History of the NY Mets pt. III

1970-1979: "You Gotta Believe!" and the Midnight Massacre
The Miracle Mets magic wore off as the 1970s began. In subsequent years, Mets pitchers generally excelled but received lackluster support from the hitters with mediocre finishes the result. Efforts to improve the offense backfired with blunders such as trading Amos Otis for troubled infielder Joe Foy after the 1969 season as well as young pitcher Nolan Ryan for infielder Jim Fregosi after the 1971 season. Once out of the glaring New York spotlight, Ryan became one of the best pitchers in history, spending 22 more years in the majors and entering the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999. Fregosi battled injuries and played just 146 games for the Mets over a
season and a half. Meanwhile Otis became a superstar with the Kansas City Royals while Foy lasted only one season in New York.The team was thrown into confusion and shock prior to the 1972 season, when Manager Gil Hodges, who had led the team to the World Series victory in 1969, suffered a sudden heart attack at the end of spring training and died. Coach Yogi Berra succeeded Hodges. Berra's Mets found themselves in last place with a 61-71 record at the end of August, 1973 but they recovered behind relief pitcher Tug McGraw and his "Ya gotta believe!" rallying cry (the team has since trademarked the phrase), winning 21 of their last 29 games. Berra also coined his most famous Yogiism that year: "It ain't over til it's over!" In a peculiar circumstance, their final record of only 82-79 was good enough to win the division while five better teams in the Majors missed the postseason. Despite the worst winning percentage ever by a division winner (until the 2005 San Diego Padres), the Mets then shocked the heavily-favored Cincinnati Reds "Big Red Machine" in the NLCS. Their record remains the worst of any pennant-winning team but they managed to push the A.L. champion Oakland A's to a seventh game. Their near-miracle season ended with a loss to Ken Holtzman in the final contest. As the 1975 season ended, owner Joan Whitney Payson died. Her husband Charles delegated ownership authority to his daughters, while board chairman M. Donald Grant managed the baseball operations. Payson had been the driving force behind the Mets but her survivors did not share her enthusiasm for investing in the future of the team. Contract disputes with star pitcher Tom Seaver and slugger Dave Kingman erupted in 1977. Both players were traded on June 15, the trading deadline, in what New York tabloids dubbed "The Midnight Massacre." The Mets received six players in the two deals, but none had any lasting impact. Attendance fell, to the point where Shea
Stadium was nicknamed "Grant's Tomb." The team finished in last place yet again and Grant was relieved of his duties in 1978. That the crosstown Yankees had begun reaching the postseason again in 1976 further eroded the Mets' fan base. The Mets continued to struggle, and did not become a competitive team again until the mid-1980s, marking the first time that both teams were competitive, both on the field and at the box office.

Part III on Monday.


LET'S GO METS!!