National League Standings, August 31, 1997
METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE AUGUST 31, 1997 GAME:
Dave VW
October 31, 2023
The Mets lock up their first ever interleague series win, topping the Orioles thanks to home runs from Bernard Gilkey and Butch Huskey, and a fantastic outing by Rick Reed.
Jimmy Key, in his only career start against the Mets, was uncharacteristically wild, walking 4 and hitting a career-high 2 in the game. He was facing a weird lineup that saw John Olerud getting his only start hitting 6th as a Met, and switch-hitter Carlos Baerga opting to bat left-handed against the southpaw due to his year-long struggles as a right-hand hitter in 1997. It seemed to work, as he went 2-for-4 in the game.
Prior to the game, the Mets announced they had designated Pete Harnisch for assignment after he threw a hissy fit at the team hotel when Bobby V informed him he was permanently getting moved to the bullpen. It was an academic decision, as Pete held an 8.06 ERA in 6 appearances since returning to the team after a bout with depression, and the team already had Reed, Bobby Jones, Dave Mlicki, Brian Bohanon and Jason Isringhausen locked into the rotation. After the game, the Mets traded Harnisch to Milwaukee, and he had nothing but bad things to say about the team and his former manager, calling Bobby "a very low-grade person" who "speaks with a forked tongue," and added "There's not really a guy on this team that respects Bobby Valentine." Big words from a guy who was given all the time in the world to get over the sads and had a largely lackluster tenure in New York while being one of the highest-paid players on the team.
Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:
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The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a
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and get somebody like Jones.
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