Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Bret Saberhagen

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Bret Saberhagen
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Memories of
Bret Saberhagen

Bret Saberhagen
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 185 of 1252 players

Bret William Saberhagen
Born: April 11, 1964 at Chicago Heights, Ill.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.01 Weight: 190

Bret Saberhagen was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on August 26, 2008, January 16, 2011, March 22, 2012, July 29, 2020, June 11, 2022, April 11, 2023, and October 27, 2024.

First Mets game: April 7, 1992
Last Mets game: July 29, 1995

Winner of American League Cy Young award, 1985, 1989. (Kansas City Royals)
Winner of National League Pitcher of the Month award, July 1994. (New York Mets)

Share your memories of Bret Saberhagen

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Mr. Sparkle
Sabes was a great pitcher who unfortunately was injured the entire time he was here. Had a great year during the strike season. For some reason the holyier than thou media didn't like this guy because he didn't kiss their butts. He was given a raw deal in NY. He was a good guy and a good pitcher who may have made a mistake or two but was not what the media made him out to be.

murphy
Saberhagen threw the ball as hard as any Met pitcher I've seen. The ball left his hands and was right on top of the hitter. The ball popped the catcher's glove with a crack. Sounded like a gunshot. I can't imagine how good this guy was when he was healthy with KC. No wonder he took them to a World Series title...with a little help from Don Denkinger. Traded to Colorado for Juan Acevedo...a nothing trade for both teams.

Danny Erickson
December 18, 2000
I stared at this girl in my 10th grade English class.Her name was Lynn. She eventually became Mrs. Saberhagen.

Logan Swanson
January 26, 2001
I'm no lover of the media, but Saberhagen made me root for them at least once. Around 1995, Saberhagen, who was about 30 years old, was pissed off over an accurate article some reporter wrote about him. So you know what "real man" Saberhagen does? He throws bleach on the reporter. Now I'm sure Saberhagen, who as a professional athelete, must be physically intimidating, was the reason the reporter exercised restraint, and took the abuse. I, however, would have punched Saberhagen in the mouth.

kinerskorner
May 23, 2001
was one of the many dumb members of the early 90s teams. but this guy mustve been awesome in kansas city, he threw smoke and knew how to pitch.

Flushing the Point
June 23, 2001
Bret Bret Bret. Thats what they used to cheer in Kansas City, but when Mr. Saberhagen decided to throw his hat into the N.Y. ring, we as fans didn't realize tha he was just here to pick up a ( very large for the time ) paycheck. The best thing about his extremely forgettable Met career, is that because of him (and a few co-horts...i.e. Bonilla and Coleman), the regime of Doubleday and Wilpon have soured greatly on the offseason signing of big name free agents looking to make a quick buck on us the fans. Wished he would have shown some of the Cy Young form he displayed in K.C. but I guess being an all around jack-ass was more important to him. On an up note....I give him credit for not letting his bloodsucking wife's attorney take the future of his arm away from him by retiring so he would have no income rather than pay her money.

Jared
August 26, 2001
Perhaps the biggest Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde pitcher that Major League Baseball has ever seen. In seasons with odd numbered years (i.e. 1985, 87, 89) the guy was money. Dominating hitters left and right. Then in seasons with even numbered years (1986, 88, 90) batters were able to tee-off like John Daly with a one- wood on Bret. Was destined for superstardom before he became a New York Met and left us all hanging our heads. Maybe we should resign him in 2003 because he's bound to be due.

STEVE B.
June 7, 2002
Remember getting him from Kansas City and thinking that nobody can beat this staff. (Sabes, Cone, Viola, Doc, etc.) Boy was I wrong! Team lost about 100 games. What a disappointment. Went to a game in April 1992 and sat right behind the screen. His stuff was unreal. Incredible control, command of all his pitches. He won that night 1-0. It was rough over the next couple of years. Had an incredible walk/stikeout ratio the strike shortened year.(like 13 to 1). Was in a bar the day they traded him to Colorado and Bobby Bo to Baltimore. Actually was glad to see both go. It was the end of another sad chapter in team history.

