Mets Card of the Week: 1991 Mac Scarce

1991 NOBODY BEATS THE WIZ MAC SCARCE

Guerrant McGurdy Scarce lived up to his name.

Well, I don’t know about the Guerrant part, which is French for “fighting, at war.”

Nor can I speak to the McGurdy part, which near as I can tell is Irish for “McGurdy.”

No, I’m talking specifically about “Scarce.”

Mac Scarce came to the Mets from the Phillies in late 1974 as part of what the Flushing faithful still call the Tug McGraw Trade. This deal also netted the Mets Del Unser and a young John Stearns. and cost them Don Hahn and Dave Schneck in addition to McGraw.

Schneck never made it back to the majors, and Hahn went hitless in six 1975 at bats with the Phillies, so the deal added literally nothing to Philadelphia’s offensive ledger. Of course it secured them 10 years of McGraw, who was a key component of their 1980 World Series winning squad.

But what about Mac Scarce?

On April 11, 1975, the Mets faced the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium in the third game of the regular season. Jerry Koosman outdueled Jerry Reuss in a rare battle of Jerrys, and carried a 3-0 lead into the 9th inning.

However, Koosman wilted quickly while facing the second half of a potent Pittsburgh lineup, allowing consecutive singles to Richie Zisk, Dave Parker, and Manny Sanguillen. With the score now 3-1, Mets skipper Yogi Berra brought in the right-handed Rick Baldwin to face the impotent Mario Mendoza; Pirates manager Danny Murtaugh countered by sending up switch-hitting Paul Popovich, who promptly walked, loading the bases.

Baldwin retired Ed Kirkpatrick on a fly ball to shallow right for the first out of the inning, but then surrendered a single to Rennie Stennett, tying the game at 3.

Berra made his way to the mound and pointed to his raised left arm, summoning the southpaw Scarce to face the left-handed Richie Hebner.

But Scarce allowed a single to Hebner, giving the Pirates a 4-3 walk-off win. Koosman got the shaft, Baldwin got the loss, and Scarce got traded to the Reds for Tom Hall four days later, his statistical existence with the Mets limited to that one hit allowed to Hebner in 0 innings pitched…