Lenny Randle
From The Met Wiki
Lenny Randle was an infielder for the Mets in 1977 and 1978. In 268 games as a Met, Randle batted .272 with 7 home runs and 62 runs batted in. He also scored 131 runs and stole 47 bases during his two Mets years.
Randle started his major league career in 1971 with the Washington Senators. When the team became the Texas Rangers in 1972, Lenny attained the distinction of being the first Rangers' player to come to bat in their first game as a Texas team. He was also the first Ranger to score a run.
Randle became a Met on April 26, 1977. Despite joining the team a few weeks into the season, Lenny was the Mets' leader in many categories for the year. He topped the Mets with 78 runs, 156 hits, 7 triples and a .304 batting average. His 33 stolen bases in '77 set a new team record that was previously held by Tommie Agee, who had 31 steals in 1970.
Twice during the '77 season, Lenny had four hits in a game. He had a double and three singles against the Dodgers on May 14 and four singles against the Braves on September 4. Lenny had a game-winning two-run homer in the 17th inning for a 7-5 Mets triumph over the Expos on July 9 at Shea Stadium. He doubled, tripled and scored three runs (including the game-winner) in the Mets' 8-7 triumph over the Dodgers in 12 innings at Shea on August 1. Randle also singled home the winning run in the ninth inning for a 2-1 Mets victory over the Astros at Shea on August 23.
In 1978, Randle's production dropped as he batted .233 in 132 games. He set a Mets' record with 5 runs scored in a game in the Mets' 10-inning win over the Braves on May 18 at Shea. Lenny had three singles, a triple and two runs scored in a 6-5 Mets victory at Pittsburgh on June 30. He did exactly the same in the Mets' 10-4 triumph at San Francisco on August 30.
Randle was released by the Mets on March 29, 1979. He played four more seasons in the major leagues with the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners. As a Mariner in 1981, Lenny successfully blew a ground ball into foul territory in a game on May 27, creating a humorous moment for highlight films.
