On the second nice day of the spring thus far: the Mets and lemondrop A's opened the 2019 MSBL season in style at HP.
On the bump for the Mets: Steve Simmons; who worked through a tiny jam in the top of the first allowing the A's to plate one - and that's all. Final line on Simmons: 7IP, 16K, 1BB, 1ER (the air was clear on this night in particular).
On the offensive side of the nickle rock: The creamsickle Mets batted 10 resulting in 7 knocks (some harder than others) and plated 3. A special note to the way that the soggy spring took it's toll, some of the Mets got to see a curve (ehem) for the first time since last year which could explain why only 3 runs were pushed across. Offensive performances of note: Brendan Diamond started up the season on the right foot going 2-3, and new Met Nick George put up a 2-3 night, collecting the game winning RBI with a nice sharp double (welcome aboard!).
A sole Mr. Mets fund contribution came from Jack Dynes in an around the horn blunder - overthrowing the 3b man after a wiff. Because there were 16 of these such occasions to practice an around the horn toss: it was bound to happen once, right?
As visiting squad with an appearance of the "snowman" unis; the Mets did damage early and held on to the shutout behind trusty southpaw Anthony Juliano. On this - the 3rd nice day so far this spring - the Mets came out guns a'blazin, and stayed secure with a relatively sure D (only one error is categorized as "relatively sure"). Final line on AJ: 7IP, 1H, 9K, 5BB and only one visit from the "management" in this affair.
Offensive performances of note came from Connor Fannon (2-3, 2RBI and a double) along with Brendan Diamond putting up a deuce in the swiped bags column.
While this game seems like it was "all Mets" from the black and white description; there was a touch of grey: The sole Mr. Mets fund contribution came from the lead off hitter A. Kracht who may or may not have had a sombrero to wear in his wardrobe. ... Welcome back, Al! (Solid gold would be appreciated).
This game was in the category of "... are we going to play???" for the hours leading up to the start, as the HP grounds crew (read: the Nats team) was hard at work right up till game time dropping D-dry and working the rake right until first pitch. A heart-felt thank you goes to the Nats for putting in the effort to make the field respectable for play.
On the mound for the creamsickle Mets: D-MSBL rookie Andrew Budziak; who put up a solid 5IP, wiffing 8 while giving up 2 hits, and issuing 2BBs. Andrew collected his first career dub in front of dad, with the "closer's" assistance coming from Connor Fannon - putting up a solid 1 IP turning away the Nats with 2K.
The Mets used the "football" weather to their advantage and knocked the pill around and put up a fitting football score at HP. Offensive performances o'plenty came from the meaty part of the order with multi-knock performances coming from: Diamond (2-3, 4R and a swiped bag), Simmons (2-4 with an RBI), Fannon (2-3 with 4RBI), Alex Parthum (2-3 with 2 2b, and 2RBI), Nick George (2-3, 2 2b and 3RBI).
Strangely, with a barn-burner like this - there was not any Mr. Met's fund contributions; although there was debate regarding Simmons swinging at a 3-0 pitch ("to move the runner") ... and someone may have left their bat at the field, but we do not know (yet) who to nominate for the fee of bat retrieval.
Bicentennial was the sight for the Mets and Cubs to get down to business. Every person who played OF will be purchasing new pants now; because the outfield smells of a funkytown waste treatment facility, and running in the OF caused for a nice poo-poo polka-dot spatter up the back of the pants. Useful life of any baseball that made it into the outfield was projected to be about one more toss (...back to the catcher to toss it into the dugout).
Home team creamsickle Mets sent Steve Simmons to the bump and witnessed another gem: having only faced one batter over the minimum throughout. While there was one Cub who was able to score (!!NO!! shutout for YOU, Steve...) - this run was unearned and was the result of one of the more bizarre circumstances for which requires a recap within a recap. Steve walked Godley; but made him work for it. Once on, Chris stole 2b. Then (two outs later) a sharp single landed with a plop in center moving Godley to 3b as the whole field watched the ensuing mess that included Jacob's cleat getting stuck in a massive mud pit, coming OFF of his foot, and confusing everyone when the ball was then underhanded to the SS (while in the "splits" formation so as to not have to later dispose of the sock) just in time for us to watch Godley score the sole run (in the second frame). Back to that final line on Simmons a filthy: 7IP, 14K, 1BB, 1H, 0ER.
On the offensive side of the pill: the Mets came correct top to bottom - "grinding out" 14 knocks, 3 doubles and 6 featured offensive performances of note. 3 knock games came from Steve Strom (3-3) and Jack Dynes (3-3), while Joe Ellis, Nick George, Robey and Mark Dickinson each delivered 2 knock games. Sprinkle in some laughter for the home team, and you have a good time indeed.
