Agony of the Astros

The past 10 seasons or so have put an end to a lot of World Series misery for suffering franchises. The Red Sox, White Sox, Angels and Giants all won historic titles for their teams. The Cardinals and Phillies gave a new generation a title of their own. And of course those poor suffering Yankee fans got their first title in 9 seasons.

But one team that continues to torment their fans will begin their 49th season with little hope for their first World Series title.

The Astros finally won a pennant in 2005, but their team is still ringless.

Usually the Astros aren’t mentioned as one of the long suffering teams. Perhaps because they don’t have the long history dating to black and white film the way the Red Sox and Cubs and Indians droughts did.

Maybe it is because Houston isn’t considered to be a baseball town. (I have never stepped foot in Houston, but I have interacted with a lot of passionate Astros fans on line… I bet it is a bigger baseball town than people give them credit for.)

Or maybe it is because the Astros have oddly tried to shake their cool identity as the team of the future with some faux old fashioned nostalgia. But I already wrote about that.

But either way, a close look at Houston Astros post season history shows a staggering number of close games, walk off losses and games ending with the winning run either at the plate or on base.

They participated in 3 of the greatest League Championship Series in history (2 of which were overshadowed by a Boston and New York classic but have stood the test of time as heart stopping.)

A bounce here or a catch there, the Astros could have several more pennants or a World Series title. Instead they have a litany of post season losses that makes even this hardened Red Sox fan say “Wow… these games are rough.”

Yes they have had a few victories that should always be remembered. (Jeff Kent’s walk off shot in the 2004 NLCS or the 18 inning marathon capped off by Chris Burke’s home run in 2005 come to mind.) But those are outweighed by the heart break.

Even the greatest moment in the team’s history (the 2005 NLCS) is best remembered for a 9th inning collapse.

So look away Astros fans… these are the post season games the Astros lost where either the other team won in their last at bat or Houston had the winning run at the plate.


GAME 4 - 1980 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAPIONSHIP SERIES
October 11, 1980.
PHILLIES 5, ASTROS 3 - 10 innings.
The Astros were one game from winning the National League pennant. They built a 2-0 lead and loaded the bases in the 6th inning, knocking out Phillies ace Steve Carlton. Luis Pujols hit a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0, but the umpire ruled that Gary Woods left third too early and was called out on the appeal.

Pete Rose led a go ahead rally with some clutch hitting and alert base running in the 8th. Terry Puhl tied the game for the Astros in the 9th and was on first base representing the 1980 pennant. Instead Enos Cabel hit a drive to right field and Phillies outfielder Bake McBride picked off Puhl going back to first.

In the 10th, the Phillies got a pair of 2 out RBI doubles to take the lead for good.


GAME 5 - 1980 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 12, 1980
PHILLIES 8, ASTROS 7 - 10 innings

The Astros tied the game in the 6th and took a 5-2 lead with a wild 7th inning rally and were only 6 outs from the World Series with Nolan Ryan on the mound.

The Phillies got a run and Joe Sambito came in with the bases loaded and nobody out. He got an out but let up a run. Ken Forsch got Mike Schmidt to strike out looking... 4 outs from the Series.

But Del Unser tied the game with a single and Manny Trillo gave the Phillies the lead on a triple. But in the bottom of the 8th, the Astros rallied off of Tug McGraw and had the go ahead run on third when Denny Walling grounded out.

In the bottom of the 9th, Dave Bergman, Alan Ashby and Craig Reynolds all came to the plate representing the pennant. They went down 1-2-3. Garry Maddox hit a 2 out double to give the Phillies the lead for good in the 10th and for good measure caught the pennant clinching out.

The Astros lost an NLCS where in two different innings they could have won with a single 9th inning run. The Phillies would go on to win the World Series


GAME 4 - 1981 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
October 10, 1981
DODGERS 2, ASTROS 1

With the player's strike forcing a Divisional Playoff in 1981, the Astros won the first two games in extra innings and needed just one win in Chavez Ravine to get back to the NLCS.

The Dodgers won Game 3 and sent ace Fernando Valenzuela to the mound for Game 4. Vern Ruhle pitched well for the Astros but let up a home run to Pedro Guerrero and an RBI hit to Bill Russell.

Valenzuela didn't let a runner get into scoring position until the 8th, but in the 9th, the Astros got on the board and had the go ahead run at the plate in the form of Jose Cruz. He popped up to catcher Mike Scioscia. The Astros would lose Game 5 and complete the collapse blowing a 2-0 series lead.

The Dodgers would go on to win the World Series.

GAME 3 - 1986 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 11, 1986
METS 6, ASTROS 5

The Astros had a very simple strategy for winning the 1986 pennant against the favored Mets: Have Mike Scott win his three games and steal another game somewhere else.

When Houston took a 4-0 second inning lead in Game 3, it looked like they were well on their way to a win. Darryl Strawberry tied the game with a 6th inning homer but Ray Knight's error in the 7th opened up a go ahead rally for the Astros in the 7th.

In the bottom of the 9th, just 2 outs away from taking a 2-1 series lead and handing the ball to Scott for game 4, Lenny Dykstra hit a 2 run, come from behind walk off home run to give the Mets the win.


GAME 5 - 1986 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 14, 1986
METS 2, ASTROS 1 - 12 innings

Mike Scott did indeed give the Astros a series tying win in Game 4. Not to be outdone, Nolan Ryan threw a masterpiece in Game 5. 9 innings, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts and only 2 hits. It is a line to win 9 out of 10 times.

But one of the hits was a home run by Darryl Strawberry and the Astros could only get one run off of Dwight Gooden over 10 innings.

Houston left runners in scoring position in the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 10th. In the 12th, Wally Backman singled, moved to second on a botched pickoff play and came home on Gary Carter's walk off single.


GAME 6 - 1986 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 15, 1986
METS 7, ASTROS 6 - 16 innings

Without question, one of the greatest playoff games in baseball history. The Astros ran up a 3-0 lead in the first inning and with the specter of Mike Scott looming for a Game 7, looked like they were in control. Bob Knepper was nothing short of brilliant, much like Ryan was the day before.

But the Mets bullpen shut down the Astros after the first and the Mets rallied in the 9th with 3 runs. Dave Smith let up two 3-2 walks before Ray Knight tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

In the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th a single run would have won the game for the Astros. 16 batters came to the plate, each with the ability to win the game. 15 of them were retired.

