Schwei: 2011 Mets, The True Definition Of A .500 Team
By John Schweibacher
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The Mets will reach the half-way point of the 2011 season this week. They begin play with a record of 39 and 39, not just .500 overall but across the board.
Mets vs. MLB 39-39
Mets vs. NL East 15-15
Mets vs. NL Central 10-10
Mets vs. NL West 8-8
Mets vs. AL 6-6
The Mets picked up their first "walk-off' win of 2011 last week when Justin Turner was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 13th inning against the Oakland A's. It marked just the second time in club history that the Mets won a game on a hit batter.
On April 23rd, 1992, Daryl Boston was hit by a pitch by St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Juan Agosto, with the bases loaded in the 13th at Shea Stadium. The pitch actually ended up inside Boston's Mets uniform top and brought home Rodney McCray with the game-winning run.
Thanks to the Ultimate Mets Database, here are some other "walk-off" ways the Mets have won games in their history, including totals in both regular season and postseason play:
· Home Runs 117
· Singles 156
· Doubles 28
· Triples 1
· Walks 17
· Wild Pitch 11
· Passed Ball 0
· Errors 16
· Sac Fly 13
· Stolen Base 1
· Fielder's Choice 7
· Balk 0
While the Mets have never won a game on a walk-off balk, they did of course lose in that manner in Atlanta on their last road trip.
Mike Pelfrey made a run at a dubious Mets record two years ago with a six balks in a season.
Mets' all-time balk leaderboard for a single season:
· David Cone 10 1988
· Sid Fernandez 8 1988
· Dwight Gooden 7 1984
· Jerry Koosman 7 1975
· Bob Ojeda 7 1988
· Roger Craig 6 1963
· Mike Pelfrey 6 2009
Mets' all-time balk leaders:
· Dwight Gooden 32
· David Cone 24
· Ron Darling 21
· Jerry Koosman 20
· Sid Fernandez 18
· Bob Ojeda 13
· Craig Swan 12
· Rick Aguilera 9
· Mike Pelfrey 9
Pitchers who have thrown the most innings for the Mets without committing a balk:
· Tom Glavine 1005.1
· Jim McAndrew 729.2
· Ray Sadecki 600.1
· John Maine 542
· Jay Hook 376
· Dick Selma 359
· Jon Niese 311.1
· Dennis Ribant 281.1
· R.A. Dickey 270
· Harry Parker 262.1
When the Mets drafted catcher Hobie Landrith with their first pick in the 1962 National League Expansion Draft, manager Casey Stengel explained the club's thinking by saying "you have to have catchers or you're going to have a lot of passed balls."
The Mets have used three catchers so far this season, and thanks mainly to knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, they lead the majors in passed balls.
Coming into this week, the Mets have allowed 16 passed balls, six more than they did in all of 2010. Josh Thole has been charged with nine passed balls, giving him 16 for his career.
Mets' all-time leaders in passed balls:
· Jerry Grote 59
· Todd Hundley 47
· Mike Piazza 39
· Jesse Gonder 35
· Ron Hodges 31
· John Stearns 31
The Mets head to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Tigers before returning home to conclude the interleague portion of the 2011 schedule against the Yankees.
This will be the third time the Mets face the Tigers in Detroit. In 1997, the Mets were swept in a three-game series at Tiger Stadium and dropped two of three at Detroit's current home, Comerica Park, in 2007.
The Mets have won five of the six games played vs. Detroit in Flushing, including taking two of three at Citi Field last season.
Schwei's Runs, Hits and Errors:
Runs: Double-Digits: The Mets scored 14 runs this past Saturday, ending their streak of 101 straight games scoring fewer than 10 runs. (According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that had been the longest current streak for any major-league team and it was the longest for the Mets since a 110-game streak spanning the 1991 and 1992 seasons)
Hits: No Homers, No Problem: Mets score 22 runs in back-to-back wins over Texas without hitting a home run. (According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that's the most the Mets have ever scored in consecutive homerless games)
Errors: Francisco Rodriguez. The Mets' closer is now 0 and 1 with two blown saves, three home runs allowed and an ERA of 8.18 in June.
Will the Mets bust over the .500 mark for good? Sound off in the comments below...
