Don Cardwell - The 53rd Met Pitcher

     Don Cardwell was traded to the Mets on December 6th, 1966 along with Don Bosch in exchange for Gary Kolb and Dennis Ribant.  He pitched four solid seasons in Flushing, including the "Amazin'" championship team in '69.   Despite a rough 1970 season and a 20-34 record, Cardwell established a 3.31 ERA along with a 1.23 WHIP over 475.2 career innings as a Met.  On July 12th, 1970, Cardwell's contract was sold to the Atlanta Braves.  He finished the 1970 season as a Brave and retired at the season's end.  Don passed away on January 14th, 2008.

Bob Botz - Almost Met Pitcher

     Bob Botz joined the Mets on October 16th, 1961.  His contract was purchased from the Milwaukee Braves.  Botz received an invitation to spring training in 1962, but he was returned to the Braves on April 2nd, when he didn't make the team.  One month later, Botz was dealt by the Braves to the Angels.  In California, he posted a 3.43 ERA over 63 innings pitched that summer, much better than any reliever in Flushing.  Botz was at some point given the nickname "Butterball".  It was previously believed that Mr. Botz had passed away, but it turns out it was his son who passed on.

     I purchased this ball from a long time private collector.  The picture is a bit blurry, at some point I need to retake the photo.  I also hope to mail a ball to Mr. Botz residence.  It was believed he had passed away, but I learned otherwise while writing this post.  Baseball Reference even had him listed as dead.  It turned out it was his son who passed away, which is still sad.   I hope to inquire about a custom signed baseball this spring.

Nolan Ryan - The 52nd Met Pitcher

     Lynn Nolan Ryan was drafted by the Mets in the 12th round of the 1965 amateur draft.  He appeared in portions of five seasons for the Mets, posting a 29-38 record with a 3.58 ERA.  I feel like there is a lot to write about Nolan, but most of it you already know.  We all know he threw hard, we also know the day he was dealt to the Angels is looked at by many as the worst trade in Mets history.  Perhaps the Seaver trade was worse? Just to recap the deal, Ryan was dealt to California on December 10th, 1971 along with Don Rose, Leroy Stanton and Frank Estrada in exchange for Veteran 3B Jim Fregosi.  Fregosi a six time all star, was terrible in '72 while Ryan made the All Star team and lead the AL in strikeouts.  Perhaps, Mets scouts should have seen the decline coming. Fregosi was also terrible in 1971, the season before the trade.   1973 was more of the same, Ryan became a second time all start, while the Mets cut their losses and sold Fregosi's contract to the Texas Rangers on July 11th.  Nolan Ryan was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999.  He received votes on 491 of 499 ballots.  

Ralph Terry - The 51st Met Pitcher

     Ralph Terry's contract was purchased from the Kansas City A's on August 6th, 1966.  The former Yankee All Star joined the team with a career 3.61 ERA after 11 years in the AL.  Unfortunately, he didn't pitch quite as well, at the tail end of his age 30 season, with the Mets.  In 24.2 innings, Terry tallied a 4.74 ERA, with no wins a loss and a save.  The Mets released Terry in November, only to resign him on April 2nd, 1967.  After only two appearance over a month and a half, the Mets released Ralph a second time on May 16th, 1967.   This date coincides with Bill Denehy's major league debut.   Terry retired afterwards.

     This ball was purchased on eBay.

Dallas Green - The 50th Met Pitcher

Happy New Year!  I've missed a couple days and hope to get a couple in today.

     Dallas Green's contract was purchased from the Phillies on July 22nd, 1966.  His Mets playing career was very short, playing in only 4 games.  Dallas compiled a 5.40 ERA over 5 innings.  Nineteen days later, he was returned to the Phillies, possibly for cash?  Of course, we would get a second dose of the controversial Dallas Green in 1993, as skipper of the Mets.  The team wasn't very good at the time, but Dallas held the job for four seasons, compiling a 229-283 record with no playoff berths.  Dallas passed away on March 22, 2017.

     Both balls were purchased off of eBay.  I watched auctions and was able to find great deals.  There seems to be plenty of Dallas Green balls out there, despite his passing.