1999 New York Mets season

The 1999 New York Mets season was the franchise's 38th season and the team's 36th season at Shea Stadium. They went 97–66 and finished second in the National League East but won the NL Wild Card by beating the Cincinnati Reds in a one-game playoff. The Mets advanced to the NLCS, where they were defeated by the Atlanta Braves in 6 games.

1999 New York Mets
National League Wild Card Winners
League	National League
Division	East
Ballpark	Shea Stadium
City	New York City
Record	97–66 (.595)
Divisional place	2nd
Owners	Nelson Doubleday Jr., Fred Wilpon
General managers	Steve Phillips
Managers	Bobby Valentine
Television	WPIX-TV/Fox Sports New York (Ralph Kiner, Tom Seaver, Fran Healy, Howie Rose, Gary Thorne)
Radio	WFAN (Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, Ed Coleman) WADO (Spanish) (Juan Alicea, Billy Berroa)
← 1998 Seasons 2000 →

The Mets were managed by Bobby Valentine, who entered his fourth year as skipper. They played home games at Shea Stadium.

Offseason

• November 11, 1998: Bobby Bonilla was traded by the Los Angeles Dodgers to the New York Mets for Mel Rojas.^[1]
• December 1, 1998: Todd Hundley was traded by the New York Mets with Arnold Gooch (minors) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Roger Cedeño and Charles Johnson.^[2]
• December 1, 1998: Charles Johnson was traded by the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for Armando Benítez.^[3]
• December 1, 1998: Robin Ventura was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.^[4]
• December 16, 1998: Rickey Henderson signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
• December 18, 1998: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.^[5]

Regular season

The Mets' 97 victories were their highest total since they won 100 games in 1988. They were led offensively by catcher Mike Piazza, who compiled a .303 average with 40 home runs and 124 RBI in his first full season with the team. New third baseman Robin Ventura put together a .301 average, 32 home runs, and 120 RBI while second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo hit .304 with 27 home runs and 108 RBI. First baseman John Olerud continued his consistent hitting, hitting .298 with 96 RBI, his third straight year with 90 or more runs driven in. Offseason acquisitions Roger Cedeño and Rickey Henderson recorded the two highest batting averages on the squad at .315 and .313 respectively. Benny Agbayani, a semi-regular outfielder who got more playing time as the year progressed, contributed 14 home runs.

The Mets' pitching staff was again led by Al Leiter with 13 wins. Orel Hershiser matched that total, with Masato Yoshii recording 12 wins and Rick Reed 11. Rookie Octavio Dotel went 8-3 in fourteen starts, and late season acquisition Kenny Rogers won five of six decisions while leading the team in complete games. The rotation was not as strong at keeping runs off the board; the team's four main starters recorded ERAs above 4.00.

The offseason acquisition of Armando Benitez from the Baltimore Orioles ended John Franco's tenure as the team's closer. Franco did manage to record nineteen saves and broke the Major League Baseball record for saves by a left-hander, but Benitez' 1.85 ERA and twenty-two saves ensured the closer role would be his for the foreseeable future.

Mercury Mets

As part of the now-infamous Turn Ahead the Clock promotion sponsored by Century 21, the Mets changed their name to the "Mercury Mets" while hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 27, 1999.^[6][7]

Opening Day starters

• SP – Al Leiter
• C – Mike Piazza
• 1B – John Olerud
• 2B – Edgardo Alfonzo
• 3B – Robin Ventura
• SS – Rey Ordóñez
• LF – Rickey Henderson
• CF – Brian McRae
• RF – Bobby Bonilla^[8]

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Atlanta Braves	103	59	.636	—	56‍–‍25	47‍–‍34
New York Mets	97	66	.595	6½	49‍–‍32	48‍–‍34
Philadelphia Phillies	77	85	.475	26	41‍–‍40	36‍–‍45
Montreal Expos	68	94	.420	35	35‍–‍46	33‍–‍48
Florida Marlins	64	98	.395	39	35‍–‍45	29‍–‍53

