NY Mets: 5 worst pitching staffs in franchise history

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1 Apr 1997: Pitcher Pete Harnisch of the New York Mets throws a pitch during a game against the San Diego Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. The Padres won the game 12-5. Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport /

3) NY Mets worst pitching staff: 1996

The direct opposite could be said about the 1996 MLB season than what I have already about the early 1960s. Shortstops looked like they could be professional wrestlers. A pop up to the catcher at the potential to land in the gap—I’m exaggerating a bit.

The 1996 season was a big one for Mets bats but also a poor one for their pitchers. This was the first full season post-1994 strike and hitters were taking advantage at the plate.

Mets pitchers gave up 779 runs this season. The league average ERA jumped up to 4.60, about a full run higher than those early Mets days already covered.

The Mets pitching staff actually managed to have an ERA of just 4.22. However, in the grand scheme of the franchise’s history, this remains the third most runs allowed in any given year.

Mark Clark was by far the best starter on the roster. At 14-11 with a 3.43 ERA, his numbers measure up well in any era. After him, we do find far poorer performances even if some of the numbers don’t look anything like they did in the early 1960s.

Bobby Jones, Pete Harnisch, Jason Isringhausen, and Paul Wilson all had ERAs over 4.00 with Wilson all the way up at 5.38. The bullpen wasn’t terrific either outside of closer John Franco. This was one of his better years on the mound, pitching to a 1.83 ERA.

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