Mr. Mets fund contributions: Nada. While Nick George was flirting with the idea of a fine - for Steve Sax-ing a ball to 1b, and later some less than awesome base running (inclusive of 2 slides that will cost him a new pair of pants, shorts AND boxers; apparently there was a full moon out): the swingin-D clause applies here because he came correct whilst hitting in the 3 hole.
A humid Wednesday evening at Crapitol was the sight for a little orange on orange baseball. The humidity was incredible, and it appears that the Redford parks 'n' rec has or had (thankfully) invested in a little clay/dirt mix in efforts to remove the "R" from the field.
On the bump for the Mets: Steve Simmons. Steve was filthy throughout with a "should've been better" line of 7IP, 1H, 13K, 2BB sewing up the "shut-piece" for the good guys by striking out the side in the bottom of the 7th.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets had one statistical performance of note; Connor Fannon put up a solid 2-2 night and scoring the winning run of this affair.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from ... Robey for blurting out the incorrect number of outs in the middle of an opposition's at bat (costing him a $5er); and Steve Strom for wearing a sombrero in this affair. There was a rumor of BWB making an appearance for the next game, we will need to make sure that the other Steve is forced to try this delicacy.
In the first loss of the 2019 season for the creamsickle Mets, the Brew-crew played a hard fought honest game for the dub. The story of this game (from the Met's perspective) is the lack of a few timely knocks that seemed to be missing.
On the bump for the Mets was Andrew Budziak; who cruised along for 6.1+ and worked through the Brews line up - putting up a respectable line of 4R, 7K, and 0BBs. In the top of the 7th, things got a hair loose with a tie game, and 2 knocks led to a pitching change - putting AJ on the hill to close it out. Fate had other plans as 2K and 2BBs allowed for the game to end on the side of the opposition, and - that's how the game winded down to a close (where - unfortunately, the home team got whiffed in the bottom of the 7th).
For the Mets on the offensive side of the rock: 9LOB is not a statistic worth smiling about, as some key moments would have resulted better with a knock ...but ended in a K; although it seemed to be worth noting that the strike zone was a bit of a puzzle at times. Noteworthy stats came from Brendan Diamond, going 2-3 with 2 swiped bags and a run scored.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from ... nada... but we're going to lobby a contribution from the weather gods who seemed to slow momentum from a week break in baseball activities between this and last game.
The Mets train seemed to stop at 5 for whatever reason, and the creamsickle Mets suffered another loss against TUSA (eff-YEAH!). In an early game at HP (with a fresh haircut on the infield); the Mets had a 2 run lead washed away in the end while TUSA chipped and finally put this one to bed.
On the mound was Steve Simmons who was not scheduled to start this one, but due to circumstances beyond our control (traffic) - there was no choice but to force the spot-start. Steve self described this one as "one of his worst starts in a few years..." and the management is going to take the blame for not giving near enough notice for him to be able to bring his best for this affair. Final line on Steve: 7IP, 3ER, 6H, 9K, 1BB.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets had 2 GD hits (cue Bob Uecker); which produced 2 runs (which was an anomaly, perhaps another hit would have yield another run, maybe?). In the statistical category of wow (or WTF): the Mets had more broken bats in this affair than hits; bringing the all time club best performance of 4 broken in one game. It's called a sweet-spot, boys: use it!
In the Mr. Mets fund contributions: AJ may have broken one of Robey's favorite bats ("just the tip") which will undoubtedly amuse many and possibly relieve a number of other teams in the D-MSBL so they don't have to see it any more, or the consequential damage it does to the opposition's WHIP.
Two extra frames is all it took; as well as the pitching brilliance of Steve Simmons - and the Mets have boarded the "dub train" again. Simmons had a spectacular final line of 9IP, 15k, 2BB, 3H, and 1 unearned run showing that he could put the creamsickle Mets on his back and dominate when called upon to do so. The lone A's run was from a bizarre play where a ball was hit deep in the hole on the left side thereby eliminating a double play, a throw across resulted in a mad scramble for the pill near the 1b fence, and a one hopper to the dish that - rather than bouncing clean to the catcher - hit the catcher's earlier discarded mask - allowing the lone lemondrop A's run to cross the dish.
On the offensive side of the rock, the Mets brought together an 11 hit attack, inclusive of Connor Fannon (2-3, 2*2b), Alex Parthum (3-4, 1*2b) and Jack Dynes (3-4) all bringing multi hit games. The water cooler was dumped on Andrew Budziak in the bottom of the 9th after his knock in the left-side hole brought home the winning run to end it on the side of the good guys. Truth be told: this was a fast paced game that was clean and well played by both sides.
