Saturday Seasons: 1997, A Return to Relevancy

Despite coming off a disastrous 1996 season where they finished 71-91 and were 25 games out of first place and 19 games out of a wild card spot, the Mets became one of the surprise teams and challenged for a playoff spot in 1997.

Manager Bobby Valentine replaced Dallas Green and was heading into his first full season as the “dugout general.”

During the off season, the Mets made a very shrewd trade when they sent pitcher Robert Person to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for first-baseman John Olerud, a former All Star and AL Rookie of the Year.

Olerud became a steady presence at first base and led the team with 102 RBI in 1997.

Pitcher Rick Reed became a part of the Mets rotation amidst some controversy.

The strike of 1994 had not yet been settled and Reed was a replacement player with the Cincinnati Reds when spring training began in 1995. Reed cited the medical bills he was paying for his mother as the reason he “crossed the picket line.”

Following the 1995 season, Reed signed with the Mets and spent the entire 1996 season with their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk before joining the big club for the 1997 season. The 32-year old Reed won 13 games and posted a 2.89 ERA.

Pitcher Bobby Jones (15-9, 3.63 ERA) was an All Star and third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo (team leading .315 batting average and 163 hits) had a breakout season as the Mets improved by 17 games to finish 88-74, their first time being over .500 since the 1990 season.

On July 2nd, the movie "Men in Black" was theatrically released. Mets left fielder Bernard Gilkey was featured in a cameo where the alien spacecraft flies over Shea Stadium and distracts him from making a catch.

The Mets opened the 1997 season with a nine game, West Coast road trip but they dropped 6 of 9, including two lengthy extra-inning games (15 and 14 innings) in Los Angeles against the Dodgers.

The Mets had two days off before the home season was scheduled to open on Saturday, April 12th against the San Francisco Giants but the game was rained out forcing an opening day doubleheader on Sunday, the 13th.

Howard Johnson, who announced his retirement before the season, threw out the ceremonial first pitch, but the Mets dropped both ends of the twin bill. After the Giants completed a three game sweep the next day, the Mets were off to a 3-9 start, and it appeared that another dismal season was on hand.

The Mets finally got their first home win on what was an historic day.

Tuesday, April 15th, 1997, was the 50th anniversary of the day that Jackie Robinson made his debut. To mark the occasion in the city where Robinson debuted, Shea Stadium hosted the inaugural Jackie Robinson day.

A number of dignitaries were on hand including Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, President Bill Clinton, and Jackie’s widow, Rachel Robinson. Actress Nell Carter sang the National Anthem while Jackie’s grandson, Jesse Martin Simms threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

In a 35-minute on-field ceremony that took place after the fifth inning, Commissioner Selig announced that Jackie’s #42 will be retired in perpetuity, meaning no one would wear it anymore. Players who were currently wearing #42 would be able to continue wearing it until they retired. Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. flipped his number from 24 to 42 for their game against the Indians in Cleveland.

In the game, the Mets beat the Dodgers 5-0 for their first home win. Lance Johnson drove in four runs. Armando Reynoso made his Mets debut and tossed 5 innings of shutout ball to get the win. During the off season, Reynoso was acquired from Colorado in exchange for Jerry Di Poto (current Mariners GM)

Mets finished April with 4 straight wins to go 12-14 and that carried into May, which turned into their best month of the season

On May 11th, the Mets went over .500 for the first time and they did it with a comeback win in St. Louis.

Trailing 4-3 in the 9th, pinch-hitter Carl Everett’s two run homer gave the Mets the lead. Butch Huskey went back-to-back as the Mets scored a 6-4 win to go over .500 with a 19-18 record.

Eight days later at Shea, John Olerud clubbed a two run, walk off home run to give the Mets a 4-3 win over Colorado.

Bobby Jones was developing into the ace of the staff and that was more evident when he tossed a complete game shutout in Montreal to up his record to 9-2. Jones allowed four hits and beat future Met Pedro Martinez who fell to 8-1 on the season.

