1973 New York Mets season

The 1973 New York Mets season was the 12th regular season for the Mets, who played home games at Shea Stadium. Manager Yogi Berra led the team to a National League East title with an 82–79 record and the National League pennant, though they were defeated by the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. Their.509 winning percentage is the lowest of any pennant-winner in major league history. Having won only 82 games during the regular season, the 1973 Mets, along with the 2005 San Diego Padres, qualified for the postseason with the fewest regular season wins since MLB expanded to a 162-game season in 1961, and the fewest of any team since 1885. The season was well known for pitcher Tug McGraw's catchphrase "Ya Gotta Believe!!!"

Offseason

November 1, 1972: Danny Frisella and Gary Gentry were traded by the Mets to the Atlanta Braves for Félix Millán and George Stone.
November 27, 1972: Brent Strom and Bob Rauch were traded by the Mets to the Cleveland Indians for Phil Hennigan.
November 27, 1972: Tommie Agee was traded by the Mets to the Houston Astros for Rich Chiles and Buddy Harris.
November 30, 1972: Dave Marshall was traded by the Mets to the San Diego Padres for Al Severinsen.
March 28, 1973: Bill Sudakis was traded by the Mets to the Texas Rangers for Bill McNulty.
Regular season

Season highlights

Initial turmoil

The 1973 Mets were much improved from their "miracle" 1969 team. They had a group of young proven stars—including Jon Matlack, Rusty Staub, John Milner, and Félix Millán—mixed in with veterans from the 1969 club, such as Jerry Grote, Cleon Jones, Wayne Garrett, and Bud Harrelson. Their pitching staff, led by Tom Seaver, was among the finest in baseball. But injuries hampered the Mets throughout the entire season.
The Mets got off to a 4–0 start to the season, and were still at first place by April 29 with a 12–8 record. But then, injuries to their key players caused turmoil. By July 26, the Mets were in last place, yet still only games behind. On August 16, they were 12 games below.500, with 44 games to play.
On August 30, the Mets were in last place, with only a month left to play. However, the division was so tight-knit that the last place standing consisted of only a game deficit. At the completion of August, the Mets were in fifth place, nine games under.500, but, in the balanced mediocrity of that year's division, just games out of first. The mathematical inequities of divisional play were beginning to show up. 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.

"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 clinched the most unlikely of pennants. Yogi Berra, a veteran of pennant races, used a four man rotation down the stretch: Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Jon Matlack, and George Stone, with the suddenly unhittable McGraw coming out of the pen with boisterous, justified confidence. In his last 19 games, the screwball-throwing lefty recorded 5 wins, converted 12 saves and had an ERA of 0.88.

"Ball on the wall" play

One of the most famous plays in Mets folklore occurred when their September 20 match-up against the Pirates at Shea Stadium went into extra innings. The Pirates had Richie Zisk on first base when Dave Augustine hit what appeared to be a two-run home run to left. Instead, the ball hit the top of the wall, and caromed directly into left fielder Cleon Jones' glove. Jones fired a strike to Wayne Garrett as the cut-off man, who in turn, fired a strike to catcher Ron Hodges to nail Zisk at the plate. The Mets went on to win the game in the bottom of the inning as part of a three game sweep.

The unexpected clincher

After completing the three-game sweep of the Pirates 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. Illustrating just how dense the crowd was at the top, the fifth-place Chicago Cubs were just out. The Mets won five of their last seven to finish as National League East champions. The clinching took place at Wrigley Field on October 1 as the Mets beat the Cubs 6–4 as Tom Seaver won his 19th game of 1973 and Tug McGraw recorded the save. The Cardinals finished second, games back, Pittsburgh third at, Montreal fourth at, and Chicago fifth at 5 games back.
This was the only NL East title between 1970 and 1980 not to be won by either the Philadelphia Phillies or the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Opening Day starters

Duffy Dyer
Jim Fregosi
Bud Harrelson
Cleon Jones
Willie Mays
Félix Millán
John Milner
Tom Seaver
Rusty Staub
Notable transactions
June 5, 1973: Lee Mazzilli was drafted by the Mets in the 1st round of the 1973 Major League Baseball draft.
July 11, 1973: Jim Fregosi was sold by the Mets to the Texas Rangers.
Roster

Player stats

Batting

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
C		84	285	73	.256	1	32
1B		129	451	108	.239	23	72
2B		153	638	185	.290	3	37
SS		106	356	92	.258	0	20
3B		140	504	129	.256	16	58
LF		92	339	88	.260	11	48
CF		93	262	60	.229	2	21
RF		152	585	163	.279	15	76

Other batters

Note: 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
1B-LF		100	284	68	.239	1	35
SS-OF		92	263	67	.255	1	14
CF-1B		66	209	44	.211	6	25
C		70	189	35	.185	1	9
C		45	127	33	.260	1	18
3B-SS		45	124	29	.234	0	11
LF	George Theodore	45	116	30	.259	1	15
3B		76	110	25	.227	2	14
OF		38	92	22	.239	0	10
1B		50	61	17	.279	0	14
CF	Dave Schneck	13	36	7	.194	0	0
CF	Rich Chiles	8	25	3	.120	0	1
C	Jerry May	4	8	2	.250	0	0
SS	Brian Ostrosser	4	5	0	.000	0	0
PH-PR	Greg Harts	3	2	1	.500	0	0
PH-PR	Lute Barnes	3	2	1	.500	0	1

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
	36	290.0	19	10	2.08	251
	35	263.0	14	15	2.84	156
	34	242.0	14	16	3.20	205

Other pitchers