National League Standings, April 28, 1996
METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE APRIL 28, 1996 GAME:
Dave VW
July 12, 2023
After looking like a batting practice pitcher earlier in April -- which caused him to get sent to extended spring training and work out his kinks -- Bobby Jones finally earned his first win of the year, ultimately pitching better than his final line would indicate. He allowed only a pair of solo homers through 8 innings with 5 Ks, but Dallas Green got greedy and decided to let him go for the complete game. Running on fumes, Jones walked the leadoff man, then gave up a 2-run shot to Jay Bell, trimming the Mets lead to 7-4. He then produced a groundout before Charlie Hayes singled, bringing in Doug Henry from the bullpen.
That's when things really got interesting. Henry walked pinch-hitter Mark Johnson, bringing the tying run to the plate. Dallas then went to John Franco, and you could almost taste another meltdown coming. Franco struck out Jacob Brumfield, then allowed an RBI single to Carlos Garcia, which brought up the go-ahead run in Al Martin. But Franco prevailed, getting Martin to go down swinging and secure the Mets' first road series win of the season.
Joe Boever, in his last hurrah as a major leaguer, was just picked up the day before by the Buccos and was summoned to pitch the 9th inning. You could tell he was brand new, too, as he wasn't in sync with catcher Jason Kendall at all. A wild pitch and a passed ball in the inning allowed Rey Ordonez to score the final run of the day for the Mets.
I was also a bit surprised to see Kevin Roberson batting cleanup. It was only 1 of 6 times he started a game batting cleanup during his career. He did have an RBI single but also struck out 3 times, and it's hard to understand why Dallas didn't go with a more established power threat, like Rico Brogna or Todd Hundley, in the 4-hole on this day. It almost seemed like he was more interested in experimenting than winning, which I think is a big reason why his Mets teams never got over the hump and why he'd be out of a job later in 1996.
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