Record vs. opponents

1999 National League record v t e Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head
Team	AZ	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LA	MIL	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	AL
Arizona	—	4–5	7–2	1–8	6–7	8–1	5–4	7–6	5–4	6–3	7–2	8–1	5–2	11–2	9–3	4–4	7–8
Atlanta	5–4	—	2–5	8–1	5–4	9–4	6–1	5–4	5–2	9–4	9–3	8–5	6–3	5–4	4–5	8–1	9–9
Chicago	2–7	5–2	—	5–8	4–5	6–3	3–9	2–7	6–6	2–5	3–6	2–7	7–6	6–3	1–7	7–5	6–9
Cincinnati	8–1	1–8	8–5	—	7–2	6–1	9–4	4–3	6–6	4–3	5–5	6–3	7–6	6–3	4–5	8–4	7–8
Colorado	7–6	4–5	5–4	2–7	—	5–4	2–6	8–5	6–3	6–3	4–5	5–4	2–7	4–9	4–9	4–5	4–8
Florida	1–8	4–9	3–6	1–6	4–5	—	2–7	7–2	5–4	8–4	3–10	2–11	3–4	3–6	4–5	3–4	11–7
Houston	4–5	1–6	9–3	4–9	6–2	7–2	—	6–3	8–5	7–2	4–5	6–1	5–7	8–1	5–4	5–7	12–3
Los Angeles	6–7	4–5	7–2	3–4	5–8	2–7	3–6	—	7–2	5–4	4–4	6–3	3–6	3–9	8–5	3–6	8–7
Milwaukee	4–5	2–5	6–6	6–6	3–6	4–5	5–8	2–7	—	5–4	2–5	5–4	8–4	3–5	4–5	7–6	8–6
Montreal	3–6	4–9	5–2	3–4	3–6	4–8	2–7	4–5	4–5	—	5–8	6–6	3–6	5–3	4–5	5–4	8–10
New York	2–7	3–9	6–3	5–5	5–4	10–3	5–4	4–4	5–2	8–5	—	6–6	7–2	7–2	7–2	5–2	12–6
Philadelphia	1–8	5–8	7–2	3–6	4–5	11–2	1–6	3–6	4–5	6–6	6–6	—	3–4	6–3	2–6	4–5	11–7
Pittsburgh	2–5	3–6	6–7	6–7	7–2	4–3	7–5	6–3	4–8	6–3	2–7	4–3	—	3–6	4–5	7–5	7–8
San Diego	2–11	4–5	3–6	3–6	9–4	6–3	1–8	9–3	5–3	3–5	2–7	3–6	6–3	—	5–7	2–7	11–4
San Francisco	3–9	5–4	7–1	5–4	9–4	5–4	4–5	5–8	5–4	5–4	2–7	6–2	5–4	7–5	—	6–3	7–8
St. Louis	4–4	1–8	5–7	4–8	5–4	4–3	7–5	6–3	6–7	4–5	2–5	5–4	5–7	7–2	3–6	—	7–8

Notable transactions

• July 31, 1999: Brian McRae was traded by the New York Mets with Thomas Johnson (minors) and Rigo Beltrán to the Colorado Rockies for Darryl Hamilton and Chuck McElroy.^[9]
• July 31, 1999: Jason Isringhausen was traded by the New York Mets with Greg McMichael to the Oakland Athletics for Billy Taylor.^[10]

