1973
From The Met Wiki
The 1973 season was a difficult, but happy one for the Mets. The team floundered in last place for much of the year as injuries took their toll on the team. However, the team rebounded with a late surge that resulted in a division title and a National League pennant. They followed up with a seven-game loss to the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.
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April
The Mets’ season got off to a good start. They won 12 times and lost eight for a .600 percentage in the first month. In the first two games of the year, the Mets defeated the Phillies at Shea Stadium by 3-0 and 3-2 scores on April 6 and April 7, respectively. They won a pair of games at St. Louis before dropping two of three at Philadelphia. After losing three of four games to the Cubs at Shea, the team recorded two wins in a three-game series against the Expos at home. The Mets closed out April with four wins in six games at Houston and Atlanta.
May
Things went sour for the Mets in May. The team won only nine games while suffering 14 defeats. The Mets lost their first five games of the month before defeating the Braves, 7-2, at Shea on May 7. They won all three games of a series at Pittsburgh between May 11 and May 13. At Los Angeles on May 24, the Mets came out with a 7-3 win over the Dodgers in 19 innings. They stopped a four-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory at San Francisco on May 29. The Mets ended the month in third place in the National League East Division, six games behind the front-running Cubs.
June
In June, the Mets staggered through another losing month. They had a .393 winning percentage with 11 victories and 17 defeats. The team started the month with four losses in five games at San Diego and Cincinnati. At Shea between May 8 and May 13, they won three of six games against the Dodgers and Giants. The Mets swept a three-game series over the Padres at Shea by scores of 5-2, 10-2 and 3-1 from June 15 to June 17. They lost five of seven games at Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and four of five to the Cubs and Phillies at Shea. At Chicago on June 30, the Mets defeated the Cubs, 2-1. The month concluded with the team in last place in the N. L. East.
July
The Mets’ difficulties continued in July. They won 12 of their 30 games during the month and remained in the basement of the N. L. East cellar. Following a month-opening doubleheader split in Chicago, the Mets three of four games in Montreal. At Shea on July 7, outfielders George Theodore and Don Hahn collided on a fly ball and had to be taken out on stretchers. The team lost to the Braves, 9-8, and Theodore was sidelined for ten weeks. Jon Matlack pitched a one-hit shutout for a 1-0 win over the Astros at Shea on July 10. The team lost four of its next six before an amazing 8-7 comeback win at Atlanta on July 17. The Mets defeated the Braves, 12-2, one day later. After winning two of three at Houston before the All-Star Break, the Mets lost six of their final eight July games. They ended the month at 44-57 and ten and one-half games behind the first-place Cardinals.
August
The Mets saw signs of light in August. They had an 18-14 won-lost record for a .563 winning percentage. The team started the month with wins in seven of its first ten games. They ended a four-game losing streak with a 7-0 victory at San Diego on August 15. Two days later, Willie Mays hit the final home run of his career in a 2-1 Mets loss to the Reds at Shea. The team won its next two games, 12-1 and 2-1, over Cincinnati. John Milner had ninth-inning game-winning singles for 2-1 and 4-3 Mets victories over the Dodgers at Shea on August 21 and August 22, respectively. On August 24, Jerry Koosman pitched a 10-inning shutout for a 1-0 Mets win over the Giants at Shea. The Mets swept a three-game series against the Padres from August 27 to August 29. They ended the month with a 6-4 win in 10 innings at St. Louis on August 31 to lift them out of the division cellar.
September
For the Mets, it was a September to remember. The team played to a .704 winning percentage (19-8) and climbed into contention in a crazy five-team divisional race. To start the month, the Mets had a 4-1 win at St. Louis. They won three of four games against the Phillies at Shea and swept a doubleheader at Montreal on September 7. Two days later, Mays played his final regular season game in a 3-0 Mets win over the Expos. The Mets won two of three games at Philadelphia and another two of three over the Cubs at Shea. At home on September 20, they came away with a memorable 4-3 win over the Pirates in 13 innings. The Mets reached the top of the N. L. Eastern Division with a 10-2 rout of the Bucs the following night at Shea. On September 25, they extended their winning streak to seven games with a 2-1 victory over the Expos at Shea. Following a pair of rainouts at Chicago, the Mets ended the month by splitting a doubleheader with the Cubs at Wrigley Field. The team’s 9-2 win in the second game clinched a tie for the division crown.
October
Due to the rain in Chicago, the Mets’ season extended into October. The team started the month with a 6-4 victory over the Cubs to nail down the East Division title. In the best-of-five National League Championship Series, the Mets defeated the Reds, three games to two. They clinched the pennant with a 7-2 triumph over Cincinnati at Shea on October 10. In the World Series, the Mets won three of the first five games against the Athletics. Their quest for a world title fell short as they dropped the final two games at Oakland.
Award Winners
- Seaver was named the National League Cy Young Award winner for the second time in his career.
