Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Mackey Sasser

Mike Welch
Mackey could flat out hit. This guy was the left handed back up catcher for Gary Carter. He was the most impatient, first-ball hitter I've ever seen. Rarely would he take a walk. A very entertaining player whose career was cut short by his perplexing inability to return the ball to the pitcher. Remember the "double pump"? Sasser, who had a mental fear of runners stealing on him, could not return the ball to the pitcher in a timely fashion. This cost him the trust of his pitching staff, and ultimately sent him packing to a DH/Outfield role in the Seattle organization.

cece
From what I recall Mackey Sasser, aside from this inability to make a quick throw, was a terrific player. He had a powerful swing and he could throw the ball a long distance.

SHORTY
January 17, 2001
No met deserved his own cartoon show, line of under- roos and posable, kung-fu grip action figure more than mackey sasser. Met him at a baseball card store signing. Dumb as a post.

Mr. Sparkle
February 22, 2001
He was a good hitter coming off the bench but couldn't thr-thr-thr-throw the ball back to the pitcher. He would have worked well with that loser Pete Harnisch.

Kooz
May 18, 2001
....He of the triple-pump, which puts him on par with Pete Harnisch (depression/nervous breakdown) on the all-time Mets f***ed up list.

But boy, could he hit.

flushing flash
June 1, 2001
Not a Rhodes Scholar was Mackey. When asked how his pregnant wife's labor was coming along, he replied "her contraptions are about five minutes apart".

Wally Buzzard
June 8, 2001
Pretend you're in the Big Leagues and it's your first major league at bat. Imagine Mackey Sasser as your catcher and Rick Ankiel as your pitcher. Would you want to be standing somewhere else ??

b u i c k
June 24, 2001
When I think back, I kind of hold Sasser in the same regard as Tim Teufel;a fruitshake. Sasser and Teuful were both a couple of fruitshakes.

Big E
September 14, 2001
I believe I saw him do a 5-pump throw to the picther once. He was my wife's favorite player (she hates baseball, by the way) because she loved the name. Dumb as a post perhaps, but he was screaming at David Cone for the ball in 1990 against the Braves, when Cone exploded over a safe call at first, holding the ball while jawing with the umpire, totally oblivious to Sasser. He was quite a character. I wonder what he's doing now....

metsfanmo
September 30, 2001
I got my first ever autograph from him in 1989 when I was 8.

Brian
December 28, 2001
He is coaching a college baseball team in Alabama. Doing very well!!!

Andy from Rego Park
January 25, 2002
For one shining moment in the 1990 season, Mackey Sasser had it all going on, he was hitting .300 and catching everyday for the contending New York Mets. Then Jim "Hound Dog" Presley of the Braves rolled Mackey's ankle in a home plate collision, putting the catcher out of action for the balance of the campaign. He was never ever the same.

AJR
March 16, 2002
Mackey Sasser was a fascinating player. People remember him for his difficulties throwing the ball back to the pitcher, but I agree with the comment posted by Mike Welch--Mackey could flat out hit. I don't think I ever saw him hit a pop-up or a weak dribbler. It seemed like every ball off his bat was a hard line drive. Unfortunately, when you have no power and less than no speed, and you are a catcher who becomes a defensive liability, being a great pure hitter is not enough to keep you employed in baseball.

During his Mets career Mackey struck out less than once every 13 at bats. Has any other Met struck out less often? A pure hitter.

a mets fan
March 18, 2002
Actually he was not bad for the Mets, but like others have said he was not capable of throwing to the pitcher. I remember a game vs the Astros where the throw was over his head and Astros fans thought it was hysterical. I really felt bad for him because he never made it into a really big star.

Grew up in NY
April 30, 2002
Roll it back Mackey! At one point he tried this but the crowd made him pay. We all had high hopes for Mack with his great name and good stick but, unfortunately, he'll always be remembered for a stuttering arm.

Larry Burns
June 5, 2002
This guy is actually more popular than Ray Knight on this site? Maybe some of you fans should begin a Prozac regime similar to the one Mackey needed to throw a ball back to the pitcher. What a nut case. He was a devastating hitter, and not a bad catcher. He just could not throw the ball back to the pitcher. That is a small problem. I remember his big looping lefthanded swing and the hits he got. Unfortunately his entire career was ruined by his inability to throw back to anyone. He may have mixed up his prescriptions with the other mental case on the Mets, Pete Harnisch.

BG
June 7, 2002
Pump once, pump twice, SAFE at second! Used to make McCarver's face turn purple in the booth!

