on ten occasions.  As a result, his on-base percentage was among the league leaders at .403.  His power stroke also placed him near the top of the league in slugging percentage, as Staub was slugging .506 at the time.

Staub continued to play after getting hit in the hand by Stone, but his performance suffered.  On June 18, after playing six innings against the Cincinnati Reds, Staub was taken out of the game and missed a month of action.  At the time, the Mets were still in first place in the NL East, albeit by a slim half-game margin.  Staub came back one month later, played the entire game in an extra-inning affair against the Los Angeles Dodgers, then was promptly placed on the disabled list, where he missed another two months of action.  By the time he came back, the Mets had fallen to third place in the NL East and were 16½ games behind the eventual division champion Pittsburgh Pirates.  Although the Mets weren't mathematically eliminated until the day after Staub returned to the lineup, their season was lost back in June at the hands of George Stone.

The strong start by the 1972 Mets gave fans reason to believe that their team was going back to the World Series for the second time in four seasons.  They would have to wait another year for that to happen and they would have an unexpected figure play a role in that march to the pennant, a figure who they felt cost them that opportunity in 1972. 

It's Amazin' how one wonderful season can turn boos into cheers.

Soon after the completion of the 1972 season, the Mets felt they needed an upgrade at second base.  Ken Boswell had been with the Mets since 1967 and became their primary second baseman in their championship season of 1969.  But after hitting .273 for the team in 1971, Boswell became an automatic out in 1972, batting .211 in 100 games and reaching base at a .274 clip.  A change was needed at second base and the Braves were making their second sacker available.  On November 2, 1972, the Mets got their man, acquiring three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner Felix Millan from Atlanta for pitchers Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry.  Millan wasn't the only former Brave to come to New York in the deal, as George Stone made the trek up north to complete the deal.

George Heard Stone had had some success with the Braves early in his career.  From 1968 to 1970, Stone was used as both a starter and reliever for Atlanta, going 31-25 with three saves and a respectable 3.60 ERA.  After falling to 6-8 in 1971, Stone hit rock-bottom in 1972, going 6-11 with a 5.51 ERA.  He also didn't make many friends in New York with his season-changing hit by pitch of Rusty Staub.  But Stone was going to be a Met in 1973, and the team decided to put him in the bullpen to start the season.  That role didn't last for very long.

When the 1973 season began, Jim McAndrew was slated to be the team's fourth starter, behind Tom Seaver, Jon Matlack and Jerry Koosman.  But after his best year in the majors in 1972 (11-8, 2.80 ERA), McAndrew struggled mightily to start the 1973 campaign.  Although he was 3-3 in his first six starts, McAndrew was carrying a 4.73 ERA.  He was also not pitching deeply into games, averaging barely more than five innings per start (32⅓ IP in six starts).  McAndrew earned a save pitching in relief in a 19-inning marathon victory over the Dodgers in late May, but then pitched horribly against the same Dodgers just two days later, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks in only four innings of work.  A change was needed in the rotation and manager Yogi Berra gave George Stone a chance to redeem himself after a poor 1972 campaign in Atlanta.  It ended up being one of the best decisions made by the team in 1973.

On June 2, 1973, George Stone made his first start for the Mets after making seven relief appearances over the first two months of the season.  Stone was pitching brilliantly out of the pen, allowing only one run in 15 innings of work.  His best performance in relief came in the 19-inning game against the Dodgers in which Jim McAndrew collected his first and only save of the season.  Stone was the winning pitcher in that game, pitching six scoreless innings against Los Angeles.  The extended relief appearance prepared Stone for his first start a week later, this time against the San Diego Padres.  Stone pitched well against the Friars, giving up three runs in six innings.  He allowed only five hits and walked no one.  Unfortunately, the Mets were shut out by the Padres, 3-0, pinning Stone with his first loss of the season.

Stone would make five more starts over the next month, going 3-2 with a 3.32 ERA, which was respectable, but not great.  However, by then Jim McAndrew had completely lost any opportunity to return to the starting rotation, losing four consecutive decisions and watching his ERA spin out of control to 5.83.  Except for one start in August (another loss), McAndrew was in the bullpen for good, leaving the fourth spot in the rotation to George Stone.  It was an opportunity Stone would take full advantage of.

On a staff that featured Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack, it was George Stone who proved to be the most unbeatable pitcher during the second half of the 1973 season.

