On this off day, I offer my latest revisit to Mets history. Today we’ll go back 20 years to 2006. (If you are interested in my 10 year lookback to 2016, see my post of May 29, 11:01 AM.)
I have two lingering images of the 2006 season. They both come from the same game - the last one.
There’s this. YAY!
And there’s this. BOO!
2006 was one of only two seasons, the other being 1988, where I look back and say that we really shoulda won it all, because we had the best team. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
First, some background. After the 2000 World Series year and the drama of September 2001, the Mets went into one of their many cyclical hibernations. Then after three consecutive losing seasons, the Wilpons had had enough. At the end of the 2004 season, they hired Omar Minaya as their new GM. Flush with Madoff cash, the Wilpons authorized Minaya to spend it. Which he did, enthusiastically. (Dare I say Minaya-cally?) He brought in a five tool superstar in Carlos Beltran, and a rotation ace in Pedro Martinez. The reward was a winning season in 2005. But Minaya didn’t stop there. In the 2005 offseason, he brought in a slugger in Carlos Delgado, a closer in Billy Wagner, and a catcher in Paul Lo Duca.
Which brings us to the 2006 team. Damn, that team could HIT! They had a core four of the two Carloses (Beltran and Delgado), plus their homegrown young studs David Wright and Jose Reyes. Those guys put up some serious numbers:
Beltran - 41/116/.275, .982 OPS
Wright - 26/116/.311, .912 OPS
Delgado - 38/114/.265, .909 OPS
Reyes - 19/81/.300, .841 OPS, 64 SB
But wait there’s more. Lo Duca hit .318 and slammed a lot of helmets. Veteran 2B Jose Valentin contributed 18 HR. Even fourth outfielder Endy Chavez, whom you’ve already met, hit .306 that year. The team’s overall OPS was .780. With the pitchers removed, it was .803. Compare that to the .652 (at this writing) of the current Mets team.
The starting pitching was, shall we say, experienced. It was led by two 40 year olds, Tom Glavine and Orlando (El Duque) Hernandez. They didn’t throw hard, but they knew how to pitch. The rotation also included 35 year old Steve Trachsel, aka The Human Rain Delay. Martinez, at age 34, brought the starpower, but he had begun to decline. The rotation was augmented by two young trade acquisitions, John Maine and Oliver Perez (more about him later.)
The bullpen was solid, led by Wagner on the back end with 40 saves. He was ably set up by Chad Bradford, Aaron Heilman, Pedro Feliciano, and long man Darren Oliver. Duaner Sanchez was a key cog until he was hit by a drunk cab driver in Miami and was out for the season. Too bad, they could have used him on that fateful night in October.
This collection of talent produced one of the most dominant, drama-free seasons in Met history. They went into first place on Day 3 and never looked back. On June 22, they led the NL East by 10 games. They never relinquished that double digit lead. They shattered the Braves dominance, ending their streak of 14 consecutive division championships. Their 97-65 record was the best in the NL.
The dominance continued in the playoffs, as they swept the Dodgers in the NLDS. They then Mets.got lucky in the NLCS, drawing the upstart Cardinals who had won only 83 games, 14 less than the Mets.
This was the year. Until it wasn’t.
The NLCS went the full seven games. Manager Willie Randolph raised some eyebrows when he named Oliver Perez to start game 7, despite the fact that Perez had gone 3-13 with a 6.55 ERA during the season (split between Pirates and Mets). When asked about his selection of Perez, Randolph answered simply “Because I like him”.
The game was a nailbiter. It was 1-1 in the 6th when Scott Rolen hit a ball for two runs, which Chavez turned into two outs. It stayed 1-1 until the 9th. Yadier F’n Molina took Heilman deep, and it was 3-1. In the bottom of the inning, the Mets loaded the bases with two out. Adam F’n Wainwright caught Beltran looking at a nasty 0-2 curveball. It was all over but the grieving.
The pain of final day elimination continued for the next two years, but you’ll have to look those up yourself.
Up next in my retrospective is a 30 year lookback to 1996, IMO one of the most interesting teams in Met history. Not good, but interesting. Maybe I’ll get to that on the next off day.
Thanks for reading!