Monk
June 26, 2002
Mackey was a great hitter. I remember sitting in the Shea stands and watching him when I was 13 years old. As a catcher myself, I wanted to be able to hit like Mackey. He was quick for a catcher which also appealed to me. The only downfall Mackey had was his ability to make it from the plate back to the pitcher. He had no arm. I once saw him roll the ball back to the Dr. I have never laughed so hard in my life. Long live the Mack-ster.

ahmed2002andthensome
August 8, 2002
I remember back in the early 90's when Purina Cat Chow had a commercial on in which the cat took one step forward and then one step back, then immediately replayed that movement. When I was at Shea one afternoon to endure Sasser behind the plate, I remember about 2000 people yelling out in unison: "CAT CHOW! CAT CHOW!" when poor ol' Mackey did the double pump thing.

Brian Owen
August 10, 2002
Couldn't get the ball back to the pitcher but still cought more guys stealing than Piazza ever will.

Mike
May 16, 2003
Mackey's my all-time favorite player, double-pump aside. Few remember that it was he who was the first Mets catcher to nab Vince Coleman stealing, and this came when that was truly a feat. And he could flat out hit. I wish he'd stuck around longer with the Mets.

Jon Steed
June 12, 2003
Played college ball for Mackey in Dothan, AL. He has become a great teacher of the game and has an unbelievable winning percentage in the JUCO ranks. Mackey built a beautiful house just two miles from where I am currently coaching high school baseball (Wicksburg, AL). Mackey is just months away from drawing his pension thanks to a 12 year career in the big leagues. Criticize all you want!

Jonathan Stern
October 11, 2003
The highpoint of the 1991 season was the Mets eleven- game winning streak. I believe it was in the eleventh game of that streak that Harrelson put Mackey in left field... and he made two awesome catches in one inning!

He could not throw the ball to the pitcher, but he had a rifle for an arm. His throws to first, second, and third were like lightning bolts. And, of course, he could hit. I rooted hard for him, and am happy to hear that he is doing well.

Kramerica
January 8, 2004
I liked Mackey Sasser (what a name!), but, yes, his inability to throw the ball back to the pitcher was maddening. The other things that stand out about Sasser were:

The game at the Vet where he homered twice in a game.
He was the first Met catcher to throw out Vince Coleman attempting to steal second. (Maybe all the pitchers should've ran to second base after every pitch.)
He quadruple-pumped in a game at Shea vs. the Dodgers, with John Franco on the mound and Brett Butler on second. After the third pump, Butler took off and got to third without a throw. The look on Franco's face was the same one he had when Dave Parker dropped the ball with two out in the top of the 9th of that Mets/Reds game in '86.

LexLuthor
May 10, 2004
I wonder where Mackey is now. Do you remember when the games were televised on WWOR an there was that guy in the background and he would always yell " C'mon MACKEYYYY" you could always hear that person. I wonder if that was someone who he hired as a motivational cheerer. But he is famous, where else would Major League II come up with the idea of Rube Baker?

JP TWO TIMES
June 13, 2004
The double, triple pump of the baseball that Mackey had was the most annoying but at the same time very catchy thing at the time. I still to this day do that move when tossing warm up throws at my softball games. My teammates hate it but as a huge Met fan that I am I still do it to try to emulate the players I grew up watching. Hey Lex, if you remember the fan that would scream MACCKKEEYY at met games you would probably remember the lady that would have season home tickets behind home plate. She would always roll her fists round and round at every Met at bat.

Jeff In Florida
June 15, 2004
Mackey was a classic line drive hitter with little power and no speed. He would have made a decent DH and a very good pinch hitter.

Kiwiwriter
September 9, 2004
He had to be the model for "Rube Baker," the catcher in "Major League II" who could throw runners out but not back to the mound. Tom Berenger calms him down by having him memorize Playboy Centerfold information and Frederick's of Hollywood ads.

I wonder if that would have worked for Mackey?

What a great name.

Casey Colbert
November 19, 2004
Played baseball for Mackey at Wallace College in Dothan, AL. Is a great teacher of the game. Mackey and I have become great freinds over the past (8) years. His children and mine are best friends. Really knows the game better than anyone I have ever met. He has an outstanding winning percentage in JUCO. Even though his career was cut short, how many of us can say that we made it to the BIG LEAGUES!! He did for a number of years!! So say what you want, but he is the MAN!

Jeremy
December 17, 2004
Mackey is still coaching at a JUCO in Dothan, AL. Doing a respectable job coaching and making a life of himself.

