Ultimate Mets Database - Memories of Orel Hershiser

THE ULTIMATE METS DATABASE IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE NEW YORK METS OR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

- All-Time Roster Every Met player... EVER!
- Mug Shots The pretty ones and the ugly ones -- we have them all!
- Player Awards Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame, and more.
- Transactions Over a thousand player transactions -- in chronological order!
- Managers & Coaches The men who have led the Mets, and the men who helped them.
- Mets Staff Executives, General Managers, Broadcasters, and more. (And Jane Jarvis too!)
- Birth Places Perfect for planning your Mets pilgrimages!
- Oldest Living Mets See which Mets players have spent the most time walking the Earth.
- Necrology Mets players and personnel who are no longer with us.

- Game Results
  All the wins, all the losses. Includes box scores and score cards!
- Opening Day
  The first day of each season! See the starting lineups, who started at each position year-by-year, and leaders by position.
- Walkoff Wins & Losses
  Interactively search for the happiest and saddest endings to Mets games.
- Postseason Games How the Mets have fared in the games that count the most!
- No-Hitters & One-Hitters See a list of every no-hitter and one-hitter pitched by the Mets, or against them. One of these categories was frustratingly empty for over fifty years, but not anymore!
- All-Star Games Mets who have appeared in baseball's Mid-Summer Classic
- Opponents & Ballparks See the Mets won-lost record against every team, and in every ballpark in which they've played!
- Daily Standings What was the Mets' pennant outlook on any given day in past seasons?
- Yearly Finishes The heights and the depths: the Mets won-lost record at the end of each season.
- Mayor's Trophy Games A look back at the long-ago annual series between the Mets and their Bronx rivals.

- Leaderboards Career, season, and individual game leaders at your fingertips!
- Team Leaders Players who led the Mets in various categories, from season to season.
- Decade Leaders Mets history broken down into ten-year chunks!
- Post-Season Leaders Mets leaders, by category, in post-season games

- Ultimate Mets Scrapbook The history of the Mets, as it was reported when it happened!
- Forum Visit the Crane Pool Forum to discuss the Mets and just about anything else!
- Fan Memories Insightful. Poignant. Thrilling. Somber. Nutty. Our visitors have submitted thousands of thoughts and memories of the Mets and the games they've played.
- Mets Uniforms It's more than just laundry! Trace the evolution of the Mets official uniform over the years.
- Uniform Numbers In association with Mets By the Numbers, we present a full history of who wore what number, and when!/li>
- Baseball Cards Our collection of home-made baseball cards, in the style of the classic Topps cards of the 1970's.
- This Date in Mets History Births, Deaths, Transactions, Newspaper Covers

- Contact Us
- FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Mets
Statistics

Situational
Statistics

Orel Hershiser
vs. the Mets

Orel Hershiser
vs. Other Teams

Memories of
Orel Hershiser

Orel Hershiser
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 201 of 1252 players

Orel Leonard Hershiser
Born: September 16, 1958 at Buffalo, N.Y.
Throws: Right Bats: Right
Height: 6.03 Weight: 195

Orel Hershiser was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on September 16, 2011, September 16, 2012, February 21, 2019, December 5, 2020, and August 14, 2021.

First Mets game: April 8, 1999
Last Mets game: October 19, 1999

Winner of National League Cy Young award, 1988. (Los Angeles Dodgers)

Share your memories of Orel Hershiser

HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY:

Marcos Dias
I just wanted to say as a fellow believer of Jesus Christ I think it is great that you are still deep in your faith. I do remember how you signed an autograph before a Giants game at County Stadium in Milwaukee. I really am not a Mets fan, per say, but I still like you Orel. Keep your faith in Christ and I hope that you will maybe be able to write back to me

Mike Welch
Statistics cannot do justice to the amazing year Orel Hershiser had for the Mets in 1999. He was the heart and soul of the Mets team, and I believe he'd make an excellent coach/manager for a major league team some day. Orel came in to pitch on short rest, pitched some very clutch innings, and showed NY Mets fans everywhere why he's nicknamed the "Bulldog!"

murphy
A one-man wrecking crew in '88. Besides Hershiser and Kirk Gibson, who else did the Dodgers have? Nobody. Their first baseman was Mickey Hatcher for crying out loud. Too bad he couldn't get command of his pitches with the Mets. He still had a lot of stuff on his ball. He would come completely unglued within the span of 5 pitches. I'm glad he finally retired. He'll make a hell of a coach somewhere.

