1973 METS Updates AFTER September 14th

See my full article on last night's game:

https://lenferman.substack.com/p/hope-and-despair-25a#details

Tom Seaver took the mound in Pittsburgh knowing that a win would put the Mets just 1.5 games out of 1st place.  Seaver has been a sure thing for the Mets most of the year even through their dreary summer in last place.

Pirates slugger and MVP candidate, Willie Stargell, had other plans.  The hot hitting slugger boomed a run scoring triple off Seaver in the 1st.  Then after Seaver gave up another run in the 2nd on 2 doubles, Stargell came up again in the 3rd with a man on and hit a long home run over the centerfield fence.  It was Stargell's 40th of the year.  The next batter, Richie Hebner, also homered off Seaver, who gave up 5 earned runs in 3 innings and was knocked out of the game.

It was the 1st game all season that Seaver had gone less than 6 full innings (and even in that game Seaver had pitched well but was taken out for a pinch hitter in the 7th).

The Pirates went on to win it 10 - 3.  Stargell had 2 doubles after Seaver was out.  That gave Stargell 4 extra base hits.  It was the 4th time in his career he has done that which is the new National League record.

The Mets are now 3.5 games back in 4th place and 5 games behind in the loss column with just 12 games left on the schedule.

What a wild pennant race when every day brings hope or despair.

The Mets, facing a dire situation falling 5 games behind in the loss column with just 14 to go when they lost the nightcap of a doubleheader to the Cubs 2 days ago, came back with a win yesterday.  And combined with a Pirates loss, due in large part to the beloved former Mets legend, Tommie Agee, the New York Mets are suddenly right back in the mix, just 2.5 games behind the division leader.

The Mets squeezed out their game literally, executing a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 8th for the go ahead.  Then Tug McGraw shut down the Cubs in the 9th allowing no hits in 1 and 1/3 innings to seal a 4 - 3 squeaker.  

And although the Mets remain 4 behind in the loss column with just 13 games remaining, they now have 5 consecutive games coming up against the NL East leading Pirates.  The 1st 2 of the 5 games take place in Three Rivers Stadium tonight and tomorrow.  Then the same 2 teams head back to New York for 3 games at Shea.

Meanwhile in St. Louis, the Cardinals broke a 7 game losing streak and knocked off the Pirates.  Tommie Agee's 2 out home run in the 7th broke a 3 - 3 tie and changed the complexion of the game.  The Cards scored 3 more insurance runs in the 8th and won it 7 - 3.

And the Montreal Expos set a franchise record by winning their 74th game.  They did it with an 8th inning come from behind rally, scoring 3 runs to turn a 2 - 1 deficit to a 4 - 2 lead and ultimately the victory.  The win puts the Expos just 0.5 games behind the Pirates. No other team in the East has more wins than the Expos right now.

Tom Seaver will be on the mound tonight in Pittsburgh for the Mets. 

I can't wait!!!

Mets lost ground on the Pirates yesterday.  

While the Mets split a doubleheader at Shea against the Cubs, the Pirates beat the Cardinals.

The Pirates are now 1.5 games up on the Expos in the NL East.

The Mets are in 4th, 3.5 games back, but 5 down in the loss column with just 14 to play. 

The Mets are experimenting with Dave Schneck in centerfield. Schneck was the full time centerfielder for Tidewater this season and batted .245.  He went 2 for 7 in the doubleheader.  He is now 3 for 11 since coming up from AAA.

George Stone pitched another strong game in the opener, holding the Cubs to 1 run, while the Mets scored 5 with Rusty Staub and Cleon Jones each driving in 2 runs.

In the 2nd game, spot starter Ray Sadecki was knocked out early and the Mets couldn't score, leaving 10 runners on base in getting blanked by Rick Reuchel 7 - 0.

The Pirates beat the Cardinals 7 - 4.  It was the Cardinals 7th straight loss.  The Pirates was for the 7th time in 9 games since firing Bill Virdon to bring back manager Danny Murtaugh, who led the team to the 1961 and 1971 World Series titles.  Rookie Dave Parker was the star of the game for the Pirates, going 2 for 4 with a home run.  Murtaugh spoke effusively of Parker after the game.  He told Augie Borgi of the New York Daily News, "I think that boy has a chance to become one of the outstanding stars in baseball. He can run; defend, he's got a fine arm and he has power. He reminds me so much of Willie Stargell when he first came up.  He hits everything on line drives and when they go out of the park they're quick. Willie developed a little rise in his swing - not an uppercut - so those line drives go out.  That's all Parker has to do."

The Expos beat the Phillies in exciting fashion in Montreal when Bob Bailey hit a bases loaded single in the bottom of the 10th to win the game 5 - 4.  There was a record crowd of 34,331 in Jarry Park which has an official capacity of only 28,456. 

The victory improved the Expos record to 73 - 73.  This marks a major milestone for the franchise.  It's the latest the team has ever been at .500 by nearly 4 months.  The previous mark for latest time in the season they've been at .500 was on May 26, 1971 when the club was at 18 - 18.      

See my article on today's game at this link:

https://lenferman.substack.com/p/pirates-take-command-of-the-east-8c3#details

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