Rick Aguilera
From The Met Wiki
Rick Aguilera was a pitcher for the Mets from 1985 to 1989. He pitched 473 innings and recorded 37 wins during his time with the team. Agulera had a 3.58 earned run average in 114 games as a Met.
In ’85, Aguilera made his major league debut on June 12. He pitched two innings and got the win in the Mets’ 7-3 victory in 11 innings at Philadelphia. Rick pitched a complete game five-hitter and hit a run-scoring double in a 6-1 Mets win at Atlanta on July 5. At Cincinnati on July 10, Aguilera had a complete game win as the Mets defeated the Reds, 2-1. He had eight strikeouts in seven innings and drove in a run with a single as the Mets defeated the Phillies, 4-2, on August 13 at Shea Stadium. Rick also pitched eight innings and recorded a win in the Mets’ 3-1 triumph at Pittsburgh on September 28.
Aguilera pitched in 28 games for the Mets in 1986. He had a 10-7 won-lost record and 104 strikeouts during the team’s World Championship season. Rick hit his first career home run in the Mets’ 10-4 win in the second game of a doubleheader at Pittsburgh on June 6. He hit another homer in a 7-6 Mets defeat to the Reds on July 7 at Shea. Aguilera pitched all nine innings for a win in a 5-1 Mets victory at Atlanta on July 27. He had a complete game win in the Mets’ 12-3 triumph on August 7 at Chicago. Rick pitched eight innings and singled home two runs as the Mets defeated the Dodgers, 6-3, at Shea on August 30. He was also the winning pitcher in the Mets' 4-2 victory at St. Louis on September 16 that clinched a tie for the N. L. East Division title.
In the post-season of ’86, Aguilera appeared in four games. In Game 6 of the National League Championship Series on October 15, he pitched three scoreless innings as the Mets went on to a 7-6 win in 16 innings at Houston to clinch the pennant. Rick was also the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the World Series as the Mets defeated the Red Sox, 6-5, in 10 innings at Shea on October 25.
Rick missed three months on the 1987 season with a sprained right elbow. Limited to 18 games, he had an 11-3 won-lost record for the season. At Philadelphia on April 16, Aguilera struck out eight batters and got the win in a 9-3 Mets victory. He pitched a complete game three-hitter as the Mets trounced the Expos, 11-3, at Shea on April 30. After coming off the DL, Rick recorded wins in six consecutive games from August 24 to September 19. During this streak, he homered in a 5-1 Mets victory on September 4 at Los Angeles. Aguilera also got two hits and was the winning pitcher in the Mets’ 7-1 triumph on October 3 at St. Louis.
In 1988, Aguilera spent nearly four months on the disabled list as his injured elbow continued to plague him. He was limited to 24 and two-thirds innings over 11 games for the year. In the ’88 NLCS, Rick pitched in three games. He had four strikeouts and a 1.29 ERA in the Mets’ seven-game defeat to the Dodgers.
Aguilera became a pure reliever for the Mets in 1989. Strictly out of the bullpen, he had six wins and seven saves in 36 appearances for the team during the year. At Shea on April 23, Rick allowed no hits in two scoreless innings and got the win in a 4-2 Mets triumph over the Cubs. He recorded the first save of his career with three scoreless innings in the Mets’ 11-4 win at Cincinnati on May 10. Aguilera had six strikeouts in three innings to earn a save in a 3-0 Mets victory on May 24 at San Diego. He retired all nine batters he faced and recorded a win in a 6-3 Mets victory over the Reds at Shea on July 9. Rick also fanned seven batters in three and one-third innings for a save as the Mets defeated the Braves, 4-1, on July 20 at Shea.
On the night of July 31, 1989, Rick and four other Met players were traded to the Twins for Frank Viola. He had 40 wins and 254 saves in 11 seasons with the Minnesota team. In the Twins’ run to the 1991 World Championship, Rick recorded a win and five saves in the post-season. Aguilera ended his career with the Cubs in 2000.
