A few random Mets "Pi Day" facts!

Did you know that today, March 14th, is Pi Day? No, not pie like the delicious dessert that you overindulge in on Thanksgiving. "Pi" as in the number 3.14159265359 et cetera, et cetera. In honor of this day, I wanted to share a few interesting Pi-related Mets facts with you. Luckily, baseball is such a numbers-heavy game that we have plenty of statistics to choose from. Let's start off with some pitching stats:

• Three pitchers in Mets history have completed a season with a 3.14 ERA. Those pitchers are:
  • Jerry Koosman, 1970
  • Willie Blair, 1998
  • Mike Hampton, 2000
• Willie Blair might actually be the patron saint of Mets Pi Day. Blair threw all of 28.2 unremarkable innings for the 1998 Mets but here's an oddity: not only did his ERA finish at 3.14 but he also averaged 3.14 walks per 9 innings that year!
• In 1966, pitcher Bob Friend threw 86 innings for the Mets in what would be the final season of his career. In those innings, he averaged 3.14 strikeouts per 9 innings.
• Three Mets pitchers have completed a season with a 3.14 FIP. They are:
  • Bob Shaw, 1966
  • Mickey Lolich, 1976
  • Jerry Koosman, 1977
• Pedro Martinez finished the 2007 season with a 31.4% ground ball rate.
• In 2002, Scott Strickland threw his slider 31.4% of the time.

Now on to the hitters:

• Three hitters in Mets history have a career BABIP of .314: Gary Matthews Jr., Endy Chavez, and Jose Reyes.
• Larry Elliot and Bill Spiers both had a .314 career on-base percentage in a Mets uniform.
• Billy Cowan, who had 162 plate appearances with the 1965 Mets, is the only player in franchise history with a .314 career slugging percentage.
• Three Mets hitters have finished a season with 314 at bats:
  • Felix Millan, 1977
  • Dave Magadan, 1988
  • Kevin Elster, 1990

And just for fun, here's Pi in Mets player form:

Happy Pi Day, Mets fans! pic.twitter.com/Cemx4BhIOt

— Amazin' Avenue (@AmazinAvenue) March 14, 2017