The story of the 1970s Mets at catcher is really a story of transition. The decade opened with Jerry Grote still doing most of the work behind the plate, moved through years when Duffy Dyer and Ron Hodges mattered in real ways, and closed with John Stearns carrying the job almost by himself. One year after the miracle, the Mets still looked familiar at catcher. Grote handled 126 games and hit .255, while Dyer appeared in 59 and hit .209; New York finished 83-79. Behind the p

The final record of the 1980 Mets did not tell the whole story. Despite ultimately finishing in fifth place and losing 95 games, there...