Guess that Met

[Cowtipper]

Both are correct!

1. In the movie "The Odd Couple" there was a fictitious game between the Pirates and the Mets at Shea and Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit into a game ending triple play and the Mets won 1-0. Give me the names of all four players for the Mets who played the infield during Mazeroski's game ending triple play and also give me the name of the Mets pitcher who got Mazeroski to hit into the game ending triple play.

Hint: There is a little debate as to who actually was involved in this scene, however there is a general consensus. The first baseman debuted for the Mets in 1962, the second baseman in 1967, the shortstop in 1965, the third baseman in 1966 and the pitcher in 1964.
Hint: The third baseman was involved in this trade—Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Mets for Al Jackson and Charley Smith. The second baseman was involved in this trade—Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals with Art Mahaffey and Tony Martínez to the New York Mets for Eddie Bressoud, Danny Napoleon and cash. The first baseman wasn't involved in any trades; he spent his whole career with the Mets. The shortstop was involved in this trade—Traded by the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for Fred Andrews and cash. Thea pitcher was involved in this trade: Traded by the New York Mets with Buddy Booker, Tommy Davis and Billy Wynne to the Chicago White Sox for Tommie Agee and Al Weis.
Hint: The third baseman was a multi-time All-Star with the Cardinals. The second baseman was never an All-Star, but he played in the '64 World Series with the Cardinals. The shortstop was twice an All-Star with the Mets, 1970 and 1971. The first baseman was an All-Star with the Mets in 1965. The pitcher was never an All-Star, in fact he twice led the league in losses and went 86-139 for his career.
Hint: The third baseman had a brother named Cloyd. The second baseman is the only player in big league history with that last name. The shortstop shares a surname with someone nicknamed "Hawk." The first baseman's nickname also evokes imagery of a bird, a waterfowl in this case. The pitcher also had a nickname, "Fat ____."
Hint: Third baseman—, second baseman—, shortstop—, first baseman—, pitcher—
--originally posted by "Joe Rigatoni"

2. Who were the only Mets to wear #41 before Tom Seaver?

Hint: Four men wore the number before Seaver. Actually, it might have been five if you go by what Baseball Reference says. So, we'll go with five.
Hint: Player One pitched for the Mets in '62. Player Two pitched for the Mets in '63. Player Three pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Four pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Five pitched for the Mets in '65 and '66.
Hint: Player One was twice an All-Star with the Dodgers. Three of the players never pitched for any team other than the Mets, and they spent just one year in the majors. The fifth guy also pitched for the Cardinals, in 1964.
Hint: Player One is Clem Labine, who was guessed. Player Two died in 1985 at 44 years old. Player Three is still alive and kicking, having been born in 1946. Player Four is still alive, having been born in 1943. Player Five is also still alive, but he was born way back in '38.
Hint: Player Two—, Player Three—, Player Four—, Player Five—

--originally posted by "milladrive"

3. We've established that David Wright is the all-time GIDP leader for the Mets. Who are the other four players with 100+ GIDPs for New York?

--originally posted by "milladrive"

4. Larry Bowa was 2 for 19 as a Met in 1985 which was the only year he played for them. But the two hits he got as a Met were off the same pitcher in two different games that were played almost a month apart. Who is the pitcher that Bowa got his two hits as a Met off of? The pitcher later in his career briefly pitched for the Mets.

--originally posted by "Joe Rigatoni"

5. Everyone remembers that 18 inning game against the Pirates from April [1985]....and if you remember that game then I'm sure you remember Rusty's running catch in right field (fans went absolutely wild).....my question is, which Pirate batter hit it?

--originally posted by "m8644"

Running tally of correct guessers:

Johnny Lunchbucket: 43
Edgy MD: 41
stevejrogers: 34
batmagadanleadoff: 19
Benjamin Grimm: 4
metsmarathon: 4
MFS62: 2
DocTee: 1
Marshmallowmilkshake: 1
The Hot Corner: 1

[Edgy MD]

I'll give a shot at the four other players with 100+ GiDPs as a Met:

1. Cleon Jones
2. Ed Kranepool
3. George Foster
4. Gary Carter

[Cowtipper]

Jones and Kranepool are correct, and while Carter and Foster are good guesses, they are incorrect. The other two might or might not have been well-known catchers with New York.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Piazza and Stearns

[Cowtipper]

Stearns is incorrect, though Piazza is right. The other one might or might not have been with New York in 1969.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Grote

[Cowtipper]

Well done, those are correct. Since you each got two right, I'll give one point to each below. A new question has been added.

Both are correct!