Jonathan Stern
January 10, 2005
One day, Mackey Sasser put a chair on Dwight Gooden's bare foot and sat on it. Gooden was immediately placed on the DL. In a TV interview the next day, Sasser declared that he wasn't embarrassed. Maybe so. After all, who should have been embarrassed? Sasser, for being dumb enough to put a chair on Gooden's foot and sitting on it? Or Doc, for not noticing Sasser until it was too late?

J Doe
May 12, 2005
I played for Mackey at Wallace Dothan as well. I have to say is a pretty interesting person to get to know. He was nervous as hell when things were getting tense during games. He is the only coach I ever played for that has the balls enough to light up a smoke in the dugout while cursing the hell out of an umpire about disputable calls. The funny thing is he never got tossed.

Lenny Whitten
May 22, 2005
At age 8 I was at a game where Mackey barreled into the wall on two occasions to make two unbelievable catches. I think it was his first time in RF! The man could hit and I enjoyed watching him play!

Lifelong Fan
July 10, 2005
If only he would have learned that no-stress chump toss Carter used to use, that ball woulda got back with no problem. With a runner on, hold the ball, look to the runner, and throw the ball back hard to the pitcher. Berra used to throw screwballs and sinkers back to the pitchers. I wonder how hard the coaches worked with him on fixing the tap,ttap, ttttap problem.

Rodney Munnch
July 10, 2005
I recall a game when Mackey won it for the Mets in the bottom of the 9th with a base hit, and after the run scored and he went to celebrate Mackey reached into his mouth and took the wad of chaw he had and spiked it like it was a football. Too bad what happened to him with his phobia.

Finn McCool
September 23, 2005
I know Mackey and he is anything but "dumb as a post." In fact, as a man, Mackey is very funny, witty, smart, insightful and especially kind and generous. It is unfortunate that a person can get labeled by a misuse of one word well over a decade ago. Never jumbled a word when speaking? Imagine if we all were subjected to being held to a standard of every word that came out of our mouths.

Mackey was a really good baseball player that unfortunately had some problems that hindered his ability to perform his task in the prime of his baseball career. In short, the man was a human being. Today Mackey is a very well-respected coach in the college circuit who is grooming young ballplayers to be the potential stars of tomorrow and could very well be a successful coach in the majors if given the opportunity.

Metsfanforlife
October 30, 2005
I remember him as Gooden's personal catcher. Hitch or not, Doc always wanted Sasser to catch for him.

He was a really good hitter. My sis said he reminded her of a golden retriever pup.

Mr. Sparkle
February 1, 2006
I was reading about Mackey being on the HBO special in February and they mentioned his hitting ability. And most comments here mention that he "could flat out hit" was a "devastating hitter" and was a "great hitter". Come on! I liked Mackey and all and he was a decent hitter for a back up catcher but he had a career average for the Mets of .283 and had 15 homers in 944 at bats. That is not exactly a devasating track record. He was OK off the bench and could hit a line drive but was nothing great. He was pesky, I'll give him that but I don't think he was as great at the plate as everyone cracks him up to be. He was a decent back up. That's it.

#21
March 8, 2006
I play for Mackey Sasser in college today and he is nothing short of a spectacular coach. He isn't all uptight, he makes ball fun to play. Still lights up a smoke when the game is close or someone screws up. He always has a story to tell aboutt the Big Leagues. Overall he made it to the Show, so he must have been good, and who else can say they are stared in a movie? (Major League II)

Jamey Bumbalo
October 25, 2006
Enough of the abuse! Too many comments on Sasser are just too vicious. Mackey was a hard-playing, colorful (I always loved the big chew) guy. No, he wasn't the greatest player ever, and yes, he had the throw-back- to-the-mound problem, but ease up on him.

DFrank11
December 20, 2006
Say what you will about the guy, but he sure left a lasting and memorable impression on us Mets fans ... for Crisssakes, he's one of the 40 most searched-for guys on this site!!!

Personally, he is my favorite Mets catcher of all time because he always busted his butt, was a decent player that turned in a pretty solid career and wasn't an arrogant SOB like some of his teammates in those days.

The twitch-hitch isn't funny and it's sad that it effectively ruined his career and made him the butt of jokes instead of respected for the solid player he was. He obviously knows his baseball if he is a college manager (and a pretty successful one judging by the postings here).

Thanks for the memories Mack!!! We love ya.

orlando Aviles
May 18, 2007
The bottom line is that Mackey made to the big leagues and 99% of us did not. It is a shame that he will always be remembered for the problem throwing back to the pitcher! I hear he is a college baseball coach now, good for you Mackey!!! I wish I could be as successful as you in the baseball. Thanks for the memories and God bless you.