The Mets scored in the 14th but Billy Hatcher tied the game with a home run with the Astros 2 outs from elimination. Then 5 more batters came to the plate with the ability to end the game between the 14th and 15th. All were retired.

The Houston bats didn't come to life until the Mets took a 3 run 16th inning lead. The Astros scored twice and had the tying run on second and the winning run on first. Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass to end the marathon.

Mike Scott never did get that third start despite two games where the Astros had a 9th inning lead and another game where an ace threw a masterpiece.

The Mets went on to win the World Series.


GAME 1 - 1998 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
September 29, 1998
PADRES 2, ASTROS 1

The 1998 Astros won 102 games and with newly acquired ace Randy Johnson were not just happy to win the Division. They had a pennant on their mind.

Johnson pitched well, going 8 innings with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk. But the Padres were also renting an ace. Kevin Brown went 8 strong with 2 hits and an amazing 16 strikeouts.

Down 2-0 in the 9th, the Astros faced relief ace Trevor Hoffman and rallied. Moises Alou tied the game with a hit and an error by Ken Caminiti. Carl Everett represented the winning run at the plate but flew out to center field to end the threat.

The Padres would win the series and go on to win the National League pennant.



GAME 3 - 1999 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
October 8, 1999
BRAVES 5, ASTROS 3 - 12 innings.

The Astros had a chance to take a 2-1 series lead with a game 3 win. And with Tom Glavine looking wild in the first inning, Houston's chances looked good. But Glavine settled down and eventually the Braves took a 3-2 lead.

In the 7th, the Astros tied the game but left the bases loaded. In the 9th inning, where a single run could have won the game, the Astros went 1-2-3.

Then came the 10th... one of the most underrated innings in terms of team agony. The Astros loaded the bases with nobody out. John Rocker got one out with a force at home. Then Tony Eusebio hit a grounder up the middle that looked destined to go into centerfield for a walk off hit.

Veteran Walt Weiss dove for the ball but still had to make a play. He threw a strike home getting Ken Caminiti at the plate for out number two. Rocker got out of the inning.

In the 11th, the Astros left another runner stranded before the Braves put up a pair of 2 out runs in the 12th. Kevin Millwood, on 1 days rest after throwing a complete game in Game 2 got the save for Atlanta.

The Braves would close out the series the next day and eventually go on to win the National League Pennant.


GAME 2 - 2001 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
October 10, 2001
BRAVES 1, ASTROS 0

The Astros had homefield advantage throughout the postseason for the first time since 1980 and looked to overturn the Braves in the Division Series.

After blowing a 3-2 8th inning lead to lose Game 1, they looked to even the series in Game 2. Dave Mlicki went up against Tom Glavine and held his own with 5 innings and no earned runs.

Unfortunately for the Astros there was an unearned run thanks to Julio Lugo's error on a Julio Franco grounder.

Nothing went right for the Astros as Brad Ausmus missed a home run by less than a foot in the 5th inning and in the 8th, Marcus Giles made a diving play to stop an Astros rally. In the 9th with a runner on base, Lance Berkman faced John Smoltz as the winning run. He hit a line drive that Julio Franco turned into a back breaking double play.

The Braves would go on to win the game and sweep the series.

GAME 2 - 2004 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
October 7, 2004
BRAVES 4, ASTROS 2 - 11 innings


It was Braves vs. Astros for the fourth time in the Division Series in 2004. The Braves won the previous three match ups. The Astros took game 1 of the 2004 series and looked to bring a 2-0 advantage back to Texas.

Jeff Bagwell and Raul Chavez homered to put Houston up 2-0 with Roy Oswalt on the mound.

But Braves infielder Rafael Furcal had ulterior motives for a Braves comeback. He was arrested for DUI and was sentenced to a short stint in prison. The one catch was his time would start when the Braves were eliminated. So facing the clink, Furcal singled home the first Braves run in the 7th. The Braves tied it off of Brad Lidge (and after there was some controversy over whether or not the bullpen phones at Turner Field worked.)

The Astros blew a scoring chance in the 10th and in the bottom of the 11th, Furcal hit a walk off homer against Dan Miceli to give the Braves life and prolong his own freedom.


GAME 4 - 2004 NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES
October 10, 2004
BRAVES 6, ASTROS 5

After a Game 3 win, the Astros seemed poised to win their first ever playoff series and finally beat their tormentors, the Braves. With a 5-2 lead in the 3rd and Roger Clemens on the mound, the clinching seemed inevitable.

But manager Phil Garner inexplicably lifted Clemens after only 5 innings. Reliever Chad Qualls coughed up a game tying homer to Adam LaRoche in the 6th inning and suddenly it turned into a battle of the bullpens.

In the 8th inning, Garner did not double switch when he brought in relief ace Brad Lidge into the game. As a result in the bottom of the 8th in a crucial situation with the go ahead run on third, Garner had to replace Lidge after only 2/3 of an inning with pinch hitter Orlando Palmeiro. He grounded out on a close play at first base that prevented the go ahead runner to score.

Reliever Russ Springer was scored upon giving the Braves the lead. In the bottom of the 9th, the Astros rallied and the tying run on third and the run that could clinch the series at first with only one out and Jeff Kent on the mound. But Smoltz got him to hit into a game ending double play and send the series back to Atlanta.

There the Astros won Game 5 handily for their first ever post season series win. The next year the Astros beat the Braves again, highlighted by the 18 inning marathon and Chris Burke's homer. Houston had finally gotten past Atlanta. But there would be other dragons to slay.


GAME 6 - 2004 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 20, 2004
CARDINALS 6, ASTROS 4, 12 innings

For the third time in their history, the Astros were in the NLCS. And, as was the 1980 and 1986 series, it was a classic series for the ages.

The home team won each of the first 5 games, including a 3-0 thriller in Game 5 when Jeff Kent ended a scoreless tie with a walk off 3 run jack.

The Astros were one win from the World Series when starter Pete Munro was knocked out of the game in the third inning. Phil Garner had to go to his bullpen much earlier than he wanted and that would come back to haunt the Astros.