From July 14 to August 6, Stone started four games for the Mets, pitching nearly eight innings per start and allowing exactly two earned runs in each of the four starts.  The Mets won all four games, with Stone receiving credit for three of the wins.  Stone suffered a rare poor outing on August 11, a game in which he received a no-decision after he allowed six runs (four earned) in only one-third of an inning to San Francisco.  However, that would be the sole blip in the George Stone machine.  He followed up his outing against the Giants with 8⅔ innings of one-run ball against the Big Red Machine, with the only run scoring on a ninth-inning RBI single by future Hall of Famer Johnny Bench.  Again, Stone was credited with a no-decision as the Mets went on to lose the game, 2-1, in ten innings.  That no-decision streak would stretch to four in his next start (Stone got a no-decision in the Mets' victory on August 6 to start the streak), but the Mets did manage to win that game against the Dodgers, 4-3.

By late August, the Mets were in last place, a dozen games below .500.  However, despite their ugly 58-70 record, the Mets found themselves only 6½ games behind the first place Cardinals, who at 65-64 were leading the mediocre National League East.  Even after Tug McGraw told everyone on the team that "Ya Gotta Believe", it was difficult for anyone to believe that the Mets were going to play anything but the spoiler role in the National League East.  But George Stone, despite spoiling the Mets' season in 1972, was not going to be happy with just spoiling other teams' chances in the NL East.  He was absolutely a believer in the 1973 Mets and through his performances over the final month of the regular season, he was going to make everyone a believer, too.

At 58-70, no one was taking the Mets seriously in the lackluster NL East.  But George Stone still had something to prove to Mets fans.  On the night of August 27, 1973, Stone took the Shea Stadium mound against the San Diego Padres, the team that beat him in his first start of the season.  This time, Stone would not be denied.  He pitched seven strong innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while walking no one.  Stone also helped the Mets at the plate in that game.  With the Mets trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Stone reached first on a catcher's interference call to lead off the inning.  As fate would have it, it would be Rusty Staub who drove him in on the strength of a grand slam home run later in the inning.  Stone's victory on that late August night at Shea would prove to be the game that turned the Mets' season around.

From August 27 to the end of the season, the Mets won 24 of their last 33 games, passing every team in the National League East on their way to an unlikely division title.  George Stone's victory against the Padres began a streak in which he won five consecutive starts.  After defeating San Diego in August, Stone's next four starts were among his stingiest of the season, as he allowed five runs in 27⅓ innings for a 1.65 ERA.  Those starts were only part of an historic second half of the 1973 season for Stone.  Beginning on July 14, Stone won eight consecutive decisions and gave up three runs or less in 12 of his final 13 starts.  By season's end, Stone was 12-3 with a 2.80 ERA and the Mets were National League East champions for the second time in five years.

It was on to the playoffs for the Mets, where they would face the powerhouse Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.  After taking a two games to one lead over the Reds in the best-of-five series, George Stone was tabbed to help the Mets win the pennant in Game 4.  Stone was brilliant early on, allowing only two hits and one walk in six shutout innings.  But the Mets were also struggling at the plate, managing only one hit off Reds' starter Fred Norman and reliever Don Gullett through the first six innings.  But that one hit had produced the only run of the game, as the Mets took a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning.  However, one swing off the bat of Tony Perez changed all that, as his homer off Stone tied the game at 1.  Stone was taken out of the game and the Mets eventually lost in 12 innings.  Despite the no-decision, it was Stone's 13th game in 14 starts in which he allowed three runs or less.  The Mets did win the pennant the following night at Shea Stadium and they went on to play the defending World Series champion Oakland Athletics for the 1973 title, a series that may have been decided when Yogi Berra decided NOT to use George Stone.

Perhaps Yogi Berra wouldn't have been so stone-faced in this photo if he had let Stone face the A's.

Against the Oakland A's, manager Yogi Berra decided to go with a three-man rotation, sending Jon Matlack, Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver to the mound in Games 1, 2 and 3, while using George Stone out of the bullpen.  The move paid off in Game 2 of the World Series, even though it looked as if Berra was never going to use Stone in the game.

