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New York Mets: The franchise all-time bracket

By Bill Felber

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 08: A New York Mets batting helmet in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - MARCH 08: A New York Mets batting helmet in the dugout before a spring training baseball game against the Houston Astros at Clover Park on March 8, 2020 in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The Mets defeated the Astros 3-1. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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New York Mets star Tom Seaver. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
New York Mets star Tom Seaver. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

New York Mets: The All-Time Bracket

No. 4 vs. 5 seed

The 2006 New York Mets won the NL East by a dozen games over Philadelphia, swept the Dodgers in the division series but got bounced by an underdog Cardinal team in a seven-game NLCS.

The 2006 club relied on a veteran starting staff including Tom Glavine, Steve Trachsel, Orlando Hernandez, and Pedro Martinez. In fact 105 of the team’s 162 games were started by pitchers aged 34 or older, 52 by guys in their 40s. Glavine was 15-7 and Trachsel 15-8.

Billy Wagner closed out 40 saves.

They also featured a cast of veterans in the every-day lineup. Carlos Beltran hit 41 homers and drove in 116 runs, shortstop Jose Reyes batted .300 and third baseman David Wright added a .311 average with 26 homers and 116 RBIs. First baseman Carlos Delgado produced 38 homers and 114 RBIs.

The 1973 Mets emerged from a tangled NL East to shock the favored Cincinnati Reds in that season’s NLCS, then took the defending champion Oakland A’s to seven games in the World Series  In last place in the NL East on Aug. 30, the Mets won 24 of their final  33 games to clinch on the season’s final day.

Tom Seaver (19-10) was the staff ace, but Jerry Koosman (14-15) and Jon Matlack (14-16) provided ample support in a closely fought race. Offense was not a team trademark: the Mets finished 11th in the National League in batting average, home runs and runs scored.

In the NLCS, however, their pitching held Cincinnati sluggers to a collective .186 average and just eight runs in five games.

Related Story. Los Angeles Dodgers: The franchise all-time bracket. light

Game 1: The 1973 team won despite an 83-79 regular-season record and .509 percentage. The 2006 Mets were 97-65, a .599 percentage.

Game 2: In 2006, the Mets swept a division series from the Dodgers and then were beaten by St. Louis in seven NLCS games. That’s a .600 post-season percentage. The 1973 team played .500 post-season ball.

Game 3: The 1973 Mets had a relatively weak offense, and it netted only an 83 OPS+. In 2006 the Mets touched 100 in OPS+.

Game 4: The strength of the 1973 Mets was its pitching, as reflected by its 111 staff ERA+. That’s five points superior to the 2006 team’s 106.

Game 5: The 1973 Mets only netted a 34.7 WAR. In 2006 the Mets had a 40.7 WAR.

Result: 2006 in five games

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