The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead into the 9th inning and closer Jason Isringhausen was one out away from sending the series to a 7th game. But Astros slugger Jeff Bagwell got a 2 out RBI single to tie the game at 4.

A double steal by Carlos Beltran and Bagwell put two runners in scoring position for Lance Berkman and a chance to put the Astros ahead going into the bottom of the 9th was 90 feet away. But Lance Berkman struck out.

Now Garner had to bring in his closer Brad Lidge to keep the Cardinals at bay. He responded with a perfect 9th, 10th and 11th. But the Astros, looking to win the pennant with a run and a scoreless bottom of the inning, couldn't get on base. Finally an exhausted Lidge was liften and Dan Miceli came in to pitch the 10th. Pujols walked and with 1 out, Jim Edmonds launched a walk off shot to tie the series up.

The Cardinals would come from behind the next game and clinch the National League Pennant.


GAME 5 - 2005 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
October 17, 2005
CARDINALS 5, ASTROS 4

The Cardinals were heavily favored in the rematch LCS in 2005. The Astros were coming off another hard fought Division Series against Atlanta highlighted by the 18 inning marathon. St. Louis was barely challenged by the Padres.

But Houston surprised all the experts by taking a 3-1 lead including a pair of thrillers in Games 3 and 4.

Houston was ready for a clinching party in Game 5. Andy Pettitte and Chris Carpenter both pitched well as St. Louis took a slim 2-1 lead into the 7th. Lance Berkman hit a three run homer in the 7th inning to give the Astros a 4-2 lead.

In the 9th, Brad Lidge got the first two batters out and Minute Maid Park was going nuts as the pennant clincher was now inevitable. But a single by Eckstein and a walk to Edmonds brought Albert Pujols to the plate.

On an 0-1 count Pujols hit one of the biggest, no doubt about it homers ever seen. Minute Maid Park became a morgue. The Cardinals were now ahead and Lidge was shellshocked as the Cardinals went on to win.

Two days later, the Astros managed to clinch the pennant in St. Louis with Roy Oswalt earning playoff MVP honors. Dan Wheeler, not Brad Lidge, closed out the series.

In many ways, Pujols' home run was like Carlton Fisk's homer in the 1975 World Series. His team wound up losing but the dramatic blast became the single most iconic moment of the 2005 post season.


GAME 2 - 2005 WORLD SERIES
October 23, 2005
WHITE SOX 7, ASTROS 6

Finally in the World Series, the Astros lost the opener in Chicago. In Game 2, Lance Berkman doubled home a pair of runs in the 5th to give the Astros a 4-2 lead over the White Sox.

The score remained the same until the 7th when Dan Wheeler got two quick outs but then got into trouble. A full count to Jermaine Dye led to a hit by pitch that looked like it missed him to just about everyone who saw the play.

With the bases loaded, Chad Qualls came into the game in relief. His first pitch to Paul Konerko was deposited into the seats for a go ahead grand slam.

In the 9th inning with 2 outs, the Astros rallied highlighted by Jose Vizcaino's pinch hit 2 run single that tied the game with Division Series hero Chris Burke sliding under A. J. Pierzynski's tag.

Brad Lidge made his first appearance since the Albert Pujols homer in the 9th, getting Juan Uribe to fly out in the rain. Then he faced Scott Podsednik, who hit a grand total of 1 home run in 2005. (His lone homer was in the Division Series against the Red Sox. He had no regular season homers.)

It's one thing to let up a homer to a Hall of Fame slugger like Pujols. But Podsednik, whose regular season home run total I matched, is a different story. He launched one into center field and everyone on the planet Earth thought "Maybe it is a triple." Somehow he made it over the wall.

Lidge's woes continued and the White Sox were up 2-0.


GAME 3 - 2005 WORLD SERIES
October 25, 2005
WHITE SOX 7, ASTROS 5 - 14 innings

For a team with a single pennant in their history, the Astros sure have had their share of extra inning post season games. And Game 3 of the 2005 World Series was as heart breaking as any game in their history.

For the first time ever, Houston hosted a World Series game and it looked like it was going to be a momentum shifter when they gave NLCS MVP Roy Oswalt a 4-0 lead. But the White Sox erupted for 5 runs in the 5th, highlighted by A. J. Pierzynski's 2 out 2 run double.

But the Astros responded with 2 outs and nobody on in the 8th and Jason Lane doubled off of Dustin Hermanson to tie the game. The go ahead run was on third when Brad Ausmus struck out to end the threat.

In the bottom of the 9th against ancient Orlando Hernandez, the Astros had the winning run on third base with one out. Eventually they loaded the bases and Morgan Ensberg came up with a chance to win it. He struck out, sending it to extra innings.

Two Houston runners were left on base in the 10th and 11th. A lead off walk was squandered in the 13th. 23 batters came to the plate, all with the ability to end the game with one swing of the bat.

With 2 outs in the 14th, Ezequiel Astacio let up a solo homer to White Sox reserve infielder Geoff Blum. The homer rattled Astacio who lost all control, loading the bases and walking seldom used reserve catcher Chris Widger to force in an insurance run.

In the bottom of the 14th, a walk and an error brought the winning run to the plate for the Astros. But Mark Buehrle came out of the bullpen for a rare save and the White Sox were up 3-0.


GAME 4 - 2005 WORLD SERIES
October 26, 2005
WHITE SOX 1, ASTROS 0
A day after the 14 inning marathon, the Astros hoped to do what the Red Sox did just a year before and come back from an 0-3 hole. And it would be Brandon Backe being the unlikely leader of a come back (e).

He pitched 7 brilliant shutout innings, letting up 5 hits, striking out 7 and walking none. Freddy Garcia of the White Sox matched him inning for inning. The Astros had runners in scoring position in the 1st and 2nd and loaded the bases in the 6th.

They couldn't score.

Brad Lidge came into the scoreless game in the 8th and allowed reserve infielder Willie Harris to single. With two outs, Series MVP Jermaine Dye singled home Harris.

The Astros got two runners on against Cliff Politte in the 8th, but Neal Cotts got out of the jam. In the 9th inning, Bobby Jenks let up a lead off hit to Jason Lane. With one out and Lane on second Chris Burke hit a foul ball that Juan Uribe leaped into the stands to catch. Orlando Palmeiro came up representing the winning run but grounded out on a bang bang play at first.