1. In the movie "The Odd Couple" there was a fictitious game between the Pirates and the Mets at Shea and Bill Mazeroski of the Pirates hit into a game ending triple play and the Mets won 1-0. Give me the names of all four players for the Mets who played the infield during Mazeroski's game ending triple play and also give me the name of the Mets pitcher who got Mazeroski to hit into the game ending triple play.

Hint: There is a little debate as to who actually was involved in this scene, however there is a general consensus. The first baseman debuted for the Mets in 1962, the second baseman in 1967, the shortstop in 1965, the third baseman in 1966 and the pitcher in 1964.
Hint: The third baseman was involved in this trade—Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals to the New York Mets for Al Jackson and Charley Smith. The second baseman was involved in this trade—Traded by the St. Louis Cardinals with Art Mahaffey and Tony Martínez to the New York Mets for Eddie Bressoud, Danny Napoleon and cash. The first baseman wasn't involved in any trades; he spent his whole career with the Mets. The shortstop was involved in this trade—Traded by the New York Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for Fred Andrews and cash. Thea pitcher was involved in this trade: Traded by the New York Mets with Buddy Booker, Tommy Davis and Billy Wynne to the Chicago White Sox for Tommie Agee and Al Weis.
Hint: The third baseman was a multi-time All-Star with the Cardinals. The second baseman was never an All-Star, but he played in the '64 World Series with the Cardinals. The shortstop was twice an All-Star with the Mets, 1970 and 1971. The first baseman was an All-Star with the Mets in 1965. The pitcher was never an All-Star, in fact he twice led the league in losses and went 86-139 for his career.
Hint: The third baseman had a brother named Cloyd. The second baseman is the only player in big league history with that last name. The shortstop shares a surname with someone nicknamed "Hawk." The first baseman's nickname also evokes imagery of a bird, a waterfowl in this case. The pitcher also had a nickname, "Fat ____."
Hint: Third baseman—, second baseman—, shortstop—, first baseman—, pitcher—
--originally posted by "Joe Rigatoni"
Hint: Third baseman—Played in the major leagues from 1955 to 1969. Second baseman—played in the majors from 1961 to 1968. First baseman—played in the majors from 1962 to 1979. Shortstop—played in the majors from 1965 to 1980. Pitcher—played in the majors from 1959 to 1969.

2. Who were the only Mets to wear #41 before Tom Seaver?

Hint: Four men wore the number before Seaver. Actually, it might have been five if you go by what Baseball Reference says. So, we'll go with five.
Hint: Player One pitched for the Mets in '62. Player Two pitched for the Mets in '63. Player Three pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Four pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Five pitched for the Mets in '65 and '66.
Hint: Player One was twice an All-Star with the Dodgers. Three of the players never pitched for any team other than the Mets, and they spent just one year in the majors. The fifth guy also pitched for the Cardinals, in 1964.
Hint: Player One is Clem Labine, who was guessed. Player Two died in 1985 at 44 years old. Player Three is still alive and kicking, having been born in 1946. Player Four is still alive, having been born in 1943. Player Five is also still alive, but he was born way back in '38.
Hint: Player Two—, Player Three—, Player Four—, Player Five—
Hint: Player Two: The most recent player to have his first name, he shares it with a Hall of Famer and 300-game winner. Player Three: Shares a first name with a former Met whose last name was "Henderson." Player Four: Shares a first name with a former Met whose last name was "Cook." Player Five: The only Met with his first name, he shares a first name with a famous hockey player whose last name is "Howe."

--originally posted by "milladrive"

3. Larry Bowa was 2 for 19 as a Met in 1985 which was the only year he played for them. But the two hits he got as a Met were off the same pitcher in two different games that were played almost a month apart. Who is the pitcher that Bowa got his two hits as a Met off of? The pitcher later in his career briefly pitched for the Mets.

Hint: Played for the Mets in 1990.

--originally posted by "Joe Rigatoni"

4. Everyone remembers that 18 inning game against the Pirates from April [1985]....and if you remember that game then I'm sure you remember Rusty's running catch in right field (fans went absolutely wild).....my question is, which Pirate batter hit it?

Hint: Won 151 games in his career.

--originally posted by "m8644"

5. Who [are the only people] born on Staten Island to wear a Mets uniform? (When this was originally posted, there was just one, but if my research is correct, another has joined the list.)

Hint: Individual One managed the Mets beginning in 1982 and Individual Two pitched for the Mets in 2012.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

Running tally of correct guessers:

Johnny Lunchbucket: 44
Edgy MD: 42
stevejrogers: 34
batmagadanleadoff: 19
Benjamin Grimm: 4
metsmarathon: 4
MFS62: 2
DocTee: 1
Marshmallowmilkshake: 1
The Hot Corner: 1

[Cowtipper]

I try to drop hints just once per day, at most. Well, it's 12:27, I'm still awake and it's a new day, so I added some hints above.

