Mets pitchers who walked 100 batters in a single season

There may never be another New York Mets pitcher to walk 100 batters in a single season. The sport isn’t as accepting of free passes anymore. And because many pitchers barely nudge themselves over the 150 inning mark even when making 30 starts, reaching 100 walks would look really awful.

The Mets have, however, had some notable pitchers reach triple-digits in walks. It has happened five times and as long as you’re a teenager, it did happen once in your lifetime.

NY Mets pitcher with 100 walks in a season: Nolan Ryan in 1971, 116 walks

Nolan Ryan is the all-time strikeout king but early on in his career he was incredibly wild. The 1971 season featured 116 walks from the Ryan Express. It was the most by any Mets pitcher in a single season. It was also enough for the Mets to trade him away in the infamous deal with the California Angels which brought them Jim Fregosi.

NY Mets pitcher with 100 walks in a season: Mike Torrez in 1983, 113 walks

Mike Torrez came close to taking the franchise record from Ryan in 1983. He issued 113 free passes. Far less notable than Ryan yet a name many fans of that era will know, Torrez was no stranger to walking 100+ batters. He did it several times in his career with 133 in 1975 as his most. Somehow, he still managed to win 20 games for the Baltimore Orioles that season while pitching to a 3.06 ERA. His 1.37 WHIP and 0.89 strikeout/walk ratio suggested things shouldn’t have gone so well.

NY Mets pitcher with 100 walks in a season: Ron Darling in 1984, 104 walks

Ron Darling’s first appearance in the 100+ walks category came in 1984. It was his first full season as a major leaguer and there were obviously some kinks to work out. He would eventually gain some control, but it wasn’t going to happen in his sophomore season.

NY Mets pitcher with 100 walks in a season: Ron Darling in 1985, 114 walks

Again, Ron Darling makes the list with 114 walks. The second-most by any Mets pitcher in a single season, he served up ten more than he did the previous season. However, he did go from 205.2 innings up to a career-high 248. Darling was an All-Star for the only time in his career during this season. It would be the final time he ever did get to 100 bases on balls in a season.

NY Mets pitcher with 100 walks in a season: Oliver Perez in 2008, 105 walks

Amazingly, the 2008 season when Oliver Perez walked 105 batters wasn’t even close to his worst year in New York. In 34 starts and 194 innings, he walked 105 batters. Perez went 10-7 with a 4.22 ERA. Control was often an issue for Perez regardless of the team he pitched for. Even early on during his transition to the bullpen, Perez continued to walk batters at too high of a rate. Other than the 2008 season, he never did walk 100 batters but that’s because he didn’t have the innings to do it.