John From Albany – Mets Breakfast Links 5/7/2020

Good morning, Chris Flexen takes the mound in Korea, Baseball talks more about coming back, and today is the Anniversary of Bartolo Colon’s HR.  

All the news that’s fit to Link, Mets Links, MLB Links, Asian Baseball Links, and This Day in Mets History.    

Mets Links:

Mike’s Mets: “It's a Date - Or Maybe Not”.  Mike talks about the potential July 1 MLB opening.

LoHud.com: State of the Mets: Tomas Nido hopes a change will help him survive in baseball. Tomas Nido hired Lorenzo Garmendia of Gradum Baseball. About Nido’s swing Garmedia said: “Never used his legs to hit, which is a huge problem. So when a hitter doesn’t use his legs, it’s going to create other holes in the swing. I noticed right away he wasn’t using his legs. When you don’t use your legs, then you start using your hands a lot more. And that’s not good…Power numbers should be better…You should see more extra-base hits. You should start seeing him hit to all parts of the field.”

Mets.com: The Mets' Top 5 international signings of all time: #1. José Reyes; #2. Edgardo Alfonzo; #3. Carlos Gómez; #4. Octavio Dotel; #5. Amed Rosario.

Andres Chavez Empire Sports Media had his own take on the Top 5 Mets International Free Agents.  He has Nelson Cruz at #4 and Octavio Dotel at #5, no Amed Rosario on his list.  The Mets signed [Cruz] at age 17 but traded him to the A’s while he was still a teenager…[for] infielder Jorge Velandia.

Mets.com: Phils-Mets rivalry stars today on MLB Network. Here are the scheduled games - 9 a.m. ET: “Baseball’s Best Seasons: 1980”; 11 a.m. ET: Mets vs. Phillies from Oct. 6, 1991 (David Cone strikes out 19); 1:30 p.m. ET: Mets vs. Phillies from Aug. 30, 2007 (Pat Burrell homers twice, Chase Utley hits walk-off single in an 11-10 comeback); 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET: Phillies vs. Mets from July 11, 2018 (Brandon Nimmo drills walk-off homer); 6 p.m. ET: Mets vs. Phillies from June 27, 2019 (Jean Segura crushes walk-off homer).

Newsday: Ed Kranepool one year after kidney transplant: 'I feel great'.

Mets.com: An oral history of Bartolo Colon's unforgettable HR.  Jacob deGrom: 'That was the greatest thing I've ever seen'

NY Post: Mets hoping Robert Gsellman can become bullpen force.

SNY.TV: Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner: Marcus Stroman can 'easily push' Jacob deGrom for Cy Young.

Centerfield Maz: The Story of the Mets Uniform #24 & How They Ignore Willie Mays' Mets Past.

Centerfield Maz: Remembering Mets History (1973): Willie Mays Last Career Walk Off Hit.

Ken Davidoff NY Post: Darryl Strawberry was suffocated by rookie hype that launched Mets’ revival.

Metsmerized.com: Mets One Year Wonders: Duaner Sanchez Pre-Accident.

Empire Sports Media: Obscure All-Stars to Play for the New York Mets: Hector Santiago.

MLB LINKS:

The Washington Post: Baseball is bracing for an economic hit. The only question is how bad it will be. “’We’re going to lose billions of dollars this year, no matter what,’ said one high-ranking baseball official, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss internal matters. ‘People don’t realize the magnitude of the losses, but they’re huge.’…Increasingly, as the crisis drags on, individual teams could find themselves in deeper economic distress. Among the clubs mentioned by those in the industry were the Marlins and Mets, who both have heavily leveraged owners.”

Joel Sherman NY Post: “By the beginning of next week at the latest — perhaps even before this week is concluded — MLB is planning to present to the Players Association a proposal that will include what is currently the most optimistic hope: What would a season look like if spring training 2.0 began in June and the regular season in July?”

Metsmerized.com:  MLB News: Teams Telling Players to Get In Shape.

12Up.com: MLB Insider Confirms Trevor Plouffe's Leak About Potential Opening Day Target and Fans Should Get Excited.

SNY.TV: MLB execs worried potential coronavirus outbreaks in reopening states could make resuming season difficult: report.

Fangraphs: NL Teams Stand to Lose out If There’s a Universal DH in 2020.

12Up.com: Scott Boras' Clear Conflict of Interest for Wanting Baseball to Return Has Reached New Heights.

12Up.com: Pete Rose Signing Autographs in Las Vegas During Quarantine is the Most Pete Rose Thing.

ESPN.com: Coronavirus pandemic slows contract talks between Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs.

ESPN.com: Yankees' Aaron Judge to have scan, but Aaron Boone upbeat.