The White Sox won the World Series, holding the Astros to 1 run in their final 19 innings.




Wow... that's a lot of heart break. Walk off homers from unlikely sources. Great pitching chances squandered. The winning run stranded on base. Runners being picked off. Odd bullpen decisions. 8 extra inning losses.

A bounce here in 1980, a carom there in 1986, an extra hop in 1999, a pop up in 2004 or a run driven in in 2005 and who knows? The Astros might have a few World Series banners flying.

A team like the Marlins have two World Series titles where they seemed to get every single break.

But the Astros?
They have the most underrated angst in all of baseball.

It might not be as LONG as Cubs or Indians suffering... but there is a lot of pain in those orange unis!

Sully Baseball Honors... The 1981 Houston Astros Future Stars

When I was a kid collecting Topps cards, I used to love the Future Stars card.

I always trusted the Future Card. Why would Topps lie to me? The players on the card were ALL destined for stardom.

Granted, they didn't look 100% reliable when they picked players like Mike O'Berry and Keith MacWorther for future Red Sox stardom... but hey! Everyone can make a bad pick from time to time.

Now I stumbled across this 1981 Topps card of the Astros Future Stars. While none of them became a true star, each name on this card is worth noting for one reason or another.


DANNY HEEP

The native Texan played for 13 seasons in the bigs, only playing more than 100 games a season in two of them.

He was a platoon player and left handed pinch hitter who in his career saw some of the great moments of 1980s baseball in uniform.

He played for the Astros in the 1980 NLCS against the Phillies, which was arguably the greatest best of 5 series in baseball history.

As a member of the 1986 Mets, he was a pinch hitter in the amazing 16 inning marathon NLCS Game 6 against his former team, the Astros.

In the famous Game 6 of the 1986 World Series, he came up as a pinch hitter again tying the game as a run scored on his fifth inning double play.

In 1988, he played for the Dodgers against his former Mets teammates in the NLCS. In the epic momentum shifting Game 4, Heep once again came up as a pinch hitter.

In the World Series Game 1 that year, the "Kirk Gibson Game", Heep once again came up as a pinch hitter.

Later he played for the 1990 AL East Champion Red Sox and played for the 1991 Braves, but was cut before they won the NL Pennant.

I guess asking him to be on ANOTHER miracle pennant winner would have been too much to ask. But for a part time pinch hitter, four trips to the post season and two World Series rings and playing in so many memorable games isn't anything to sneeze at.


ALAN KNICELY

Astros fans were patient with Knicely. He was an Astros Future Star in 1980 as well. He played 7 games with the Astros in 1979, 1 in 1980 and 3 in 1981. So later when he had a HIS OWN baseball card it looked impressive like he played 3 seasons between 79 and 81 instead of just 11 games.

In 1981, he managed to hit 2 homers in those 3 games... both against the eventual World Champion Dodgers. (One off of Bob Welch and one was an 8th inning game tying shot off of Dave Goltz.)

Maybe the Astros should have had him on their 1981 Divisional Series roster against the Dodgers that year.

BOBBY SPROWL

Red Sox fans might be amused to see Sprowl picked as a future star for 1981. Turn the clocks back to 1978 and Don Zimmer must have thought he was a budding star right then and there.

In a critical game on September 10th, 1978 between the Red Sox and Yankees, Boston was trying to end a crippling losing streak. The Yankees were trying to sweep a 4 game series in Fenway and pull into a tie with Boston.

Who should Don Zimmer start? Veteran Yankee killer Bill Lee? Or 22 rookie Sprowl who had one big league start under his belt?

Zimmer went with Sprowl. In Spaceman, I asked "Why in the name of Yahweh was Bobby Sprowl pitching in a pennant race?" He was pitching because Zimmer let his pride get in the way. He was told that Sprowl had ice water in his veins.

That might have been true, but throwing him into that game against the defending champs was simply cruel.

Sprowl didn't last an inning. Bill Lee came out of the bullpen and threw 2 1/3 shutout innings.

Sprowl never won a game that year.
He never EVER won a game in the bigs.

Topps optimistically made him a future star based on his 10-11 season for Tuscon in 1980.
Alas it never was to be.

Not in Boston nor in Houston.


So there you have it... one guy was a veteran of many post seasons... one should have been a post season weapon... and the other was thrown into the deep end too soon.

Stars?
Maybe not... but worth a Sully Baseball salute.

NEW YORK METS - ALL TIME HOME GROWN TEAM vs. ALL TIME ACQUIRED TEAM

I’ve got 26 more teams to breakdown their homegrown vs. acquired all time roster and only 3 ½ months to do it.

No time to rest.
We did the Yankees… let’s go across town and check out the Mets.

Ahhh the Mets. It takes a certain kind of character to be a Mets fan. You have the option of the Yankees who have the tradition, the history, the championships and the clean crisp uniforms.

Or you have the Mets who give their fans a treat about every other decade but the rest of the time their fans sink into their seats, face in their hands and shake their head thinking “Why do I root for this team?”

Because you are Masochists!!!!

Or you think it builds character. (Like there’s a difference.)

As always, the rules for this exercise can be found here.

Let’s makes a list!

ALL TIME HOME GROWN METS TEAM

STARTING CATCHER
TODD HUNDLEY

He was a hard nosed fan favorite who never hit more than 16 homers a year… and then suddenly set the single season home run record for catchers with 41. Hmmmm. His name came up in the Mitchell Report (who knew?) but he was so popular in Queens that a lot of Met fans wanted him over Mike Piazza.





STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
ED KRANEPOOL

The youngest member of the original 1962 Met team (he was only 17!) Kranepool stuck around and was a steady if not spectacular player for the 1969 and 1973 Met teams. A native New York, he also did a series of strange commercials for Foamy shaving cream. Believe it or not, they are NOT available on Youtube.





STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
EDGARDO ALFONZO

About as popular a Met as I can remember… made the All Star Team as a second baseman and then moved to third base when Robbie Alomar came over. When the Mets let him go and he signed with the Giants, “Fonzie” bought as space on taxi cabs thanking New York fans for the love. I don’t think Bobby Bonilla did that.





STARTING SHORTSTOP
BUD HARRELSON

When I was a kid, I had a copy of the book “How To Play Better Baseball” supposedly written by Harrelson. I read it. It didn’t work. He did a little bit of everything for the Mets. He was a 2 time All Star shortstop, a coach, a manager and for about 3 minutes a broadcaster.




STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
DAVID WRIGHT

The Mets have a horrible history having stability at third base, but that is all probably over with Wright. Met fans hope he is their answer to Derek Jeter. It might be early to talk like that, but he’s been in the bigs for 4 ½ seasons and have put up MVP caliber numbers in each season. He’s already got multiple Gold Gloves and Silver Sluggers. Put a ring on his finger and he might be the next New York baseball God. And he seems to be taking all the pressure in stride.



STARTING LEFT FIELDER
MOOKIE WILSON

His stats were never eye popping and the Mets ultimately sent him packing for Jeff Musselman… but is one of the most loved Mets of all time. I’m sure it had as much to do with his hustle, his positive attitude, the fact that he was a good guy in a club house filled with trouble makers and his dynamic speed as being the guy who hit the ball that trickled through Buckner’s legs.



STARTING CENTER FIELDER
LEE MAZZILLI

When the Yankees were winning World Series and had the complete attention of the city, the Mets needed some sort of attraction. If they called Central Casting, they couldn’t have found a better marquee player for late 1970s New York than Mazzilli. He was handsome, he could hit, he was a native New Yorker and had that cool “Travolta Italian” quality that was all the rage. Helped the Mets when he was dealt to the Rangers for Ron Darling. The Mets rewarded him by reacquiring him for the 1986 stretch run where he picked up a ring. He was so popular in Queens that Steinbrenner had to swipe him twice. First as a player (in exchange for Bucky Dent) and later as a coach.



STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
DARRYL STRAWBERRY

Could you imagine what this guy could have been if he didn’t derail his career? As it was, it was a pretty impressive career. 4 MVP caliber seasons and that devastating helicopter like swing! That shot off of Al Nipper in game 7 of the 1986 World Series hasn’t landed yet. Hopefully he saved some of the $30 million he made over his career.

\

TOP PINCH HITTER OFF OF THE BENCH
DAVE MAGADAN

Did you know Dave Magadan played for 16 years in the majors? I remember watching a game in 2001 and seeing Magadan coming up as a pinch hitter. I thought “Wait, is that the same guy who came up with the Mets?”

Yup. Lou Piniella’s nephew was about as dull and unmemorable a player as you will ever watch. But he was a reliable hitter, many times clearing .300. Would be a solid guy off the bench.




THE STARTING ROTATION


TOM SEAVER

How much did Tom Seaver mean to this team? How much is he revered by Met fans? My friend Doc Dougherty wrote a play that took place in his neighborhood in Queens the night Seaver was dealt to the Reds. One of the characters contemplates moving to Cincinnati to watch Seaver pitch. The most dominating pitcher of his era and he also received the highest voting percentage for the Hall of Fame up until that point. Seriously, who voted AGAINST him?




DWIGHT GOODEN

Seriously, don’t you wish you could back in time and confront Doc Gooden? Say “Hey, 3 years into your career and you already have a Rookie of the Year, a Cy Young and a World Series ring. All you have to do is not get hurt and not get hooked on Cocaine and you will be in the Hall of Fame and be worshipped as one of the great Gods in New York sports history.”

As it is now, he is a great story of redemption… but damn it he was going to be a GOD!

Stay off of the stuff folks.

NOLAN RYAN

Not a bad #3 starter, eh? I heard Tom Seaver on Dibble and Kennedy once talking about hearing that Ryan was traded. He evidently screamed “THEY DID WHAT?” He was dealt for Jim Fregosi, who was already a veteran manager when Ryan retired in 1993. The Mets have never had a no hitter in their history. It’s safe to say that would have been different if Ryan were allowed to stay!






JERRY KOOSMAN

No offense to Donn Clendenon, but how the hell was Jerry Koosman NOT the MVP of the 1969 World Series? Down 1 game to zero to the heavily favored Orioles, Koosman pitched 8 2/3 innings of 1 run ball in game 2 to tie the series… and then pitched a complete game victory to clinch the World Series in 5 games.

Also threw a complete game victory in game 3 of the 1973 NLCS and won game 5 of the 1973 World Series with 6 1/3 shut out innings.

The trade that sent him out of town worked out better for the Mets than the Seaver or Ryan trade. They acquired Jesse Orosco in the deal. In other words, the guy who threw the final pitch of the Mets first World Series title was dealt for the guy who would throw the final pitch of the Mets other World Series title.


JON MATLACK

A consistent winner for the Mets, Matlack was involved in that intensely confusing 4 team trade on December 8, 1977. Somehow Al Oliver ended up a Ranger, Bert Blyleven ended up a Pirate, Willie Montanez became a Met and a bunch of other people were pushed around and boom! Matlack is a Ranger. In less than 2 seasons, the Mets shed Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman and Jon Matlack. Not 100% what their plan was!



THE BULLPEN


TUG McGRAW

I had a fascination with bullpen closers as a kid and I used to imitate Tug McGraw winning the 1980 World Series often. Tug was everything you would want in a closer… ice water in the veins, clutch and possibly insane. Gave the 1973 Mets the “You Gotta Believe” rallying cry… and then clinched the pennant.


RANDY MYERS

His emergence in 1987 made Jesse Orosco instantly expendable. He had a strikeout to innings pitch ratio to make your mouth drool and created a formidable 1-2 punch with Roger McDowell in 1988. Met fans can only wonder how their fortunes would be different if Davey Johnson had him pitch to Mike Scoscia in the 9th inning of game 4 instead of keeping Gooden in there. Later was dealt for John Franco and was one of The Nasty Boys in Cincinnati.

ROGER McDOWELL

A classic screw loose relief pitcher, McDowell posted solid numbers all the while pulling practical jokes involving fire crackers and wearing his uniform upside down. Pitched a scoreless 7th inning to earn the win in game 7 of the 1986 World Series… a game most people forget happened. He did let up two critical home runs… one to Terry Pendleton late in 1987 which all but sunk their World Series defense. The other was Kirk Gibson’s 12th inning shot in game 4 of the 1988 NLCS that won that game. Was stupidly dealt in the Juan Samuel trade and the Mets missed his fun persona for years to come. Acted in a Seinfeld episode… which makes him cool.