Game log

Legend
Mets Win	Mets Loss	Game Postponed
Bold = Mets team member

1999 Game Log (97–66) Home: 49–32; Away: 48–34
April: (14–9) Home: 6–4; Away: 8–5 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 1 April 5 @ Marlins 2–6 Fernandez (1–0) Leiter (0–1) — Pro Player Stadium 38,983 0–1 2 April 6 @ Marlins 12–3 Reed (1–0) Hernandez (0–1) Watson (1) Pro Player Stadium 18,075 1–1 3 April 7 @ Marlins 6–0 Jones (1–0) Sanchez (0–1) — Pro Player Stadium 13,845 2–1 4 April 8 @ Expos 1–5 Batista (1–0) Hershiser (0–1) Urbina (1) Olympic Stadium 43,918 2–2 5 April 9 @ Expos 10–3 Yoshii (1–0) Thurman (0–1) — Olympic Stadium 12,386 3–2 6 April 10 @ Expos 4–3 (11) Cook (1–0) Telford (0–1) Franco (1) Olympic Stadium 16,173 4–2 7 April 11 @ Expos 6–3 Watson (1–0) Pavano (0–2) Franco (2) Olympic Stadium 10,366 5–2 8 April 12 Marlins 8–1 Jones (2–0) Hernandez (0–2) — Shea Stadium 52,052 6–2 9 April 14 Marlins 4–1 Hershiser (1–1) Sanchez (0–2) Franco (3) Shea Stadium 15,729 7–2 10 April 15 Marlins 4–11 Meadows (2–0) Yoshii (1–1) — Shea Stadium 14,165 7–3 11 April 16 Expos 4–6 Hermanson (2–0) Leiter (0–2) Urbina (2) Shea Stadium 17,900 7–4 12 April 17 Expos 3–2 Jones (3–0) Pavano (0–3) Franco (4) Shea Stadium 34,784 8–4 13 April 18 Expos 2–4 Vazquez (1–1) Watson (1–1) Urbina (3) Shea Stadium 26,020 8–5 14 April 20 @ Reds 3–2 Cook (2–0) Harnisch (1–2) Franco (5) Cinergy Field 14,006 9–5 15 April 21 @ Reds 4–7 Sullivan (1–0) Yoshii (1–2) Graves (2) Cinergy Field 15,040 9–6 16 April 22 @ Reds 4–1 Leiter (1–2) Tomko (0–1) Franco (6) Cinergy Field 14,783 10–6 17 April 23 @ Cubs 6–5 Cook (3–0) Beck (1–2) Franco (7) Wrigley Field 20,828 11–6 18 April 24 @ Cubs 0–2 Mulholland (1–0) Watson (1–2) Beck (3) Wrigley Field 38,516 11–7 19 April 25 @ Cubs 4–8 Myers (1–0) Hershiser (1–2) — Wrigley Field 39,265 11–8 20 April 27 Padres 2–6 Ashby (4–1) Yoshii (1–3) — Shea Stadium 25,113 11–9 21 April 28 Padres 4–3 Wendell (1–0) Hoffman (0–2) — Shea Stadium 22,581 12–9 22 April 29 Padres 8–5 Cook (4–0) Boehringer (0–1) Franco (8) Shea Stadium 18,442 13–9 23 April 30 Giants 7–2 Watson (2–2) Estes (2–2) Wendell (1) Shea Stadium 32,427 14–9
May: (13–15) Home: 7–9; Away: 6–6 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 24 May 1 Giants 9–4 Hershiser (2–2) Brock (2–2) — Shea Stadium 33,825 15–9 25 May 2 Giants 2–0 Cook (5–0) Johnstone (3–1) Franco (9) Shea Stadium 37,431 16–9 26 May 3 Astros 5–3 Reed (2–0) Holt (0–4) Franco (10) Shea Stadium 14,878 17–9 27 May 4 Astros 1–6 Hampton (3–1) Leiter (1–3) — Shea Stadium 27,192 17–10 28 May 5 Astros 4–5 Powell (2–0) Benitez (0–1) Wagner (10) Shea Stadium 25,026 17–11 29 May 7 @ Diamondbacks 7–14 Stottlemyre (4–1) Hershiser (2–3) — Bank One