Asian Baseball:

Empire Writes Back: A team New York Mets fans should root for in the KBO. The Dinos who play in Changwon, currently have former New York Mets outfielder Aaron Altherr on their roster.

Aaron went 2 for 3 yesterday with a HR as the NC Dinos beat the Samsung Lions 4-3 (Box Score).

Aaron Altherr launches his first KBO dinger. Moonshot to left field. Then he comes into the dugout, gets the silent treatment so just starts dabbing alone. pic.twitter.com/e3ievdY7wt

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) May 6, 2020

Here is the KBO scoreboard for yesterday and today.

Chris Flexen is on the mound today for the Doosan Bears (Box score).

It took Chris Flexen 1.1 innings to give up his first run, about 1.1 innings longer than any other appearance he’s ever made at pitch (tee ball not included, though I’m sure he would find a way to get his ERA in steriods in that league too.)

— Greg Peterson (@GUnit_81) May 7, 2020

In the CPBL: Fubon Guardians (6-9) vs Rakuten Monkeys (11-3); SP: Bryan Woodall (1-2, 7.98 ERA) vs Justin Nicolino (1-0, 0.00 ERA).

Yesterday at Mack’s Mets:

Reese Kaplan -- The Game Has Changed a Lot Over Time...

Fireflies T-Shirts Result in Donation for “Peace of Mind”

Dwight Gooden and Wade Boggs on Free Q and A Video Chats.

Mack’s Blast From The Past May 7, 2012: Mack Had Gnew Gnat – SP - Jacob deGrom.

Today in Mets History Per Ultimatemets.com:

Born on this date:

• Billy Murphy (1944)
• Manny Hernandez (1961)
• Brook Fordyce (1970)
• James Loney (1984)
• Keon Broxton (1990)

Died on this date:

• Gus Bell (1995)

Transactions:

New York Mets traded Tom Hall to the Kansas City Royals for Bryan Jones on May 7, 1976.

New York Mets claimed Chico Walker on waivers from the Chicago Cubs on May 7, 1992.

New York Mets claimed Tommy Milone on waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on May 7, 2017.

New York Mets traded Jim Marshall to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Vinegar Bend Mizell on May 6, 1962.

National Pastime.com:  

1970	At Shea Stadium, Wes Parker hits a triple off Jim McAndrew to beat the Mets in the tenth inning, 7-4. The three-bagger completes the cycle for the Dodger first baseman.
1991	Darryl Strawberry returns to New York as a Dodger with mixed results. A crowd of 49,118 mostly booing fans watches him hit a two-run home run, and they cheer when he makes the last out of the game with the potential tying and winning runs on base in the 6-5 Mets victory.

2010	Lance Orton and Duane Jackson, who were instrumental foiling a terrorist's attempt to set off a car bomb in Times Square, are honored at Citi Field prior to the Mets game against San Francisco. The two street vendors alerted the police after they observed a parked car on 45th Street had started to fill with smoke and was making popping sounds.
2011	After a first-inning walk in the Dodgers' 4-2 loss to the Mets, Andre Ethier goes 0-for-4, ending his 30-game hitting streak. The L.A. outfielder falls one game short of the franchise record set in 1969 by Willie Davis, who enjoyed a 31-game hitting streak that season.

2013

Mets phenom Matt Harvey continues to dominate the National League when he throws nine frames of one-hit ball along with 12 strikeouts en route to a no-decision in the team's 1-0 extra-inning victory over the White Sox at Citi Field. The 24 year-old right-hander, whose bid for perfection is spoiled after retiring the first 20 Chicago batters by Alex Rios' infield single, adds to his growing legend when he starts the game with a bloody nose, and continues to pitch despite the blood oozing on to his face.

2016

In the Mets' 6-3 victory over the Padres at, 42 year-old Bartolo Colon goes deep off James Shields, becoming the oldest player to hit his first major league home run. The portly right-hander, who has now collected three extra-base hits during his 19-year career, surpasses Randy Johnson, who was two years younger when he cleared the fences in 1993 while playing for Arizona.

2018

"It's something special. He's going down in the record books, in the Wikipedia book, which is amazing. A little kid from Belfast done good." - PATRICK CONLON, commenting on his son's major league debut. Belfast native Patrick Conlon becomes the first Irish-born player to appear in a major league game in 73 years when he starts, going 3. 2 innings in the Mets’ 7-6 victory over the Reds at Great American Ball Park. The 24 year-old southpaw, known as PJ, follows fellow countryman Joe Cleary, who was born in Cork and played one game for the Senators in 1945.

Baseball Reference:

2012: Jordany Valdespin makes his first major league hit count, with a 9th-inning three-run pinch homer off Philadelphia's Jonathan Papelbon to give the Mets a 5 - 2 win.

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