Mr. Met's fund contributions came from ... someone who wears a matte black helmet ... who was pinch running ... who crossed the dish for the game winning run and deposited his bucket near the skunk smelling dugout and bailed. Forensic evidence is still pending conclusive results to determine if this (in fact) is AJ's bucket. We will have to put a rush order in on those lab results...
Mets toss a jackson and some change on the Phils: 23-1
HP was the sight for a humid evening that turned into a run-a-thon ending on the side of the Mets - kicking off the 6 game "road trip" on the schedule. Smiles were abound - infield was taken as the Mets noticed a new T-shirt the opposition seemed to like that said "muck the phets" during warmups.
The Mets sent Andrew Budsiak to the hill to tame the Phils, and after a couple base running errors on the side of the opposition - the Mets found a tidy doughnut (left by Andrew) going into the 4th with the lead. Run support then came in the form of lump sum and the Mets applied the cruise control button; allowing for Andrew to lock up a final line of 1ER, 8H, 4K, 1BB and the win. Robey took the bump in mop-up going 1 inning - and later looking for his walker as a result.
On the offensive side of the rock, management had to make the most of a book that was kept by about everyone else on the squad but the seeming one person who knows the difference between a knock and an error when entering stats in to the sight. Offensive performances would "seemingly" have come from many, but putting the charity hits aside, the Mets had big contributions from Connor Fannon (putting up a stanky 5-5, 3RBI evening) and Joe Ellis (3-4 with 3RBI) and a number of guys who had 2 "hit" evenings as a result of a 50 PA game.
Mr. Mets contributions: Ellis called out Robey for not running from 3rd on a ground ball to the right side ($1) and the skunk who needs to be moved out of the old dugouts behind the dish ($1).
On the side of 'club records' - this game actually was not the holder of the Mets club record on runs scored; currently at 27 in one game long (LONG) ago.
Mets "bullpen day" effective for 6-1 dub over Tigers
An early game at Fraser was on tap for the Mets/Tigs, and this one didn't seem to disappoint the sell out crowd of 11; as the Mets put this one in the books early and had the bullpen get some work in for the win.
For the start: Steve Simmons was forecast to go 1-2 innings, and ended up going 3, fighting his way through the SUDAFED haze putting up 7 more K. The ball was tossed to Anthony Juliano (who hasn't pitched in what seems like about 4 months because each of the past 3 starts were pushed due to rain) and kept the Tigers in check within reason for 3, allowing the lone feline run to score. To close her out, the Mets had D-MSBL rookie Jacob Ramont lock it up with a tidy 3BF inning - preserving the win for the good guys.
On the offensive side of the rock; 6 runs came from a 10 hit morning and big games came from D. Kracht (2-3 with a triple a run and an RBI) Jacob Ramont (2-3, 2R) and Jacob Heins putting up a 2RBI morning on a 1-2 + a SAC game.
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from ... nada. The Mets enjoyed the nicest Sunday thus far in 2019 with a DUB and hopefully more nice weather will actually stick around now that the summer has finally arrived. Just ask Jenna!
Summer has finally arrived, and with the warmer temperatures comes the dog-fight style games between the top tier teams.
This one was no different than many affairs in the past between the Giants and Mets, this one landing on the side of the Giants.
The Mets sent Ste(r)ve Simmons to the hill to tame the Giants, and watched him mow through the opposition ending with 9ip, 3R, 1ER, 15k, 3H, 4 free passes. The difference: the Giants were able to plate 2 in the 4th with couple throwing errors when the Mets were not keeping the sure-footed D we've come accustomed to over the past seasons. With the game knotted up in the bottom of the 9th, the Giants were able to push the winning run across with a sac-fly that was just deep enough to get the job done.
On the offensive side of the pill, the Mets mounted a 10 hit 3 "free" pass (and an additional painful free pass) against the Giants pitchers - Al Gallagher and Jose Morales (the later not rostered, though, we're going to overlook that because Jose has been with the Giants for a long while, and we're more than familiar with los Hermanos Morales). The Mets had a runner on 3rd in the 8th with less than 2 outs, and then the bases drunk with -1- out in the 9th: the resultant vector being 8 total total LOB on the evening. Feature offensive performances of note came from Zach Zschering - going 2-3 with 2 doubles on the evening.
This was a well played solid game from both sides - but that's how the ball bounces some times. ...No Mr. Mets fund contribution was made throughout.
A nice toasty day at Bishop Foley, The Snowman Mets and Dodgers got down to business in what shaped up to be a solid game on both sides.