JEFF REARDON

Yup, Reardon was a product of the Mets farm system. In fact he wasn’t even drafted out of U. Mass Amherst, but was given a shot with the Mets. He got some Rookie of the Year votes in 1980 setting up Neil Allen before being dealt to Montreal and starting a borderline Hall of Fame career and having a tragic downfall in his post baseball life.





NEIL ALLEN

Allen is on this list for three specific reasons:

1. He saved 22 games for a lousy Mets team.
2. The Mets traded him for Keith Hernandez
3. As a Yankee in 1988 was credited with throwing a shutout but not a complete game. He threw 9 innings of shutout relief on May 31st against the A's. I watched that game on TV... Al Leiter threw one pitch as a starter, made an error and was taken out of the game with an injury and Allen threw 9 shutout innings. The A's announcers wondered if he would get credit for the shutout, which he did. I have never seen that before or since. And seeing this is Sully Baseball, I felt he was deserved a tip of the hat for that game!

THE BENCH

RESERVE INFIELDER
JOSE REYES

Possibly the most polarizing figure in Mets history, some Met fans speak of him as a superstar to cheer… others scream about him not running out ground balls in key situations. You know a guy is a hot dog when he has to make an announcement that he is going to spend less time on dugout dances.






RESERVE INFIELDER
HUBIE BROOKS

There was a period of Mets history where they had a dynamic outfielder named Mookie and a rising star third baseman named Hubie. The Mets weren’t winning much, but they had Mookie and Hubie… so how bad could life be. Hubie was dealt off in the Gary Carter trade and was stuck in Montreal… a market that didn’t deserve a hard hitting, run producing infielder named Hubie.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
CLEON JONES

An All Star in 1969 for the Miracle Mets, he also figured prominently in the deciding game 5. He was hit on the foot with a pitch… and thank goodness he was wearing shoe polish because the ump didn’t award him first until manager Gil Hodges pointed out the shoepolish on the ball. He would score on the Donn Clendenon homer to make it 3-2 Orioles. In the 9th, he caught the final out of the World Series. Not a bad day’s work in earning the love of a fan base.

RESERVE OUTFIELDER
LENNY DYKSTRA

I don’t know a single Met fan who doesn’t have a little bit of reverence for Lenny Dykstra. Hard nosed, arrogant and an annoying S.O.B. to the opposition, he seemed to run through walls while chewing tobacco and brawling. Plus the little twerp had some pop. Just ask Dave Smith, who let up his walk off shot in game 3 of the 1986 NLCS. Just ask Oil Can Boyd who served up his lead off homer in game 3 of the 1986 World Series and set the tone of the Mets blow out win. Was stupidly dealt with McDowell for Juan Samuel (and he mysteriously bulked up while in Philadelphia.) When the Mets made that move and took that grit and humor out of the locker room, the Mets didn’t recover for a decade.


RESERVE CATCHER
RON HODGES

A fixture on the Mets bench for a dozen seasons, Hodges was never a starter. But he had a decent on base percentage. He never made much of an impact on the field but must have been a good guy in the clubhouse. Why else would a .240 career hitter who never hit more than 5 homers in a season survive 12 seasons in the big leagues?




25TH MAN
ANTHONY YOUNG

I was in New York that summer of 1993… the Mets were the worst team that money can buy and no player showed the futility of that team than Poor Anthony Young. The poor guy just couldn’t win a game… literally. From May 6 1992 to July 24, 1993 he went 0-27.

But here’s the strange part… he didn’t pitch that badly. He would have a bad inning here or there but kept his ERA hovering respectfully around 4.00. Often it would dip below 4. And Dallas Green tried everything to get him a win. He’d bring him in from the pen in a tie game. He’d start him. And nothing would work. He saved a game on July 22… but that didn’t break the streak.

On July 28th against the Marlins a runner reached base on an error and scored on a 2 out bunt single by Chuckie Carr. Young was in line to drop to 28 losses in a row all the while lowering his ERA. But Eddie Murray hit a 2 out game winning double to give the win to Young.

Here’s the kicker… in a team full of underachieving veterans, surly millionaires, and fire cracker throwing, bleach spraying clubhouse cancers, Young was the most admirable player on the team. He lost but did so with dignity. He never shied from the press. Never blamed anyone else and had all of America wanting him to break the streak. He appeared on Jay Leno as a guest when the streak ended. The place gave him a rousing ovation. With the Mets uneven history, it’s good to have someone who loses with grace on board.



Well a solid team… not a whole lot of pop but a great starting rotation and a deep enough bullpen to withstand an evitable Anthony Young loss.

Now the Acquired Team right off of the bat provided me with a dilemma at catcher. I could chose a Hall of Famer who lead the charge to the World Series title… or I could chose the best offensive catcher in baseball history.

All I can say is Jerry Grote… you are S. O. L.



ALL TIME ACQUIRED METS TEAM


STARTING CATCHER
MIKE PIAZZA

With all due respect for Gary Carter, this HAS to be Mike Piazza’s spot! The guy should have been one of the great Dodgers of all time and his contract dispute and the bizarre trade to Florida was the Mets great fortune.

His high batting average and power numbers should speak for themselves. So should his ability to play hurt and literally bleed for the Mets.

But it was his intangibles that put him here too. He was the superstar face of the franchise as they competed for fans with the Yankees. Had a gigantic homer against John Smoltz in the 1999 NLCS and homered twice in the 2000 World Series against the Yankees.

But his game winning shot on September 21, 2001… just 10 days after the attacks gave New Yorkers their first reason to cheer and be happy in more than a week. Because of that he will always be in the pantheon of beloved New York sports stars.

Watch this clip from the brilliant Nine Innings From Ground Zero to see what I am talking about.

Also he was great on his Apprentice cameo.


STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
KEITH HERNANDEZ

Mex was the best defensive first baseman of his era… but that didn’t impress Elaine Benes.

Made the second out of the 10th inning of game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Like everyone else on the planet Earth he thought it was over. Oh well…





STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
FELIX MILLAN

Felix the Cat was a Gold Glove Shortstop who picked up some MVP votes for the 1973 NL champion Mets. His career ended when Ed Ott slid hard into them and they got into a brawl. If I did my homework here, it looks like his career ended with the injuries sustained in the fight.

