Amazin’ Look Back, August 5, 1973: Mets Drop Two to Cards

The Mets sank deeper into last place this afternoon, dropping both ends of a Shea Stadium doubleheader to the first-place St. Louis Cardinals. In the first game, Alan Foster outlasted Tom Seaver to pick up the 3-2 win (Orlando Pena nailed down the save). In the second, Rick Wise held New York to one run to beat Jim McAndrew 4-1.
Mar 18, 2013; Jupiter, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals hall of famer Lou Brock signs autographs for fans before a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Cards and Mets each put up a run in the first inning of game one, but it was Jerry Grote’s RBI single that put the home team up 2-1 in the fourth. Seaver cruised from the second to sixth, but he ran into seventh-inning trouble that ended up costing him the game. Jose Cruz led off with a single, then after Mike Tyson’s sac bunt, pinch-hitter Bake McBride (yes, that’s his real name) singled in the tying run. McBride advanced to second on the throw home, which allowed Lou Brock to drive him in with a single immediately after, turning a 2-1 lead into a 3-2 deficit for the less-than-Amazin’s. John Milner and Cleon Jones got a two-out rally going with singles in the eighth, but Wayne Garrett flew out to end the team’s last major threat of the game.
If Mets fans felt cheated by the loss in the first half of the twin bill, they got their money’s worth in the second: two losses for the price of one. There wasn’t much good that happened in this game, as Redbird starter Rick Wise was productive from both sides of the mound. Wise tossed a complete-game five-hitter, with his only run against coming on John Milner’s seventh-inning home run. At the plate, Wise got St. Louis on the board with a solo homer off Jim McAndrew in the third and a sac fly in the sixth that made it 4-0.
The starting lineups for the first game looked like this:
St.Louis Cardinals
New York Mets
1
LF1
CF2
2B2
2B3
1B3
RF4
C4
1B5
RF5
LF6
3B6
3B7
CF7
C8
SS8
SS9
P9
P
And here they are for the second game:
St.Louis Cardinals
New York Mets
1
LF1
CF2
2B2
2B3
1B3
RF4
C4
1B5
RF5
LF6
3B6
3B7
CF7
C8
SS8
SS9
P9
P
The hapless Mets will look to get some of their hap back tomorrow and Tuesday as they finish up a rare six-game series with the visiting Cardinals.
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