The Mets went 18-9 in May to go a season high seven games over .500 at 30-23. It was early in the season, but the Mets were in the thick of the playoff race as they trailed Florida by 1.5 for the NL Wild Card spot.

June was highlighted by the first inter league games, including the first regular season “Subway Series” at Yankee Stadium.

On June 3rd, Bobby Jones beat Pedro Martinez for a second straight time in a great game at Shea that was won by the Mets, 2-1.

Martinez and Jones matched zeros for seven innings. In the top of the 8th, Rondell White broke the scoreless tie with an RBI double off Jones. Matt Franco’s pinch-hit home run off Martinez to lead off the 8th tied the game. With two out, Carlos Baerga, who had three hits and great numbers off Pedro, broke the tie with an RBI double.

Pedro pitched eight innings and was credited with a complete game with 12 strikeouts, including 9 straight outs by strikeout between the fifth and eighth innings, but he took his second straight loss. Jones won his 7th straight game and became the NL’s first 10 game winner. John Franco pitched a scoreless ninth for his 15th save.

On June 9th, Jones beat the Reds to go 11-2 and win his 8th consecutive start that tied a Mets franchise record.

The Mets played their first regular season interleague game against the Boston Red Sox at Shea on June 13th. Future Met Mo Vaughn hit a mammoth home run that struck the scoreboard in right center field as the Red Sox beat the Mets, 8-4.

The next day, Mark Clark hit a home run and took a no hitter into the 8th. The Mets scored a 5-2 win over the Red Sox, but Boston took the rubber game as Bobby Jones had his eight game win streak snapped.

The highlight of the season came on Monday, June 16th, when Dave Mlicki tossed a complete game shutout to beat the defending World Champion Yankees.

A crowd of over 56,000 was on hand and the Mets wasted no time in taking control of the game as they put three runs on the board in the top of the first against left hander Andy Pettitte.

John Olerud and Butch Huskey had run scoring hits to make it 2-0 but the Mets scored the third run in an unconventional manner.

With runners on first and third and one out, Pettitte picked off Huskey at first but Todd Hundley, who was at third, broke for the plate and beat the throw home. It went in the books as a double steal to the delight of the many Met fans who made their way into the Stadium in the Bronx.

Mlicki allowed 9 hits with two walks and 8 strikeouts, but he made big pitches when needed as the Yankees went 0 for 11 with runners in scoring position.

The Mets added two more runs in the 7th on Olerud’s two run single and one more in the 9th on a sac fly to make it a runaway 6-0 game.

With a six run lead, Bobby Valentine allowed Mlicki to pitch the ninth. Charlie Hayes led off the inning with a single but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. With two out and two on, Mlicki caught Derek Jeter looking to end what was a most satisfying evening for Mets fans.

The Yankees won the next two, including a walk off win in the series finale, but Mlicki etched his name into Mets lore with his memorable performance in the first regular season game between the inter-city rivals.

After the Subway Series, the Mets returned to Shea for a seven-game home stand that began with a four-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates that included two walk off wins.

In the opener, John Franco blew a three-run lead in the 9th, but Jason Hardtke’s walk off single gave the Mets a 7-6 win.

The next night, Hardtke drove in the only run of the game as the Mets beat the Pirates, 1-0 behind Bobby Jones, who tossed 8.2 scoreless innings to up his record to 12-3.

Carl Everett’s three run, walk off home run in the bottom of the 10th, gave the Mets a 12-9 win and a four game sweep.

The Mets won the first two games against Atlanta to extend their season long winning streak to six straight games, but the Braves snapped the streak and captured the finale of the home stand.

On the final day of June, the Mets were in Detroit. The Tigers’ Bobby Higginson hit three home runs and drove in seven as the Mets were routed 14-0 in their worst loss of the season and up to that point, the worst shutout loss in franchise history.