NY Baseball Talk
June 11, 2007
We had Mackey on my radio show last night and he was great.

You should check out his interview on the June 10th radio show archive at www.freethefan.com/radio

He was very open and honest about his time with the Mets, throwing issues, and experiences as a coach.

I suggest anyone who is a Mackey fan to listen to the piece, its about 35 minutes into the mp3

Mike Silva NY Baseball Talk www.freethefan.com/radio

Amit
August 14, 2007
He was a pretty good hitter, they used to call him "Mackey the Hacker". Very colorful individual with only one problem. He couldn't throw the ball back to the pitcher.

kevin
February 3, 2008
Sasser was sitting in the dugout during a game. He removed a wad of tobacco the size of his fist from his mouth. He then removed a wad of chewed up gum that apparently he had stuck hamster-like in his other cheek and began to wind the gum around the chaw of tobacco. When he was done wrapping the gum around this entire glop and chunk of tobacco he put the mess back in his gob and began to chew with a bliss-like expression on his face.

I loved to watch Sasser hit. If he had just a touch of strike zone discipline he would have been a very effective hitter. Pitchers caught on to the fact that throwing this guy a strike was foolish for he would swing at anything he could reach. If you look at his season stats you can see a year-to-year progression and decline showing a clear pattern.

The Detroit Tigers had offered Matt Nokes for Sasser one spring and Frank Cashen turned the deal down. I still wonder if that was a mistake. Both players had similar strengths and weaknesses. Nokes hit for power with poor batting averages and Sasser hit for average with little power. Both were lousy defensively.

Brad
July 9, 2009
I knew Mackey in middle school when he lived in Tallahassee. Played against him in junior football. He was no nonsense playing sports and had a good arm pitching and playing at QB. Had no idea he was progressing in baseball, much less the Majors, when I heard that unique name during game highlights.

Wish him success in coaching.

Witz
August 5, 2009
I always thought he reminded me of Piney Woods (or is it the other way around?), the back up catcher in Bang the Drum Slowly.

Keith Chancy
July 1, 2010
Mackey Sasser is coaching a College team in Alabama and also has a Summer Baseball Camp for kids. He is very good with kids and can convey his skills to them very well. My son attended his Camp and has learned a great deal about baseball. MLB's loss has been our gain. I promise that you will see some of "his kids" in the Majors. He is a good man and a great person regardless of his baseball skills.

PJ
September 26, 2013
LOL. How can I forget?

The double, triple, and quadruple pumping of the ball before tossing it back to the pitcher, which left us pretty wide-open to steals.

That batting stance where he seemed to hide his face behind his left shoulder.

When he sat at the end of the bench with an earphone listening to the Ch. 9 broadcast and pantomiming to Tim McCarver when he was being talked about.

Anyone remember when he sat down on Dwight Gooden's toe with a chair and fractured it?

The ultimate junk ball hitter. He could hit almost anything that was thrown at him. And always hard.

Missed him when he left.

Brian J.Hansard
September 11, 2013
I grew up with Mackey in Tallahassee, FL. We played football together and against each other in baseball. His teams always beat mine for the Little League championships. Mackey won everything. He won the league batting trophy, made All Stars and won the pitching trophy and the league MVP. He was well ahead of us before high school but then things changed and in his family life.

If some of you folks could have seen some of the things and places he endured and survived to eventually play in the major league, it's frankly a miracle. His dad's liquor store was a magnet for criminals looking to commit a robbery or even murder which did happen once right after Mackey left. The guy who committed the murder knew Mackey and waited for him to leave the store first and then killed Mackey's dad's partner.

All the traumas that manifested, physical and emotional that contributed to his eventual YIPS are real. It was painful to watch our buddy fail on such a big stage after beating such incredible odds and taking so much physical punishment along the way.

Mackey was a real baller and could've become great had we known then what we've learned now and how to treat it. Apparently he's become a great College Coach helping other kids play the game he still loves. I hear he even laughs today at how crazy it was being a catcher and not being able to get the ball back to the pitcher.

Remember how Joe Morgan would check his elbow at bat and pump it. I'm sure there's a story behind that too.

It's a shame Mackey's career was cut short by this disability but he did everything possible to get it fixed. Me and my brother are lifelong Mets fans and really wanted to see our hometown boy Mackey finish his career a Met. Butch Benton was another guy from our high school who ended up playing for the Mets also and was a catcher too. Go figure.