Amazing Away Games: Yankee Stadium. Mlicki makes Myanks Mlose.

The Mets - Yankees Subway Series this weekend is exciting to many. But all these years later, the luster is surely gone for others. But it wasn't always that way. Amazing Away Games takes you back to the first regular season Subway Series game, which was played at Yankee Stadium.

June 16, 1977. Mets 6, Yankees 0

The Yankees were the defending World Champions at the time. But after this game, both teams had exactly the same record, 37-30.

Sure, the Yanks had many of their usual names playing. Derek Jeter, who still has the highest batting average of any player against the Mets in history. Paul O'Neil. Cecil Fielder, Tino Martinez (The BamTino?). To a lesser degree, Joe Girardi and Charlie Hayes. Missing from the usual Yankee lineup was Bernie Williams, who was having hamstring issues. Wade Boggs and starting catcher Jorge Posada also didn't play.

For the Mets, Edgardo Alfonzo was nursing an injury that would keep him out a week. That was Fonzie's breakout season, driving in 72 runs and hitting .315.

This first regular season game between the two New York teams most likely meant more to the fans than the players, but if you remember hardly being able to breathe before the game, maybe you remember the feeling.

I might have felt better if 13 game winner Rick Reed or 15 game winner Bobby Jones would have started, but it was Dave Mlicki. Dave Ma-who-ee?

Mlicki was acquired by the Mets in 1994, along with Paul Byrd and Jerry DiPoto from Cleveland for Jeromy Burnitz. (Man, that's a lot of disappointment in one sentence. Pass me a Tums).

Mlicki started 25 games in 1995, winning 9 games. He was a regular bullpen arm in 1996, appearing in 51 games, winning 6 with a 3.30 ERA. He was back in the rotation in 1997, where he would continue to be a starter for the remaining 6 years of his career. Does he get that opportunity without this game?

Mlicki finished 1997 with an 8-12 record in 32 starts.

The game started with a Lance Johnson groundout. Bernard Gilkey doubled and then John Olerud, in his initial Mets season, doubled him in.

Olerud might be the most underrated Met...or dare I say BEST PLAYER in their history. He does have the highest average WAR over three seasons than anyone in Mets history! He still holds the highest single season batting average record (.354 in 1998) and held the Mets walk record of 125 for 26 years until Juan Soto had 127 walks last year.

Todd Hundley, coming off of his Mets record 41 homer season, then walked, too. Yankee starter Andy Pettitte was having a most difficult time.

Side note: Does Pettitte belong in the Hall of Fame? I know there has been steroid talk. He had 256 wins, almost 2500 strikeouts, and an incredible 19 post season wins. That is the most in baseball history. Sure Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is second with 17. Hall of Famers John Smoltz and Tom Glavine follow with 15 and 14. What do you think? This Yankee hater says.....YES! He belongs.

Butch Huskey (RIP) laced a single to right-center and Olerud scored.

THIS IS NOT A TYPO: Double steal! Hundley stole home and Huskey stole second! Maybe the two slowest Mets at the time? Pettitte picked off Huskey at first, and Butch ran to second. Jeter took the throw and DID NOT LOOK HOME. As Jeter ran Huskey back and threw to first, Hundley scampered home easily.

Three runs in the first! Now Met fans could breathe, but could we trust Mlicki? Well, yes, for this game. He threw his only complete game in 32 starts and his only shutout. In 193 career starts, he would only complete 6 total games with 2 total shutouts.

Jeter lead off with a bleeder to center, and took second on an error by Johnson. After Pat Kelly grounded out to third, O'Neill and Fielder both struck out.

Both pitchers were now in a groove. No more than four batters came to the plate in any half inning until the top of the seventh. After Carlos Baerga grounded out to second (he was very skilled at that), backup players who were starting - Matt Franco and Luis Lopez, both singled off Pettitte. Johnson grounded out to the pitcher and both runners advanced. After Gilkey walked to load the bases, the clutch Olerud came through with a two run single. It was now 5-0 Mets.

Mlicki was still coasting. He started the seventh by walking Hayes, but no other damage was done.

Lefthanded Australian Graeme Lloyd, who would later become a Met, game up a run on a single by Franco, his own error on a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly by Gilkey. 6-0 Mets.

Hayes lead off the ninth with a shot down the left field line, but down by 6, he still tried to stretch it into a double and was thrown out by Gilkey. Hard-hittin' Mark Whiten then singled. Did you forget Whiten, best known for one of the All-Time games ever with 4 homers and 12 RBI, played for the Yankees? Whiten was really a journeyman, playing for 8 different teams along the way. He played in only 69 games as a Yankee. (Stop snickering, students!).

Chad Curtis then hit into a force play for the second out. Curtis later spent seven years in prison after sexually assaulting teen girls in a High School he was working in as a weight trainer. He was freed in 2020.

Girardi singled, bringing Jeter to the plate. Jeter looked at strike three and the Mets won the first Subway Series game!

Mlicki has stated that he gets tons of memorabilia to sign every June near the anniversary. He said, "It's nice to be relevant sometimes." Mlicki has the final pitch in his Ohio home, along with a scoop of dirt from the Yankee Stadium mound.

He threw 119 pitches in the game. When does he get removed today? After 5 or 6?

Dave Mlicki remains the only Mets pitcher to throw a complete game shutout vs the Yankees. Unless, this weekend....