[Edgy MD]

Larry Bowa's hits came off of Dan Schatzeder.

[Cowtipper]

Schatzeder is correct! Instead of posting a new question just yet, I'll post poems as hints for Question 1 above.

Third baseman—

My numbers were depressed with the Mets
But let me ease your worries and frets
Could I still stand alongside Hall of Fame men?
Plenty of fans think I sure Ken

Second baseman—

I wasn't Jerry-atric when I joined the team
So call this a bad baseball dream—
I no longer performed any infield tricks
After the age of twenty-six

First baseman—

Krane your neck, for here's a young man
Me, a teen, when my career began
I played many years, then I was through
And I was still just 34 then, too


Shortstop—

My offense wasn't stellar or my average grand
But I could field those grounders with a soft hand
When I was traded from that New York blue
The Mets told Philly, "this Bud's for you."

Pitcher—

Do you dare criticize all those times I lost?
How many big league games have you tossed?
I advise you take all your harsh words back
For I can tell you, you don't know Jack

[DocTee]

4. Rick Rhoden

[Edgy MD]

Ken Boyer, Jerry Buchek, Ed Kranepool, Bud Harrelson.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

& Jack Fischer

[Cowtipper]

Rhoden, Boyer, Buchek, Harrelson, Kranepool and Fisher are correct. Though Edgy MD did most of the legwork on the five-part question, I don't want to dip into fractional points, so I'll give each of you one point. We're going to have another round of repetitive questions for a moment.

1. Who were the only Mets to wear #41 before Tom Seaver?

Hint: Four men wore the number before Seaver. Actually, it might have been five if you go by what Baseball Reference says. So, we'll go with five.
Hint: Player One pitched for the Mets in '62. Player Two pitched for the Mets in '63. Player Three pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Four pitched for the Mets in '65. Player Five pitched for the Mets in '65 and '66.
Hint: Player One was twice an All-Star with the Dodgers. Three of the players never pitched for any team other than the Mets, and they spent just one year in the majors. The fifth guy also pitched for the Cardinals, in 1964.
Hint: Player One is Clem Labine, who was guessed. Player Two died in 1985 at 44 years old. Player Three is still alive and kicking, having been born in 1946. Player Four is still alive, having been born in 1943. Player Five is also still alive, but he was born way back in '38.
Hint: Player Two—, Player Three—, Player Four—, Player Five—
Hint: Player Two: The most recent player to have his first name, he shares it with a Hall of Famer and 300-game winner. Player Three: Shares a first name with a former Met whose last name was "Henderson." Player Four: Shares a first name with a former Met whose last name was "Cook." Player Five: The only Met with his first name, he shares a first name with a famous hockey player whose last name is "Howe."
Hint: Player Two shares a surname with a well-known former slugger nicknamed "Boog." Player Three share a last name with an author who wrote a story called "Cyberpunk." Player Four shares a surname with a country singer who has had multiple hits, including "Rainbow, "Justified" and "Follow Your Arrow." Player Five shares a surname with a famous Yankees infielder named "Bobby."
Hint: I basically gave their names away in each of the poems below.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

2. Who [are the only people] born on Staten Island to wear a Mets uniform? (When this was originally posted, there was just one, but if my research is correct, another has joined the list.)

Hint: Individual One managed the Mets beginning in 1982 and Individual Two pitched for the Mets in 2012.
Hint: Individual One was guessed correctly, that was George Bamberger. The other guy, well, if he was a mischievous Ernie, I wonder if he would ever egg Bert.
Hint: The remaining individual played for the Mets for a single game in 2012 after originally playing for the White Sox in 2009.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

3. Who is the only person to wear a Mets uniform born in Alaska?

Hint: The sole guy from Alaska to play for the Mets pitched for the team in 2006 and 2007.
Hint: Was involved in this trade: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with cash to the New York Mets for Robert Manuel.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

4. Who are the only people to wear a Mets uniform born in Maine?

Hint: Carlton Willey was guessed correctly. The other guy played for the Mets in 2015.
Hint: The other guy was a first round pick by the Padres.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

5. Who are the only people to wear a Mets uniform born in New Hampshire?

Hint: Kevin McGowan was guessed correctly. The other guy played for the Mets in 1995.
Hint: The other guy was 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in 14 games with New York.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

Running tally of correct guessers:

Johnny Lunchbucket: 45
Edgy MD: 44
stevejrogers: 34
batmagadanleadoff: 19
Benjamin Grimm: 4
metsmarathon: 4
MFS62: 2
DocTee: 2
Marshmallowmilkshake: 1
The Hot Corner: 1

[Edgy MD]

One of our Mainers is Mike Bordick.

