1998 New York Mets season
Encyclopedia
The New York Mets
' 1998 season
was the 37th regular season for the Mets. They finished the season with a record of 88-74. Despite placing 2nd in the National League East
, the Mets fell one game short of playoff
contention following a catastrophic collapse during the final week of the season. They were managed by Bobby Valentine
. They played home games at Shea Stadium
.
was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
December 18, 1997: Dennis Cook
was acquired from the Florida Marlins
in exchange for Fletcher Bates and Scott Comer.
February 6, 1998: Al Leiter
and Ralph Milliard
were acquired from the Florida Marlins
in exchange for A.J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez, and Robert Stratton.
The Mets played an unforgettable opening day game at Shea Stadium
on March 31 against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies
. Both of them were involved in the longest scoreless opening day game in the National League and the longest one in the MLB since when the Washington Senators
beat the Philadelphia Athletics
1–0 in 15 innings. The Mets won the game 1–0 in 14 innings when backup catcher Alberto Castillo delivered a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded off Philadelphia closer Ricky Bottalico
. This was the first regular season baseball game played in New York in March.
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...
' 1998 season
1998 Major League Baseball season
*American League Championship Series MVP: David Wells**American League Division Series:*National League Championship Series MVP: Sterling Hitchcock**National League Division Series*All-Star Game, July 7 at Coors Field: American League, 13-8; Roberto Alomar, MVP...
was the 37th regular season for the Mets. They finished the season with a record of 88-74. Despite placing 2nd in the National League East
National League East
The National League East Division is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. The Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies are tied for the most National League East Division titles . All of Atlanta's NL East titles came during a record stretch of 14 consecutive division titles...
, the Mets fell one game short of playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
contention following a catastrophic collapse during the final week of the season. They were managed by Bobby Valentine
Bobby Valentine
Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He previously managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan...
. They played home games at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
.
Offseason
November 24, 1997: John OlerudJohn Olerud
John Garrett Olerud , is a former American first baseman in Major League Baseball. Olerud played with the Toronto Blue Jays , New York Mets , Seattle Mariners , New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox ....
was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
December 18, 1997: Dennis Cook
Dennis Cook
Dennis Bryan Cook is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball with nine teams from 1988 to 2002: the San Francisco Giants , Philadelphia Phillies , Los Angeles Dodgers , Cleveland Indians , Chicago White Sox , Texas Rangers ,...
was acquired from the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in exchange for Fletcher Bates and Scott Comer.
February 6, 1998: Al Leiter
Al Leiter
Alois Terry "Al" Leiter is a former Major League Baseball left-handed starting pitcher. He is now a studio analyst for MLB Network, and a color commentator for the YES Network.-Early career :Leiter attended Central Regional High School....
and Ralph Milliard
Ralph Milliard
Ralph Gregory Milliard is a Dutch baseball player.Milliard represented the Netherlands at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where he and his team became fifth...
were acquired from the Florida Marlins
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
in exchange for A.J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez, and Robert Stratton.
Opening Day starters
- Edgardo Alfonzo
- Carlos Baerga
- Bernard Gilkey
- Butch Huskey
- Bobby Jones
- Brian McRae
- John Olerud
- Rey Ordonez
- Tim Spehr
The Mets played an unforgettable opening day game at Shea Stadium
Shea Stadium
William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...
on March 31 against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
. Both of them were involved in the longest scoreless opening day game in the National League and the longest one in the MLB since when the Washington Senators
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
beat the Philadelphia Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
1–0 in 15 innings. The Mets won the game 1–0 in 14 innings when backup catcher Alberto Castillo delivered a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded off Philadelphia closer Ricky Bottalico
Ricky Bottalico
Ricky Paul Bottalico is a former right-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball. In high school, he played for South Catholic High School in Hartford, Connecticut under coach Tom DiFiore. He compiled a career earned run average of 3.99 over twelve major league seasons, during which he...
. This was the first regular season baseball game played in New York in March.
Notable transactions
- May 10, 1998: Steve Decker was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
- May 22, 1998: Mike Piazza was traded by the Florida Marlins to the New York Mets for Preston WilsonPreston WilsonPreston James Richard Wilson is a retired professional baseball outfielder. He played in the major leagues from 1998-2007. He is both the nephew and stepson of former New York Mets star Mookie Wilson...
, Ed YarnallEd YarnallHarvey Edward Yarnall is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.Yarnall was drafted by the New York Mets in the third round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. In 1998, he was traded with Geoff Goetz and Preston Wilson to the Florida Marlins for Mike Piazza...
, and Geoff Goetz (minors). - June 16, 1998: Rich Becker was selected off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles from the New York Mets.
- July 3, 1998: Josias Manzanillo was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
- July 31, 1998: Tony Phillips was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Mets for Leo Estrella.
- July 31, 1998: Bill Pulsipher was Traded by the New York Mets to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Kinkade.
Roster
| 1998 New York Mets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers |
Catchers Infielders |
Outfielders |
Manager Coaches |
||||||
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 50 | 9 | .180 | 2 | 13 | |
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|