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Opening day, 1985, was Gary Carter's first game as a Met. In the 10th inning, he fairly flailed at a breaking pitch that shot over the wall for the walk-off win. The wonderful scene (which did not occur on this date) is a rare one not stripped from YouTube. You should go watch it.
Carter hit 32 home runs in '85, more than in any other season in his career, more than all but nine other catchers had ever hit in a season. On this date in '85, Carter twice homered against the Padres just a day after clubbing three shots in three consecutive at bats. Five home runs in two games tied a major league record. In the six games spanning August 29th - September 4th, Carter swatted eight home runs in 22 plate appearances. No Kid-ding.
Birthdays
- Happy Birthday, Mike Piazza! The best hitter ever to play the most important defensive position on the diamond is 44. Click to find Amazin' Avenue coverage of the Clemens "incident" ... facial hair ... endorsements ... fan memories ... Cooperstown: Met or Dodger? ... the anniversary of 9/11... the greatest bat flip ever ... the '99 playoffs ... more facial hair ... the trade what brung him ... last days as a Met.
- Luis Lopez (turns 42), a utility infielder on the '96-'99 teams, is the hitting coach for Boston's single-A affiliate in Greenville, S.C. He was born in Cidra, Puerto Rico, called "The City of Eternal Spring."
- Joey DePastino (turns 39) caught minor league pitching for a decade until the Mets tapped him, in 2003, for exactly two big league games. He is the system-wide roving catching coordinator for the Tigers.
Transaction
On this date in 1990, Barry Lyons, a backup catcher for the Mets' since '86, was released. From Biloxi, Miss., Lyons lost his home and World Series ring to Hurricane Katrina. Thankfully Barry and his family came through OK.
Game of the Night
On this date, even five home runs couldn't buy a win for the eventual 100-game losers, your 1993 New York Mets. Facing the Cubs, Bobby Bonilla homered in the first and later tied the game 7-7 with another big swing in the seventh. Ryan Thompson knocked out a pair of his own, and the fifth homer cracked off the bat of Eddie Murray. Alas, the Cubbies too were due at-bats. Mets pitcher Eric Hillman -- nice surname for the trade -- was the first of five to drop like dominoes. John Franco stepped in in the eighth with a one-run lead and Ryne Sandburg on first. A pair of RBI hits from Shawon Dunston and Sammy Sosa, and the Cubs had won it 9-8.
Amazin'-ly Tenuous Connection
On September 4, 1998, two students at Stanford University, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founded a company so powerful, we use it as a verb. It's the word of the aughts: Google. Presently, you may know of a a nationally-celebrated baseball pitcher and author who has appeared on Letterman, who may win the Cy Young, who returns 3.1 million hits on Google, who is "suggested" even before R. Kelly upon typing "R." in the search box. And this man's Google profile pic was created on AmazinAvenue.com.