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

By Elizabeth Muratore

26 Oct 2000: Starting pitcher Al Leiter #22 of the New York Mets throws against the New York Yankees during Game 5 of the World Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Yankees won the game 4-2 to clinch the World Championship. Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw/ALLSPORT
26 Oct 2000: Starting pitcher Al Leiter #22 of the New York Mets throws against the New York Yankees during Game 5 of the World Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Yankees won the game 4-2 to clinch the World Championship. Mandatory Credit: Ezra Shaw/ALLSPORT /
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NEW YORK – APRIL 13: A fan adjusts his hat before the start of the Opening Day game between the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets at Citi Field on April 13, 2009 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. This is the first regular season MLB game being played at the new venue which replaced Shea stadium as the Mets home field. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) /

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.”

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