Hot Foot
April 5, 2023
I enjoyed listening to this game on Classic Baseball on the Radio (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL3EoRkW8dw) yesterday.
It was the first game of a doubleheader, and the Mets were 2-0 heading into this game. Pat Zachry pitched well; his changeup was really working and he pitched a full seven innings, only giving up one run, and striking out six.
In the bottom of the 6th, Joe Torre looked like a future Hall of Fame manager when he sent Steve Henderson to pinch hit for Ron Hodges against Darrold Knowles, and Henderson hit a grand slam to make it 6-1.
Then suddenly (so suddenly I had to "rewind" two or three times) things imploded for the Mets in the 9th. Skip Lockwood started his second inning of relief by walking Gary Carter. Two outs later, Lockwood looked like he might be able to get the last out, but he gave up three singles in a row to make the score 6-4.
Ultimate Mets Database fan favorite Mardie Cornejo came in to pitch. He gave up a single to Ellis Valentine, which made the score 6-5, but then he got Dave Cash to fly out and seal the win for the first place, still undefeated Mets.
After this game, Mardie Cornejo was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a save. I'm surprised the Mets didn't send him down to the minors that very day.
The 1978 Mets lost their undefeated status later on this day, dropping their record to 3-1. Amazingly, they still held a share of first place until April 22, when they were 9-6, a half game ahead of the Expos.
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The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a
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