| 1996 New York Mets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | National League | |||
| Division | East | |||
| Ballpark | Shea Stadium | |||
| City | New York | |||
| Record | 71–91 (.438) | |||
| Divisional place | 4th | |||
| Owners | Fred Wilpon andNelson Doubleday, Jr. | |||
| General manager | Joe McIlvaine | |||
| Managers | Dallas Green,Bobby Valentine | |||
| Television | WWOR-TV/SportsChannel New York (Ralph Kiner,Tim McCarver,Fran Healy,Howie Rose,Gary Thorne) | |||
| Radio | WFAN (Bob Murphy,Gary Cohen,Ed Coleman) WXLX (spanish) (Juan Alicea) | |||
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The1996New York Mets season was the 35th regular season for the Mets. They went 71–91 and finished fourth in theNational League East, twenty-five games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. The Mets were managed byDallas Green andBobby Valentine. They played home games atShea Stadium.
After back to back finishes near the top of the National League East, the Mets returned to the losing ways that had plagued the team since 1991. Manager Dallas Green, like his three predecessors in the position, was fired before the season was completed. His replacement was formerTexas Rangers managerBobby Valentine, the manager of theNorfolk Tides.
The Mets did not put up great power numbers as they had in recent years but managed to have two players reach 30 or more home runs. One was catcherTodd Hundley, who brokeRoy Campanella's major league record for home runs by a catcher by recording 41.[4] The other was outfielderBernard Gilkey, who put up 30 home runs of his own.Lance Johnson, acquired in the off season after spending eight years with theChicago White Sox, had a career year as well. The National League's All-Star center fielder, Johnson hit a career high .333, led the NL in hits with 227, stole 50 bases to set another career high, and recorded sixty extra base hits including a league leading 21 triples; no player since 1930 had that many in the National League.[5]
The Mets traded away infieldersJeff Kent andJosé Vizcaíno to theCleveland Indians during the season. The promotion of rookieRey Ordoñez to be the team's everyday shortstop had both players playing out of position, with Vizcaino at second base and Kent at third. In return the Mets receivedCarlos Baerga andAlvaro Espinoza, neither of whom made much of an impact.
Mark Clark led the Mets starters with a 14–11 record. Bobby Jones' 12–8 mark was good enough for second best on the team.Jason Isringhausen made more than twenty starts for the only time in his career, finishing with a 6–14 mark.
Alex Ochoa hit for the cycle on July 3 in a 10–6 win inPhiladelphia.[6] He was the sixth Met to hit for the cycle.[6]
The Mets andSan Diego Padres traveled to Mexico in August, marking the first time a regular season MLB game was played in Mexico.
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | 96 | 66 | .593 | — | 56–25 | 40–41 |
| Montreal Expos | 88 | 74 | .543 | 8 | 50–31 | 38–43 |
| Florida Marlins | 80 | 82 | .494 | 16 | 52–29 | 28–53 |
| New York Mets | 71 | 91 | .438 | 25 | 42–39 | 29–52 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 67 | 95 | .414 | 29 | 35–46 | 32–49 |
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | — | 7–5 | 7–5 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 10–3 | 7–6 | 9–4 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 7–5 | 9–4 | |||
| Chicago | 5–7 | — | 5–8 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 7–6 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 5–8 | |||
| Cincinnati | 5–7 | 8–5 | — | 7–6 | 3–9 | 7–6 | 4–8 | 3–9 | 6–6 | 10–2 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 9–4 | 5–8 | |||
| Colorado | 7–5 | 7–5 | 6–7 | — | 5–8 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 3–9 | 7–5 | 6–6 | 7–5 | 8–5 | 5–8 | 8–4 | |||
| Florida | 7–6 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 8–5 | — | 7–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 6–7 | 5–7 | 3–9 | 5–7 | 6–6 | |||
| Houston | 6–6 | 8–5 | 6–7 | 5–8 | 5–7 | — | 6–6 | 4–9 | 8–4 | 10–2 | 8–5 | 6–6 | 8–4 | 2–11 | |||
| Los Angeles | 7–5 | 5–8 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 7–6 | 6–6 | — | 9–3 | 8–4 | 7–6 | 6–6 | 5–8 | 7–6 | 8–4 | |||
| Montreal | 3–10 | 6–6 | 9–3 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 9–4 | 3–9 | — | 7–6 | 6–7 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 9–4 | 8–4 | |||
