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Bobby Cox said he is still having fun with the games and has agreed to
a one year contract extension agreeing to manage the Braves through
2009. There had been speculation that the future hall of fame manager
may contemplate retirement when his contract ended at the end of the
2008 season.
This is good news for Braves fans as the greatest manager in their history will try to get them back to their winning ways. Hopefully Bobby can lead them to another NL East title this season and start another streak. If he does, it is my bet he will not retire after 2009!
The rivalry between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets features two teams in Major League Baseball's National League East.
1969 NLCS
The Braves-Mets rivalry has roots that trace all the way back to the
1969 NLCS, when the upstart Mets, led by Tom Seaver, would defeat Hank
Aaron and the Braves in a three game sweep en route to their first
World Series Championship. The rivalry didn't pick up real steam until
the late 1990s though when the Mets and Braves both became members of
the National League East Division.
1998
The Braves had been the dominant team of the National League throughout
the 1990s, while the Mets were perennial doormats. This changed in 1998
as the Mets would start competing with the Braves for the division
title, and contend for the National League Wild Card. Despite this
success, the Mets couldn't claim victory over the Braves, especially at
Turner Field in Atlanta. Significant late season losses to the Braves,
including a season ending sweep in Atlanta (when the Mets only needed
to win one game to win the Wild Card) kept the Mets out of the playoffs
as the Braves cruised to the division title with a franchise-record 106
wins, finishing 18 games ahead of New York in the East.
The 1999 NLCS & John Rocker
Both teams played solid baseball in 1999. The Mets, led by Mike Piazza,
Robin Ventura, Al Leiter, and Edgardo Alfonzo, still had problems
beating the Braves in the regular season and almost missed the playoffs
altogether due to late season losses in Atlanta. The Braves, led by
John Rocker, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and eventual NL MVP Chipper Jones
ended up winning their eighth straight division title, due to their
late season heroics over the Mets. Jones, whose real first name is
Larry, would have to endure “LARRY” chants by Shea Stadium crowds.
After a season long battle for first place, both teams made the
playoffs. The Braves won the division, and the Mets backed into the
playoffs with a one game playoff victory over the Cincinnati Reds for
the 1999 Wild Card. The Braves defeated the Houston Astros, and the
Mets defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS that year setting up
what would become a classic NLCS.
The Braves would win the first three contests of the NLCS, with their
Hall Of Fame caliber starting rotation basically shutting down the New
York Mets explosive line-up. During the series Rocker continually
insulted the Mets and their fans and was greeted with a barrage of
insults and thrown objects (including batteries) at Shea. With the Mets
down in the series 3-0, Mets first baseman John Olerud extended the
series against Rocker as he hit a crucial two-run single to give the
Mets the lead off the closer.
Game 5 would become a classic battle, as the game extended into
15-inning marathon that lasted over five hours. The game began shortly
after 4 p.m. with Atlanta ace Greg Maddux taking on New York's Masato
Yoshii. The game would continue on well into what was a wet evening,
hampered by a steady October rain in New York City. With the game tied
at 2 in the top of the 13th inning, the Braves just missed their best
chance. With Keith Lockhart at first Chipper Jones launched an extra
base hit down the right field line. Mets right fielder Melvin Mora did
an excellent job cutting the ball off and hit relay man Edgardo Alfonzo
with a perfect relay thrown. Alfonzo then fired the ball home where
Mets catcher Mike Piazza applied the tag for the out. In the top of the
15th, Lockhart got his own personal revenge on the Mets as he hit a go
ahead RBI triple off Octavio Dotel to give the Braves a 3-2 lead. In
the bottom of the 15th, the Mets then mounted their own comeback, by
loading the bases for third baseman, and perennial grand slam threat
Robin Ventura. Ventura then proceeded to launch one the most memorable
walk-off grand slam's in baseball history to win the game for the Mets.
The home run, which is commonly referred by Mets fans as the "Grand
Slam Single" gave the Mets the opportunity to bring the series back to
Atlanta, and effectively put the Mets back in the series. Since Ventura
only made it no further than first base due to being mobbed by his
teammates the hit would officially go down in the books as a walk off
single.
The series returned to Turner Field in Atlanta, a place that had been a
house of horrors for the Mets since it opened for baseball in 1997.
