1999_New_York_Mets_season
1999 New York Mets season
Major League Baseball team season
The 1999 New York Mets season was the franchise's 38th season and the team's 36th season at Shea Stadium. They went 97–66 and finished second in the National League East but won the NL Wild Card by beating the Cincinnati Reds in a one-game playoff. The Mets advanced to the NLCS, where they were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in 6 games.
Quick Facts New York Mets, League ...
| 1999 New York Mets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National League Wild Card Winner | ||||
| League | National League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | Shea Stadium | |||
| City | New York City | |||
| Record | 97–66 (.595) | |||
| Divisional place | 2nd | |||
| Owners | Nelson Doubleday Jr., Fred Wilpon | |||
| General managers | Steve Phillips | |||
| Managers | Bobby Valentine | |||
| Television | WPIX-TV/Fox Sports New York (Ralph Kiner, Tom Seaver, Fran Healy, Howie Rose, Gary Thorne) | |||
| Radio | WFAN (Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, Ed Coleman) WADO (Spanish) (Juan Alicea, Billy Berroa) | |||
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The Mets were managed by Bobby Valentine, who entered his fourth year as skipper. They played home games at Shea Stadium.
- November 11, 1998: Bobby Bonilla was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Mets for Mel Rojas.[1]
- December 1, 1998: Todd Hundley was traded by the New York Mets with Arnold Gooch (minors) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Roger Cedeño and Charles Johnson.[2]
- December 1, 1998: Charles Johnson was traded by the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for Armando Benítez.[3]
- December 1, 1998: Robin Ventura was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.[4]
- December 16, 1998: Rickey Henderson signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
- December 18, 1998: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.[5]
The Mets' 97 victories were their highest total since they won 100 games in 1988. They were led offensively by catcher Mike Piazza, who compiled a .303 average with 40 home runs and 124 RBI in his first full season with the team. New third baseman Robin Ventura put together a .301 average, 32 home runs, and 120 RBI while second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo hit .304 with 27 home runs and 108 RBI. First baseman John Olerud continued his consistent hitting, hitting .298 with 96 RBI, his third straight year with 90 or more runs driven in. Offseason acquisitions Roger Cedeño and Rickey Henderson recorded the two highest batting averages on the squad at .315 and .313 respectively. Benny Agbayani, a semi-regular outfielder who got more playing time as the year progressed, contributed 14 home runs.
The Mets' pitching staff was again led by Al Leiter with 13 wins. Orel Hershiser matched that total, with Masato Yoshii recording 12 wins and Rick Reed 11. Rookie Octavio Dotel went 8-3 in fourteen starts, and late season acquisition Kenny Rogers won five of six decisions while leading the team in complete games. The rotation was not as strong at keeping runs off the board; the team's four main starters recorded ERAs above 4.00.
The offseason acquisition of Armando Benitez from the Baltimore Orioles ended John Franco's tenure as the team's closer. Franco did manage to record nineteen saves and broke the Major League Baseball record for saves by a left-hander, but Benitez' 1.85 ERA and twenty-two saves ensured the closer role would be his for the foreseeable future.
Mercury Mets
As part of the now-infamous Turn Ahead the Clock promotion sponsored by Century 21, the Mets changed their name to the "Mercury Mets" while hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27, 1999.[6][7]
Opening Day starters
- SP – Al Leiter
- C – Mike Piazza
- 1B – John Olerud
- 2B – Edgardo Alfonzo
- 3B – Robin Ventura
- SS – Rey Ordóñez
- LF – Rickey Henderson
- CF – Brian McRae
- RF – Bobby Bonilla[8]
Season standings
More information W, L ...
| NL East | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 103 | 59 | 0.636 | — | 56–25 | 47–34 |
| New York Mets | 97 | 66 | 0.595 | 6½ | 49–32 | 48–34 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 77 | 85 | 0.475 | 26 | 41–40 | 36–45 |
| Montreal Expos | 68 | 94 | 0.420 | 35 | 35–46 | 33–48 |
| Florida Marlins | 64 | 98 | 0.395 | 39 | 35–45 | 29–53 |
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Record vs. opponents
More information Team, AZ ...
Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head | |||||||||||||||||
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| Team | AZ | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LA | MIL | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
| Arizona | — | 4–5 | 7–2 | 1–8 | 6–7 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 7–6 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 8–1 | 5–2 | 11–2 | 9–3 | 4–4 | 7–8 |
| Atlanta | 5–4 | — | 2–5 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 9–4 | 6–1 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 9–4 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 9–9 |
| Chicago | 2–7 | 5–2 | — | 5–8 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 2–7 | 6–6 | 2–5 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 7–6 | 6–3 | 1–7 | 7–5 | 6–9 |
| Cincinnati | 8–1 | 1–8 | 8–5 | — | 7–2 | 6–1 | 9–4 | 4–3 | 6–6 | 4–3 | 5–5 | 6–3 | 7–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 8–4 | 7-8 |
| Colorado | 7–6 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 | 2–6 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 4–5 | 4–8 |
| Florida | 1–8 | 4–9 | 3–6 | 1–6 | 4–5 | — | 2–7 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–10 | 2–11 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
| Houston | 4–5 | 1–6 | 9–3 | 4–9 | 6–2 | 7-2 | — | 6–3 | 8–5 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 6–1 | 5–7 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 12–3 |
| Los Angeles | 6–7 | 4–5 | 7–2 | 3–4 | 5–8 | 2–7 | 3–6 | — | 7–2 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 3–9 | 8–5 | 3–6 | 8–7 |
| Milwaukee | 4–5 | 2–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 5–8 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 7–6 | 8–6 |
| Montreal | 3–6 | 4–9 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 4–8 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 4–5 | — | 5–8 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 8–10 |
| New York | 2–7 | 3–9 | 6–3 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 10–3 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 8–5 | — | 6–6 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 12–6 |
| Philadelphia | 1-8 | 5–8 | 7–2 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 11–2 | 1–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 3–4 | 6–3 | 2–6 | 4–5 | 11–7 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–5 | 3–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 7–2 | 4–3 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 2–7 | 4–3 | — | 3–6 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 7–8 |
| San Diego | 2–11 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 9–4 | 6–3 | 1–8 | 9–3 | 5–3 | 3–5 | 2–7 | 3–6 | 6–3 | — | 5–7 | 2–7 | 11–4 |
| San Francisco | 3–9 | 5–4 | 7–1 | 5–4 | 9–4 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–8 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 6–2 | 5–4 | 7–5 | — | 6–3 | 7–8 |
| St. Louis | 4–4 | 1–8 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–4 | 4–3 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 6–7 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 7–2 | 3–6 | — | 7–8 |
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Notable transactions
- July 31, 1999: Brian McRae was traded by the New York Mets with Thomas Johnson (minors) and Rigo Beltrán to the Colorado Rockies for Darryl Hamilton and Chuck McElroy.[9]
- July 31, 1999: Jason Isringhausen was traded by the New York Mets with Greg McMichael to the Oakland Athletics for Billy Taylor.[10]
Game log
More information Legend, Mets Win ...
| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mets Win | Mets Loss | Game Postponed |
| Bold = Mets team member | ||
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More information #, Date ...
| 1999 Game Log (97–66) Home: 49–32; Away: 48–34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: (14–9) Home: 6–4; Away: 8–5
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May: (13–15) Home: 7–9; Away: 6–6
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June: (17–10) Home: 8–3; Away: 9–7
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July: (18–9) Home: 10–6; Away: 8–3
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August: (18–10) Home: 8–5; Away: 10–5
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September: (13–13) Home: 7–5; Away: 6–8
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October: (4–0) Home: 3–0; Away: 1–0
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Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
More information Pos, Player ...
