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A rewarding NY Mets player reunion with a fan-favorite from a darker period

In a smaller role, he had bigger moments.
ByTim Boyle|
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Mets' Lee Mazzilli pinch hitting for Jesse Orosco hits a single in the 8th inning during Game 6 of the World Series at Shea Stadium Oct. 25, 1986. Mazzilli would later score on Gary Carter's sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3- 3. Mets Vs Red Sox 1986 World Series
Mets' Lee Mazzilli pinch hitting for Jesse Orosco hits a single in the 8th inning during Game 6 of the World Series at Shea Stadium Oct. 25, 1986. Mazzilli would later score on Gary Carter's sacrifice fly to tie the game at 3- 3. Mets Vs Red Sox 1986 World Series | Frank Becerra Jr/USA TODAY / USA TODAY NETWORK

Major League Baseball wasn’t always the in-and-out style of roster shuffling that it is today. The last time the New York Mets won a championship, they kind of kept internal with minor leaguers making up most of their midseason additions.

There were exceptions. One example was a free agent they picked up on August 3, 1986.

A fan-favorite during maybe the darkest period of Mets baseball, Lee Mazzilli was with the ball club for parts of 1976-1981. He stopped off with several teams after getting traded to the Texas Rangers, but was mostly a part-time player for several years. He was in his fourth year with the Pittsburgh Pirates when they cut him from the roster. In only his age 31 season, Mazzilli surely had more to offer. The Mets were willing to find out.

The 1986 Lee Mazzilli reunion is one of the more rewarding in Mets history

The timing couldn’t have been better. Welcome home, literally, to the Brooklyn-raised ex-Mets outfielder. This time your role would be different. You wouldn’t have to carry the lineup. You’d barely even need to play the field.

Mazzilli’s role was clear. He was a pinch hitter, occasional corner outfielder, and spot starter at first base. His .226/.392/.301 slash line with the Pirates told everyone that, if nothing else, he could work the count. The Mets gave him 72 chances to step up to the plate in late 1986. He ended up batting .276/.417/.431. He had one more walk than strikeout, the same claim he had while in Pittsburgh which gave him that credible OBP.

Mazzilli had scattered appearances in the postseason, going 3 for 10 overall. He, surprisingly, didn’t walk. All of his hits were singles yet vital. In Game 6, he singled to lead off the 8th inning and later scored to tie the game on a Gary Carter sacrifice fly. In Game 7 he pinch hit for Sid Fernandez with one out in the sixth inning. He’d come across to score in a 3-run rally to tie the game versus the Boston Red Sox.

This wasn’t a one-year return. Mazzilli stuck around through July 31 of 1989. He didn’t play well in the latter years, but in 1987 in the same pinch-hitting role, Mazzilli batted .306/.399/.460. The numbers trailed off in the next two years. He still managed to get his ring and have one of the better player reunions in Mets history.

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