Throughout the years there have been nine players to wear the number 42, a number that was made famous by Jackie Robinson, the legend who broke the color barrier for Major League Baseball.
In honor of the new movie that comes out today, which I am very much looking forward to seeing, I decided to look at the men that have dawned the number 42 for the Metropolitans before it was retired by Major League Baseball.
Check out Rotten Tomatoes for a review of the movie, and don’t forget to also look at this website.
- Roger McDowell- He will always be remembered for being an integral part of the Mets 1986 championship team, and he was also an awesome goofster. I will never forget when he put the uniform on upside down. That was truly classic. He was 33-29 in his Mets’ career with a 3.13 ERA over his five years. He also had 84 saves. He established a Mets season record for games in 1986 with 75.
- Ron Taylor- He was a very valuable set-up man during his time with the Mets, and he was an integral part of the 1969 championship team. From 1967-71, he compiled a 21-21 record with a 3.04 ERA. He also established a Mets season record for Saves in 1969 with 13 and tied his own record in 1970. It was later broken by Tug McGraw in 1972 with 27.
- Mo Vaughn- Unfortunately for Mo, my favorite story with him involves my little sister. She was at one of her first baseball games as a small child, and Vaughn tried to range to his lift for a grounder. Suffice it to say, his range was limited, and he missed. My sister said, “They should call him Moo Vaughn.” As for his numbers, he batted .259 with 26 homers and 72RBI in 2002, but his 2003 was short-lived due to injury. Safe to say that his time in New York was a disappointment.
- Butch Huskey- He came up as a pretty exciting prospect with power potential, but he really only had one really good season as a Met. In 1997, he hit .287 with 24 homers and 81 RBI. After a drop-off in 2008, the Mets let him go, and he had a pretty good resurgent year in 2009 with Seattle and Boston, but it never really materialized long-term for him.
- Ron Hodges- A bit of a Mets’ lifer. He was part of the team for 12 years, and he compiled a .240 average with 19 homers and 147 RBI in NY. He lost some valuable time on the disabled list during his tenure in New York, and he was eventually released.
- Hank Webb- While he was part of the Mets for five seasons, he only got one real year to play full time. Over his five years, he was a .250 hitter with 17 homers and 90 RBI. Not much to be remembered for here.
- Larry Elliot- Spent two seasons with the Mets as a part-time player. In just 423 mets at-bats, he had an even 100 hits for a .236 average with 14 homers and 54 RBI. Not a legacy that will be remembered.
- Tom Hall- Hall was a left-handed relief pitcher that frankly wasn’t with the Mets for all that long. Between 1975-76, he had a 5-4 record with a 4.82 ERA before being traded to Kansas City.
- Chuck Taylor- Reliever who through only 53 innings out of the bullpen in his career, and he spent a mere two months with the Mets. One interesting fact is that Cleon Jones owned him, going 6-for-14 for a .429 average against him.
I can’t believe I had to include Vaughn in the top three, but who would you put above him? Tell us in the comments section below.
