1973 New York Mets 1973 NL Pennant
Major league affiliations
National League (since 1962) Eastern Division (since 1969)
Location
Shea Stadium (since 1964) New York, New York (since 1962)
1973 information
Owner(s)	Joan Whitney Payson
General manager(s)	Bob Scheffing
Manager(s)	Yogi Berra
Local television	WOR-TV
Local radio	WHN (Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy)

The New York Mets' 1973 season was the 12th regular season for the Mets, who played played home games at Shea Stadium. Manager Yogi Berra led the team to a National League East title with a 82-79 record, National League pennant and a defeat at the hands of the Oakland Athletics in the world Series. Their .509 winning percentage was the lowest of any pennant-winner in major league history. The season was well known for pitcher Tug McGraw's catchphrase "You Gotta Believe!!!"

Contents 1 Offseason 2 Regular season 2.1 Season highlights 2.1.1 It began with turmoil 2.1.2 "You Gotta Believe!!!" 2.1.3 The unexpected clincher 2.2 Season standings 2.3 Opening Day starters 2.4 Notable transactions 2.5 Roster 3 Player stats 3.1 Batting 3.1.1 Starters by position 3.1.2 Other batters 3.2 Pitching 3.2.1 Starting pitchers 3.2.2 Other pitchers 3.2.3 Relief pitchers 4 Awards and honors 5 Postseason 5.1 NLCS 5.1.1 Game 1 5.1.2 Game 2 5.1.3 Game 3 5.1.4 Game 4 5.1.5 Game 5 5.2 World Series 6 Farm system 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Offseason

• November 27, 1972: Tommie Agee was traded by the Mets to the Houston Astros for Rich Chiles and Buddy Harris.^[1]

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Season highlights

[edit] It began with turmoil

The 1973 version of the Mets were a far cry from their miracle 1969 team. All they had was a group of young proven lions like Jon Matlack, Rusty Staub, John Milner and Félix Millán mixed in with veterans from the 1969 club like Jerry Grote, Cleon Jones, Wayne Garrett and Bud Harrelson.

The Mets actually got off to a 4-0 start, they were still at first place by April 29 with a 12-8 record, but then injuries to their key players and turmoil sent the Mets going backwards. By July 26 the Mets were in last place, but only 7 1/2 games behind. On August 16, they were 12 games below .500, with 44 games to play. it was shaping up as a most forgettable season.

At the end of August, the Mets were in last place, nine games under .500, but, in the balanced mediocrity of that year's Eastern Division, just 5 1/2 out of first. The mathematical inequities of divisional play were beginning to show up. It became more and more ludicrous. On September 11, the Mets were in fourth place, five games under .500, but just three games out. Ahead of them were the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Montreal Expos.

[edit] "You Gotta Believe!!!"

With Tug McGraw urging his teammates on and celebrating victories with what soon became the catch phrase of 1973, "You Gotta Believe!!!" the Mets kept zigging and zagging away from would-be tacklers, and taking an occasional side-swipe, headed for this most unlikely of pennants. Down the stretch, Yogi Berra, veteran of many a pennant race, ran four starters at the league: Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, and George Stone, with the suddenly unhittable McGraw coming out of the pen with boisterous-and justified-confidence. (For his last 19 games, the screwball-throwing lefty showed 12 saves, 5 wins, and an ERA of 0.88).

[edit] The unexpected clincher

After sweeping a three-game series from the Pirates at Shea on September 21, the Mets' record stood at an even 77-77. But that .500 record was good enough for first place and a half-game lead. Illustraing just how dense the crowd was at the top, fifth-place Chicago was just 2 1/2 out.

But the Mets did not falter. They finished as National League East Division Champions. the Cardinals were 1 1/2 behind, Pittsburgh next at 2 1/2, Montreal third at 3 1/2, and Chicago fifth, 5 games out.