[Cowtipper]

Bordick attended high school and college in Maine, but he was actually born in Michigan. As far as I can tell, there's two players from Maine who have donned a Mets uniform. One spent an inordinate amount of time with his original team, despite underwhelming for the majority of his career; I also wonder if he liked microwave macaroni and cheese. The other one probably inspired the questions, "Is he going to win this year for us? Willey or won't he?"

Also, apparently Dick Scott, the former Mets coach, was born in Maine, too. Who knew.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Carlton Willey was from Maine.

Kevin McGowan was from New Hampshire

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Staten Islanders are Bamberger and Sean Lannan

[Cowtipper]

Willey is correct, and so is McGowan. There's one more guy from New Hampshire. I imagine when he finally earned the call to the majors, he exclaimed, "the dog days are over!" One guy from Maine remains, as well.

For Staten Islanders, George Bamberger is correct, however John Lannan is incorrect. He was born about an hour away from Staten Island. The other guy might or might not have pitched just a single game with New York.

Hints have been added above.

[Cowtipper]

I made an error in one of the hints for #1 above, but it should be corrected now.

Here's poems for each of them—

Player 2—

My baseball cap was blue
Just like that Muppet Grover
But after a single year
My Mets career was over

I had a mark below three
Yet the club threw in the towel
Though I was something of a leader
Like that fella Colin Powell

Player 3—

The Mets once had a Fat Jack
But I was something of a Slim Jim
New York must've asked themselves,
"Can we even win with him?"

Well, I went 2-0 for them
And pardon if I get testy
But how dare they question my skills,
Oh heavens to Beth-sy

Player 4—

They tried me for just five games
But I was something of a menace
Messing around with batters
Playing tricks like that boy Dennis

I cleaned up on those hitters
I was indeed no fuss, no Mus'
Still my career was in the grave
And I was back on the bus

Player 5—

I wasn't kingly like Richard
And I lost more than I won
But, hey I made the majors
And made a dad proud of his son

Not too sure what might've happened
If it was late, then some runs scored
Don't think I'd become a pumpkin
Because I'd always been a Gord

[Cowtipper]

Hints added above.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

New Hampshire Don Florence

The 41s are Jim Bethke, Gordie Ricardson, Grover Powell and Dennis Musgraves

[Cowtipper]

Florence and the remaining 41s are correct! Hints have been added.

1. Who [are the only people] born on Staten Island to wear a Mets uniform? (When this was originally posted, there was just one, but if my research is correct, another has joined the list.)

Hint: Individual One managed the Mets beginning in 1982 and Individual Two pitched for the Mets in 2012.
Hint: Individual One was guessed correctly, that was George Bamberger. The other guy, well, if he was a mischievous Ernie, I wonder if he would ever egg Bert.
Hint: The remaining individual played for the Mets for a single game in 2012 after originally playing for the White Sox in 2009.
Hint: The other guy was involved in these transactions—June 7, 2004: Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2004. September 25, 2009: Selected off waivers by the New York Mets from the Chicago White Sox. February 26, 2011: Signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
Hint:

--originally posted by "milladrive"

2. Who is the only person to wear a Mets uniform born in Alaska?

Hint: The sole guy from Alaska to play for the Mets pitched for the team in 2006 and 2007.
Hint: Was involved in this trade: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds with cash to the New York Mets for Robert Manuel.
Hint: Was 3-2 with a 7.83 ERA in 8 games (6 starts) in his short stay with New York.
Hint: Also played for the Pirates and Reds, with a career spanning 2001 to 2007.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

3. Who are the only people to wear a Mets uniform born in Maine?

Hint: Carlton Willey was guessed correctly. The other guy played for the Mets in 2015.
Hint: The other guy was a first round pick by the Padres.
Hint: Was the 4th overall pick in the 2003 amateur draft and eventually went 33-34 with a 3.97 ERA in his career.
Hint: Also played for the Twins in a career that spanned 2005 to 2015.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

4. Who is the only players to wear a Mets uniform born in Utah?

Hint: Player One played for the Mets in 1973 and 1974 and Player Two played for the Mets in 2013.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

5. Who are the only players to wear a Mets uniform born in the U.S. Virgin Islands?

Hint: Player One played for the Mets from 1962 to 1965, Player Two played for the Mets in 2015.

--originally posted by "milladrive"

Running tally of correct guessers:

Johnny Lunchbucket: 47
Edgy MD: 44
stevejrogers: 35
batmagadanleadoff: 19
Benjamin Grimm: 4
metsmarathon: 4
MFS62: 2
DocTee: 2
Marshmallowmilkshake: 1
The Hot Corner: 1

[Cowtipper]

New day, new hints added above.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Jack Egbert

Aaron Harang