John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 4/17/2020

Good Morning on what was to be Opening Day for the Syracuse Mets.  

While there is no game today in Syracuse, per Twitter: the Syracuse Mets will be broadcasting gameplay of the “MLB The Show 20” video game played by @Mets catcher @ReneRivera13.  They’ll begin a virtual broadcast with a pre-recorded game shown on our Facebook page tomorrow at 2:05 p.m.

SNY.TV: WATCH: New York teams release unified video with sports on hold due to coronavirus. The Mets, Yankees, Jets, Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Knicks were among 15 New York teams to post the video.

Mike’s Mets talks about how unlikely a Minor League season would be this year in “Minor Concerns”.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (2000): NL Champion Mets Have Season Best Win Streak At Nine Games.  April 16-April 24, 2000.  Maz has lots of game details during the stretch from big names like Mike Piazza and Robin Ventura, but also names like Jon Nunnally and Pat Mahomes.

Metsmerized Online: Reliving the 2000 Mets: Snow, Injuries, and Wharton-Gate.

SNY.TV: Mets' Pete Alonso drops in on high school geometry class on Zoom. 'I don't even know what the hell a cyclic quadrilateral is'

SNY.TV: Mets' Jeff McNeil on Noah Syndergaard's injury, what he expects from Luis Rojas. Regarding Rojas: "Everyone was super excited for the hire," Jeff McNeil said. "We all love Luis, he's been in the organization a long time -- spent 14 years in the organization. Just about everybody that's gone through our system has played for him at some time. Guys like playing for him. I think he was the best guy for the job in the situation we were in. ...”

Rising Apple: If Mets history rhymes, David Peterson will be a midseason asset in 2020.  Tim Boyle says: History may not repeat itself, but it can rhyme. And in 2020, we may see David Peterson play a role closely resembling what Noah Syndergaard did for the New York Mets in 2015.

SNY.TV is asking you to rank the top 5 games of the decade which they will then show the week of April 20th.  They want you to choose among Johan Santana’s No Hitter, Wilmer Flores Walk-Off, David Wright’s 2015 return, the 2015 division clincher, or David Wright’s final game.  All good games but I say that the 2015 NLDS clincher against the Dodgers and the 2015 September game against the Nationals where they game back from a 7-1 hole should be there before the 2015 division clincher. 

Jim O’Malley Mets 360.com: Mets Song of the Month: ‘There’s Dirt on old Fifteen’.  An Ode to Jerry Grote.

Metsmerized Online: MMO 2020 Top 30 Prospects: No. 2 Andres Gimenez, SS.

Empire Writes Back: The Zack Wheeler divorce really hurts now.  That decision looks even worse now that Noah Syndergaard is out.

MLB News:

MLB.com: MLB players team up, offer kids millions of meals. Mets Steven Matz and Michael Wacha are part of the effort.

MLB.com: One weird nicknamed player from each MLB team. For the Mets Marvelous Marv Throneberry.  That Famous Beer commercial is included.

MLB.com: Today is the greatest debut date in MLB history.  Frank Robinson, Luis Aparicio, and Don Drysdale all debuted today April 17, 1956.

Joel Sherman NY Post: Salary structure likely point of contention if MLB goes fan-less.

NY Post: Mike Trout’s big worry over MLB’s ‘pretty crazy’ Arizona plan.  Mike Trout said Wednesday in a video interview with NBC Sports. “What are you gonna do with family members? My wife is pregnant. What am I gonna do when she goes into labor? Am I going to have to quarantine for two weeks after I come back?

MRT.com: A's minor league manager off ventilator in coronavirus fight.

Yahoo Sports: Hall of Fame case closed? These baseball legacies could suffer if MLB's season is canceled. Among those listed that will be hurt are Joey Votto, Matt Chapman, Josh Donaldson, Dusty Baker, and Jacob deGrom.

Yahoo Sports: Dodgers Joe Kelly breaks window practicing in back yard.

NY Post: Longtime scout Cesar Presbott retiring after 28 years with Yankees.  He had a hand in Dellin Betances becoming a Yankee out of Grand Street Campus High School in Brooklyn.

MLB Trade Rumors:

A Missed Opportunity For The Tigers? In 2017, the Cubs were apparently willing to give up Javier Baez for Michael Fulmer, while the Astros would have surrendered Alex Bregman for Michael Fulmer and reliever Justin Wilson.

Report: Owners Could Pursue Further Salary Reduction For Players If Season Begins Without Fans.

2020-21 MLB Free Agent Class: Center Fielders.

Union Chief Tony Clark On Returning To Play.

The Awkward Tenure & Uncertain Future Of A Steady Dodgers Slugger. Which Dodgers player has hit the most total dingers since the start of the 2015 season? That’d be outfielder Joc Pederson. 

Asian Baseball:

Korea Times: American pitcher Mike Wright ready for 'challenge' vs. ex-MLB teammate in KBO.  Former Oriole Mike Wright of of the NC Dinos will have to face another former Baltimore teammate of his, outfielder Kim Hyun-soo when he pitches against the KBO Twins.

