Reese Kaplan came up with a great idea for a series here.
Who was your all-time favorite at a position and who was your most reviled.
Next up... the home of John Franco, Pedro Feliciano, Jesse Orosco, Edwin Diaz, Armondo Benetez, Tug MeGraw, Jeff Reardon, and Clem Labine, among others:
RP
Jesse Orosco was my favorite Mets reliever. Funny that he was in Koosman trade, as Kooz was in decline and Jesse was getting started - both had extremely long careers. It could have been Benitez, were it not for the huge game blown saves.
ReplyDeleteKoosman started his career with the Mets in 1967 - Orosco's career ended in 2003!
Despised reliever? Where to start - there have been so many. Let's pick 3: Anthony Young, loser of 28 straight, 1-14 Paul Sewald, and 0-6 Ty Bashlor. That a LOT of losses without wins, ya think??
Favorite? It could be McGraw, or Franco, or Wagner, but my actual favorite was Jack "Hairbreadth Harry" Hamilton. He led the team in saves in 1966 and was scary to watch. He led the team in walks that year, but also was third in strikeouts, so he had plenty of innings where he walked a batter or two, only to get the strikeout to get out of it. Sadly, after he left the Mets, his wildness led to his hitting Tony Conigliaro, effectively ending Conigliaro's career.
ReplyDeleteDespised? Probably Francisco Rodriguez
Jack Hamilton hit a grand slam off Al Jackson in 1967, giving the Mets an early 4-0 lead and this young fan hope they could beat the tough Cards - but they lost it 11-9. The Amazins'.
ReplyDeleteChuck, Billy Wagner totally slipped my mind - good choice, he was my favorite - always loved his high heat.
ReplyDeleteProbably a tie between McGraw and Orosco for favorite. Also, quite fond of Skip Lockwood. Anyone read his memoir, Insight Pitch, which came out last year? (I haven't.) Wikipedia says he wrote it without a ghostwriter, which isn't too surprising considering he attended M.I.T. for at least part of his education.
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