Game Six was just as close as the previous five games. The Braves were
staked to a quick 6-0, battering Mets ace Al Leiter. However, the Mets
staged a comeback, highlighted by a game tying home run by Mike Piazza
off Braves starter John Smoltz. After blowing late inning leads in the
9th and 10th innings, the Mets saw their season come to an end when
Kenny Rogers walked Andruw Jones with the bases loaded. The walk
solidified the troubles that Rogers had always occurred while pitching
for New York based teams. Rogers was instantly vilified by Mets fans,
and was not resigned after the season.
After the season, Rocker made disparaging remarks about New Yorkers in
an interview with Sports Illustrated writer Jeff Pearlman. Many of his
complaints involved riding the 7 train of the New York City Subway
(which services the Mets home field, Shea Stadium). Among the groups of
people Rocker specifically insulted his New York City were, Mets fans,
Hispanics, single mothers, homosexuals and all foreigners in general.
During the following seasons, the NYPD had to patrol the stands and
bleachers during further visits by the Braves to Shea Stadium and Mets
officials put up giant pieces of plywood between the outfield bleachers
and the visiting bullpen to keep fans from heckling and abusing Rocker.
The same process was also used by the New York Yankees at Yankee
Stadium when the Braves visited the Yankees for their annual
interleague match up.
The 2000 and 2001 Seasons
During another season-long struggle between the two teams for the
division title, the rivalry came to a climax on fireworks night at Shea
Stadium on June 30, 2000. Trailing the Braves 8-1 in the 8th inning,
the Mets staged a furious two-out rally in the bottom half of the
inning, capped by a Mike Piazza line drive home run off the Mets
retired numbers in left field, to give the Mets the lead and eventually
the victory.
All signs pointed to a rematch in the 2000 NLCS, as the Braves won
their ninth straight division title and the Mets once again captured
the National League Wild Card. However, the Braves lost in the Division
Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, while the Mets defeated the San
Francisco Giants en route to the NLCS and their first World Series
berth since 1986. The Mets would go on to lose the Series to their
cross town rivals, the New York Yankees.
The Mets started the 2001 season very slowly, but after the terrorist
attacks of September 11, the Mets saw themselves back in the race for
the National League East crown after the Braves' once
13-and-one-half-game lead over the Mets eroded to as little as three
games. In fact, the first professional sporting event in New York City
after the attacks was a game on September 21 between the Mets and the
Braves. In a moment that transcended the rivalry, Mets and Braves
players embraced each other on the field during pregame ceremonies
remembering the victims of the attacks. The game itself was highly
emotional as the Mets came from behind to win 3-2 on an emotional home
run by Mike Piazza. Piazza later stated that the home run was one of
the proudest moments of his career. With a chance to sweep and tie the
Braves for the division lead, the Mets headed to Atlanta the next
weekend for a three game series. However, after losing the first game,
they saw the season virtually end on September 29, 2001, as they blew a
5-1 lead, once again in ninth inning. In that inning, relievers Armando
Benitez and John Franco struggled to record an out and Franco
ultimately gave up a game winning grand slam to Brian Jordan.
Braves Dominance in the 2000s
The hatred between the two teams during the 2002 season became
increasingly insignificant as the Mets fielded a very uncompetitive
team and the Braves continued their winning ways.
After the disappointing 2002 season the Mets signed long time Braves
pitching staple Tom Glavine to anchor their starting rotation in a move
that started to fuel the rivalry's fire again. Glavine has seen mostly
poor results while facing his former team, sporting a 3-10 record with
an ERA of 5.55, but has thrived against other teams, and is still one
of the best pitchers in the game.
In the 2004 the Braves effectively ended the Mets' season right after
the trading deadline. After the Mets, 6 games behind of the Braves at
the time, traded infamously for Kris Benson and Victor Zambrano (the
latter for top tier Mets prospect Scott Kazmir), the Braves swept the
Mets in decisive fashion at Turner Field. The Mets left Atlanta 9 games
behind their rivals and never recovered.
The Mets fielded a much more competitive team in 2005 after hiring Omar
Minaya as their General Manager and former Yankees third base coach
Willie Randolph as manager. The Mets finished in third place, 7 games
behind the Braves, who won their 14th straight division title.