Big E
The Mets managed to squeeze the last ounces of life out of Hershiser. 13 wins was an absolute miracle. Will make a great manager one day. Tough as overcooked chuck steak yet a reserved, intelligent gentleman.

Mr. Sparkle
March 27, 2001
Absolutely hated this guy when he was with the Dodgers. And he was not the reason the Mets lost in 88, Tim Belcher was. But, when he came to the Mets you had to love the guy. A real firey competitor. It would have been great having him as a pitching coach this year. I can't figure why they picked Charlie Hough instead. Probably because Bobby V thought he might be too opinionated on the staff. Who knows.

Jon
April 18, 2001
Great comments, Big E. I never understood a thing about Hershiser till he reached the Mets. Then there was one game that summer where he worked on 3 days rest, going on total fumes, and he got us through. An unbeliveable competitor long after his talent escaped him.

Larry Burns
June 22, 2002
He killed the Mets by himself in 1988. The only reason I did not absolutely despise him was the fact that his semi-retard teammate Mickey Hatcher actually made me more insane with blind rage. (I, to this day, really believe that he was mentallly challenged). When Orel came to the Mets he was past his prime and I never knew why Tommy "Slimfast" Lasorda called him "Bulldog." But this altar boy looking guy was a tough and crafty pitcher. Most guys who stuff had left them would have been shelled---he actaully pitched well for the Mets.

Shari
June 25, 2002
I honestly could not stand Orel when he was with the Mets. (Sorry to digagree with you on this one Larry, we normally see eye to eye on just about everyone!) To me it represented another Mickey Lolich trade, and he could never seem to make it past the 5th inning-and with good reason-he was just out of gas and at the end of his career. Not that I think he wasn't a great pitcher with the Dodgers (another reason I couldn't stand him) To me he represented falling short in the play-offs in 1988 and I resented us getting him when he was almost finished. I guess it just fueled my frustration of getting super-stars that are in their twilight years. I'm surprised we never ended up with Jose Canseco, unless Steve Phillips is working on this one as I'm writing this.

Mr. Sparkle
July 1, 2002
It drives me crazy that this guy was given so much credit for beating the Mets in 88. just because the guy had that scoreless inning streak during the year and won the Cy Young is no reason to make him the big savior for the Dodgers in the NLCS. I'm not saying he was bad but he did not single handedly beat the Mets. True, he won the clincher in game 7 but he also got 2 no decisions in Dodger losses. He did get a save but he only pitched to one batter. So he started 2 games they lost, got a one out save (Benitez could do that) and won game 7. Not exactly awesome. Mickey Hatcher, regretfully had more to do with beating the Mets than did Orel. And Tim Belcher was 2-0 in 2 starts. I don't know why I need to relive this pain. I will always hate Kirk Gibson for this series as well.

Metsmind
December 24, 2002
Orel lived in my building at 79th and 1st during his year as a Met. He always carried his bible, but him and his wife were very sweet neighbors. A class act, a true pro. The Mets were lucky to have seen him play a full year. He was an unsung hero of the 99 postseason.

Feat Fan
February 21, 2004
Game 5, October 1988 found me at the Beacon Theater in NYC watching my favorite band, Little Feat as they continued their comeback tour.
The Mets dominated the Dodgers that year going 10-1 or 11-1 but Orel DOMINATED the NL and was at his absolute best from September on.
Although we were lovin' the music inside, my thoughts were on the game that night. I waited until a song came on that I didn't love ( Cajun' Girl ) and ran downstairs to the phone bank to call Sportsphone. The grim look on a dude with a Mets cap told me all I needed to know, we were down early at The Bulldog was at his best.
A class act and a classy pitcher, probably hung on too long and as a SF GIANTS/NY METS fan, hard for me to like him. However, class is class, good is good, and he was.
To this day, whenever I hear Little Feat do Cajun' Girl, I think of Game 5 and Hershiser's shut out!

Chris NJ
April 13, 2004
One word describes Hershiser-gamer. At age 40 he registered great numbers and probably would have won 15-16 games with better run support, and he was by far the most effective reliever the Mets had in the memorable 99 NLCS against Atlanta.