Anthony Juliano took the hill, and kept the boys in blue in check (within reason) - ending with a final line of 6IP, 3R, 2ER, 3K, 4BB, 6H - proving the illusive "clean" inning is a difficult task, all Dodgers runs were scored with 2 outs in this affair.
The good news: The Mets did not get shut out - the lone snowman run was pushed across by way of a SAC fly to tie it up in the 2nd - the result of the lone Met knock of the game. Cuing Bob Uecker: "1 GD hit?"
It looks like summer may be here to stay, which is good because there is a lot of make up baseball to be played! Happy 4th of July, everyone!
After a 9 day dwell in baseball action for the Mets, the baseball gods blessed us with a beautiful summer evening, complete with a massive 5th inning burnout in the parking lot (courtesy of a "bitchin' camaro" that now needs new tires). This game put a book-end on the "Mr. Mets" scorebook that seemed to take about 3 seasons to complete....time to break out a new book, finally.
Anthony Juliano took the bump for the Snowman Mets; and proved that a clean inning is the best route to a CG shut-piece - locking up a final line of 7IP, 25BF, 1BB, 5H and OR - never allowing a runner past 2B; putting a donut on this game with 2 crutial double play balls.
On the offensive side of the ball, the strike zone was bizarre (for both sides) which yield an adjustment in the approach of each Met hitter against the BJ LHP (believed to be Mike O'Sullivan) who had a 3-4 pitch mix that was a PITA to hit against with that strike zone, evidenced by a 12 K evening. The bottom half of the Mets order was able to scrape together 5 runs on 6 knocks - with a feature performance coming from Nick George; putting a 2 knock, 2RBI 2-3 night with a double on the evening.
A sole Mr. Mets fund contribution came from Joe Ellis - who fell victim of the bizarre-o zone-o: gaining a new hat in his collection: a sombrero; partnered with a stolen base in what only a MSBL stat-line could be (no "claw" please....)
Mets round out 'road trip' with a dub against the Dodgers 2-0
The road trip (otherwise known as the schedule gauntlet) for the Mets was wrapped with a beauty - finishing 4-2 on their way "back home". This was a tightly contested affair with the creamsickle Mets bringing the goods to tie up the season series with the boys in blue.
Ste(r)ve Simmons took the ball for his turn in the rotation and shined like chrome dubs; delivering a 1 hit shut-piece that could only rival Picasso (or Seaver) in the department of "art of pitching". A final line of 7IP, 12K and 0BB gets a wow from the team acknowledging that he faced only one over the minimum. ...that's stingy!
On the offensive side of the ball: a very honest and solid zone made for a more productive Mets crew; bringing a balanced approach of 6 knocks and 7 "free" passes delivered 2 runs for the good guys. Offensive stats of note: Connor Fannon dropped a #3 in the hits stat line, each coming with higher launch velocity than the previous.
In the Mr. Met's fund stat line: ...Robey had a not-so-fantastic-multi-fine-game coming by way of: ...not running out a grounder early, later allowing a warm-up grounder trickle between the wickets, and then ... while running and attempting the ill-fated deke play on a grounder between 2 and 3 base, the ball took an unexpected bounce hitting him in the rump/dip-tin area, thereby killing the rally that was budding in the 5th. I guess it's a good thing that post game affairs are/were supported by 'the most prepared manager in the league' with cold ones.
The dreaded early game at Fraser came with beautiful weather (...they just don't make em like this very often...) - and the ELB scrambling for a 9th at first pitch.
The ball was handed to MSBL Rookie Nick George, who struggled with the bump (Fraser AD: please fix that mess...) and went 2+IP, holding the ELB to 1ER, and got the "Sparky Anderson treatment" in the 3rd. The ball was passed to Connor Fannon, who got the dub, going 3IP, with 6K, and allowing the only hit of the game. Then; Andrew Budziak went 1.1, put up 2K and had 2BB, before being "Sparky'ed" and passing the ball to Robey; who went the remaining 0.2IP, and watched an interesting poop-up be caught and then dropped in front of 2b, the landing spot allowed the ball to squirt into shallow RF ... scoring 2 (un-earned) runs for ELB.
On the offensive side of the ball: The Mets went to work quickly putting a deuce up in the first, another 3 in the second (by way of a Simmons rip) then another 4 in the 5th (with Connor's triple), and then capped it with an additional 3 in the bottom of the 6th (with a 2RBI smash double from Heins).
Offensive performances of note came from Fannon, Dynes, Robey, Heins and Simmons, each dropping a #2 in to the hit column (albeit of different complexion).
