The 1974 New York Mets season was the 13th regular season for the Mets, who played home games at Shea Stadium. Led by manager Yogi Berra, the team finished the season with a record of 71–91, placing fifth in the National League East. This was the first time the Mets had a losing season since 1968.
1974 New York Mets | ||
---|---|---|
League | National League | |
Division | East | |
Ballpark | Shea Stadium | |
City | New York | |
Record | 71-91 | |
Divisional place | 5th | |
Owners | Joan Whitney Payson | |
General managers | Bob Scheffing | |
Managers | Yogi Berra | |
Television | WOR-TV | |
Radio | WHN (Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy) | |
|
Offseason
edit- March 26, 1974: Buzz Capra was purchased from the Mets by the Atlanta Braves.[1]
Regular season
editSeason standings
editTeam | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Pirates | 88 | 74 | .543 | — | 52–29 | 36–45 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 86 | 75 | .534 | 1½ | 44–37 | 42–38 |
Philadelphia Phillies | 80 | 82 | .494 | 8 | 46–35 | 34–47 |
Montreal Expos | 79 | 82 | .491 | 8½ | 42–38 | 37–44 |
New York Mets | 71 | 91 | .438 | 17 | 36–45 | 35–46 |
Chicago Cubs | 66 | 96 | .407 | 22 | 32–49 | 34–47 |
Record vs. opponents
editSources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||||
Atlanta | — | 4–8 | 7–11–1 | 6–12 | 8–10 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 4–8 | 17–1 | 8–10 | 9–3 | |||||
Chicago | 8–4 | — | 5–7 | 4–8 | 2–10 | 5–13 | 8–10 | 8–10 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–13 | |||||
Cincinnati | 11–7–1 | 7–5 | — | 14–4 | 6–12 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–4 | 8–4 | 12–6 | 11–7 | 6–6 | |||||
Houston | 12–6 | 8–4 | 4–14 | — | 5–13 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 7–11 | 10–8 | 8–4 | |||||
Los Angeles | 10–8 | 10–2 | 12–6 | 13–5 | — | 8–4 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 16–2 | 12–6 | 6–6 | |||||
Montreal | 3–9 | 13–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | — | 9–9 | 11–7 | 9–9 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 8–9 | |||||
New York | 4–8 | 10–8 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 9–9 | — | 7–11 | 7–11 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 6–12 | |||||
Philadelphia | 4-8 | 10–8 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 11–7 | — | 10–8 | 5–7 | 8–4 | 9–9 | |||||
Pittsburgh | 8–4 | 9–9 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 8–10 | — | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–11 | |||||
San Diego | 1–17 | 6–6 | 6–12 | 7–11 | 2–16 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 3–9 | — | 11–7 | 5–7 | |||||
San Francisco | 10–8 | 6–6 | 7–11 | 8–10 | 6–12 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–11 | — | 6–6 | |||||
St. Louis | 3–9 | 13–5 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 9–8 | 12–6 | 9–9 | 11–7 | 7–5 | 6–6 | — |
Opening Day starters
edit- Wayne Garrett
- Jerry Grote
- Don Hahn
- Bud Harrelson
- Cleon Jones
- Jerry Koosman
- Félix Millán
- John Milner
- Rusty Staub[2]
Notable transactions
edit- June 5, 1974: Bob Myrick was drafted by the Mets in the 20th round of the 1974 Major League Baseball Draft.[3]
Roster
edit1974 New York Mets | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
editBatting
editStarters by position
editNote: 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 | Jerry Grote | 97 | 319 | 82 | .257 | 5 | 36 |
1B | John Milner | 137 | 507 | 128 | .252 | 20 | 63 |
2B | Félix Millán | 136 | 518 | 139 | .268 | 1 | 33 |
SS | Bud Harrelson | 106 | 331 | 75 | .227 | 1 | 13 |
3B | Wayne Garrett | 151 | 522 | 117 | .224 | 13 | 53 |
LF | Cleon Jones | 124 | 461 | 130 | .282 | 13 | 60 |
CF | Don Hahn | 110 | 323 | 81 | .251 | 4 | 28 |
RF | Rusty Staub | 161 | 561 | 145 | .258 | 19 | 78 |
Other batters
