Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Tim Leary

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Tim Leary
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Tim Leary
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Memories of
Tim Leary

Tim Leary
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 233 of 1252 players

Timothy James Leary
Born: December 23, 1958 at Santa Monica, Cal.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.00 Weight: 191

Tim Leary has been the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup 12 times, most recently on June 9, 2024.

First Mets game: April 12, 1981
Last Mets game: July 6, 1984

Share your memories of Tim Leary

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Big E
Once lost 19 for the Yankees; he only missed losing 20 because he was pulled from his last start.

Jon
Sad story. Labeled a can't-miss by everyone then hurt in his very first big-league game. He was Paul Wilson before Paul Wilson was Paul Wilson.

Mike
Leary was thought to be the next Seaver and those two innings in Chicago in his first start did nothing to doubt that.
Faster than you can say "Holy Clint Hurdle" the can't- miss kid missed big time.

Mr. Sparkle
December 22, 2000
He pitched like the Tim Leary of the hippy 60's, like he was on acid. He really sucked. He may have been the hippy with plastic surgery.

Mike
July 29, 2001
I distinctly remember that first start on a cold chicago day in april. I remember the broadcasters making Seaver comparisons, and then it was all over. I believe he looked pretty good in those few innings.

Dennis From Jersey
July 18, 2002
He was the Mets big hope in the year before Darryl was able to deliver as the Mets big hope. Check out those two innings - three strikeouts - it was real while it lasted. A real shame. I remember all the second guessing on starting him in freezing Chicago in his first major league game.

Nishna
October 10, 2003
Wow, some pretty harsh posts about Leary here! Leary was the main challenger to Tim Raines for NL rookie- of-the year going into the '81 season (FernandoMania hadn't been invented yet). He was the real deal. Never really recovered from the injury, but give him credit for battling back hard enough to stick around as a #4 starter for a few years.

Maxwell Kates
July 13, 2004
Spring training in West Palm Beach, 1994. Tim Leary is trying to make the Montreal Expos as a non-roster player. Not sure how hard he was trying at that point, because he was standing in front of my brother at the concession stand - during the game while still in uniform. I think my brother said that Leary ordered a hot dog. Although the Expos cut him, Leary did make the Texas Rangers later that season.

Brian
January 11, 2005
My alegebra teacher, Mr. O'Brien, is cousins with this guy. He said that they rushed him a little bit, but Tim did have a few decent years though, like with LA in 1988.

buzz
March 23, 2005
I rememeber that fateful first start of his as if it were yesterday. It was a sunny Sunday and I was 15 years old and I had ridden my bike all over Brooklyn that morning then for some reason when I got home I was listening to the game on the radio (instead of watching it on TV) and Tim Leary had struck out 3 Cubs in the first 2 innings! Boy was I excited! Then he got injured and was taken out of the game and I was devastated and he didn't pitch again for a while.
There was lots of hype surrounding Leary before that first start and he lived up to it the first 2 innings then everything came to a screeching halt. I guess it's all part of being a Mets fan.

Susan
June 17, 2005
It could have been so beautiful; if only he didn't get hurt. We will never know if he would have been the next Tom Seaver. He had heart though. Sad ending.

Putbeds 62
December 28, 2005
I remember watching that game at my cousin's house; It was on Ch. 9 and the weather at Wrigley was more fit for Mike Ditka than for baseball (It was cold and cloudy). The announcers were saying that Leary was the next Seaver blah-blah-blah. Two innings and his elbow went kerplop!! Btw, 2 other things happened on that Palm Sunday of 1981. Boxing great Joe Louis died and it was the liftoff of the 1st Space Shuttle.

Aase2Zim
November 8, 2007
Another example of why Joe Torre is perhaps the most over-rated and undeserving of praise manager in baseball history. Torre ruined Leary's Mets career by leaving him in in a cold-weather game at Wrigley Field in April 1981 that resulted in injury to his arm. It took him years to come back and he never amounted to anything in New York. Had he been used properly, we may have had him in 1987 when all the starters went down. And he might have been pitching for us vs. the Dodgers during the '88 playoffs instead of pitching against us. Joe Torre is the most over-rated manager there is and now, in 2008, the world will finally see what we true Mets fans have known for years.

Dan Gurney
November 21, 2007
Joe Torre was so desperate to keep his job he persuaded GM Frank Cashen against his better judgment to let Leary start 1981 in the majors. It worked great for two innings.

thomas
June 16, 2010
OK. I now officially hate Joe Torre. All I knew about my dad's first game was that it was 15 degrees outside. Stuck out 3 batters in 2 innings then WHAM! He never pitched at his full potential after his injury in what was his first MLB game. I had no idea what he missed out. Things makes more sense now.
Thanks to all the people that left comments for my dad.

Dr. John
July 1, 2010
Thomas:
If you are Tim's son, you can take some degree of solace in the fact that your Dad still had a pretty decent major league career. If you are old enough to play ball at a high school level even, you know how huge that accomplishment is. It puts him ahead of many career minor leaguers, arm chair GMs and "never weres". I remember that game in Wrigley and cite it frequently when discussing the dangers of cold weather pitching. Also don't be too hard on Joe, I'm sure he still regrets pitching your dad that day. I don't know if you live in NY, but Joe was a strict enforcer of the Pitch Count with the Yankees (evidence Joba Rules).
Reading your post, however, and speaking as a father myself, I suspect your dad hit a grand slam and pitched a perfect game where it really counted. Pass along regards from an old fan that he never met and tell him we still remember him fondly in NY (even if he did play for the '88 Dodgers).

Lisa
July 1, 2010
He was/is the nicest most gifted, talented guy you'll ever know. We went to junior high and high school together. He was amazing to watch in practice; and just saw him the other evening, his heart is with baseball forever. He's coaching and still great! Has the kindest heart you'll ever know, hes a pro; no ego...and a good friend.

Bill Masella
November 25, 2010
"Also don't be too hard on Joe, I'm sure he still regrets pitching your dad that day. I don't know if you live in NY, but Joe was a strict enforcer of the Pitch Count with the Yankees (evidence Joba Rules). " I know you wrote that a while ago, Dr John, but the Joba rules existed BECAUSE Joe Torre has made a career of abusing young pitchers. They were put in place BY Cashman to protect pitchers FROM Torre.

bob
June 13, 2017
He got Jefferies out in the bottom of the 12th in Game 4 in the 1988 NLCS (What LUCK we have.)
Exceptionally bad with the Yanks and everywhere else except for the 88 Dodgers.