2006 New York Mets: Amazing Turnaround

2006 New York Mets: Amazing Turnaround

2006 New York Mets: Amazing Turnaround

In the early 2000’s the New York Mets were a fairly competitive baseball team that occasionally made the playoffs. However, their success starting the decade was hit or miss, as in they were inconsistent with their winning in the regular season. Needing to load up on talent that could carry them into the playoffs more consistently, the Mets would acquire talent via trades and through free agency in order to better position themselves in the postseason.

In the 2006 season the New York Mets went 97-65, winning the National League East by 12 games over the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets went 50-31 at their home ballpark of Shea Stadium while going 47-34 on the road. The Mets were a solid team through almost each month of the regular season as they went 16-8 in April, 16-12 in May, 15-12 in June, 16-9 in July and 19-9 in August. In blowout games where the end result was a margin of 5 or more runs, the Mets went 34-17.

Catcher Paul Lo Duca was traded to the Mets from the Florida Marlins on December 5, 2005. Lo Duca batted .318 with 163 hits and 39 doubles. Third baseman David Wright batted .311 with 26 home runs and 116 RBI’s off 181 hits, 40 doubles, 5 triples and 20 stolen bases. Outfielder Endy Chavez batted .306 with 108 hits, 22 doubles, 5 triples and 12 stolen bases in 133 games. Shortstop Jose Reyes batted .300 with 19 home runs and 81 RBI’s off 194 hits, 30 doubles, 17 triples and an amazing 64 stolen bases. Center fielder Carlos Beltran batted .275 with 41 home runs and 116 RBI’s off 140 hits, 38 doubles and 18 stolen bases. Second baseman Jose Valentin batted .271 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI’s off 104 hits, 24 doubles and 3 triples.

First baseman Carlos Delgado was traded to the Mets from the Florida Marlins along with cash in exchange for first baseman Mike Jacobs, pitcher Yusmeiro Petit and minor league player Grant Psomas on November 24, 2005. Delgado had 38 home runs and 114 RBI’s off 139 hits and 30 doubles. Delgado would receive the Roberto Clemente Award. Left fielder Cliff Floyd had 11 home runs, 81 hits and 19 doubles in 97 games. Right fielder Xavier Nady was traded to the Mets from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Mike Cameron on November 18. Nady had 14 home runs, 70 hits and 15 doubles.

New York’s starting rotation was solid enough to not only go deep in games, but to also wear down opposing offenses with a wide variety of pitch types. Starting pitcher Tom Glavine went 15-7 with 131 strikeouts and a 3.82 ERA. Steve Trachsel went 15-8 with 1 complete game. Pedro Martinez went 9-8 with 137 strikeouts. Orlando Hernandez went 9-7 with 112 strikeouts and 1 complete game. John Maine went 6-5 with a 3.60 ERA, 1 complete game and 1 shutout.

The bullpen was also a strength for the Mets as pitchers often shut down opposing offenses before they could get anything going. Closer Billy Wagner went 3-2 with 40 saves, a 2.24 ERA and 94 strikeouts. Relief pitcher Chad Bradford went 4-2 with 2 saves and a 2.90 ERA. Pedro Feliciano went 7-2 with a 2.09 ERA. Duaner Sanchez went 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Aaron Heilman had a 3.62 ERA despite going 4-5. Darren Oliver went 4-1 with a 3.44 ERA.

The Mets would go on an 8-game winning streak during the regular season. This streak began on June 7 with a 9-7 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, and it ended on June 15 with a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.

In the National League Division Series the Mets made quick work of the Los Angeles Dodgers as they convincingly swept the Dodgers 3 games to none. In Game 1 on October 4 at Shea Stadium the Mets beat the Dodgers 6-5. In the top of the 2nd inning left fielder Marlon Anderson had an RBI double for the Dodgers. In the bottom of the 4th both Carlos Delgado and Cliff Floyd hit solo home runs. In the bottom of the 6th David Wright had a 2-run double. In the top of the 7th shortstop Rafael Furcal had an RBI single for Los Angeles, and then first baseman Nomar Garciaparra followed with a 2-run double. Delgado then had an RBI single in the bottom of the 7th, and Wright followed with an RBI double. In the top of the 9th pinch hitting infielder Ramon Martinez had an RBI double.

In Game 2 on October 5 the Mets won 4-1. Tom Glavine pitched 6 innings and gave up 4 hits and 2 walks while recording 2 strikeouts. Jose Reyes, who was known for sparking offensive rallies with his speed, had an RBI groundout in the bottom of the 3rd inning. Paul Lo Duca had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 5th to score Jose Valentin. In the bottom of the 6th first baseman Julio Franco grounded into a forceout at second base to score Floyd, and then Reyes followed with an RBI single. Corner infielder and shortstop Wilson Betemit hit a solo home run for the Dodgers in the top of the 8th.

In Game 3 on October 7 at Dodger Stadium the Mets completed the sweep with a 9-5 victory. In the top of the 1st inning Wright, Floyd and outfielder Shawn Green all had RBI singles. Green then came back in the top of the 3rd to get an RBI double. First baseman James Loney had a 2-run single for Los Angeles in the bottom of the 4th, and then second baseman Jeff Kent belted a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 5th. Loney would follow by drawing a bases loaded walk to score outfielder J.D. Drew. In the top of the 6th Reyes, Lo Duca and Beltran all had RBI singles. In the top of the 8th Lo Duca came back to have another RBI single, and then Delgado followed by reaching on an error to score Lo Duca.

The Mets had reached the National League Championship Series, but there awaited a team that had just as much talent as the Mets, and that team was the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals eliminated the Mets from the playoffs 4 games to 3.

The NLCS started out solid for the Mets as they shut out the Cardinals 2-0 in Game 1 on October 12 at Shea Stadium. Tom Glavine pitched 7 innings, giving up 4 hits and 2 walks but recorded 2 strikeouts. The only runs the Mets needed came off the bat of Carlos Beltran, a 2-run home run smashed in the bottom of the 6th inning.

In Game 4 on October 15 at Busch Stadium III the Mets beat the Cardinals 12-5. In the bottom of the 2nd inning catcher Yadier Molina had an RBI single for the Cardinals, and then in the top of the 3rd both Beltran and David Wright hit solo home runs. In the bottom of the 3rd right fielder Juan Encarnacion had an RBI triple. In the top of the 5th Carlos Delgado blasted a 3-run home run, and then in the bottom of the 5th shortstop David Eckstein hit a solo home run for St. Louis. Delgado then had a 2-run ground rule double in the top of the 6th, Shawn Green followed with an RBI single, and then Jose Valentin had a 3-run double. In the bottom of the 6th center fielder Jim Edmonds and Molina both hit solo home runs. In the top of the 7th Beltran hit another solo home run.

In Game 6 on October 18 at Shea Stadium the Mets beat the Cardinals 4-2. John Maine pitched 5.1 innings and gave up 2 hits and 4 walks while recording 5 strikeouts. In the bottom of the 1st inning Jose Reyes hit a solo home run. In the bottom of the 4th Shawn Green had an RBI single. In the bottom of the 7th Paul Lo Duca had a 2-run single. Pinch hitting outfielder So Taguchi had a 2-run double for the Cardinals in the top of the 9th.

Unfortunately for the New York Mets this one chance at championship success in 2006 was only a single blip on the radar as the team would take a dive in winning and in production for the next 8 years before finally returning to postseason play in 2015.