Steve Green
June 26, 2002
I remember one of the announcers on the Spanish sports station in NYC at the time, introducing him during the play-by-play as 'Bddddddettt Sobberhoggen'

Me
September 8, 2002
To me, "Sabes" is an unfortunate reminder of the Stupid-Flu that infected the front office in 1991/1992. Phenomenal pitcher in the 80's; crapped out with the Mets. Major anger issues, reckless tendencies, whiny...on second thought, he fit right in.

Jonathan Stern
December 17, 2002
An ogre. A boor. A knucklehead. Pitched well in strike season. Otherwise, stole $ from the Mets. The lowpoint came when he squirted bleach at the reporters, denied for about a week that he had done it, then admitted it and gave a lame excuse masquerading as an apology. An essential cog to the early 90's-David Letterman-Mets Machine.

A.E. Pennypacker
February 25, 2004
Not just another lame trade for the Mets; This guy will go down as one of the biggest disappointments! The bleach incident was an added embarassement. On a personal note, I once met him in a bar out on Long Island. He was a nice guy but as sharp as a cue ball.

Mark
April 20, 2004
This guy could remind you of the hot-shot pitcher in the movie "Bull Durham" - you know with the million-dollar arm and the 10-cent brain (or however it goes). I'm referring, of course, to the time he placed bleach in a water gun (I think) and shot it at some members of the press. What was his problem? Otherwise, he could be a top notch pitcher.

Kiwiwriter
June 18, 2004
When the Mets traded for him, I guess they thought they were getting the second coming of Tom Seaver.
Sorry, there was only one.
Saberhagen had unbelievably hard stuff, but I think he hit a new high in low as a Met when he squirted bleach at reporters. I heard that on the news (by coincidence) while I was studying my Navy Safety Supervisor's Manual chapter on...bleach! So I'm sitting there saying,"This stuff is dangerous," and Armed Forces Radio and Television Service is telling us that Bret squirted it at a reporter...then denied he'd done it...and then hurled laundry carts around the clubhouse and demanded a trade.
When Bret was finally brought to account by the Mets, he had to fork over one day's pay to a charity named by the Baseball Writer's Association of America's New York chapter. They picked the Eye Bank of Long Island. Appropriate, considering what bleach can do to vision.

Nikki
December 8, 2004
I've been a female fan of Bret's for a long time and had the pleasure of meeting him in the mid 1990s when I was working as a sports writer and covering Pittsburgh Pirates baseball. At the time he was playing for the Mets and then went to Colorado. Bret was cooperative, friendly and had a great sense of humor. As a fan of his since his rookie season with KC it was a highlight to meet and work with him...

KMT
March 28, 2005
Injured a lot but pitched okay when on the mound. I really thought he was burned out by the Royals. Was on the hill for K.C. when he was 19 or 20 years old! We got him for Jefferies and K-Mac. A lot to give up at the time. The bleach thing was bad. It made him fit in with the rest of the inmates who were running the asylum! I too marveled at his resolve to quit instead of playing on for his wife's divorce settlement. What a marriage that must have been!

Jamie
April 19, 2005
I went to Jr. High School with Bret. My best friend Lisa had a HUGE crush on him and gave me the job of giving this poor embarrassed boy a pair of striped toe socks. Remember those horrible things? He just laughed and turned red. I remember that I use to call him Sabertooth. He was a really cute guy and very sweet as a young man. Little did I know...

JohnMc
May 13, 2005
May not have been a great guy, but what a talent! Absolutely nasty, filthy, dirty stuff. 94 mph fastball and a wicked slider.

JFK
June 9, 2006
Completely overrated and an embarassment. He and Vince Coleman were the poster children for a horrible 93 team.

Michael
February 12, 2008
At his best he was easily one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball. Unfortunately, the Mets rarely saw his best due to mounting injuries.

Ian
February 15, 2010
The Mets in the early 90's were a mess despite having talented star players like Bret Saberhagen, Eddie Murray, Vince Coleman, Howard Johnson, Tony Fernandez, etc. They just couldn't get their act together and there were constantly off-the-field drama's like Saberhagen's bleach ecounter.

KC blues
November 3, 2010
Hey Mets...quit whining about Sabes being a disappointment; he had already suffered serious injuries and all we got out of the deal was Jeffries and McReynolds.