The Mets were 45-35 heading into July, but they dropped the final two games of the three-game series as they were swept in Detroit before heading home to play a pivotal four game series against the Marlins that led into the All-Star break.

The Mets lost the first game but won the next three, capped off by a walk off, 3-2 win in 12 innings. Carl Everett wins the game with a walk off, RBI single that scored Alex Ochoa who led off the inning by getting to second on an error by right fielder and future Met Gary Sheffield.

At the break, the Mets were 48-38 and pulled to within two games of the Marlins.

The Mets came out of the break by winning three of four in Atlanta.

On July 13th, Mets beat the Braves 7-6 in ten innings. Alex Ochoa’s solo HR in the 10th was the game winner as the Mets came from behind after the Braves scored 6 in the first inning off Bobby Jones.

After losing three straight, Mets win five in a row, including a four-game sweep of the Reds at Shea that leaves them (56-42) a half game behind Florida for the NL Wild Card.

On July 25th, the Mets beat the Padres 4-2 in San Diego to pull into a virtual tie with Florida (NY 59-43, Florida 58-42).

The Mets closed the month of July with a 5-2 win in San Francisco that left them at 60-46, a half game back of the Marlins.

On August 7th, the Mets beat the Colorado Rockies at Shea, 12-4. Mark Clark went the distance in what turned out to be his and Lance Johnson’s final game with the Mets.

The next day, Mets General Manager Steve Phillips, who had replaced Joe McIlvaine in season, engineered a trade with the Chicago Cubs. The Mets sent Johnson to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Brian McRae and relief pitchers Mel Rojas and Turk Wendell. Clark was dealt to Chicago three days later to complete the multi-player trade.

McRae had three hits in his first game to lead the Mets to a 6-1 win over the Astros at Shea.

The next night proved to be a portent of things to come as Rojas gave up five runs in the top of the 9th as Houston scored an 8-3 win. The loss began a stretch where the Mets lost 12 of 17 as they fell 6.5 games back of the Marlins.

Heading into September, the Mets were 73-62 but were now 7 games back of the Marlins with 27 to play.

September began with a three game sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays and a five game winning streak overall but Florida kept pace and the Mets could pick up no ground.

On September 13th, the Mets staged their biggest comeback of the season against the Montreal Expos at Shea.

Montreal had a 6-0 lead heading to the bottom of the 9th. Expos starter Dustin Hermanson was one out away from a complete game shutout, but he gave up a two run single to pinch-hitter Roberto Petagine.

Expos Manager Felipe Alou went to his bullpen and brought in Shayne Bennett who gave up a single to Luis Lopez on the first pitch to put two runners on. With the tying run on deck, it was now a save situation so Alou brought in his closer, Ugueth Urbina who had 26 saves but he gave up a single to Matt Franco to load the bases.

The next batter was Carl Everett who nearly tied the game with a long ball that was just foul down the right field line. Everett ran the count to 3-2 and then had the most dramatic hit of the season as he did hit a game tying grand slam home run.

Bernard Gilkey’s walk off, three run homer in the bottom of the 11th gave the Mets an exciting and improbable 9-6 win.

The Mets were 7.5 games back of the Marlins with 9 to play when they began a four-game series in Florida. The Mets had to sweep to have any chance, but they dropped the opener of the series which essentially sealed their fate.

Despite winning the final three, the Mets were eliminated on September 23rd when they lost 5-4 to the Pirates in Pittsburgh.

In the final game of the season on September 28th at Shea, the Mets beat the NL East champion Braves 8-2. John Olerud drove in four runs to go over 100 for the season.

After the game was over, Bobby Valentine and the team came out for a curtain call as the fans showed their appreciation for a team that made a drastic improvement from the year before and kept their playoff hopes alive into late September.

The Mets had become relevant again but 1997 was a precursor to what became a franchise altering move that would occur the very next season.