But I’ll put him on here if for no other reason than to honor a player who keeps his hands that far up on the bat.




STARTING SHORTSTOP
RAFAEL SANTANA

A classic all field no hit shortstop, Santana never put up a single season of offensive numbers of note. But he could field his position well… and did so for the World Champion Mets. Not bad for a player cut by the Cardinals. (You can’t blame the Cardinals… Santana wasn’t about to replace Ozzie Smith!)





STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
RAY KNIGHT

Let me tell you my Ray Knight story. I was a guest on ESPN2’s show Cold Pizza where I was the lunatic Red Sox fan in residence. My segment was ending and Jay Crawford set up the next segment which involved Ray Knight and his wife, golfing great Nancy Lopez.

When Jay mentioned Ray, the MVP of the 1986 World Series… the guy whose two strike single prolonged that 10th inning, the guy who scored on the Buckner error, the guy who homered off of Schraldi to give the Mets the lead for good in game 7… Jay said “Sorry Paul.” He knew I was still smarting from that series. (It was 2004… the Curse was alive and well.)

When Jay said “Sorry Paul” Ray Knight smiled and on the air gave a little punch in the air motion… TOWARDS ME.

That wasn’t a generic “That’s right Red Sox fans, we won” moment. That was a specific gesture that said “Hey Paul Sullivan… the greatest moments of my professional career haunt you at night… AND I COULDN’T BE HAPPIER TO BE TORMENTING YOU… PAUL SULLIVAN!”

It was a strange moment.

STARTING LEFT FIELDER
KEVIN McREYNOLDS

McReynolds put up some nice power numbers when he was picked up from San Diego after the 1986 World Series. The Mets needed a good right handed power stick and the soft spoken McReynolds let his 20 some odd homers a year do the talking.

But he was never embraced by Mets fans. Best as I can figure it out, they saw McReynolds as the beginning of the break up of the raucous fun loving 1986 Mets. (Hell raiser but fan favorite and future NL MVP Kevin Mitchell was sent to San Diego in the deal.)

He gave them steady play and no headlines… an unforgivable crime for the Met fans of the 1980s!


STARTING CENTER FIELDER
CARLOS BELTRAN

Beltran hit 41 homers with 116 RBIs in 2006. He keeps putting up power numbers and driving in 110+ runs. He steals bases, wins Gold Glove awards, is named to the Silver Slugger Team every year and gets MVP votes.

If only he swung the bat in the 9th inning of game 7 of the 2006 NLCS. He might actually be loved by Met fans!



STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
RUSTY STAUB

Now we're talking a beloved player! In fact the only question is what fan base loved him more: The Mets or the Expos who hailed him as The Grand Orange! If the Mets won the 1973 World Series he would have been the MVP. He later came back to the Mets as an overweight pinch hitter.

My cousin Dave told me about a game in the 1980s where Staub had to play the outfield and the manager kept shifting him from left field to right field to avoid having the ball hit to him. Davey Johnson never played him once in the field in 1985. He missed being on a World Series winner by one year... but he later ran a cool restaurant in New York.

TOP PINCH HITTER OFF OF THE BENCH
DAVE KINGMAN

Is there a stranger career in baseball than Dave Kingman's? The guy could homer left and right and strike out every other time. Who else can lead the league in homers like he did in 1982 but have a lower average than the Cy Young Winner?

He hit 442 homers back when that meant something, but doesn't get even a courtesy mention for the Hall of Fame.

He had two stints with the Mets and had a 37 homer season in each tour of duty (at the time the Mets record.)

He hit 35 homers his final season with Oakland and never played in the bigs again.
Again, strange career.

THE STARTING ROTATION

RON DARLING

How many good looking Hawaii born Ivy Leaguers can also win 17 games and get the ball for game 7 of the World Series. Darling was stolen from the Rangers in the Lee Mazzilli trade and gave the Mets as great a #2 starter as you can find in the game. Finished with a 1.53 ERA in 17 2/3 innings for the 1986 World Series.

He never was spectacular. He just won and threw 200 some odd innings each year.




BOBBY OJEDA

There were many things about the 1986 World Series that make me grind my teeth.
High up there is the fact that Bobby Ojeda, a Red Sox pitching prospect who was on the verge of blossoming for what seemed like 15 years (actually it was only 6 seasons) was traded away to the Mets and suddenly became an 18 game winner.

Ojeda was traded for Wes Gardner and Calvin Schraldi.
Ojeda won game 3 of the 1986 World Series.
Schraldi lost games 6 and 7 of the 1986 World Series.

In other words that trade led directly to 3 of the Red Sox 4 losses.

Grinding my teeth.


AL LEITER

Al has done a little bit of everything in his career. He had played on two World Series winners (1993 Blue Jays and the 1997 Marlins) was an All Star and threw a no hitter before he arrived in Queens. He became a steady and reliable winner throwing a complete game shut out in the one game playoff against Cincinnati to win the 1999 Wild Card.

Yeah he talks too much and is an annoying broadcaster. That shouldn't diminish from a memorable if not great career. (Why did Valentine leave him in that long in game 5 of the 2000 World Series?)




DAVID CONE

I've heard some people erroneously list David Cone with the 1986 Mets pitching staff.
That's easy to do because he fit right in with the hell raising Met culture. His incident with a few young ladies in the Bullpen is one of those that makes you wish there was a security camera clip leaked onto Youtube.

He went 20-3 in 1988 and became a part time journalist with a Dodger bashing article in the Daily News.
Met fans loved him and were furious when he was dealt to the Blue Jays for Jeff Kent.
He won a Cy Young Award with the Royals and became a World Series hero with the Yankees... but he blossomed as a Met!





MIKE HAMPTON

Yeah I'm sure there are other more popular Mets to put here. I'm sure there are people who would think that Sid Fernandez should be here. And yeah I know he only spent one year as a Met and turned down their dough and gave a laughable reason for signing with the Rockies. (He did it for the school system? $10 million a year and you can't afford private school?)

But he also was the MVP of the 2000 NLCS.
He also threw a complete game shut out in the deciding game 5 of the 2000 NLCS.
When the Mets won the pennant, they all rushed the mound to pile on Hampton.

Folks, that should amount to some love!




