Amazin' Date 9/3/1969: Dodgers Rally For Ninth Inning Victory Over Mets

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #133: Wednesday, September 3, 1969 - BR
New York Mets @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium

After being held scoreless through seven innings the Mets erase a four run deficit in the top of the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium, only to surrender the game winning run in the bottom of the ninth.

Jerry Koosman surrenders four runs, three earned, on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts through six innings pitched, but does not factor in the decision.  Cal Koonce pitches a scoreless seventh in relief of Koosman.  In the top of the eighth Tommie Agee and Donn Clendenon each hit two-run home runs off Dodgers starter Claude Osteen tying the game at four.  Nolan Ryan retires the Dodgers with two strikeouts in the bottom half of the frame.  Los Angeles reliever Pete Mikkelsen then pitches a scoreless top half of the ninth.  With Jack DiLauro pitching in relief of Ryan, Maury Wills leads-off the bottom half of the ninth with a hit.  Manny Mota successfully bunts Wills over to second, who then scores the game winning run on Willie Davis' double to left.  Jack DiLauro is tagged with the loss, while Pete Mikkelsen wins his seventh game of the season.

Los Angeles wins the series but the Mets close out the road trip with a 6-4 record.  Chicago has their five game win streak snapped by the Reds at Crosley Field, and so the Mets lose no ground.

• Mets Record: 77-56
• N.L. East: 2nd; 5 GB

N.Y. Mets: The Three-Headed METSian Podcast

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

FIX THIS HOUSE

I wrote this back on June 14:

Why Life After Sandy Alderson Terrifies Me
My point stands.

Sandy Alderson has since taken an official leave of absence from the organization.  His cancer first diagnosed back during the 2015 season has unfortunately returned.  He made the rest of the front office aware of his condition some time ago, but his recent press conference proved a somber revelation to media and fans.

He was originally brought to Flushing under very unique circumstances in which he was charged (by the commissioner; wink, wink) with matriculating the Mets organization through very dire financial straits.  His is unlikely to return, and therefore I thank him for all his efforts and years of service for the New York Mets.  I know the Marine in him with battle to the end.  I offer him, his family and circle of loved ones my prayers for a speedy and full recovery.

A METSian Podcast, Episode #13

Rich hosted; 90 minutes

@MetFanRich    @The_SamMaxwell

Wishing Sandy Alderson well

What Now? ~ Hail to the Chief!

On the three-headed monster: John Ricco; Omar Minaya; J.P. Ricciardi

Jeff Wilpon ~ Plan for the trade deadline ~ Mr. Reactive Mickey Callaway 

Dom Smith ~ fundamentals have left the building ~ WTF? 

Mets who've worn #13 ~ NYC baseball in 1913 ~ the return of L.I. Mike

Lee Mazzilli ~ The Newark Bears ~ dead ball era ~ triples to right

Giancarlo Stanton is no better than Dave Kingman!!  I really said that!

Plus our usual bitching, sniveling, complaining, and more.

N.Y. Mets: Let Youth Be Served

From the desk of:   HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET


NEW YORK METS: All This Digging Is Starting To Pay Off...  So, Just Shut Up And Keep Digging.

Rebuilding - it takes time, but it's finally being done right.  Although I would have liked if the GM made a deal of relative impact at this year's deadline, the market spoke volumes.  Outside of the trade between Boston and Detroit, there apparently were no deals to be made throughout baseball.

Many of Sandy Alderson's major league signings and trades, in large part have been derivatives of Mr. Wilpon's situation.  I wholly get that.  At this point, we all do.  That is why, questionable as many have been, I generally give Alderson a pass.  Plus, with a second wild card at stake, .500 teams seem more willing to hold on to their players.  Therefore, it behooves any organization, to reinvest and double efforts into their minor league operations if they seek to achieve any kind of sustained competitiveness.

Vestiges of the Minaya Administration, and minor league endeavors undertaken by the new  Triumvirate of Flushing has quietly established winning baseball throughout the Mets minor league landscape.  From Savannah to Las Vegas, the farm is producing at levels not seen since the early 2000's when Jose Reyes, Scott Kazmir and David Wright rose through the system.

It was only last season the Mets fielded their first all home-grown team since the 1971 season.  That's astonishing, but doesn't exactly speak to my point does it?  The point is, since the first new wave of newbies featuring the likes of Jon Niese, (Mike Pelfrey), Bobby Parnell and Daniel Murphy arrived on Flushing shores, the next wave of Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, Dillon Gee, etc., have already given way to a burgeoning, more promising and skilled bunch.

