Why do Met fans shake their fists and groan when Tom Glavine’s name is mentioned?  What did he do to deserve an eternal banishment to the club’s dog-house? What happened to turn this 300-game winner into a target of scorn?

THE FACTS:

Tom Glavine signed a 4-year $42.5 million dollar deal with the New York Mets in 2003.  He pitched for the team from 2003-2007.

In 2003, he went 9-14. He started 32 games, threw 183 innings and ended the season with a 4.52 ERA.

In 2004, he went 11-14. He started 33 games, threw 212 innings and ended the season with a 3.60 ERA.  He pitched well enough to earn a trip to the All-Star Game.

In 2005, he went 13-13.  He started 33 games, threw 211 innings and ended the season with a 3.53 ERA.  He pitched well down the stretch when he was named National League Pitcher of the Month in September.

In 2006, he went 15-7. He started 32 games, threw 198 innings and ended the season with a 3.82 ERA.  Once again he was an All-Star.  He helped the Mets win the National League Eastern Division title.  Against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the National League Division Series, he pitched 6 shutout innings, gave up only 4 hits and picked up the victory.  He then started and won Game 1 of National League Championship Series against the St. Louis Cardinals by pitching 7 shutout innings.  BUT he lost Game 5 when he gave up 3 earned runs on 7 hits in only 4 innings pitched.  He could have given the Mets a lead in the series but instead gave the lead to the Cardinals.  The Cardinals won in 7 games.

He re-signed with the Mets for the 2007 season.  He was the Opening Day Starter for the fourth consecutive year.  He went 13-8.  He started 34 games, threw 200 innings and ended the season with a 4.45 ERA. He won his 300th Game on August 5, 2007 against the Chicago Cubs.

BUT IN ONE INNING, HIS FATE WAS SEALED
:

On September 30, 2007, Glavine started and lost the last game of the season against the Florida Marlins. Actually, he got shelled; he gave up seven runs and only recorded one out.  The Mets didn’t recover. That 8-1 loss ruined the Mets chances of making the postseason. So, in this single one-third of an inning, when he could have set the team up for a second consecutive trip to the postseason, he stumbled and failed and disappeared from the city’s landscape.

THE AFTERMATH:

Glavine declined an option to return and instead headed back to Atlanta where he pitched a handful of games before retiring.

THE SUMMARY:

In five years with the Mets, he went 61-56, appeared in 164 games, threw 1,005 innings. He ended with a 3.97 ERA and struckout 516 batters.  What Mets fans remember though is his performance (or lack of performance) on the last day of the season in 2007.

17 comments on “Mets fans and the case against Tom Glavine

  • peter

    It’s not just one third of an inning but rather what it epitomizes about Glavine and what he could of done for the Mets when the season was on the line. I seem to recall Santana taking the mound on 3 days rest and pitching a 3 hit shutout against the Marlins. It wasn’t until after the season ended that we learned how serious an injury he pitched with and the kind of guts it takes to not only perform but perform well under pressure(and pain). Glavine was brought to New York to pitch games like September 30. He laid an unforgettable egg with the playoffs riding in the balance. To me he will always be a brave.

  • John

    I remember that game and Glavin should not have started. If you remember Country Joe West was behind the plate and Glavin lived off the plate. Country Joe never gave a pitcher that pitch. Glavin then had to come over the plate to get a strike but not being a power pitcher you knew he was going to get hit hard Bad choice by Willie to start Glavin.

  • Jerseymet

    I too vividly remember that 1/3 of an inning. Tom was a spokesman for the team; as Wright is now. He provided fair value to the Mets. He will always be remembered as a Brave.

  • jb hill

    Sorry to say, but he was just a hired gun. just like seaver will always be remembered as a met, glavine will always be a brave. and as unfair as it may be, like beltran’s looking at the called 3rd strike, glavine’s 1/3 of an inning with the season on the line is etched in the memory of every mets fan. and i’ve gotta agree with john, clueless willie should have never started tom in that game.

  • NormE

    Someday both Tom Glavine and Carlos Beltran will probably be inducted into the HOF in Cooperstown. Those Mets fans who can’t forgIve are just too short-sighted to appreciate the talent both possessed.