Shari
April 22, 2004
We got him about 10 years too late, he pitched OK for us but I barely remember him going past the 5th inning in a lot of his starts, which meant from the 6th on the game got handed to the always shaky middle relief.

Brendan
September 24, 2005
I just remember this guy coming out of the pen a few times in the 1999 postseason and channeling 1988. It was really inspiring to see that.

Jonathan Stern
October 4, 2005
I recall a late-90's Mets-Braves game where a brawl took place. I do not remember whether or not it was touched off by chin music from Greg Maddux. But I do remember Maddux and Hershiser standing to the side of the dogpile and chatting with each other in a seemingly amiable way. The broadcasters commented on their smiles and wondered if the two veterans were engaging in pleasantries amidst the donnybrook. After the game, it was revealed that, in fact, their smiles were NOT friendly smiles. Hershiser was telling Maddux that one of his teammates was going to go down.
Hershiser was, from most reports, a wholesome, squeaky-clean type off the field. But you did not want to mess with him on the field. And, brief though his Mets stint was, ya gotta love him for giving the Braves what-for while he was here!

bonbolito
February 17, 2006
Class and guts. He really had no business playing in 1999 not with the way Lasorda ran him into the ground. But here he was, only good for 4 innings and five was pushing it. He gave us what he had left physically and spitritually. Octavio Dotel throws that seven inning one hitter in August who meets him in the dugout and escorts him into the clubhouse with his arm around him? Game five against the Braves I'm in the upper deck section 1 last row. Hershiser comes in to relieve Yoshii and I can still remember the nervous apprehension in the crowd. I don't think Met fans have ever been more thankful for 3.1 innings with five strikeouts in their lives. In that miserable weather, charging at a windmill, he was the most inspirational part of a game that to me was so great that it still doesn't matter what happened afterwards.

Jim
January 6, 2008
He was one player that was past his prime when he pitched for the Mets. But, I still feel that he was an excellent pick up. I know he could not go more then five innings, but he had this quality about him that his mere presence on the Mets made them a better team. He was a great influence on the younger players, especially the pitchers.

Gets by Buckner
August 28, 2008
A real nice guy and great addition to the 99 Mets but I still cannot forgive him for 1988!

Mitch45
October 1, 2011
Say what you want about Orel - but we don't win the '99 Wild Card without him.

Alex
July 6, 2023
I can't be too glowing about Hershiser, but it's also hard to be too negative about his one year in New York. He started 32 games and won 13 of them at 40 years old. His ERA was a mediocre 4.58, but in the postseason, he managed a perfect 0.00 mark in 5 1/3 relief innings between the Division Series and Championship Series.
One specific memory I have of him is of his lone stolen base with the team. It was part of a double steal. Facing the Expos on July 22, 1999, in the top of the 7th, Hershiser swiped 3rd while Edgardo Alfonzo swiped 2nd base. I remember watching that on TV. The novelty of it brought great joy to the commentators.
I've also read his book, "Between the Lines: Nine Principles to Live By." It's a solid read and I would recommend it.
Now when it comes to his Hall of Fame candidacy, I don't think he would HURT the Hall if he was in. His regular season numbers, on their own, might not be enough, but they get him pretty close to the line. I think his postseason success is what pushes him over—8-3, 2.59 ERA with three different series MVP wins and a World Series ring make for an excellent resume. A decent C/C- candidate.
Lastly, he has never been one for signing autographs through the mail, but he did sign once out of the four times I've sent to him. In 2020, I sent him a request through his home address and he signed a card in 15 days. I've sent to him three times since hoping to get lucky again, but I've since struck out.

The Sod
November 25, 2024
Hershiser killed the Mets in the 1988 NLCS along with Kirk Gibson (and Mike Scioscia of all people), but he was a fine addition to the 1999 squad. Pitched great in relief of Yoshii in the grand slam single game (Game 5 of the NLCS) and was a solid back-end starter for the team, winning 13 games that year. Really the last meaningful games of a stellar career, as he headed back to LA the next season and was released shortly thereafter. Hard to forgive him for 1988 (the Mets were a way better team than that Dodgers squad) but glad to have seen him pitch for the Mets in 1999. One of the few instances where the Mets acquired someone past their prime and they actually made a meaningful contribution to the team.