Wilmer Flores made his major league debut today.  The fans have been clamoring for his promotion for some time now.  Jenrry Mejia also pitched today.  Zack Wheeler and Matt Harvey are together now.  Juan Lagares gets better with each passing game.  Travis d'Arnaud is on the way.  And perhaps, there is more pitching within the system on the way as well.  The talent is no longer trickling.  I believe we now established a flow.  It is still early in the process, in so far as being major league ready, but the pool is nevertheless widening and deepening.  In two years time, it might even be overflowing.  Perchance to dream...

We are still dealing in fuzzy math with regards to Mr. Wilpon's situation.  But when stripping down an organization and building it back up again, none of that should have mattered.  It was never time to spend.  Money was an irrelevant factor in the Mets real plight.  What was and remains important, is that down below, Sandy Alderson and his lieutenants are doing what needs to be done.


Mike.BTB

N.Y. YANKEES ~ Big Papi, Mother Nature, and Sox Sweep Bombers

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

new york YANKEES:  Rain Only Delayed the Inevitable.

As far as Game Two, ...Look What Big Papi Did To You.... AGAIN.

There was no brush back.  There was no dusting off and hitting the dirt.  Papi picked up right where he left off Tuesday wasting no time depositing an A.J. Burnett pitch into the seats in right to make an early 1-0 lead, a 3-0 lead before the Yankees even came up to bat.  So much for backing him off the plate and moving his feet.  They moved his feet so much, he rounded the bases, and with all his ribs in tact.

...And the Stadium went silent.

But instead of David Ortiz being the center of attention again, the real story maker was A.J. Burnett, who's rapidly morphing into the Yankee version of Oliver Perez.  Two first inning home runs; a run in the second; and after three more runs given up in the fourth inning, Burnett was toast.  And at this point it must be acknowledged; the Yankees' pitching staff as a whole is in big trouble.  More on that maybe tomorrow.


(That was all meant for yesterday.  I fell asleep, too tired from softball last night and never published.  And so I resume today with some tweaks.)

Too bad the Yankees chose to wait three hours to get last night's game in.  Because the fact is, the Sox flat out rolled the Yankees like a drunk on 161st Street.  Not only C.C., but they rolled the whole team, all series long.


Last night was the big match-up between CC Sabathia and Josh Beckett.  Things were going fairly copacetically for C.C. the Yanks over the first six innings.  The Yanks jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the home half of the first and made it last for the next five innings.


Along the way, Josh Beckett plunked another two Pinstriped milk bottles.  Then finally...Finally!... C.C. defended the Yankees' honor by drilling Big Papi with the pitch so many fans and Media talkies have been asking for.  After the game, when asked about getting hit, Big Papi told a group of reporters, "I hope you're f**king happy now."


But the damage inflicted by Papi and the S'awks had already been done.  The Red Sox sent a message received here in New York loud and clear by everyone. 


The Yankees relinquished their hold on first place and it has all the Yankee-leaning talkies in a full blown panic.  And why shouldn't they be?  Have you seen who's in the Yankees' bullpen lately?




The Joba Rules and Hughes Rules Got A New Spin:

In short work, which is how Cashman operates these days, he basically shook off any responsibility he might have had in the demise of Joba and Hughes.  Cashman said The Rules were always in place in their minor operations and that it was the Media who picked up the Who's Rules ball and ran with it because he implemented it on the Major League level.  And it's true; on both counts.  No one ever heard Cashman say these are "Joba Rules" per say.  But they were, no matter how much Cashman wants to deny it.  But my question was always why?  Why bring up the kid (Joba) after only 88 innings pitched in the minor leagues?  What equates to on-the-job training, is turning out to be a complete fail on many levels.

For all the babying they handled Joba and Phil Hughes with, the two still succumbed to injuries (as did Ian Kennedy when he came up as part of that much heralded trio).  Joba is done for the next year and a half if he has to get Tommy John surgery.  There is speculation now, Hughes will fill the bullpen role when he returns.  If that plays out, then the mismanagement continues in earnest.