editNote: 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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SS-OF | Ted Martinez | 116 | 334 | 73 | .219 | 2 | 43 |
OF | Dave Schneck | 93 | 254 | 52 | .205 | 5 | 25 |
2B-3B | Ken Boswell | 96 | 222 | 48 | .216 | 2 | 15 |
1B | Ed Kranepool | 94 | 217 | 65 | .300 | 4 | 24 |
C | Duffy Dyer | 63 | 142 | 30 | .211 | 0 | 10 |
C | Ron Hodges | 59 | 136 | 30 | .221 | 4 | 14 |
LF-PH | George Theodore | 60 | 76 | 12 | .158 | 1 | 1 |
OF-PH | Benny Ayala | 23 | 68 | 16 | .235 | 2 | 8 |
OF | Jim Gosger | 26 | 33 | 3 | .091 | 0 | 0 |
1B-PH | Brock Pemberton | 11 | 22 | 4 | .182 | 0 | 1 |
OF | Bruce Boisclair | 7 | 12 | 3 | .250 | 0 | 1 |
2B-3B | Rich Puig | 4 | 10 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
C-PH | Ike Hampton | 4 | 4 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 1 |
Pitching
editStarting pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jon Matlack | 34 | 265.1 | 13 | 15 | 2.41 | 195 |
Jerry Koosman | 35 | 265.0 | 15 | 11 | 3.36 | 188 |
Tom Seaver | 32 | 232.0 | 11 | 11 | 3.20 | 201 |
George Stone | 15 | 77.0 | 2 | 7 | 5.03 | 29 |
Other pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harry Parker | 40 | 131.0 | 4 | 12 | 3.92 | 58 |
Bob Apodaca | 35 | 103.0 | 6 | 6 | 3.50 | 54 |
Ray Sadecki | 34 | 103.0 | 8 | 8 | 3.41 | 46 |
Craig Swan | 7 | 30.1 | 1 | 3 | 4.45 | 10 |
Hank Webb | 3 | 10.0 | 0 | 2 | 7.20 | 8 |
Randy Sterling | 3 | 9.1 | 1 | 1 | 4.82 | 2 |
Nino Espinosa | 2 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 | 5.00 | 2 |
Relief pitchers
editNote: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO | IP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bob Miller | 58 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3.58 | 35 | 78.0 |
Tug McGraw | 41 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 4.16 | 54 | 88.2 |
Jack Aker | 24 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3.48 | 18 | 41.1 |
Jerry Cram | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1.61 | 8 | 22.1 |
John Strohmayer | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 1.0 |
Farm system
editLEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Victoria
Japan tour
editThe Mets' tour of Japan began with its departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport on October 23. The team's charter flight included stops to pick up players in San Francisco and Anchorage, Alaska, the latter for Jerry Koosman. Two nonparticipants were Ray Sadecki and Duffy Dyer who were both traded, the former to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joe Torre on October 13 and the latter to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Gene Clines on October 22. Torre was the only one of the two new Mets to participate in the tour.[4][5] Starters Rusty Staub, Jerry Grote, Bud Harrelson and Cleon Jones elected to forego the tour for various personal reasons.[6] The ballclub arrived at Haneda Airport on October 24 after a combined 21-hour flight.[7]
Both Torre and Tom Seaver were dealing with health issues, shoulder for the former and back and hip for the latter.[7]
Game | Month | Date | Day | Place | Opponent | W/L/D | Score | Mets Starting Pitcher | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | OCT | 26 | SA | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | L | 7–10 | Tom Seaver | Sadaharu Oh grand slam off Jerry Cram in eighth. John Milner, Wayne Garrett and Dave Schneck each homer.[8] |
2 | OCT | 28 | M | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | D | 4–4 | Jon Matlack | 4–2 lead disappears as Jack Aker walks five Giants batters in ninth. Don Hahn homers.[6] |
3 | OCT | 29 | TU | Sapporo | Yomiuri Giants | ||||
4 | OCT | 30 | W | Sendai | Yomiuri Giants | L | 2–3 | Tom Seaver | Seaver allows two runs in first six innings. Deciding run off Hank Webb in seventh. Ed Kranepool solo home run.[9] |
5 | OCT | 31 | TH | Kōriyama | Yomiuri Giants | D | 3–3 (9) | Bob Apodaca | Milner game-tying solo homer in ninth; Jack Aker's final Mets appearance before waived on NOV 6.[10][11] |