[edit] Season standings

NL East	W	L	GB	Pct.
New York Mets	83	79	--	.509
St. Louis Cardinals	81	81	1.5	.500
Pittsburgh Pirates	80	82	2.5	.494
Montreal Expos	79	83	3.5	.488
Chicago Cubs	77	84	5	.478
Philadelphia Phillies	71	91	11.5	.438

[edit] Opening Day starters

• Duffy Dyer
• Jim Fregosi
• Bud Harrelson
• Cleon Jones
• Willie Mays
• Félix Millán
• John Milner
• Tom Seaver
• Rusty Staub

[edit] Notable transactions

• June 5, 1973: Lee Mazzilli was drafted by the Mets in the 1st round (14th pick) of the 1973 Major League Baseball Draft.^[2]
• July 11, 1973: Jim Fregosi was purchased from the Mets by the Texas Rangers.^[3]

[edit] Roster

1973 New York Mets roster view • talk • edit
Roster
Pitchers 34 Bob Apodaca 38 Buzz Capra 34 Phil Hennigan 36 Jerry Koosman 32 Jon Matlack 43 Jim McAndrew 45 Tug McGraw 30 Bob Miller 39 Tommy Moore 31 Harry Parker 33 Ray Sadecki 41 Tom Seaver 40 George Stone 39 John Strohmayer 27 Craig Swan 22 Hank Webb		Catchers 10 Duffy Dyer 15 Jerry Grote 42 Ron Hodges 20 Jerry May Infielders  5 Jim Beauchamp 12 Ken Boswell  2 Jim Fregosi 11 Wayne Garrett  3 Bud Harrelson  7 Ed Kranepool 17 Ted Martínez 16,17 Félix Millán 28 John Milner 19 Brian Ostrosser		Outfielders 29 Rich Chiles  5 Jim Gosger 25 Don Hahn 21 Cleon Jones 24 Willie Mays 16 Dave Schneck  4 Rusty Staub 9,18 George Theodore Other batters  1 Lute Barnes  6 Greg Harts		Manager  8 Yogi Berra Coaches 51 Roy McMillan 52 Joe Pignatano 54 Rube Walker 53 Eddie Yost

[edit] Player stats

[edit] Batting

[edit] Starters by position

Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

[edit] Other batters

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI

[edit] Pitching

[edit] Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

[edit] Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO

[edit] Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO

[edit] Awards and honors

• Cy Young Award - Tom Seaver
• Jerry Koosman – Player of the Month, April 1973

All-Star Game

[edit] Postseason

[edit] NLCS

[edit] Game 1

October 6: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	2	6	0
W: Pedro Borbón (1-0)   L: Tom Seaver (0-1)   S: None
HR: NYM – None  CIN – Pete Rose (1), Johnny Bench (1)
Pitchers: NYM – Seaver  CIN – Billingham, Hall (9), Borbón (9)
Attendance: 53,431

[edit] Game 2

October 7: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
New York	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	5	7	0
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
W: Jon Matlack (1-0)   L: Don Gullett (0-1)   S: None
HR: NYM – Rusty Staub (1)  CIN – None
Pitchers: NYM – Matlack  CIN – Gullett, Carroll (6), Hall (9), Borbón (9)
Attendance: 54,041

[edit] Game 3

October 8: Shea Stadium, New York City, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	8	1
New York	1	5	1	2	0	0	0	0	x	9	11	1
W: Jerry Koosman (1-0)   L: Ross Grimsley (0-1)   S: None
HR: CIN – Denis Menke (1)  NYM – Rusty Staub (2), (3)
Pitchers: CIN – Grimsley, Hall (2), Tomlin (3), Nelson (4), Borbón (7)  NYM – Koosman
Attendance: 53,967

[edit] Game 4

October 9: Shea Stadium, New York City, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	8	0
New York	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	2
W: Clay Carroll (1-0)   L: Harry Parker (0-1)   S: Pedro Borbón (1)
HR: CIN – Tony Pérez (1), Pete Rose (2)  NYM – None
Pitchers: CIN – Norman, Gullett (6), Carroll (10), Borbón (12)  NYM – Stone, McGraw (7), Parker (12)
Attendance: 50,786

[edit] Game 5

October 10: Shea Stadium, New York City, New York

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cincinnati	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	7	1
New York	2	0	0	0	4	1	0	0	x	7	13	1
W: Tom Seaver (1-1)   L: Jack Billingham (0-1)   S: Tug McGraw (1)
HR: CIN – None  NYM – None
Pitchers: CIN – Billingham, Gullett (5), Carroll (5), Grimsley (7)  NYM – Seaver, McGraw (9)
Attendance: 50,323

