Skip to main content
Rising Apple
FanSided

This Day in NY Mets History: The most unique starting pitcher performance

We'll never see a Mets pitching performance like this again.
ByTim Boyle
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on Reddit
Google Discover
Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Mets hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When it comes to New York Mets history, there seems to be a line in the sand between pre-1969 and after. From 1962 through 1968, the team was never expected to do much. Even the 1969 club wasn’t meant to win a championship.

In 1965, the last weekend of the regular season took place. The Mets had already lost well over 100 games and individual performances were all fans could hope to see. On the mound for the Mets on October 2, 1965, pitcher Rob Gardner. He faced off against Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Chris Short in a fascinating duel where both starters lasted 15 innings in a game that would end in a 0-0 tie. The game was the second half of a doubleheader.

Rob Gardner had maybe the most unique start in Mets history

A rookie making only his fourth career start, Gardner logged 15 of his 28 innings that year in this one day. He finished the season with a 3.21 ERA, hilariously dropping it from the 6.92 it sat at when the first pitch took place. He hadn’t gone beyond 6 innings in any of his previous outings. With a full offseason ahead, there was no yanking him out.

The attendance was just over 10,000 for this final Saturday game of the season. Gardner’s 15-inning performance was quite different from Short’s. Gardner gave up 5 hits, walked 2, and struck out 7. Short’s 15-innings included 9 hits, 3 walks, and a sensational 18 strikeouts.

A pitcher’s duel for the ages, Gardner’s time with the Mets was short-lived hence why it might not be so memorable to the average fan more than 50 years later. He ended up pitching regularly in 1966 as a starter and reliever, traded in the middle of the 1967 season to the Chicago Cubs for Bob Hendley. Gardner reappeared calling New York his baseball home in 1969 when he was traded to the Yankees. However, he wouldn’t pitch in a major league game until the following year. His best season would actually take place in 1972 with the Yankees after a brief stint with the Oakland Athletics.

The fascinating part about Gardner’s 15-inning performance is it didn’t end up even counting toward the standings. They replayed the game from scratch the next day with another doubleheader vs. the Phillies to finish the year.

Although the game didn’t count, the stats did. And Gardner’s 15 innings remains a Mets record we’ll never see again.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Home/Mets History