10 best relief pitchers in New York Mets history

The New York Mets franchise has always been known for its pitching. However, any discussion about Mets pitching usually focuses on their starters. With names like Tom Seaver, Jacob deGrom, and Doc Gooden, it's easy to understand why their careers have been so important to the history of the team.

However, the history of the Mets pitching doesn't begin and end with the starters. Like any good pitching staff, you need to have a closer who can enter the game at its most critical, pressure-packed moment and save the day. This is a list of the best of those relief pitchers who also played an role in the history of the Mets franchise.

10) Best relief pitcher in Mets franchise history - Skip Lockwood

Lockwood pitched for the Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers and the California Angels before joining the Mets in 1975. He became the Mets' full-time closer during the 1976 season. A shoulder injury would cut short his 1979 campaign. This would be his final year pitching in New York. He played one more season in Boston and then retired in 1980.

Skip Lockwood happened to play for some very bad Mets teams between 1976 and 1979 but was still able to pitch to a very respectable 65 saves and a 2.73 ERA. He was considered to be very reliable, but you can't save games unless you're winning. His teams did very little of that. Skip Lockwood basically bridged the Mets closer gap from Tug McGraw to Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell.

Several years after his retirement, Lockwood would graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Master of Science Degree, making him only the second former major league baseball player to have a degree from MIT.

9) Best relief pitcher in Mets franchise history - Randy Myers                      

Randy Myers was drafted in the first round (the ninth pick overall) by the Mets in the 1982 amateur draft, reaching the major league club in 1985 at age 22. He became a closer in 1988, joining Roger McDowell as part of a lefty/righty platoon and helping the Mets to a 100 win season and the 1988 National League Eastern Division crown.

Randy Myers was traded to the Cincinnati Reds in 1990 with the Mets receiving John Franco in return. While in Cincinnati, Myers would become a member of their famed “Nasty Boys” bullpen group, winning the World Series in 1991.

While Myers’ time with the Mets was short, he was a dominate force in closing games in 1988 and 1989. Myers appeared in three of the seven games of the 1988 NLCS and was the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 3. His 56 saves for the Mets were a precursor to a 14 year career that would include 347 saves and four All-Star game appearances.

Randy Myers' last MLB appearance was in 1998 for San Diego.