On May 11, 1972, the Mets sent pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000 in cash to the San Francisco Giants for Willie Mays. Mays was 41 at the time and his best years were well behind him, but he still hit .267/.402/.446 in 69 games with the Mets that year before basically falling apart in 1973. Here's a newspaper clipping from the day of the trade:
(click to embiggen)
On that same day, Tom Seaver picked up his 100th career win, a 2-1 defeat of the Dodgers.
On May 11, 1999, the Mets' Bobby J. Jones faced the Rockies' Bobby M. Jones, marking the first time in the 20th century that pitchers with the same first and last names started a game against one another. The Rockies won, 8-5, as Jones (M.) defeated Jones (J.). A year later, both Joneses would be on the Mets.
Birthdays
- Walt Terrell (1982-1984) turns 54. Terrell was a solid pitcher for parts of three seasons with the Mets, but he is most notable for his involvement in two very important trades. Before the 1982 season, the Rangers traded Terrell and Ron Darling to New York for Lee Mazzilli. After the 1984 season, the Mets shipped Terrell to the Tigers for Howard Johnson.
- Jerry Martin (1984) turns 63. Martin signed as a free agent in March 1984 and hit .154/.206/.264 in about a hundred trips to the plate with the Mets.
Game Of Note
On May 11, 1988, the Mets took on the Astros in Houston as former Cy Young winners Dwight Gooden and Mike Scott squared off. Both starters stumbled through six innings, though, with Gooden allowing seven runs and Scott coughing up five. The Astros held an 8-5 lead in the ninth, but the Mets loaded the bases and Tim Teufel cleared them with a double to center to knot the game at eight apiece. In the tenth, Kevin McReynolds plated Howard Johnson with the go-ahead run and Terry Leach, who had come on in the ninth, set down Houston for his first win of the season.