The Mets dropped Game 1 of the World Series by the final score of 2-1, so they weren't going to take any chances in Game 2.  After scoring four runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead, Berra brought in closer Tug McGraw to pitch in the bottom of the sixth.  McGraw got through the sixth unscathed, but gave up a run to Oakland in the seventh.  With a well-rested Stone in the bullpen, Berra left McGraw in the game to pitch the eighth inning.  After retiring the A's in order in the eighth, McGraw was allowed to pitch the ninth inning.  Unfortunately, Oakland tied the game with two runs in the ninth to send the game into extra innings.  Stone was ready to pitch in extra innings, but Berra wasn't ready to give up on his closer.

Tug McGraw had pitched two scoreless innings in Game 1 of the World Series.  One day later, he was not as fortunate, allowing three runs in four innings of work.  Despite the extra work, McGraw was summoned to start the tenth inning against the A's.  His next two innings were spectacular, as the Tugger retired all six batters to face him, with four coming via the strikeout.  The Mets finally responded in the 12th inning, scoring four times to take a 10-6 lead.  Incredibly, McGraw was allowed to start his seventh inning of work, but this time he didn't make it through the inning.  After allowing the first two batters in the 12th to reach base, George Stone was finally summoned to replace McGraw.

Pitching for the first time since Game 4 of the NLCS, Stone gave up an RBI single to his first batter, Jesus Alou, then issued a one-out walk to Mike Andrews to load the bases.  The A's had the bases loaded, veteran pinch-hitter Vic Davalillo representing the winning run at the plate and All-Star Bert Campaneris on deck.  Stone had worked his way into a jam, but reared back and retired Davalillo on a pop-up to second baseman Felix Millan.  With the bases still loaded, he then retired Campaneris on a groundout to shortstop Buddy Harrelson, earning the save and allowing the Mets to tie the series at one game apiece.

The Mets returned to Shea Stadium and won two of the three games at home, taking a 3-2 series lead back to Oakland.  Needing one win to capture their second title, the Mets decided to go with Tom Seaver on three days rest in Game 6, bypassing the opportunity to use George Stone, who had only pitched one inning over the first five games of the series.  It was a move that would forever be questioned by Mets fans everywhere, as Seaver allowed single runs in the first and third innings and the Mets lost, 3-1.

By using Seaver instead of Stone in Game 6, the Mets were left without their ace in Game 7 and were forced to use second-year starter Jon Matlack to pitch the first seventh game in Mets history.  Matlack was knocked out early, allowing four runs in 2⅔ innings.  By the time the Mets came to bat in the seventh inning, the score was 5-1 and the season was slipping away.  George Stone was finally brought into the game in the bottom of the seventh to stop the bleeding, which he did, pitching two scoreless innings.  However, he would be the last Met to take the mound in 1973, as the Mets were only able to push across one run in the ninth inning, losing the game and the World Series.

If George Stone had started Game 6, this might not have been the only ring won by the Mets in '73.

Although he had a surprisingly good regular season, Stone was barely used in the postseason.  He started one of the five games in the NLCS and was used in relief twice in the World Series, allowing a combined one run on seven hits in 9⅔ innings.  Despite the unfortunate ending to the 1973 season, the Mets expected to contend for the division title in 1974 with George Stone joining Seaver, Koosman and Matlack as part of a formidable rotation.  Instead, they formed the nucleus of one of the most disappointing teams in Mets history.

Stone started 13 games for the Mets in 1974, fighting through injuries and finishing the year with a 2-7 record and a 5.03 ERA.  After finishing one win short of a championship in 1973, the Mets finished 20 games under .500 in 1974.  They did recover to win 82 games in 1975, but Stone did not recapture his 1973 magic, going 3-3 with a 5.05 ERA in 11 starts.  Although he was only 28 years old, Stone's career as a Met was over.

Four years after breaking the hand of Rusty Staub, George Stone was traded to the Texas Rangers for (ironically) a pitcher named Hands.  Neither player involved in the trade ever pitched in the major leagues again.

George Stone was disliked by Mets fans when the team acquired him five months after effectively ending their 1972 season.  But the boos directed at Stone quickly turned to cheers as the 1973 season progressed.  Stone was one of the most unexpected success stories in 1973, helping the Mets advance to the World Series after they had been left for dead in the National League East.  His .800 winning percentage led all Mets pitchers and his 2.80 ERA was second only to Tom Seaver.

