Franchise Friday Debut: Seaver Meets Koufax, For the First Time

For the first-ever Franchise Friday Strat-O-Matic showdown, baseball fans got to witness a matchup that never happened in real life: Tom Seaver vs. Sandy Koufax. Koufax retired after the 1966 season, Seaver debuted in 1967, yet here they were, as if time itself had hit “rewind and fast forward at the same time.”

Seaver was magnificent, striking out 13 Dodgers over nine innings, walking just one and allowing two runs. Koufax, as if proving the baseball gods had a sense of humor, struck out 11 and gave up only one run over nine innings to earn the win. Both pitchers were working off the average of their best four seasons with their respective franchises—a Stat-O-Matic nod to peak form—and it showed in every pitch, every swing, and every tense moment that had Shea fans gripping their peanuts.

The Mets got off to the ideal start. Mike Piazza’s first at-bat against Koufax ended as dramatically as possible: a solo home run to left field that had Shea fans on their feet, as he had done so many times before. Even in a Strat-O-Matic simulation, Piazza has a way of rising to the moment putting the home team ahead 1-0 and giving the crowd hope that Seaver’s perfection might be enough.

But the Dodgers answered in the third. Duke Snider singled down the right-field line to tie the game, and the scoring surge was capped in the fifth when Cory Seager grounded into a double play—but Dolph Camilli scored anyway, giving the Dodgers the 2-1 edge that would hold.

Offensively, the Mets were otherwise stymied. Piazza led the way with two hits and one RBI, while the rest of the lineup struggled to solve Koufax’s pinpoint control. Defensively, the Mets were flawless—one double play, zero errors—but even perfection couldn’t erase that lone fifth-inning run.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, spread the wealth. Pedro Guerrero had three hits, Justin Turner added two, and Roy Campanella handled 12 chances behind the plate flawlessly. Combined with Koufax’s brilliance, it was enough to take the opener.

This inaugural Franchise Friday game was a pitcher’s duel, a little bit of history, and a whole lot of fun. It was the kind of game that makes you sigh, shake your head, and marvel that Strat-O-Matic can bend time just enough for two legends who never shared a field to meet in a simulated dream matchup.

Next up: The series moves to Ebbets Field next Friday, where the Mets will counter with Dwight “Doc” Gooden against Don Drysdale. Expect more legendary pitching, tense at-bats, and Strat-O-Matic drama as the series continues.