[edit] World Series

AL Oakland Athletics (4) vs. NL New York Mets (3)

Game	Score	Date	Location	Attendance	Time of Game
1	Mets – 1, A’s – 2	October 13	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	46,021	2:26
2	Mets – 10, A’s – 7 (12 inns)	October 14	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	55,989	4:13
3	A's – 3, Mets – 2 (11 inns)	October 16	Shea Stadium	54,817	3:15
4	A's – 1, Mets – 6	October 17	Shea Stadium	54,817	2:41
5	A's – 0, Mets – 2	October 18	Shea Stadium	54,817	2:39
6	Mets – 1, A’s – 3	October 20	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	49,333	2:07
7	Mets – 2, A’s – 5	October 21	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	49,333	2:37

[edit] Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Tidewater Tides	International League	John Antonelli
AA	Memphis Blues	Texas League	Joe Frazier
A	Visalia Mets	California League	Nolan Campbell
A	Pompano Beach Mets	Florida State League	Gordon Mackenzie
Short-Season A	Batavia Trojans	New York-Penn League	Wilbur Huckle
Rookie	Marion Mets	Appalachian League	Owen Friend

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Memphis

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0963718983. 

[edit] External links

• 1973 New York Mets
• 1973 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com

v • d • e 1973 MLB season by team AL East Baltimore • Boston • Cleveland • Detroit • Milwaukee • New York • AL West California • Chicago • Kansas City • Minnesota • Oakland • Texas NL East Chicago • Montreal • New York • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • St. Louis NL West Atlanta • Cincinnati • Houston • Los Angeles • San Diego • San Francisco 1973 All-Star Game • 1973 World Series

Preceded by Pittsburgh Pirates 1972	NL East Championship Season 1973	Succeeded by Pittsburgh Pirates 1974
Preceded by Cincinnati Reds 1972	National League Championship Season 1973	Succeeded by Los Angeles Dodgers 1974

v • d • e New York Mets Based in Queens, New York City, New York The Franchise History • Expansion Draft • Seasons • Records • Players • New York Mets Hall of Fame • Managers • Broadcasters • Opening Day starting pitchers • First-round draft picks • SportsNet New York • WFAN Ballparks Polo Grounds • Shea Stadium • Citi Field Spring Training: Al Lang Stadium • Tradition Field Culture New York Metropolitans • Continental League • Mr. Met • Kiner's Korner • The Miracle Mets • Game 6 • Generation K • Grand Slam Single • The Catch • Home Run Apple • Sign Man • Cowbell Man • Curse of Ryan • 9/21/01 • "Meet the Mets" • George Kalinsky Key Personnel Owner: Fred Wilpon • COO: Jeff Wilpon • General Manager: Omar Minaya • Manager: Jerry Manuel Rivalries Philadelphia Phillies • New York Yankees • Subway Series • Atlanta Braves Important Figures William Shea • Joan Payson • Casey Stengel • Bob Murphy • Lindsey Nelson • Ralph Kiner • Gil Hodges • Ed Kranepool • Tug McGraw • Bud Harrelson • Nolan Ryan • Tom Seaver • Jerry Koosman • Tommie Agee • Yogi Berra • Rusty Staub • Nelson Doubleday, Jr. • Frank Cashen • Lenny Dykstra • Davey Johnson • Dwight Gooden • Gary Carter • Mookie Wilson • Darryl Strawberry • Howard Johnson • David Cone • Gary Cohen • Howie Rose • Mike Piazza • Bobby Valentine • José Reyes • David Wright • Johan Santana Retired Numbers 14 • 37 • 41 • 42 • Shea Championships 1969 • 1986 Pennants National League: 1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 2000 Other titles Eastern: 1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 1988 • 2006 • Wild Card: 1999 • 2000 Minors Player overview • AAA: Buffalo Bisons • AA: Binghamton Mets • A: St. Lucie Mets • Savannah Sand Gnats • Brooklyn Cyclones • Rookie: Kingsport Mets • Gulf Coast League Mets • DSL Mets • VSL Mets   Seasons (49) 1960s 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 1970s 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 1980s 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990s 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000s 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 2010s 2010