6 | NOV | ||||||||
7 | NOV | ||||||||
8 | NOV | 4 | M | Tokyo | Yomiuri Giants | L | 4–10 | Tom Seaver | 17 hits combined off Seaver, Webb, Cram and Bob Miller. Milner homers.[12] |
9 | NOV | 6 | W | Niigata | Yomiuri Giants | L | 4–9 | Randy Tate | Tate gives up three runs in first; Dave Schneck and Joe Torre each hit a homer.[11] |
10 | NOV | 7 | TH | Toyama | Yomiuri Giants | W | 6–3 | Jon Matlack | Twelve hits for Mets; single, double and three RBI for Torre.[13] |
11 | NOV | 9 | SA | Osaka | Yomiuri Giants/Nankai Hawks | W | 6–4 | Jerry Koosman | Milner and Kranepool each hit a home run.[14] |
12 | NOV | ||||||||
13 | NOV | 12 | TU | Matsuyama | Yomiuri Giants | W | 7–5 | Jon Matlack | Kranepool homers twice despite Matlack surrendering five runs in first three innings.[15] |
14 | NOV | 14 | TH | Hiroshima | Yomiuri Giants/Hiroshima Toyo Carp | W | 4–0 | Jerry Koosman | Torre hits three-run homer in fourth; Koosman pitches a five-hit shutout.[16] |
15 | NOV | 16 | SA | Fukuoka | Yomiuri Giants/Taiheiyo Club Lions | L | 0–2 | Tom Seaver | Seaver takes shutout into eighth, but Mets batters combine for only two hits.[17] |
16 | NOV | 18 | M | Kokura | Yomiuri Giants | W | 9–5 | Homers by Félix Millán and Teddy Martínez spark a five-run ninth-inning rally.[18] | |
17 | NOV | ||||||||
18 | NOV |
Notes
edit- ^ Buzz Capra page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "1974 New York Mets Roster by Baseball Almanac".
- ^ Bob Myrick page at Baseball Reference
- ^ "Mets Finally Get Torre in Trade for Sadecki and Minor Leaguer," The New York Times, Monday, October 14, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald. "Mets Get Clines in Dyer Trade," The New York Times, Wednesday, October 23, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Durso, Joseph. "Another Diplomatic Success," The New York Times, Tuesday, October 29, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Durso, Joseph. "Warm Tokyo Welcome Starts Met Orientation," The New York Times, Friday, October 25, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "Tom Terrific and Mr. Oh," The New York Times, Sunday, October 27, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Yomiuri Giants Beat Mets Again, 3–2," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, October 30, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Tie on Milner's Homer," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, October 31, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ a b "Mets Lose Again; Aker Waived," The Associated Press (AP), Wednesday, November 6, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ Durso, Joseph. "Mets, Good Diplomats, Lose Again," The New York Times, Tuesday, November 5, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Finally Beat Yomiuri Giants," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, November 7, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Met Homers Turn Back Japanese," The Associated Press (AP), Saturday, November 9, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Win and Go Over .500," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, November 12, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Begin to Win in the East," The Associated Press (AP), Thursday, November 14, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Set Again in the East," The Associated Press (AP), Saturday, November 16, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Mets Beat Yomiuri Giants 9–5," The Associated Press (AP), Monday, November 18, 1974. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
References
edit- Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3.
- 1974 New York Mets at Baseball Reference
- 1974 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com
External links
edit- New York Mets 1974 schedule at MLB.com