Neil Allen and Rick Owneby for Keith Hernandez
From The Met Wiki
| Date: June 14, 1983 |
| Team: St. Louis Cardinals |
| Sent: Neil Allen, Rick Owneby |
| Received: Keith Hernandez |
June 15, 1983. The Mets haven't finished fifth or sixth (usually sixth) in a six team division every year since 1977 (the year they traded Tom Seaver). And the Mets were well on their way to another last place finish.
And then on the sixth anniversary of the fateful Seaver trade, the Mets suddenly acquired one of the best first basemen in the game. Keith Hernandez never quite got the credit he deserved with the Cardinals, and would not get the credit he deserved with the Mets. Whitey Herzog decided he wanted to be rid of Hernandez, possibly connected to Hernandez's struggles with cocaine. With the Cards, Hernandez was known as a carefree player. But his trade marked the turning point for the Mets of the 80s, and possibly also for Hernandez's commitment to the game. The Mets continued to struggle for another month, but from July 31 through the end of the season the Mets would go 33-30, after starting the season at 35-64. Hernandez meanwhile turned into one of the most intense players in the game. Hernandez had already won a co-MVP (with Willy Stargell, the only shared MVP in baseball history) with the Cards, and had helped lead them to a World Series victory. But the Hernandez that became co-captain of the Mets (with Gary Carter) became known as a tremendous role model, leader, and student of the game. Four different former teammates wore Hernandez's number seventeen as a tribute after Hernandez retired.
Certainly the key reasons for the Mets rise in the 80s included youngsters like Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry, and some other key acquisitions like Gary Carter. But it was Hernandez who turned around the attitude of the team, and began the transition from losers to winners.