Mr. Mets fund contributions came from ... the Fraser AD for that mess of a "mound", and Ellis for allowing us to go a tiny bit thirsty from that sombrero like 2 games ago, but someone (who may have had a rough Mr. Mets fine game recently) stepped up and allowed some thirst quenching to happen across the way from the field. News of Doc Gooden's arrest for "some white stuff" has forced the Mets to consider re-allocating the Mr. Mets fund to keep another Met out of the klink....
Ish-talkin and a few loose plays ends on the side of the A's (12-4)
HP dodged most of the rain on the day in question for the series finale between the Lemondrop A's and Mets.
The Mets sent Andrew Budziak to the hill and - he was able to keep the A's in reach through 3 - but the top of the 4th got a little tough, and we will say that the final line isn't real important; except for to say that with the exception of the blow up inning, the mojo was certainly on the side of the opposition when the game was kicked off with a couple walks. The ball was handed to Connonr Fannon who went the balance and got the atta-boy from the creamsickle crew in mop-up.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets got the (dis)pleasure of facing Marlin Pruitt, the ish-talkin southpaw that was able to hold the Mets down between giving up a handful of hits and a couple walks between attempting to hurl personal insults toward the Mets and the umpires. There was a little more jaw jackin that came from the parking lot as well, once the southpaw "called it a night" after the 4th. Offensive performances of note came from nobody; noting that the Mets did not get shut out, and that the Mets took the season series 2-1.
The early game at Fraser on a Saturday attendance for both teams was a little soft; but the resultant vector was a dub for the Mets, even though the "muck the fets" t-shirt was on display again - getting a chuckle from all 18 on the diamond. On the mound for the Mets: Ste(r)ve Simmons putting on a display of brilliance (on both sides of the ball) - putting up an eye popping final line of 7IP, 1ER, 15K and -0- walks.
On the offensive side of the ball - the creamsickle Mets had a day with 10(ish) knocks, bringing 6 runs and the dub. To describe this game on the offensive half: this wasn't exactly a shooting gallery; and it's (somehow) difficult to keep a solid book with 9 guys. The Mets put up 2 in the first, 1 in the 4th and a 3 spot in the 6th. Multi-hit games came from Budziak, Fannon, Dynes and Simmons. Brown star of the game goes to Ste(r)ve Simmons who had a dominant performance on the egg-shaped bump, but also had a homer (albeit of the "inside the park" variety) in the hottest day of the summer thus far with game time temps coming in around 380K with 362% humidity.
The lone Mr. Mets fund contribution went to Robey ($1) for one of the more harry around-the-horn botches that the Mets have seen in a while, forcing the unsuspecting 3b-man to have to take a detour toward the dugout to go get an arrant toss.
A beautiful night for baseball, Clawson was the sight for an early night affair between the Snowman Mets and Diamondbacks.
The home team Mets were pressed into duty in the 'iron man' form (9 men) for some family reasons: one including welcoming new life into the world (Nolan Richard Strom) and others working with family plans with the grandparents.
The Mets sent Robey to the bump for his annual "old guy" CG appearance. Robey put up a 'meh' final line of 1ER, 7K, 6BB and 1 (should have been a foul ball) "painful" free pass. With a final line like that: there's no wonder why appearances are limited to "annual" - as things got a little loose in the 3rd and 4th; and later in the 6th - but the sell out crowd of 14 (including his wife) got to watch the Houdini-esque movement through the opposition's line up only to allow 1 run.
On the offensive side of the pill, Brendan Diamond made a night out of it: going 3-4, scoring 2 runs, and swiping 2 bags doing exactly what he does (...meanwhile, it was a Monday). Honorable mention goes to Ste(r)e Simmons who took the "second leadoff" spot in the line up, and pounded a bases clearing double into the left center gap when it was needed in the 4th.
Mr Met's fund contributions that were assigned for the night came from: DTE for making it impossible for a second game to be played at Clawson, MDOT for closing every possible exit ramp to get onto or off of 75 for the summer and Robey for a baserunning blunder - taking away APAR's RBI in a play that would have worked better if there was a base coach directing traffic on the base paths. The later will be supported with Friday sodas.
Mets and Cubs got it on at HP on a Friday; and while this game may not have been the most beautiful display of baseball, a win is a win. The Mets sent Anthony Juliano to the bump - and - watched him hold the Cubs in check (within reason) locking up a final line of 7IP, 6R, 3ER, 3K, 5BB and a handful of hits. In the 5th inning, the Mets tried very hard to give the lead back to the Cubs, but AJ bared down and cut off what could have been a detrimental rally with a hard fought K.
On the offensive side of the ball with 12 runs: this was a bit of a run-a-thon for the snowmen Mets. Offensive performances of note came from Simmons and A. Kracht; each putting up a 4-4 game and Connor Fannon putting up a filthy 3-4, 2*2b, 6RBI evening - making a bid for an oppo-bomb in to right-center.