Yesterday in the Taiwan CBL, the Rakuten Monkeys beat the Uni Lions 15-3 (Line Score). Some Video Highlights via twitter: Unstoppable man! 10 AB, 7H (5 HR), 9RBI, OPS 2.900. Zhu,Yu-Xian is on fire. Here is a Uni Lions home run.

You can watch the English version of the Taiwan CBL game today starting at 6:30 on twitter.  2020/4/17 CPBL Fubon Guardian vs Rakuten Monkeys.  They are also streaming here (not in English).

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Mack – FWIW – Coronavirus Edition - Daily Thoughts 4-16.

Tom Brennan - The Flip Side of the Mets Best Outfielders List.

John From Albany – Alvarez, Mauricio, Vientos, the St. Lucie Mets 2020 Roster Projection.

Mack’s Blast From The Past: Mack Ade – Daily Minors Report - 4-17-12. Matt den Dekker, Wilmer Flores, and Gonzalez Germen are among those mentioned.

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Solly Hemus (1923)
• Denny Walling (1954)
• Gary Bennett (1972)
• Jed Lowrie (1984)

National Pastime.com:

1964	After spending the first two years of their existence at the Polo Grounds, the Mets play their first game at Shea Stadium in front of 50,312 fans in Queens. The Amazins' drop the stadium opener to Pittsburgh, 4-3, with Willie Stargell hitting the first homer in the Flushing facility.
1969	In only the ninth game of the franchise's history, Expos hurler Bill Stoneman, who had never thrown a complete game in the major leagues, tosses a no-hitter, defeating the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium, 7-0. The 25 year-old right-hander, the future GM of the Angels, will throw another no-hit game in 1972 against the Mets.

2006	In front of 36,867 Shea Stadium patrons, Pedro Martinez becomes the 103rd pitcher in major league history to win 200 games when the Mets beat the Braves, 4-3. The Dominican ace has lost only 84 contests at the time of reaching the milestone, putting him behind only Bob Caruthers (74), Whitey Ford (79), and Lefty Grove (83).
2009	At Citi Field, Gary Sheffield becomes the 25th player to hit 500 career home runs. Joining Ty Cobb and Rusty Staub as the only major leaguers to homer as a teenager and as a forty year-old, the recently released Tiger DH becomes the first to reach the milestone as a pinch hitter and the first to accomplish the feat in a Mets uniform.

Baseball Reference:

1967 - In the only game scheduled on this Monday evening, the New York Mets pound Pittsburgh, 9 - 6. Obscured amidst the offensive fireworks is the sorry plight of poor Jerry Buchek, a career backup infielder on the verge of his career year who's got to be wondering what he ever did to Pirate right fielder Roberto Clemente, likewise embarking on his own best-ever season. Clemente abuses Buchek on both sides of the ball, starting with his 2nd-inning snatch of his 400-footer to right center. Pirate beat writer Les Biederman reports: "Clemente went toward the exit gate for a startling back-handed stab of Buchek's long drive." Next inning, one of Roberto's patented one-hop rockets undresses the Met second baseman even as it dares him to return Clemente's favor. "Clemente slammed a vicious one-hop shot right at Buchek," writes Biederman, "but the second baseman dropped the ball as he set himself to throw."

1970 - Bud Harrelson of the New York Mets hits a home run in the 1st inning of a 6 - 0 win over the Phillies. The homer is one of only seven in Harrelson's 16-year career and the only one he will ever hit at Shea Stadium.

2006: At Shea Stadium, the Mets continue their strong start to the season with a 4 - 3 victory over Atlanta as Pedro Martinez collects his 200th win with relief help from Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner. Martinez, from the Dominican Republic, improves his record to 200-84 and joins Dennis Martinez of Nicaragua (245-193), Dominican Juan Marichal (243-142) and Cuban Luis Tiant (229-172), as the only Hispanic American pitchers to reach the 200-win major league mark.

2009 - Gary Sheffield becomes the 25th member of the 500 home run club. He delivers a pinch-hit homer off the Brewers' Mitch Stetter in the 7th inning of a game at Citi Field, still in its first month of operation. It is Sheffield's first home run for the New York Mets, after having been released in spring training by the Detroit Tigers while sitting on 499 home runs. The Mets win the game, 5 - 4, on Luis Castillo's 9th inning two-out single.

2010: The Mets need 20 innings to beat the Cardinals, 2 - 1, in the longest game since this date in 2008. Jose Reyes drives in the winning run with a sacrifice fly after going 0 for 7 for the day in a game dominated by the pitchers. Both starters, Johan Santana for New York and Jaime Garcia for St. Louis, pitch 7 scoreless innings and the game is still scoreless after 17 frames, but the Cardinals eventually run out of able-bodied pitchers. 2B Felipe Lopez is sent out to the mound and pitches a scoreless 18th inning, while P Kyle Lohse goes out to play left field, but their teammate, OF Joe Mather, gives up a run in the top of the 19th. However, Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez gives the run right back, but the Mets score again off Mather in the 20th. Mather is saddled with the loss, while Rodriguez gets the win and starter Mike Pelfrey comes out in the 21st to record the save for the Mets.

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