The 3 worst pitchers to start for the Mets on Opening Day

The New York Mets have been known to have some great pitchers throughout their history. And some of the greats – like, obviously, Tom Seaver – have been handed the ball with the honor of starting the season. However, there have also been those who haven’t been as deserving of such an honor.

Some of the selections to start Game 1 have been a bit head-scratching. But who actually were the three worst pitchers to start opening day?

Jack Fisher was handed the ball for the upstart 1966 New York Mets

The early years were brutal for the New York Mets. And 1964 was no different. But they had begun moving away from importing aging, recognizable stars and getting younger. Part of that movement was to bring in young arms. One of those young arms was Jack Fisher.

Fisher came up at 20 years old with the Baltimore Orioles and struggled during his four seasons with the Birds pitching to a 30-39 record and 3.92 ERA. He was traded to the San Francisco Giants where he spent one season going 6-10 with a 4.58 ERA.

The Mets plucked Fisher from the Giants in a special draft following the 1963 season. He joined a pitching staff that included some names familiar to Mets fans…well…OLDER Mets fans…Tracy Stollard, Galen Cisco, and fan favorite Al Jackson. They all could have achieved success on a different team, but they all suffered the growing pains of the early Mets.

In 1965, Fisher would win a mere eight (8) games and suffer a league-leading, and nothing to be proud of, 24 losses…still a team record. He also gave up a league-leading 111 earned runs, the second consecutive year he led the league in that category.

And, yet, Fisher was tabbed to start the Mets 1966 season opener. Fisher actually pitched a great game, holding on to a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the ninth inning against a hard-hitting Atlanta Braves team that included Hank Aaron, Joe Torre, and Rico Carty. The Braves would take the lead on an unearned run thanks to an errant throw from right fielder Cleon Jones. Fisher would pitch a complete game but the Mets would lose 3-2.

Fisher had his best season as a Met in 1966, pitching to a record of 11-14 with a 3.68 ERA. In his four seasons with the Mets, Fisher would go 38-73 with a 4.12 ERA. Following the 1967 season (when he would again lead the team in losses with 18) he would be included in the trade with the Chicago White Sox that brought Tommie Agee and Al Weis to the Mets.

Mike Pelfrey was rewarded with the opening day start for the 2011 New York Mets

Mike Pelfrey was a highly-touted first round draft pick out of the college baseball powerhouse Wichita State. Pelfrey was a big, imposing figure and was believed to be on the fast track to the Big Leagues because of his success and perceived advanced skills on the collegiate levels.

It was probably either another case of Mets scouts over-hyping their selection or, more likely, Pelfrey had some issues that prevented him from translating his physical abilities into success on the Major League mound.

Pelfrey would be one of those Mets with whom fans would exude utter frustration with. It was clear he had great stuff. But there always seemed to be something that would happen, some weird play behind him, a bad call by an umpire, it didn’t matter, and then he seemed to implode.

The big right hander struggled out of the gate when he was given a cup of coffee with four starts in 2006 (2-1, 5.48 ERA, and 12 walks in 21 innings) and 2007 (3-8, 5.13 ERA, 39 walks and nine (9) HBP in 72 innings). He seemed to have a break-through and break-out season in 2008, making 32 starts, tossing over 200 innings, and going 13-11 with a 3.72 ERA.

That would turn out to be his best season with the Mets, the best of his career. Because Pelfrey would regress in 2009, going 10-12 with a 5.03 ERA. He would rebound in 2010 and pitch to a 15-9 record with a 3.66 ERA. That would get him rewarded with the opening day start for 2011.

Pelfrey got rocked in the season opener against the Florida Marlins in Miami. He allowed five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in a 6-2 loss.

Pelfrey would frustrate Mets fans throughout most of his time with the team that spanned seven seasons, over which he went 50-54 with a 4.36 ERA. But nobody was more frustrated than Pelfrey himself who spent most of his time with the Mets battling the “yips,” a tic that caused him to balk and make errant throws. Unfortunately, and unfairly, he became known for those yips rather than the talents he brought to mound.