Mr. Mets fund contribution(s) came from ... Connor Fannon was nominated for a fine worthy of a 6-er, by being a part of the "old traditional 8-6 double play" - but upon further review - this is precisely why the "swingin D" clause was created to begin with way back when.... we'd love a 6er of anything other than the claw if you're so inclined.
Mets take season series with Giants with a dub at Novi HS: 5-2
Initial estimates on temperature for this game was 381K. It was so hawt that the base-plates of spikes were starting to melt, and while baseball is fun in the sun this may have brought a new meaning of toasty (editors note: breaking a sweat whilst taking a pre-game 26-W set the stage for sweating through the pants in this outing).
The Mets sent Ste(r)ve Simmons the hill and watched him work through the Giants LU - striking the side out once, and locking up a final line of 7IP, 8K, 2BB, 6H 2ER with the dub.
On the offensive side of the rock: the Mets put up a 5 spot on the Giant's Scott Beaton, the difference maker coming from the combo of Connor Fannon and Joe Ellis: each putting up 2RBI. Offensive performances of note came from Joe Ellis (2-3, 2RBI) and Sir-drinks-a-lot (A. Budziak) putting up a tidy 3-3 + 1*2b afternoon.
For the Mr. Mets fund contributions: APAR may have left his melted/molded spikes behind ($5), and there was a should-have-been caught poop-up that was in-play that should have been converted into an out that may have cost Robey (or the catcher to be un-named, or the pitcher to be un-named) a couple cold ones.
The Mets concluded the "away" portion of their schedule in a make-up game at Clawson with the Dodgers. This was a very different game than the 2 matches that preceded between these two crews, and unfortunately (for the Mets) the boys in blue bested the Mets by a 3 spot. Ironically, this was a very similar game to the last time that the Dodgers and the Mets locked horns at Clawson over a year back; and we will just say that Clawson brings out the best in the bats if history dictates future performances.
On the hill for the Mets: Anthony Juliano - who went 4++ and kept the Mets in this game for the most part until the air got thin in the 5th when the Creamsickle Mets saw a 4 run lead turn into a game the Mets were chasing. AJ's final line is not important, except for to say that there were a couple scratch hits on balls that were tween-specials that set the table for the end of his evening - finishing with 5K - with a (ehem) rip triple from the opposition. Andrew Budziak went the "balance" going 1.2+ unfortunately unable to get the opposition in order, and the Mets had to leave the ship due to "time limit" in the bottom of the 6th.
On the offensive side of the ball - 8 runs came from 15 knocks with multi-hit performances delivered by Diamond, Fannon, Ellis, George, Robey and Simmons. Whilst all names aforementioned put up "multi-hit performances" - the brown star of the evening goes to Connor Fannon who absolutely pounded the rock with 3 hits that were categorized in the book as "p-rods".
For the Mr. Mets fund contributions: LOBs were a tough stat in this affair, and (unfortunately) Dyner led the pack with more than a handful, meaning that he may or may not be up for a 6er in the future.
The final game at Novi HS for the season for the Mets surely didn't disappoint the sell out crowd of 14 where the creamsickle Mets got it started early and often behind Ste(r)ve Simmons on the hill.
Steve and his battery mate (Ellis) navigated the waters of the "threat is looming" BO of T-USA putting up a final line of 7IP, 1ER, 3H, 11K, 1BB - and 1 wow from the Mets crew.
With a 1 run hill to climb in the bottom of the first the requisite 10 got it started by rolling the line up - putting up an 8 spot in the first - ending the afternoon with a 13 hit attack. This assault was lead by Simmons (helping himself with a 3-4, 1*2b, 2RBI day), Jacob Ramont (2-5), Andrew Budziak (2-4, 1*2b) and Nick George (2-4, 3RBI).
Mr. Mets fund contributions - Budzy had a ball go between the wickets (a ball which apparently took a bad bounce) in the 7th that may have cost him a 5er, but upon reviewing the book in this game: the swingin' D clause is enacted. There may also have been a couple 'less than stellar' around the horn displays, but we're not sure who was the culprit. Other Mr. Mets fund nominations came from the Novi HS baseball field itself. I mean, come on: no less than 20 baseballs were eaten by the forest that surrounds the field in this contest. Who is the engineer who thought that it was a good idea to not bother with a net or something....
A rainout make-up between the Mets/BJs took place at BiCentennial where the Mets got buzz-sawed by the BJs and Justin Chandler.
On the hill for the Mets: Andrew Budziak - who went the distance, and kept a reasonably tidy game in check - putting up a "should have been good enough" final line of 7IP, 2R, 1ER, 2K, 2BB and one "painful" free pass.