Although Stone only won five more games as a Met following the 1973 season, he left an indelible mark in the minds of Mets fans who were rooting for another miracle to occur.  When George Stone was traded to the Mets prior to the 1973 season, he was basically a throw-in in a deal meant to strengthen the middle of the infield.  But he became a key cog in helping his teammates and the fans believe that miracles can happen where you least expect them to.  He may have had only one good season in New York, but what a wonderful season it was for both George Stone and the Mets.


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

Bobby V Becomes Bobby VIII

Former Met player, coach and skipper Bobby Valentine will be officially introduced as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.  When he takes his place in the dugout on Opening Day 2012, Valentine will become the eighth former Mets manager to take over the reins of another team after his tenure with the Mets had ended.

Since the Mets haven't exactly been giving me much to write about, I thought it would be interesting to see how the other seven managers did with their new teams after they managed their last game in Flushing.  Some have had outstanding results, while some should have stayed away from the dugout, including one manager who barely the managed the Mets, then had a shorter stay with the Mets' expansion sibling.

Enough chit-chat already!  Let's get to the Magnificent (and not-so-magnificent) Seven, shall we?

Wes Westrum

After Casey Stengel retired during the 1965 season, Wes Westrum was tabbed as the Ol' Perfessor's replacement.  Westrum, who spent his entire 11-year playing career as a member of the New York Giants, finished the 1965 season with a 19-48 record after taking over for the only manager the Mets had ever known.

In 1966, Westrum accomplished two things his predecessor couldn't do - he led the Mets out of the basement and also presided over their first non-100 loss season, which was quite an accomplishment for a team that had never lost fewer than 109 games in its short existence.  Unfortunately, even with rookie sensation Tom Seaver joining the Mets in 1967, the team regressed, losing 101 games during the Franchise's first season.  Westrum didn't stick around to see the team reach the century mark in losses, resigning as manager with 11 games to play.

In 1974, Westrum's former team, now playing in San Francisco, reached out to him to manage the team after Charlie Fox was relieved of his duties midway through the season.  Westrum fared better with the Giants than he did with the Mets, but he still could manage a winning record, going 38-48 to close out the 1974 season, followed by an 80-81 mark in 1975.

Salty Parker

After Wes Westrum resigned as manager of the Mets in 1967, Francis James Parker (better known as Salty) became the interim manager for the team's final 11 games, going 4-7 during his two week stint as Mets manager.  Parker had a tendency to do baseball-related things in 11-game stretches.  His playing career in the major leagues lasted (you guessed it) 11 games as a member of the 1936 Detroit Tigers.

Parker didn't manage the Mets again after the 1967 season.  Some guy named Gil Hodges replaced him to start the 1968 season.  However, he did manage (no pun intended) to return to the dugout as a big league skipper again in 1972 with the Houston Astros.  Unfortunately, that stint couldn't even make it to the 11-game mark, but it was never supposed to.  Parker managed the Astros for one game in 1972 after Harry Walker was unceremoniously let go despite the fact that Houston was on its way to recording its first winning season in franchise history.  (The Astros were 67-54 at the time of Walker's firing.)  Walker's replacement, Leo Durocher, could not join the Astros immediately, necessitating the one-game fill-in for Parker as Astros manager.  But at least he was victorious in his "one-and-done" with Houston.

Yogi Berra

After the sudden death of Gil Hodges in 1972, Yogi Berra was tabbed to replace the man who led the Miracle Mets to the 1969 World Series championship.  After leading the Mets to their second-best record in franchise history (83-73 in the strike-shortened 1972 season), Yogi overcame a series of boo-boos on the field in 1973 to lead the team to its second World Series appearance.  The Mets struggled again in 1974, but this time they failed to make a late season run, finishing 20 games below .500.  Berra was fired in 1975 after the team played mediocre baseball for most of the season.

Yogi did not get another chance to manage in the major leagues until the Yankees called upon their former Hall of Fame catcher to fill the vacant managerial position in 1984.  Although Berra won 87 games in his first season as Yankee manager, it represented a four-game decrease in wins from the Billy Martin-led 1983 team.  After a 6-10 start in 1985, Berra was shockingly fired by the Yankees and replaced by the man he replaced a year earlier, Billy Martin.

