Season highlights Initial turmoil The 1973 Mets were much improved from their "miracle"
1969 team. They had a group of young proven stars—including
Jon Matlack,
Rusty Staub,
John Milner, and
Félix Millán—mixed in with veterans from the 1969 club, such as
Jerry Grote,
Cleon Jones,
Wayne Garrett, and
Bud Harrelson. Their pitching staff, led by
Tom Seaver, was among the finest in baseball. But injuries hampered the Mets throughout the entire season. The Mets got off to a 4–0 start to the season, and were still at first place by April 29 with a 12–8 record. But then, injuries to their key players caused turmoil. By July 26, the Mets were in last place, yet still only games behind. On August 16, they were 12 games below .500, with 44 games to play. On August 30, the Mets were in last place, with only a month left to play. However, the division was so tight-knit that the last place standing consisted of only a game deficit. At the completion of August (one day later), the Mets were in fifth place, nine games under .500, but, in the balanced mediocrity of that year's division, just games out of first. The mathematical inequities of divisional play were beginning to show up. On September 11, the Mets were in fourth place, five games under .500, but just three games out. Ahead of them were the
St. Louis Cardinals,
Pittsburgh Pirates, and
Montreal Expos.
"You Gotta Believe!!!" With
Tug McGraw urging his teammates on and celebrating victories with what soon became the catch phrase of 1973, "You Gotta Believe!!!" the Mets clinched the most unlikely of pennants.
Yogi Berra, a veteran of pennant races, used a four-man rotation down the stretch:
Tom Seaver,
Jerry Koosman,
Jon Matlack, and
George Stone, with the suddenly unhittable McGraw coming out of the pen with boisterous, justified confidence. In his last 19 games, the
screwball-throwing lefty recorded 5 wins, converted 12 saves and had an ERA of 0.88.
"Ball on the wall" play One of the most famous plays in Mets folklore occurred when their September 20 match-up against the Pirates at
Shea Stadium went into extra innings. The Pirates had
Richie Zisk on first base when
Dave Augustine hit what appeared to be a two-run home run to left. Instead, the ball hit the top of the wall, and caromed directly into left fielder
Cleon Jones' glove. Jones fired a strike to
Wayne Garrett as the cut-off man, who in turn, fired a strike to catcher
Ron Hodges to nail Zisk at the plate. The Mets went on to win the game in the bottom of the inning as part of a three-game sweep.
The unexpected clincher After completing the three-game sweep of the Pirates on September 21, the Mets' record stood at an even 77–77, but that .500 record was good enough for first place and a half-game lead. Illustrating just how dense the crowd was at the top, the fifth-place
Chicago Cubs were just out. The Mets won five of their last seven to finish as
National League East champions. The clinching took place at
Wrigley Field on October 1 as the Mets beat the Cubs 6–4 as
Tom Seaver won his 19th game of 1973 and
Tug McGraw recorded the save. The Cardinals finished second, games back, Pittsburgh third at , Montreal fourth at , and Chicago fifth at 5 games back. This was the only NL East title between 1970 and 1980 not to be won by either the
Philadelphia Phillies or the
Pittsburgh Pirates.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day starters •
Duffy Dyer •
Jim Fregosi •
Bud Harrelson •
Cleon Jones •
Willie Mays •
Félix Millán •
John Milner •
Tom Seaver •
Rusty Staub Notable transactions • June 5, 1973:
Lee Mazzilli was drafted by the Mets in the 1st round (14th pick) of the
1973 Major League Baseball draft. • July 11, 1973:
Jim Fregosi was sold by the Mets to the
Texas Rangers.
Roster == Game log ==