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Mike Piazza | 141 | 534 | 162 | .303 | 40 | 124 |
| 1B | John Olerud | 162 | 581 | 173 | .298 | 19 | 96 |
| 2B | Edgardo Alfonzo | 158 | 628 | 191 | .304 | 27 | 108 |
| 3B | Robin Ventura | 161 | 588 | 177 | .301 | 32 | 120 |
| SS | Rey Ordóñez | 154 | 520 | 134 | .258 | 1 | 60 |
| LF | Rickey Henderson | 121 | 438 | 138 | .315 | 12 | 42 |
| CF | Brian McRae | 96 | 298 | 66 | .221 | 8 | 36 |
| RF | Roger Cedeño | 155 | 453 | 142 | .313 | 4 | 36 |
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Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benny Agbayani | 101 | 276 | 79 | .286 | 14 | 42 |
| Darryl Hamilton | 55 | 168 | 57 | .339 | 5 | 21 |
| Todd Pratt | 71 | 140 | 41 | .293 | 3 | 21 |
| Matt Franco | 122 | 132 | 31 | .235 | 4 | 21 |
| Bobby Bonilla | 60 | 119 | 19 | .160 | 4 | 18 |
| Luis López | 68 | 104 | 22 | .212 | 2 | 13 |
| Shawon Dunston | 42 | 93 | 32 | .344 | 0 | 16 |
| Jermaine Allensworth | 40 | 73 | 16 | .219 | 3 | 9 |
| Mike Kinkade | 28 | 46 | 9 | .196 | 2 | 6 |
| Melvin Mora | 66 | 31 | 5 | .161 | 0 | 1 |
| Jay Payton | 13 | 8 | 2 | .250 | 0 | 1 |
| Terrence Long | 3 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
| Jorge Toca | 4 | 3 | 1 | .333 | 0 | 0 |
| Vance Wilson | 1 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
| Shane Halter | 7 | 0 | 0 | ---- | 0 | 0 |
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Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Al Leiter | 32 | 32 | 213.0 | 13 | 12 | 4.23 | 162 |
| Orel Hershiser | 32 | 32 | 179.0 | 13 | 12 | 4.58 | 89 |
| Masato Yoshii | 31 | 29 | 174.0 | 12 | 8 | 4.40 | 105 |
| Rick Reed | 26 | 26 | 149.1 | 11 | 5 | 4.58 | 104 |
| Octavio Dotel | 19 | 14 | 85.1 | 8 | 3 | 5.38 | 85 |
| Kenny Rogers | 12 | 12 | 76.0 | 5 | 1 | 4.03 | 58 |
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Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Jones | 12 | 59.1 | 3 | 3 | 5.61 | 31 |
| Allen Watson | 14 | 39.2 | 2 | 2 | 4.08 | 32 |
| Jason Isringhausen | 13 | 39.1 | 1 | 3 | 6.41 | 31 |
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Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
More information Player, G ...
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armando Benítez | 77 | 78.0 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 1.85 | 128 |
| Turk Wendell | 80 | 85.2 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3.05 | 77 |
| Pat Mahomes | 39 | 63.2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3.68 | 51 |
| Dennis Cook | 71 | 63.0 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3.86 | 68 |
| John Franco | 46 | 40.2 | 0 | 2 | 19 | 2.88 | 41 |
| Rigo Beltrán | 21 | 31.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.48 | 35 |
| Greg McMichael | 19 | 18.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4.82 | 18 |
| Josías Manzanillo | 12 | 18.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.79 | 25 |
| Billy Taylor | 18 | 13.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8.10 | 14 |
| Chuck McElroy | 15 | 13.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.38 | 7 |
| Jeff Tam | 9 | 11.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.18 | 8 |
| Matt Franco | 2 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 2 |
| Dan Murray | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 1 |
| Glendon Rusch | 1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 |
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Game log
More information #, Date ...
| 1999 Postseason Game Log (5–5) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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NLDS vs Diamondbacks (3–1)
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See also: Minor League Baseball
More information Level, Team ...
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LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: GCL Mets[13]
- Bobby Bonilla Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Todd Hundley Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Charles Johnson Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Todd Fitzpatrick (August 16, 1999). "Turn Ahead? Turn around". The Sporting News. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
- "Orel Hershiser modelling the Mercury Mets jersey". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- "Apr 5, 1999, Mets at Marlins Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
- Brian McRae Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- Jason Isringhausen Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
- 1999 New York Mets Statistics and Roster Baseball-Reference.com
- Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