Joe Torre

In 1977, Joe Torre became the first and only player/manager in Mets history.  Two days after the infamous "Midnight Massacre", Torre ended his playing career to focus exclusively on managing his ragtag group of misfits.  Perhaps he should've stayed on the field.  Under Torre, the Mets never won more than 67 games in a full season, with the team finishing dead last in the NL East in three of his five seasons.

Following his stint with the Mets, Torre managed the Atlanta Braves for three seasons, leading them to the NL West title in 1982.  In 1990, Torre took over for Red Schoendienst in St. Louis and managed the Cardinals until 1995.  Although he failed to win a division title in St. Louis, he never finished lower than third place in any full season with the team.  Then came 1996 and the New York Yankees.  You probably know what happened next so I'll skip that part.

Following his time with the Mets' crosstown rivals, Torre took his final managerial job with the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading them to back-to-back NLCS appearances.  After an 80-82 finish in 2010, Torre retired from managing and is now Executive VP for Baseball Operations for MLB, which is a fancy term for "he's a pretty big kahuna now".

George Bamberger

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  That was the case for George Bamberger not once, but twice.  Prior to managing the Mets, Bambi was the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers from 1978-1980.  The Brewers then went on to the playoffs in 1981 (as the second-half winners of the AL East) and made their first (and only) pennant in 1982.  Where was Bamberger when the Brewers were on their way to the World Series?  He was managing the Mets to a last place finish, that's where.

Then in 1983, after he "suffered enough" with the Mets through their 16-30 start, he resigned as manager.  Of course, the year after Bamberger left the Mets, they went on to post 90 wins for the first time since 1969 and began the most successful era in franchise history, which included two division titles and the 1986 World Series championship.  Where was Bamberger in 1986?  He was back in Milwaukee, managing the Brewers to their second consecutive last place finish.  Wrong place.  Wrong time.

Davey Johnson

Davey Johnson needs no introduction.  He is only the winningest manager in franchise history.  The Mets had enjoyed one 90-win season during their first 22 years of existence.  Davey Johnson managed the team to five consecutive 90-win seasons from 1984-1988.  His "worst" full season as Mets manager came in 1989, when the team won "only" 87 games.  After Johnson was fired by the Mets in 1990, he didn't wait very long to get another managerial position, taking over for the terminated Tony Perez in Cincinnati in 1993.

In Cincinnati, Johnson led the Reds to division titles in 1994 and 1995.  In 1996, he took over the reins in Baltimore, leading the Orioles to an 88-win season.  He followed that up with a 98-win season in 1997 and the AL East division crown, only to have Jeffrey Maier and the Yankees end his season early.  Due to a spat with Orioles' owner Peter Angelos (not the first time Davey dueled with the front office of a team he was managing at the time), Johnson resigned after the 1997 season.  The Orioles have not had a winning season since.

Johnson spent two uneventful season in Los Angeles in 1999 and 2000, then dropped out of the managerial spotlight until 2011, when he was hired to replace Jim Riggleman as manager of the Washington Nationals.  Although the Nationals went 40-43 after Johnson took over, they still finished in third place in the NL East.  It was the highest they had ever finished in the division since moving from Montreal prior to the 2005 season.

Jeff Torborg

Vince Coleman.  Bobby Bonilla.  Bret Saberhagen.  Jeff Kent.  Those were just some of the names associated with the team forever known as "The Worst Team Money Could Buy".  Those were also the names of players managed by Jeff Torborg during his two-year stint as Mets manager.  In 1992, the former AL Manager of the Year (1990) was brought in to bring the Mets back to contention in the NL East after they had finished the 1991 season with their first losing mark in eight years.  Torborg "led" the Mets to a 72-90 finish in 1992, which was actually quite good considering that in 1993, the Mets lost over 100 games for the first time since the days of Wes Westrum (see, it all comes full circle).  Alas, Torborg was not there to see the 1993 Mets complete their 103-loss campaign, as he was fired after beginning the season with a 13-25 record.

After doing his part to blow up the team in 1993 (Vince Coleman wasn't the only one capable of doing that), Torborg managed the Expos briefly in 2001, going 47-62 in Montreal, followed by a short stint in Florida.  After going 79-83 with the Marlins in 2002, Torborg was fired after a 16-22 start in 2003.  Florida responded to Torborg's termination by winning the World Series under new manager Jack McKeon.  Hence, Torborg went from managing "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" to being fired from "The Best Team Money Didn't Buy".  Ah, symmetry is a beautiful thing.