On the offensive side of the ball - the Mets were faced with a multitude of up-hill battles: inclusive of some ground-ball killing IF grass, not being able to put the ball in to the OF with authority and - ultimately the loss being delivered with a bullet of 9 whiffs. Looking at this game from a historical perspective - the Mets just could not put together a big rally to deliver the run support needed, and the only run came from a Ramont double followed by a Simmons rip RBI.
Mr. Met's fund contributions: nada. One more "regular season" game coming this Sunday!
Mets end regular season with a 4-2 dub over the @livoniaBJs at Waterford Mott HS.
The Mets got it started in the first putting up a 3 spot in the bottom of the first, and we'd like to say that "the rest was history" but ... the reality is that this game has a bit more than just one inning, and the Mets had to bring the D to secure this dub. We will make the reader (who may or may not be interested) dig into the stats to see who pitched this one (in the interest of playoffs); but we will state that his final line was 2ER, 14K, (having whiffed the side 3 times), 5H, 5BB. Nice work, braw!
On the offensive side of the ball, the Mets put up 4 runs on 7 knocks; with a multi-knock game from Dynes (2-3) and honorable mention going to Brendan Diamond putting up a 1-2 game with 2SB, and an RBI when it was needed for a little geico.
Mr. Met's fund contributors --- well, this was actually a clean bill to round out the season, even though there was a mention for a nomination for Robey when getting "gunned down" at 2b when a poop-up landed in no-man's land (that arguably should have been caught). However, in this instance, the nominator of this fee was not on the Mets; and will be a fee that is foregone.
Mets season ends prematurely with 2-0 loss to Giants
In a virtual tie between the Mets and Dodgers, the Mets drew the #2 seed and got he honor of meeting the Giants in round 1 of the playoffs. News around the league is that there were some real wild games - as would have been the prediction for how this season went.
Tasked with the Giants for the first round, the Mets had Steve Simmons take the hill and (for the most part) was able to tame the Giants; putting up a final line of 7IP, 2ER, 8K and 4BBs. Frankly speaking - a performance like that should have been enough for the Mets to cash in a first round dub, but the offence went anemic at a couple critical points this season - this game being the most critical.
Before we knew it, the game was over, the Mets were shut out (the only time all season) and there went the season; like a warm summer breeze. There were not any multi-hit performances, and the Mr. Mets fund nominated the offense for a contribution, as those are the rules!
The management would like to thank those who made this season as much fun as any roller-coaster you'd choose, and a hardy cheers to those who make it possible for all of us to play a kid's game well into adulthood. While crazy-socks Harry doesn't read game summaries anymore, the Mets "management" would like to take this time to highlight the Mets brotherhood by player. (If you are reading Harry: you can compare the length of this summary to the UCC like you did last time).
Connor Fannon returned to the Mets for his “sophomore” season, and most certainly did not disappoint. Connor lead the team in BA (0.508), as well as leading the league in the “eye test” for exit-velocity pounding the ball for 6 doubles and 4 triples (not to mention: league leading 29 RBI). Connor also took the ball on the hill for a dub, rounding out the season with a 3.52 ERA, enjoying every second he had with the Mets this season.
Jack Dynes came back to the Mets for his second season as a trusty reliable backstop. Jack took a bit of a beating behind the dish – managing the field while coming correct on the offensive side of the ball – hitting 0.358 and having a calm presence at the dish hitting in the beefy part of the order.
Al Kracht returned to the Mets between seasons at school. Al had a love for the game that is evident with the big smile he sports whilst at the park. Al was the perennial utility guy, filling in everywhere needed and putting the ball in play nearly every time he was at the dish. Al ended the season with a BA of 0.333, while swiping 8 bags and converting a run nearly every time on base.
Steve Simmons returned to the Mets for his second season, and commanded the 1A spot in the rotation. Steve finished the season with a ‘should have been better’ (run support was not always there) record of 9-3 while leading the league with an eye-popping 157 Ks. Describing the level of pitching supremacy is tough to do in black and white, we will just state that Steve broke the single season K record by a long shot (formerly held by Chris Godley with 116), and seriously wanted to pitch every single game. On the other side of the ball, Steve brought the goods while being a member of the (self appointed/created) “pitchers who rake” club with a final BA of 0.488.
Nick George (Nieco!) came to the Mets as an MSBL rookie and standout ball player. Nick pounded the ball, sharing the team lead for doubles with 6. Nick was a routine post-gamer, sharing stories of Nashville and enjoying the brotherhood that is the Mets – and has promised to bring a buddy to the MiCup as well as next season.