Present Day
Sarcastic remarks were made by Braves players Jeff Francoeur and Adam
LaRoche concerning an early Mets lead in the division, Mets pitcher
Pedro Martinez won his 200th career game against them at Shea. The Mets
went on to run away with the division and swept a late July series in
Atlanta. It was the Mets first sweep of more than three games against
the Braves since 1985, and their first sweep ever in Turner Field. On
September 12, 2006 the Mets 6-4 win over the Florida Marlins
mathematically eliminated the Braves from winning the NL East, finally
ending the Braves' streak of consecutive division titles at 14. The
Mets officially won the division on September 18, ending a significant
era of dominance by the Braves. The Mets also won the season series
against the Braves for the first time since 1996. The Mets would go to
the NLCS but lose in seven games to the eventual champion St. Louis
Cardinals.
Prior to 2007, the two teams (along with the Philadelphia Phillies),
were considered the front runners to compete for the NL East title.
With both teams 3-0, the Braves won an early April series two games to
one at Turner Field. On April 20, 2007 the teams played a three game
series at Shea Stadium, where the Braves once again took two out of
three games. From May 22-24 the two teams played a three game set at
Turner Field, where the Braves for the third time in the season took
the series. The only Mets win was attributed to Mets pitcher Oliver
Perez, who has the only three Mets wins against their rivals in 2007.
The teams met from August 7-9 at Shea Stadium, the Braves taking the
series 2-1. The Mets swept a series at Turner Field from August
31-September 2 which left the Braves 7 games back of the NL East. The
Mets took the final series from September 10-12 leaving the season
series tied 9 apiece. In the end, both teams failed to take the
division, which was won by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Smoltz vs. Glavine
Former teammates and long-time friends John Smoltz and Tom Glavine have
faced each other 6 times since Tom Glavine went to the Mets in 2003.
Smoltz has had more success against his old teammate going 3-1 while
Glavine has gone 1-2. The two were reunited after the 2007 season as
Glavine signed a one-year contract with the Braves.
Quick Facts
* The Braves hold an all-time series lead of 328-276 over the Mets as of May 25, 2007.
* Each team has beaten the other in an NLCS. The Mets swept the
Braves in 1969, and the Braves defeated the Mets four games to two in
1999.
* Atlanta star Chipper Jones named his son Shea after the Mets'
Shea Stadium because of his impressive numbers while playing in that
ballpark. He also hit his first home run there.
* Since the Mets joined the National League in 1962 they have won
two World Series titles (1969 and 1986), four National League Pennants
(1969, 1973, 1986, and 2000), and five division titles (1969, 1973,
1986, 1988, and 2006). Since 1962 the Braves have won one World Series
title (1995), five National League Pennants (1991, 1992, 1995, 1996,
1999), and 16 division titles (1969, 1982, 1991-1993, 1995-2005).
* The Mets and Braves played a memorable game on Thursday July 4,
1985 at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. After a back and forth tustle
throughout the game, the score was tied at 8 at the end of nine. The
game would not end though until 10 innings later as the Mets led by
first baseman Keith Hernandez, who hit for the cycle would defeat the
Braves in a wild 16-13 victory. The Mets would go on to sweep the four
game series. It would be their last sweep of three or more games
against Atlanta until 2006.
* Going into the final five games of the 1998 season all the Mets
had to do was win one game to win the National League Wild Card. After
losing to the Montreal Expos at Shea Stadium, the Mets then proceeded
to get swept at Turner Field by the Braves, thwarting their push for
their first post season berth since 1988. The Mets were 0-6 at Turner
Field in 1998.
* Game Five of the 1999 NLCS is known to Mets fans as the "Grand
Slam Single" game, when Mets third baseman Robin Ventura ended the game
with a walk-off grand slam. However Ventura never made it past second
base as his teammates mobbed him. The single extended the series to a
Game Six in Atlanta.
* Game Six of the 1999 NLCS concluded what was a memorable series
as Mets pitcher Kenny Rogers walked in Andruw Jones as the pennant
winning run for the Braves.
* With a 10-6 win at Turner Field on July 30, 2006 the Mets
completed a three game sweep of the Braves. This marked their first
sweep of the Braves of three or more games since 1985, and their first
ever sweep at Turner Field.
* Braves ace John Smoltz and former Mets ace Tom Glavine, longtime
friends, have been matched up against each other five times. The Braves
won the first four duels with John Smoltz winning three of the starts
and Tom Glavine won for the first time against his old buddy on
September 2. On May 24, 2007, Smoltz won against his old buddy 2-1
capturing his 200th win of his career.
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