Mike.BTB

N.Y.C. SUBWAY SERIES ~ Game Two

From the desks of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET &  BLAME CARLOS MAY

NEW YORK CITY
SUBWAY SERIES

GAME TWO

NEW YORK METS

(SP-CAPUANO)

vs.

new york YANKEES

(SP-BURNETT)

YANKEE STADIUM III

161st Street and River Avenue

BRONX

Last night, R.A. Dickey was just a little better than Freddie Garcia was.  The Mets have been waiting for a game like that from Dickey this season.  And it couldn't have come at a better time.  Last night's 2-1 Mets' victory over their cross-town rival Bombers, got the Mets to the magical mark of...

.500

TERRY's KIDS just keep doing what no one expects of them.  That's what makes this all the more fun to watch.  We know what kind of a team we are and what situation we're in.  But the Flushing Bisons have been an awfully fun bunch to watch.  But fun is one thing; Pitching is another.

Dickey's line from last night:

6 ~ innings pitched

1 ~ run

3 ~ walks

6 ~ strikeouts

I'll take it!  Dickey's knuckle ball was fluttering and flustering the Yankees all night.  But tonight, I'm not so sure.  With Burnett facing Capuano, things might get ugly for both pitchers.  Don't be surprised to see them both gone by the fourth inning.  Batting practice anyone?

To our great joy, the Mets have been pitching lights-out lately.  Dickey's effort was the third consecutive impressive effort handed in by Mets pitching.  And the bullpen has been equally shut-down as well.

Mets' Pitching Line, Last Three Games (Gee; Niese; Dickey plus Bullpen):

27 innings pitched.

15 hits.

1 home run surrendered.

1 run surrendered.

8 walks.

22 strikeouts.

And there-in lies the secret to the Mets'success lately; Good old fashioned Met Pitching and timely hitting by TERRY'S KIDS.

A.J. just delivered the first pitch of Game Two.  Let's Go Mets!!!

Mike.BTB

Yankee Hating all the way to the Bank

Who can afford to purchase the free agents they continually do ~ not to mention spending half a-billion dollars in one winter, and committing to one player for quarter of a billion dollars (twice in theory);

make trades that substantially increase payroll by replacing stars with stars
(see Sheffield/Abreu);

spend rewardingly to retain their own farm procured talent;

who continually outspend their mistakes (see laundry list of pitchers over last 9 years) without so much as a wincing of pain;

who can pay a pitcher $40 million dollars and banish him to AAA for life (you know who);

...manage ALL these things, ALL at the same time AND STILL.....

..pay AJ BURNETT a hamper load of money Not To Pitch in the playoffs.  I don't know exactly what he's making without checking, but I believe it's $17 million.  He was brought to the Yankees to be the number two starter, assuming Andy Pettitte's retirement.

But because he is what he has been, the Yankees very nonchalantly decided he would not start.

If AJ Burnett were on the TWINS, RANGERS, RAYS, REDS, BRAVES, or 20 other teams..etc etc;

(before I go further ~ YES! The Giants benched Zito ~ big hole in my theory...I get that!)

...But, my point is, any other team has no choice but to start him.  There's no way in hell he would be benched if he played elsewhere.  A healthy pitcher?  A team paying him $17 million-per, purchases him for one reason; to pitch!

Before you get all bent out of shape, remember I asked who/what team has the ability to manage ALL of what I pointed out....AND STILL go forward benching AJ.

The two answers are the Yankees

and

No one else.

That's not my opinion.  That's fact.

ALL these assertions are verifiable.  Opinion plays no part in this.

How do you think the Yankees would fare if they continually had a payroll of say $140 million; still a high end number in Baseball expenditures.  I'll be generous and say $150 Million; $165 Million.  Those to numbers would still represent the highest payrolls.  Add in the $50 and $60 million on top of that...and.....

Now, if you're emotionally invested in the game of Baseball and the Yankees as a fan

and you find exception with what I said...that's the facts speaking to you.  Not me.

If you find yourself fuming while reading this because you imply that I'm injecting opinion, you have a complex then.  I haven't said anything yet.

Now...,you don't need to say it; I'll say it for you,

THE YANKEES ARE DOING NOTHING WRONG!!

Hear that America?  Was that loud enough Yankee fans?

Don't hate the messenger.  Hate the "Game" cause I'm just saying....

Everyone is welcome to interpret this any way they like.

Enjoy the Championship Series!

HAhahahahah!

"signed ~ The Classic Yankee Hater"

Me?  I'm just Mike.

BTB