THE BULLPEN


JESSE OROSCO

It's taken me a long time to look at that clip of Marty Barrett striking out to Jesse Orosco and not wince.
(For those of you who don't know... that's how the 1986 World Series ended... it didn't end with a ground ball through Buckner's legs!)

Orosco throwing that glove into the air...
The wild celebration...

I can't say it doesn't hurt anymore. But seeing my team win two World Series has made that clip more palatable.

Damn Orosco was good in his day... and he played for 24 seasons. Not too shabby at all.

By the way, in that game 7... not only did Orosco save the game... but he got an RBI single too.
Ooof.




JOHN FRANCO

For 14 seasons, John Franco was the fireman in Queens. He was a Met with Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden... He was a Met with David Wright and Jose Reyes. He saw the Mets crumble in the Bobby Bonilla/Bret Saberhagen years... he outlasted Bill Pulsipher, Paul Wilson and Jason Isringhausen... he was a teammate of Mike Piazza and played in the heart stopping 1999 NLCS. Nobody seemed more excited to part of the 2000 pennant clinching celebration. And the native Brooklynite seemed more crushed than anyone that the Mets couldn't deliver a division title for a post September 11th New York.

So why isn't he more loved by Met fans?
He seems destined to be part of the Mets TV network.



RON TAYLOR

One of the top relief specialists for the 1969 team, Taylor saved game 2 of the World Series making sure the Mets came to Queens tied 1-1. Pitched for a few more seasons after the 1969 World Series and then went back to his native Canada to become a doctor.

Folks, that is some versatility!





BILLY WAGNER

Oh I am sure some Met fans don't agree with this one.
He had a horrific 2006 NLCS, losing game 2 and giving the Cardinals some hope. And he blew a key game to the Phillies down the stretch in 2007. But his value was shown this year as the Mets collapsed when he went down for the season.

Plus his absence made the Mets overpay for Francisco Rodriguez and J. J. Putz. He must have had some value.





SKIP LOCKWOOD

Why is Skip Lockwood on this list?
Let me count the 4 reasons:

1. Jim Bouton had some nice things to say about him in Ball Four.

2. He saved 20 games for a HORRIBLE Mets team in 1977.

3. When he came over to the Red Sox, he lived in my home town of Weston. I would see him every once in a while in the center of town wearing a Mets jacket.

4. On principle, I can NOT put Armando Benitez on this list, despite the fact that Benitez is among the team leaders in saves and many relief categories. Benitez is a horrible reliever. If you don't believe me, ask any Mets fan... or Orioles fan... or Giants fan. Besides, I had to swallow my pride and honor him with the Marlins. Once is enough!




THE BENCH


RESERVE INFIELDER
ROBIN VENTURA

The one time Olympic star came to the Mets from the White Sox and provided great defense in one of the best defensive infields of all time.

He also had plenty of pop in his bat as shown by his walk off grand slam/single in game 5 of the 1999 NLCS. You would think that Todd Pratt, who had hit a game ending homer just a week before, would have known better than to prevent him from circling the bases!





RESERVE INFIELDER
HOWARD JOHNSON

Seriously, what were Mr. and Mrs. Johnson thinking when they named their kid Howard?
Who didn't chuckle when they first heard there was a dude actually named Howard Johnson playing ball?
What's next? Someone named Milton Bradley?

Either way, the guy without a position (is he a third baseman? Is he a short stop? Should they make room for Magadan, Elster and Jefferies?) gave the Mets switch hitting power and speed on the basepaths.

All the while playing with a silly name.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
RICHIE ASHBURN

Why is Ashburn on this list? He only played one season with the Mets.

I’ll tell you why. Because I felt that a member of the 1962 Mets who finished 40-120 should be honored. Ashburn was the first ever Met All Star… an honor that probably hastened his retirement the next season.



RESERVE OUTFIELDER
TOMMIE AGEE

When I was a kid, one of the first videotapes we ever had was the 1980 HBO Special The First 25 Years of Sports Illustrated.
It was hosted by James Caan and while the whole show was great, I tended to fast forward to the baseball parts.

The biggest baseball highlights were the 1975 World Series (which I wore the tape out watching that), Hank Aaron's 715th home run (set to the bad ass "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor" NFL Films music) and the 1969 World Series.

The part that I loved the most were the two catches by Tommie Agee. One he dives for and the other is a spectacular snow cone grab.

An 8 year old Paul Sullivan used to try and simulate that snow cone grab while playing catch with my dad.
I did it every once in a while. Never in a World Series situation.




RESERVE CATCHER
GARY CARTER

Gary Carter was a great player and a Hall of Famer.
I almost put him ahead of Mike Piazza as the starting catcher but changed my mind.

OK, got that out of the way.

Of all the members of the 1986 Mets he was the one I hated the most.
Why?

1) He hit those two homers in game 4 of the 1986 World Series that tied the series 2-2 and killed the Red Sox momentum.
2) He was nicknamed The Kid. That's horsesh--! TED WILLIAMS was the Kid!
3) He started the rally in the 10th...
4) His smile grated on me.

So yeah, on a team filled with drug addicts and brawlers, it was the Good Christian who drove me batty.




25TH MAN
DONN CLENDENON

There were many people up for 25th man but I felt like I couldn't omit the most valuable player of the 1969 World Series.
Clendenon refused to report to the Houston Astros in a trade from Montreal. It may have been bad sportsmanship, but it turned out well for the Mets when they sent future Red Sox non entity Steve Renko and others to the Expos for Clendenon.

He didn't play in the NLCS nor in all 5 World Series games. But hit key homers in games 4 and 5 to seal the World Series victory. The Mets cut him 2 years later... very sentimental team.


SO WHO WOULD WIN IN A HEAD TO HEAD SERIES?

The acquired team has more power, a deep pitching staff and a pair of World Series MVPs... but are you really going to bet against a starting staff that goes Seaver-Gooden-Ryan?

VERDICT: THE HOME GROWN METS WILL WIN... PROVIDED ANTHONY YOUNG STAYS IN THE PEN!

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE HOME PAGE

Let's keep the ball rolling here (just not through Buckner's legs.)

That's the Mets
And the Rangers
And the Marlins
And the Yankees
And the Red Sox

25 to go

NEXT ALL TIME HOMEGROWN VERSUS ACQUIRED TEAM:
THE COLORADO ROCKIES