NY Mets: 5 most clutch starting pitching performances in team history

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The New York Mets have almost forever been a team that prides itself on having great starting pitching. In many of their best seasons, it was their starters who led them furthest.

There is, however, a difference between pitchers who had great seasons or careers and those who had some huge clutch moments on the mound. In fact, anyone is capable of having a memorable clutch game. And in the case of the Mets, there’s a nice mix of good players and legends.

Who was most clutch? In these five instances plus an honorable mention, nobody came up bigger for the team on the mound as a starting pitcher.

Clutch NY Mets pitching performance honorable mention: Jacob deGrom in 2015 NLDS

October 15, 2015, was the day Jacob deGrom helped the Mets advance to the NLCS. He started Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in a hard-fought series where the winner would advance and the loser would go home.

The pressure was on deGrom, then only in his second big league season. After giving up two earned runs in the first inning due to four straight singles, he settled in.

deGrom ended up tossing six innings while striking out seven. He went toe-to-toe with Zack Greinke who had already established himself as one of the best pitchers in baseball. On this particular night, it was deGrom who reigned supreme.

The Mets managed to score three times and take the win. A final score of 3-2 made it a nail biter until the final out.

Because of the situation, we have to include deGrom’s performance. But there were five other games where pitchers were even better than the future deGoat.

5) NY Mets clutch pitching performance: Bobby Jones 2000 NLDS

The Mets already led the San Francisco Giants 2-1 in this best of five series. When Bobby Jones took the hill for them to start Game 4, there was room for error. Apparently, nobody told him.

The day was October 8, 2000, when Jones took the ball for the Mets and delivered one of the most clutch starting pitching performances in team history. The 4-0 victory and anything else that happened was overshadowed by Jones tossing a complete game shutout and holding the Giants to only a single hit.

Jones was perfect until Jeff Kent led off the top of the fifth with a double. He’d walk two more batters in the inning to load them up before the opposing pitcher, Mark Gardner, ended the inning with a pop out.

It was in that inning that the Giants touched base for the first and only time of the game. Jones didn’t allow another base runner for the rest of the game in what turned out to be one of the most dominating and clutch outings from a starting pitcher in franchise history.

For a little extra icing on the cake, it was Barry Bonds who stood between Jones and the final out. He didn’t blink. Bonds swung at the first pitch and lined out to center field.

4) NY Mets clutch pitching performance: Mike Hampton 2000 NLCS

The Mets closed out the 2000 NLDS with a complete game shutout from Bobby Jones. In the NLDS, it was Mike Hampton’s turn to do the same.

Once again a victory away from advancing, the Mets took the field on October 16, 2000, to face the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium. Although St. Louis did manage to piece together three hits, Hampton issued only a single walk and struck out eight batters in the series-clinching performance.

This was one of those games the Mets had in their grasp almost from the start. They scored three times in the bottom of the first inning then piled on three more in the third. Hampton didn’t have to go the distance or even hold the Cardinals scoreless. He had plenty of opportunities to secure the win and still get bruised a little. Instead, he chose to pitch his absolute best and launch the Mets into the World Series.

The performance helped Hampton earn the NLCS MVP. He was masterful in this game. Also the winner in the opener for the series, the Cardinals never really stood a chance when having to face him twice.

Hampton ended up with 16 innings and not allowing a single run. He helped capped off an already impressive regular season from him.

3) NY Mets clutch pitching performance: Tom Seaver 1969 World Series

There needs to be at least one World Series performance on this list. The 1969 and 1986 championships weren’t exactly dominated by Mets pitchers. While important, we remember those two runs more for the clutch hitting and major errors committed by the other team.

In the 1969 World Series, Tom Seaver had a start worthy of this list. After losing Game 1 to the Baltimore Orioles, he wasn’t about to have his record drop to 0-2. He came back for Game 4 and on October 15 at Shea Stadium, Tom Terrific gave us a brilliant performance.

The Mets were already up 2-1 in the series when Seaver took the mound against Mike Cueller. Through nine innings, things were tied 1-1. Cuellar exited after 7 frames while Seaver came back out for the 10th.

Seaver had nearly ended the game an inning earlier. With the Mets ahead 1-0, it was a one-out sacrifice fly from Books Robinson that tied things up. An error and a single in the top of the 10th gave the Orioles a chance. Davey Johnson was on third base with two outs when Paul Blair struck out to end the inning.

Seaver did his job.

In the bottom half of the inning, things came to a conclusion. A leadoff double from Jerry Grote got things started. Without recording a single out, the Orioles gave up the lead and the game. It was an error by pitcher Pete Richert that ended it.

None of it would have been possible if not for Seaver’s 10-inning performance that was one sacrifice fly away from being a shutout. The win helped set up for a much more pressure-free Game 5 that they won.

2) NY Mets clutch pitching performance: Tom Seaver 1973 NLCS

It’s hard to do any list of great Mets pitcher moments and only have Tom Seaver on there once. A few years after his World Series win, he found himself back in the postseason with the Mets. This time his big game came in the 1973 NLCS.

Underdogs yet again, there was an immediate pattern set in the series. Seaver lost Game 1 to the Cincinnati Reds. This time, he wouldn’t start Game 4. Instead, he was saved for Game 5 to break the 2-2 tie in the best of 5 series. The pressure was huge.

With much more run support this time, Seaver entered the ninth inning with a 7-2 lead. A single and two walks with only one out gave manager Yogi Berra some concern. His ace wasn’t going to finish this one off. He was going to need a little help. Fortunately, Tug McGraw had become one of the game’s most reliable closers.

A pop out with the bases loaded retired Joe Morgan and a groundball to first base tossed to McGraw ended it. The Mets took the series and were heading back to the World Series.

Although Seaver had more help from the bats in this one, he had less room for error. A loss would have eliminated the Mets and sent them to the golf course. A win put them in the World Series for the second time in franchise history.

1) NY Mets clutch pitching performance: Al Leiter 1999 tie-breaker game

Another game against the Reds and another situation where if the Mets lost they were going home. That’s what happened on October 4, 1999. The team clubs ended in a tie for the wild card spot—only one available at the time. To settle things, the Mets would have to travel to Cincinnati to play a single game. Winner take all. Loser gets nothing.

Al Leiter got the call to pitch this game. He was brilliant.

A two-run home run from Edgardo Alfonzo as the second batter of the game put the Mets in a position where Leiter could be cool against Steve Parris and the Reds. Although he walked the first batter he faced, Leiter was at his best.

The Mets managed to score 5 times while the Reds were held to only 2 hits, 4 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Most importantly, they didn’t score a single run. The 5-0 win officially landed the Mets in the playoffs for the first time since 1988. In the most absolute winner-take-all situation, Leiter stepped up and pitched one of the biggest games of his career as a member of the Mets.

There was a reason the Mets brought in Leiter who at the time when he forced joined them had already won a World Series with the Florida Marlins. In big games, you need a guy who doesn’t feel the pressure. On this day, Leiter felt none of it throughout his 135-pitch performance.

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5 most clutch starting pitching performances in Mets history