New York Mets: Greatest left-handed starters in franchise history

4. (tie) Bob Ojeda and Jon Matlack

After comparing their stats in Flushing, it became clear that both pitchers merited a spot on the Mets’ all-time list for left-handed starters. Jon Matlack is notable for winning the second Rookie of the Year award in franchise history for his outstanding debut season in 1972. He went on to pitch for the Mets through the 1977 season, racking up three consecutive All-Star appearances and a top-six Cy Young finish in 1976.

Matlack also played an integral role in the Mets’ 1973 postseason run. His complete-game, two-hit shutout in game two of the NLCS goes down as one of the best starts in Mets postseason history, helping send the Amazins to the World Series. Matlack also started three games in that year’s Fall Classic, posting a 2.16 ERA in those starts despite a 1-2 record.

Over a decade later, Bob Ojeda served as a similar left-handed linchpin of a playoff-ready rotation. He came to the Mets in 1986, and all he did that year was finish 4th in Cy Young voting, 2nd in the league in ERA, and 3rd in WHIP. Ojeda also pitched to a 2.33 ERA in four postseason starts, en route to the Mets’ second World Series title. He stayed in Flushing through 1990 and continued to be a reliable force in the rotation throughout his tenure in New York.

Given the similar arc of their careers, it is not surprising that Matlack and Ojeda both rank among the Mets’ all-time leaders in several categories. Matlack is top 10 in pitcher WAR, strikeouts, complete games, and innings pitched, and Ojeda ranks in the top 10 in WHIP. Both pitchers are among the Mets’ all-time leaders in ERA, shutouts, and home runs/9 innings.

Ojeda and Matlack started out strong in their Mets careers and continued to anchor their respective rotations for years to come, leading to my decision that they both warranted the fourth spot on this list.

3. Al Leiter

If Seaver pitched the Mets to the playoffs in the 1960s and ’70s, and Gooden was the star of the 1980s’ playoff rotations, left-hander Al Leiter played a similar role in helping pitch the Mets to the playoffs in 1999 and 2000.

Acquired via trade from the Marlins before the 1998 season, Leiter had a sparkling first season with the orange and blue. That year, he went 17-6 with a 2.47 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 174 strikeouts, leading to a 6th place finish in the NL Cy Young voting.

Leiter went on to have many more solid seasons for the Amazins. He finished top 10 in the league in ERA and shutouts four times, and WHIP three times, during his Mets tenure. Leiter added another notch of success to his belt when he was selected for his second All-Star team in 2000.

Arguably the biggest start of Leiter’s Mets career came in 1999 when he pitched in game 163 against the Cincinnati Reds, with whom the Mets had finished in a tie for the Wild Card. His two-hit shutout that day clinched the NL Wild Card for the Mets, nabbing them their first playoff berth in 11 years.

Though Leiter has gained additional fame as a broadcaster for YES Network since his retirement from playing, his years pitching in Queens solidified him as one of the best lefty starters in Mets history.

2. Sid Fernandez

While researching this article, one pitcher who has mostly flown below my radar of Mets greats kept popping up on the franchise leaderboard: Sid Fernandez. He pitched for the Mets from 1984-1993, and in that time he crafted a truly admirable career in Flushing. While Gooden dazzled as the unquestioned ace during the mid-1980s, Fernandez was selected for two All-Star games and finished 7th in NL Cy Young voting in 1986.

When younger fans think about the best starters in team history, Fernandez may not immediately come to mind, but his statistics speak for themselves. Among all pitchers in team history, Fernandez is 4th in strikeouts and WHIP, 5th in wins and innings pitched, and 6th in pitcher WAR. His clutch pitching during the 1986 postseason also helped propel the team towards championship glory that year.

Fernandez was also known for pitching extremely well at home, posting a 2.52 ERA at Shea Stadium during his career with the Amazins which was better than all of his ‘80s Mets contemporaries.

He may not have made as many headlines as Gooden or Seaver did during their Mets careers, but Fernandez absolutely deserves a spot on the list of “greatest Mets pitchers of all time,” let alone “greatest lefty Mets starters.”

1. Jerry Koosman

If Tom Seaver was the team’s #1 starting pitcher from the late 1960s through the mid-1970s, Jerry Koosman was 1A.

He enjoyed a long career, suiting up in Flushing from 1967 through 1978. In those twelve seasons, Koosman managed to amass enough stats to be among the Mets’ all-time leaders in multiple categories: pitcher WAR, strikeouts, ERA, and wins. In several other categories, such as innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts, Koosman ranks second only to Seaver in team history.

His statistics compare favorably with several Hall of Famers, such as Steve Carlton, Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Mussina, and likely future HOFer CC Sabathia. Koosman also has the notable distinction of having finished second to Johnny Bench, widely considered the greatest catcher ever, by a single vote in the 1968 Rookie of the Year voting.

And yet, because he was in Seaver’s shadow throughout his Mets career, Koosman never quite achieved the level of baseball-wide acclaim that he deserved.

The Mets are finally giving him the credit that he deserves by retiring his number this summer, where it will hang in the Citi Field rafters alongside other Mets legends Seaver, Mike Piazza, Casey Stengel, and Gil Hodges.

This will further cement Koosman’s legacy as the greatest left-handed starter in franchise history and one of the team’s best players ever, period.

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Which Mets lefty on this list is your favorite of all-time?