| New York | 6–7 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 6–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 6–7 | — | 7–6 | 8–5 | 3–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 | |||
| Philadelphia | 4–9 | 6–7 | 2–10 | 6–6 | 7–6 | 2–10 | 6–7 | 7–6 | 6–7 | — | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 4–8 | |||
| Pittsburgh | 3–9 | 9–4 | 8–5 | 5–7 | 7–5 | 5–8 | 6–6 | 5–7 | 5–8 | 5–7 | — | 4–9 | 8–4 | 3–10 | |||
| San Diego | 4–9 | 6–6 | 3–9 | 5–8 | 9–3 | 6–6 | 8–5 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 9–4 | — | 11–2 | 4–8 | |||
| San Francisco | 5–7 | 5–7 | 4–9 | 8–5 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–7 | 4–9 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 4–8 | 2–11 | — | 7–6 | |||
| St. Louis | 4–9 | 8–5 | 8–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 11–2 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–5 | 8–4 | 10–3 | 8–4 | 6–7 | — | |||
| 1996 Game Log: 71–91 (Home: 42–39; Away: 29–52) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April: 11–13 (Home: 6–7; Away: 5–6)
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May: 11–17 (Home: 6–6; Away: 5–11)
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June: 15–13 (Home: 10–5; Away: 5–8)
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July: 15–13 (Home: 10–5; Away: 5–8)
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August: 8–20 (Home: 3–9; Away: 5–11)
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September: 11–15 (Home: 7–7; Away: 4–8)
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| Legend: = Win = Loss Bold = Mets team member |
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| 1996 New York Mets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
| Pitchers | Catchers Infielders | Outfielders | Manager Coaches
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Todd Hundley | 153 | 540 | 140 | .259 | 41 | 112 |
| 1B | Butch Huskey | 118 | 414 | 115 | .278 | 15 | 60 |
| 2B | José Vizcaíno | 96 | 363 | 110 | .303 | 1 | 32 |
| SS | Rey Ordóñez | 151 | 502 | 129 | .257 | 1 | 30 |
| 3B | Jeff Kent | 89 | 335 | 97 | .290 | 9 | 39 |
| LF | Bernard Gilkey | 153 | 571 | 181 | .317 | 30 | 117 |
| CF | Lance Johnson | 160 | 682 | 227 | .333 | 9 | 69 |
| RF | Alex Ochoa | 82 | 282 | 83 | .294 | 4 | 33 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgardo Alfonzo | 123 | 368 | 96 | .261 | 4 | 40 |
| Carl Everett | 101 | 192 | 46 | .240 | 1 | 16 |
| Rico Brogna | 55 | 188 | 48 | .255 | 7 | 30 |
| Chris Jones | 89 | 149 | 36 | .242 | 4 | 18 |
| Álvaro Espinoza | 48 | 134 | 41 | .306 | 4 | 16 |
| Brent Mayne | 70 | 99 | 26 | .263 | 1 | 6 |
| Roberto Petagine | 50 | 99 | 23 | .232 | 4 | 17 |
| Tim Bogar | 91 | 89 | 19 | .213 | 0 | 6 |
| Carlos Baerga | 26 | 83 | 16 | .193 | 2 | 11 |
| Andy Tomberlin | 63 | 66 | 17 | .258 | 3 | 10 |
| Jason Hardtke | 19 | 57 | 11 | .193 | 0 | 6 |
| Kevin Roberson | 27 | 36 | 8 | .222 | 3 | 9 |
| Matt Franco | 14 | 31 | 6 | .194 | 1 | 2 |
| Alberto Castillo | 6 | 11 | 4 | .364 | 0 | 0 |
| Charlie Greene | 2 | 1 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Clark | 32 | 212.1 | 14 | 11 | 3.43 | 142 |
| Bobby Jones | 31 | 195.2 | 12 | 8 | 4.42 | 116 |
| Pete Harnisch | 31 | 194.2 | 8 | 12 | 4.21 | 114 |
| Jason Isringhausen | 27 | 171.2 | 6 | 14 | 4.77 | 114 |
| Paul Wilson | 26 | 149.0 | 5 | 12 | 5.38 | 109 |
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Person | 27 | 89.2 | 4 | 5 | 4.52 | 76 |
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
| Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Franco | 51 | 4 | 3 | 28 | 1.83 | 48 |
| Doug Henry | 58 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 4.68 | 58 |
| Jerry Dipoto | 57 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 4.19 | 52 |
| Dave Mlicki | 51 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3.30 | 83 |
| Paul Byrd | 38 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4.24 | 31 |
| Bob MacDonald | 20 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.26 | 12 |
| Derek Wallace | 19 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4.01 | 15 |
| Blas Minor | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.51 | 20 |
| Pedro Martínez | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.43 | 6 |
| Ricky Trlicek | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 | 3 |
| Mike Fyhrie | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 15.43 | 0 |
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: St. Lucie[8]