  • jb hill

    Norm, i agree. glavine is a sure fire bet for the HOF. with beltran i’m not so sure he has the numbers yet due to injuries. and for the record, personally, i don’t think there is anything to forgive with either player, they were just unfortunate enough to be in the spotlight during a couple of bad mets moments, but any true baseball fan wouldn’t judge them on one at bat or start.

  • Michael von Graevenitz

    I’ve made comments before on Glavine and was berated for my opinion. Beltran’s pitch was a pitcher’s pitch. You could not have placed there any better. Glavine was as I’ve said before and I ‘ll say it again, a sellout.But then again, outside of 1995, what did the Braves big three accomplish? A lot of padded regular season stats. Of course with the season on the line, TG would lay an egg. And don’t get me started on Roberto Alomar. His true collars showed with umpire Hirshbeck and the spitting incident. Does everybody forget how he messed up Ordonez and turned him against the organization? People who forget the past somehow let it happen again and pat him on the back and say ” that’s all right you’re still a hall of famer”.

  • steevy

    Boy that Ted Williams had a lot of padded regular season stats.Anyway,yes,Glavine is a Brave.I think he did the best he could while he was with the Mets but of course he came here for the money.Fire Terry Collins!

  • kjs

    I still CRINGE when the Mets honored Glavine for his 300th win. His success was with the Braves. He was a zillionaire taking big-priced gifts from (pre-Madoffed) zillionaires. It was all bad taste, and alienating, as the $$$ in all major sports is getting out of hand on all sides. I hope he gave the value of his gifts to charity—I think Glavine was a decent sort.

    His tenure? Better than our usual FA luck (Pedro, Johan, Alomar, Bonilla, Foster ad nauseum), but with the circulation problem and Father Time, underwhelming as compared to his Atlanta heyday.

    • Steve Rogers

      His tenure? Better than our usual FA luck (Pedro, Johan, Alomar, Bonilla, Foster ad nauseum), but with the circulation problem and Father Time, underwhelming as compared to his Atlanta heyday.

      Just an FYI, Johan, Alomar and Foster were all trades.

  • Michael von Graevenitz

    I’m sorry but I missed the Williams years in a Met uniform. Oh thats right, he retired 2 years before the Mets came into being. Besides, weren’t we talking about Glavine here?

    • Gary Sperling

      Now it can be told: Williams eventually died and was cryogenically frozen, as was well publicized. Less well known is his reincarnation, and the arm injury he suffered through this process. This forced him to become a right-handed batter as he grew up in his new life in Virginia. He was indeed Mr. Wright!

  • Michael Geus

    Mets fans are not dumb, sure Glavine had a HOF career. He gave us fair value for the contract. But he also always gave the impression that he was doing time in New York, and he practically seemed relieved the season was over after the third of an inning debacle.

    I respect what he accomplished but couldn’t wait for him to be gone. We had a real rivalry with those Braves teams, us and Glavine was a bad shotgun wedding. Nobody seemed happy with the arrangement.

  • Brian Joura

    The next time Ike Davis hits a HR, remember the Mets got him with a compensation pick from Atlanta when the Braves re-signed Glavine.

    Is now a bad time to mention that Davis has gone 45 ABs without an extra-base hit, much less a HR? Or that he has 1 HR in his last 147 ABs?

  • Michael von Graevenitz

    And now Glavine is making us pay long into retirement. Seriously! Can the Bonillas, Glavines, Colemens, and anything that happened with free agency in 2002 go away? Steve Phillips brought in a bunch of bums, forced Valentine to play them and when it didn’t work fired Bobby V. Later Minaya’s plan was good, but Randolph was a fish out of water. Every time a pressure situation arose, Willie froze up. He tried to be cool like Joe Torre but Joe fell into a great run. Dumb luck. That Yankee team was ready to win. Unfortunately, the Mariners comeback happened, Steinbrenner was pissed, and canned Showalter. Now he’s got the O’s in contention. Also, you want to fire Collins? I hear Art” I can manage better than Money ball says I can” Howe is available

  • Steve Rogers

    “I’m not devestated” after that loss pretty much sealed his fate in the minds of Met fans.

    Not even “Colorado has a great school system” Hampton pulled that off!

  • Michael von Graevenitz

    One last comment. The photo doesn’t even look right. Sort of like, what would certain players look like in a Met uniform. Can you see others in it(Chipper, Derek, Reggie,and how about Pat Burrell).

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