Schwei's Final Mets Notebook: Little-Known Facts, Odd Stats And Strange Records
By John Schweibacher
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The New York Mets finished the 2014 season with a record of 79-83, tied for second place in the National League East.
The 79-83 record was the Mets' best since 2010, when they posted that same record. 2014 and 2010 are also the only seasons in club history in which the Mets finished below .500 despite scoring more runs than they allowed.
The Mets have not reached the postseason since 2006. With the Kansas City Royals making the playoffs for the first time since 1985, only four teams in the majors currently have longer droughts than the Mets:
• Toronto: 1993
• Seattle: 2002
• Miami: 2003
• Houston: 2005
• San Diego: 2006
• NY Mets: 2006
Lucas Duda hit his 30th home run of the season in the eighth inning of the Mets' 8-3 win over the Astros in the season finale on Sunday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Duda was the first Mets player to reach the 30-homer mark for a season in the team's final game of the year. Elias notes that three Mets finished seasons with 29 home runs: Darryl Strawberry in both 1985 and 1989, Kevin McReynolds in 1987 and David Wright in 2010.
Duda's two-run homer off of Houston left-hander Tony Sipp in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the Mets a 2-1 win over the Astros on Saturday night. According to ultimatemets.com, it was the eighth time in club history that a left-handed Mets hitter connected for a game-ending homer against a left-handed pitcher in the bottom of the ninth or extra innings:
• 9/27/14: Lucas Duda vs. Tony Sipp (Hou) 2-1
• 5/3/06: Carlos Delgado vs. Mike Gonzalez (Pit) 4-3 (12)
• 9/25/04: Craig Brazell vs. Kent Mercker (Chi) 4-3 (11)
• 5/6/88: Darryl Strawberry vs. John Franco (Cin) 4-3 (10)
• 4/13/85: Darryl Strawberry vs. John Franco (Cin) 2-1
• 6/26/63: Tim Harkness vs. Jim Brewer (Chi) 8-6 (14)
• 6/7/63: Duke Snider vs. Diomedes Olivo (Stl) 3-2
• 5/12/62: Hobie Landrith vs. Warren Spahn (Mil) 3-2
Bartolo Colon got the win on Sunday to finish 2014 with a record of 15-13. Only seven other pitchers in club history have posted at least 14 wins and 13 losses in the same season:
• 2014: Bartolo Colon, 15-13
• 1991: David Cone, 14-14
• 1989: Ron Darling, 14-14
• 1979: Craig Swan, 14-13
• 1975: Jerry Koosman, 14-13
• 1973: Jerry Koosman, 14-15
• 1973: Jon Matlack, 14-16
• 1967: Tom Seaver, 16-13
Colon's 15 wins equaled the fourth-most by a pitcher in his first (or only) full season with the team after being obtained by the Mets in an offseason acquisition:
• Bobby Ojeda: 1986, 18
• Al Leiter: 1998, 17
• Johan Santana: 2008, 16
• Mike Hampton: 2000, 15
• Pedro Martinez: 2005, 15
• Bartolo Colon: 2014, 15
Bobby Abreu collected his 2,470th and final career hit in Sunday's win over Houston. Eight players in major-league history who had more career hits than Abreu played for the New York Mets, but none of them had fewer hits as a Met than Abreu:
Player Career Hits Mets Hits
• Willie Mays 3,283 96
• Eddie Murray 3,255 318
• Rickey Henderson 3,055 159
• Roberto Alomar 2,724 226
• Rusty Staub 2,716 709
• Gary Sheffield 2,689 74
• Julio Franco 2,586 55
• Richie Ashburn 2,574 119
• Bobby Abreu 2,470 33
Terry Collins will return for his fifth season as Mets manager next year. Only seven other managers in major-league history dating back to 1901 took over a team, posted at least four consecutive sub-.500 seasons and returned for a fifth:
• Clint Hurdle: Col, 2003-06 (went 90-73 in 2007, won NLCS)
• Lloyd McClendon: Pit, 2001-04 (was fired at 55-81 in 2005)
• Tony Muser: KC, 1998-01 (was fired at 8-15 in 2002)
• Ralph Houk: Detroit, 1974-77 (went 86-76 in 1978)
• Gene Mauch: Mtl, 1969-74* (went 75-87 in 1975)
• Jimmie Wilson: Phi, (NL) 1934-37 (was fired at 45-103 in 1938)
• Burt Shotton: Phi, (NL) 1928-31 (went 78-76 in 1932)
(*- Expansion franchise)
Schwei's Runs, Hits and Errors:
Runs: Runs Allowed -- Mets' opponents scored 618 runs, the fewest allowed by New York in a full 162-game season since 1990, when it gave up 613.
Runs: Jeurys Familia -- He set a Mets rookie record for appearances with 76 and was third in the majors among rookie pitchers with a 2.21 ERA.
Errors: Sub-.500 -- The Mets finished with a losing record for the sixth straight season, one shy of their all-time worst stretch of seven, set twice from 1962 through 1968 and again from 1977 through 1983.
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