METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE JUNE 24, 1972 GAME:
Stu Baron
February 26, 2002
In one of the worst starts of his Mets career, Tom wasn't so Terrific on this warm Saturday afternoon. Someone named Luis Melendez (I think) slugged a Grand Salami off Seaver, Reggie Clevelend was the winning pitcher, and some guy named Joe Torre, in the midst of his MVP/career season, played 3B for the Cards. As a naive 12-year-old, I actually sat through all 9 innings.
Richard
October 3, 2002
This is the first MLB game I ever saw in person. My dad who was NOT a baseball fan agreed to drive me the 2+ hours it took to get from our home in upstate NY to Shea. Perhaps the most generous thing my dad ever did for me. He hated traffic and didn't care a whit about baseball. I lived and died with Tom Seaver every 5 days. I was sure I was going to see him pitch a gem. He got knocked out of the box in the 5th (?) inning. I continued to live and die with #41 every 5 days, but I didn't see him pitch in person again until Spring Training 1985 - by that time he was at the end of his career with the White Sox.
LenDog
June 15, 2003
I saw this game with my Dad. Did that horrible drive from NJ to Shea - the worst 35 miles you can drive in the US. Lou Brock hit Seaver's first pitch like a rocker past Tom's head and into centerfield. First pitch. You could tell it was going to be a long day. It was June, so we didn't bring jackets, and it must have been 50 degrees (felt like it) in the upper deck. My Dad LOVES the Mets but never liked going to Shea. He was miserably cold that day and the game was awful. Fortunately, I probably saw Seaver 10 ten times between 1969 and 1975 and the results were usually much better.
Dan
September 4, 2003
WHN, the radio station that carried the Mets during this time, sponsored a Father-Son contest that featured tickets for this game, as well as a pre-game lunch in the Diamond Club with some old- timers. My father and I were among the winners, and we enjoyed meeting Casey Stengel, Hank Bauer, Johnny Lewis at lunch before Tom Seaver got rocked early on.
Bob P
July 13, 2004
To follow up on some earlier posts on this game: Luis Melendez, pinch-hitting for Bernie Carbo, did hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, but it came off Ray Sadecki, who had just relieved Seaver after Tom had loaded the bases with nobody out. Tom wound up pitching four innings, allowing seven runs and ten hits. Sadecki gave up the other four runs in 1.2 innings of work. Reggie Cleveland pitched the complete game shutout for the Cards.
Ira
October 5, 2006
I definitely was at this game, but for some reason I remember that this was an Old Timer's Day game. Can anyone confirm that?
Bob P
August 5, 2007
Ira, If you are still reading these boards, I can indeed confirm that it was Old Timer's Day at Shea--and the Mets sure looked like the Old Time Mets!
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