Brendan Diamond held down CF and the leadoff spot and commanding the lead in stolen bases (11) while managing his grad school and disc-golf schedule. Brendan brought a solid presence on the field as captain of the outfield evidenced by any ball that was airborne was most surely caught no matter how far in the gap he had to go. Brendan put up a solid 0.327BA, and any time he was at first base, it was just a matter of when for him to swipe second.
Brian Robert (Robey) laced em up for another season of abuse running the Mets. This season was all over the map for this not-so-grey-beard while making sure the Mets ship was tight and keeping his “Ripken-streak” alive at 101 consecutive games. On the defensive side of the ball, Robey stuck to mostly corner IF, and a little 2b when needed and was able to keep things relatively error free. On the offensive side of the rock, Robey notched his 1000th plate appearance this season, and broke into the top 10 for all time hits (in the 18+ internet era of statistics) with a BA of 0.328.
Joe Ellis came to the Mets as another D-MSBL rookie and showed an excellent presence at the dish – leading the league in “free” passes with 16BBs. If Joe-Joe didn’t work a walk, the outcome was often a knock or a very hard hit ball; putting up a solid 0.327BA while hitting in the beef of the Mets order. Joe also shared some time behind the dish until a taint-strain put a pause on back-stop activities for a short time; we hope that next season will include him in a Mets jersey.
Steve Strom returned to the Mets for another season while adding another word to the stat line, “Daddy”. Stromer showed his dad strength putting up 5 critical RBI between feedings and playing in the Ann Arbor league rounding out the season with a career best 0.321 BA, for his “final” season as a full timer (we’ll see about that…).
Andrew Budziak came to the Mets as an MSBL rookie while doing his best impression of “duck dynasty” and bringing an error free middle infield presence. As the lone “BIG boat-guy” on the crew – Andrew came correct eating innings – finshing the season with just under 30IP, and keeping a tidy 7.5K per 9. On the offensive side of the pill, Andrew put up 4 doubles and finished the season with a 0.304BA while navigating the seas of having to take the LSAT.
David Kracht returned to the Mets for his 6th season, making him officially a seasoned veteran. While this season due to off-field constraints resulted in a career low of PA, David brought a solid presence anywhere you put him on the field. David finished off the season with a tidy 0.300 BA, and brought a calm and commanding presence at the dish – whiffing less than anyone else on the team by percentage.
Jacob Ramont came to the Mets as an MSBL rookie, and played a rock-solid SS like it was his job even though he was most certainly the youth of the crew. If there was a ball hit in his direction, fielding percentage dictated that it would be converted to an out. On the offensive side of the ball, Jacob put up a 15 hit performance and scored 15 runs while leading the team in the “RE” stat-line with 3.
Mark Dickinson returned to the Mets for his 10th season and helped keep the ship tidy with his even keel attitude and error free RF. While managing off-field commitments Mark may have had a career low PA, he made it count when he was on the field. An introduction of a pair of little ones is forecast for the family – we look forward to more youth attending games whilst in an extra-shmedium Mets onesy uniform.
Alex Parthum (APAR) returned to the Mets for his 3rd season splitting time at 1b and taking a few reps at 2b. This season was a little bit of a down year at the dish; but he brought 5 doubles to the party while keeping to his approach by typically forcing the opposition to give him ‘his’ pitch. APAR brought a text-book play to the Mets and will be a part of the Mets leadership in seasons to come.
Anthony Juliano returned to the Mets for his 3rd season with the crew, and owned the #2 spot in the rotation with his southpaw filth. With a workload of just less than 35 innings, the Mets watched AJ reliably lock a 4-2 record with a solid ERA of 3.38. When not on the hill, AJ came correct in LF keeping any aggressive runners from stretching a single into a double with a strong arm. On the offensive side of the ball, AJ may or may not have led the team in broken bats: good thing we know someone who has a few extras!
Jacob Heins came to the Mets as an MSBL rookie and fellow diabetic on the crew. Jacob brought a tidy RF defense exercising fundamentals while covering ground in the OF. While this season was a little bit of a tough one from a BA perspective; Jacob brought the wheels of steel to the game with 3 doubles and swiping 3 bags.
Nick Peters returned to the Mets after an off season of TJ recovery, and was able to sub for a few games. There was a tiny bit of discussion of mound time for the future, but the Mets management thought ill of rushing him up to the bump before his recovery time – and look forward to the future season(s) with Nick on the hill.
Zach Zschering joined the Mets for a few games as a part timer, notching 11PA and ripping 2 doubles. This summer was a busy one for Zach, and while we are sure he wanted to be on the field, constraints were in the way that should be cleared for next season. … we hope.