Ballpark 38,154 17–12 30 May 8 @ Diamondbacks 4–2 Yoshii (2–3) Benes (2–3) Benitez (1) Bank One Ballpark 37,593 18–12 31 May 9 @ Diamondbacks 6–11 Daal (3–3) Reed (2–1) — Bank One Ballpark 38,250 18–13 32 May 10 @ Rockies 3–10 Astacio (3–3) Leiter (1–4) — Coors Field 40,021 18–14 33 May 11 @ Rockies 5–8 B. M. Jones (1–1) B. J. Jones (3–1) — Coors Field 40,032 18–15 34 May 12 @ Rockies 10–5 Reed (3–1) Thomson (0–5) — Coors Field 41,011 19–15 35 May 14 @ Phillies 7–3 Yoshii (3–3) Ogea (2–3) — Veterans Stadium 21,074 20–15 36 May 15 @ Phillies 9–7 Mahomes (1–0) Ryan (1–2) Franco (11) Veterans Stadium 27,039 21–15 37 May 16 @ Phillies 2–5 Byrd (5–2) Hershiser (2–4) Brantley (5) Veterans Stadium 28,422 21–16 38 May 17 Brewers 6–7 Karl (5–1) B. J. Jones (3–2) Wickman (8) Shea Stadium 16,326 21–17 39 May 18 Brewers 2–4 Weathers (3–0) Cook (5–1) Wickman (9) Shea Stadium 26,411 21–18 – May 19 Brewers Postponed (rain); rescheduled for May 20 40 May 20 (1) Brewers 11–10 Leiter (2–4) Abbott (0–5) Franco (12) Shea Stadium N/A 22–18 41 May 20 (2) Brewers 7–5 Yoshii (4–3) Woodard (3–4) — Shea Stadium 19,542 23–18 42 May 21 Phillies 7–5 Hershiser (3–4) Loewer (2–4) Franco (13) Shea Stadium 24,554 24–18 43 May 22 Phillies 3–9 Byrd (6–2) B. J. Jones (3–3) — Shea Stadium 34,575 24–19 44 May 23 Phillies 5–4 Beltran (1–0) Schilling (7–2) — Shea Stadium 34,950 25–19 45 May 24 @ Pirates 4–7 Silva (2–2) Isringhausen (0–1) Williams (8) Three Rivers Stadium 11,880 25–20 46 May 25 @ Pirates 8–3 Yoshii (5–3) Benson (3–3) — Three Rivers Stadium 12,029 26–20 47 May 26 @ Pirates 5–2 Hershiser (4–4) Schourek (2–5) Franco (14) Three Rivers Stadium 13,681 27–20 48 May 28 Diamondbacks 1–2 Daal (5–4) Reed (3–2) Olson (6) Shea Stadium 32,114 27–21 49 May 29 Diamondbacks 7–8 Reynoso (3–1) Beltran (1–1) Kim (1) Shea Stadium 35,167 27–22 50 May 30 Diamondbacks 1–10 Johnson (6–2) Yoshii (5–4) — Shea Stadium 38,302 27–23 51 May 31 Reds 3–5 Villone (1–0) Leiter (2–5) Williamson (6) Shea Stadium 28,368 27–24
June: (17–10) Home: 8–3; Away: 9–7 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 52 June 1 Reds 0–4 Harnisch (5–5) Hershiser (4–5) — Shea Stadium 17,899 27–25 53 June 2 Reds 7–8 Williamson (4–1) Franco (0–1) Sullivan (1) Shea Stadium 15,837 27–26 54 June 4 @ Yankees 3–4 Grimsley (5–0) Reed (3–3) Rivera (14) Yankee Stadium 56,175 27–27 55 June 5 @ Yankees 3–6 Hernandez (6–5) Yoshii (5–5) Rivera (15) Yankee Stadium 55,935 27–28 56 June 6 @ Yankees 7–2 Leiter (3–5) Clemens (5–1) — Yankee Stadium 56,294 28–28 57 June 7 Blue Jays 8–2 Hershiser (5–5) Halladay (4–3) — Shea Stadium 21,457 29–28 58 June 8 Blue Jays 11–3 Isringhausen (1–1) Hentgen (4–5) — Shea Stadium 18,984 30–28 59 June 9 Blue Jays 4–3 (14) Mahomes (2–0) Davey (1–1) — Shea Stadium 18,254 31–28 60 June 11 Red Sox 2–3 (12) Corsi (1–2) Franco (0–2) Wasdin (1) Shea Stadium 36,700 31–29 61 June 12 Red Sox 4–2 Leiter (4–5) Rapp (2–4) Franco (15) Shea Stadium 43,819 32–29 62 June 13 Red Sox 5–4 Hershiser (6–5) Portugal (3–5) Wendell (2) Shea Stadium 46,473 33–29 63 June 14 @ Reds 4–8 Williamson (6–2) McMichael (0–1) — Cinergy Field 19,270 33–30 64 June 15 @ Reds 11–3 Reed (4–3) Tomko (2–4) — Cinergy Field 18,248 34–30 65 June 16 @ Reds 5–2 Yoshii (6–5) Parris (4–1) Franco (16) Cinergy Field 25,531 35–30 66 June 17 @ Cardinals 4–3 Leiter (5–5) Mercker (2–3) Cook (1) Busch Stadium 37,601 36–30 67 June 18 @ Cardinals 6–2 Hershiser (7–5) Acevedo (4–2) Benitez (2) Busch Stadium 47,191 37–30 68 June 19 @ Cardinals 6–7 Aybar (3–1) Isringhausen (1–2) Bottalico (9) Busch Stadium 47,638 37–31 69 June 20 @ Cardinals 9–6 Reed (5–3) Croushore (1–1) Franco (17) Busch Stadium 44,705 38–31 70 June 22 Marlins 8–2 McMichael (1–1) Springer (2–9) Benitez (3) Shea Stadium 30,713 39–31 71 June 23 Marlins 6–3 Leiter (6–5) Meadows (5–8) Franco (18) Shea Stadium 25,116 40–31 72 June 24 Marlins 3–2 Cook (6–1) Hernandez (3–7) Franco (19) Shea Stadium 29,567 41–31 73 June 25 @ Braves 10–2 Reed (6–3) Perez (4–5) — Turner Field 48,292 42–31 74 June 26 @ Braves 2–7 Glavine (6–7) Dotel (0–1) — Turner Field 48,293 42–32 75 June 27 @ Braves 0–1 Maddux (7–5) Yoshii (6–6) Rocker (16) Turner Field 46,092 42–33 76 June 28 @ Marlins 10–4 Leiter (7–5) Meadows (5–9) — Pro Player Stadium 12,444 43–33 77 June 29 @ Marlins 5–1 Hershiser (8–5) Hernandez (3–8) — Pro Player Stadium 11,256 44–33 78 June 30 @ Marlins 3–4 (10) Alfonseca (4–4) Benitez (0–2) — Pro Player Stadium 16,660 44–34
July: (18–9) Home: 10–6; Away: 8–3 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 79 July 1 @ Marlins 12–8 Dotel (1–1) Dempster (4–4) — Pro Player Stadium 10,884 45–34 80 July 2 Braves 0–16 Maddux (8–5) Yoshii (6–7) — Shea Stadium 51,979 45–35 81 July 3 Braves 0–3 Millwood (10–4) Leiter (7–6) Rocker (17) Shea Stadium 43,256 45–36 82 July 4 Braves 7–6 Cook (7–1) Smoltz (8–3) Benitez (4) Shea Stadium 32,699 46–36 83 July 5 Expos 2–1 Wendell (2–0) Mota (1–3) Benitez (5) Shea Stadium 22,699 47–36 84 July 6 Expos 10–0 Hershiser (9–5) Pavano (6–7) Isringhausen (1) Shea Stadium 30,053 48–36 85 July 7 Expos 1–3 Kline (3–2) Wendell (2–1) Urbina (18) Shea Stadium 26,457 48–37 86 July 8 Expos 3–4 Ayala (1–5) Cook (7–2) Urbina (19) Shea Stadium 29,730 48–38 87 July 9 Yankees 5–2 Leiter (8–6) Clemens (8–3) Benitez (6) Shea Stadium 53,820 49–38 88 July 10 Yankees 9–8 Mahomes (3–0) Rivera (2–2) — Shea Stadium 53,792 50–38 89 July 11 Yankees 3–6 Irabu (6–3) Hershiser (9–6) Rivera (23) Shea Stadium 53,869 50–39 70th All-Star Game in Boston, Massachusetts 90 July 15 @ Devil Rays 8–7 (10) Benitez (1–2) Charlton (0–2) — Tropicana Field 19,384 51–39 91 July 16 @ Devil Rays 9–7 Reed (7–3) Eiland (1–5) Cook (2) Tropicana Field 20,929 52–39 92 July 17 @ Devil Rays 2–3 Alvarez (5–6) Hershiser (9–7) Hernandez (27) Tropicana Field 36,994 52–40 93 July 18 @ Orioles 8–6 Yoshii (7–7) Guzman (4–8) Benitez (7) Oriole Park at Camden Yards 47,480 53–40 94 July 19 @ Orioles 4–1 Dotel (2–1) Johnson (1–4) Benitez (8) Oriole Park at Camden Yards 42,615 54–40 95 July 20 @ Orioles 1–4 Ponson (9–6) Leiter (8–7) — Oriole Park at Camden Yards 45,450 54–41 96 July 21 @ Expos 7–3 Reed (8–3) Smith (1–5) — Olympic Stadium 8,676 55–41 97 July 22 @ Expos 7–4 Hershiser (10–7) Hermanson (3–9) — Olympic Stadium 8,044 56–41 98 July 23 Cubs 5–4 Cook (8–2) Tapani (6–7) Benitez (9) Shea Stadium 52,135 57–41 99 July 24 Cubs 2–1 Dotel (3–1) Trachsel (3–14) Benitez (10) Shea Stadium 47,995 58–41 100 July 25 Cubs 5–1 Leiter (9–7) Serafini (2–2) — Shea Stadium 47,679 59–41 101 July 26 Pirates 7–5 Reed (9–3) Cordova (5–5) Wendell (3) Shea Stadium 32,010 60–41 102 July 27 Pirates 1–5 Benson (8–8) Hershiser (10–8) — Shea Stadium 36,337 60–42 103 July 28 Pirates 9–2 Cook (9–2) Wilkins (2–1) — Shea Stadium 42,920 61–42 104 July 30 @ Cubs 10–9 Mahomes (4–0) Farnsworth (2–4) Benitez (11) Wrigley Field 38,594 62–42 105 July 31 @ Cubs 10–17 Serafini (3–2) Isringhausen (1–3) — Wrigley Field 39,431 62–43
August: (18–10) Home: 8–5; Away: 10–5 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 106 August 1 @ Cubs 5–4 (13) Mahomes (5–0) Sanders (4–5) — Wrigley Field 39,222 63–43 107 August 2 @ Brewers 7–2 Reed (10–3) Nomo (9–4) — County Stadium 19,626 64–43 108 August 3 @ Brewers 10–3 Hershiser (11–8) Pulsipher (3–2) — County Stadium 17,669 65–43 109 August 4 @ Brewers 9–5 Rogers (6–3) Peterson (1–2) — County Stadium 20,762 66–43 110 August 6 Dodgers 2–1 Dotel (4–1) Park (6–9) Benitez (12) Shea Stadium 43,825 67–43 111 August 7 Dodgers 6–7 Borbon (3–1) Taylor (1–6) Shaw (23) Shea Stadium 53,656 67–44 112 August 8 Dodgers 3–14 Dreifort (9–11) Reed (10–4) — Shea Stadium 39,803 67–45 113 August 9 Dodgers 2–9 Brown (13–6) Hershiser (11–9) — Shea Stadium 36,345 67–46 114 August 10 Padres 4–3 Wendell (3–1) Ashby (10–6) Benitez (13) Shea Stadium 32,101 68–46 115 August 11 Padres 12–5 Mahomes (6–0) Hitchcock (11–9) — Shea Stadium 34,232 69–46 116 August 12 Padres 9–3 Leiter (10–7) Williams (5–11) — Shea Stadium 32,062 70–46 117 August 13 @ Giants 2–3 Ortiz (13–8) Yoshii (7–8) Nen (26) 3Com Park 25,533 70–47 118 August 14 @ Giants 6–1 Hershiser (12–9) Reuter (10–7) — 3Com Park 57,853 71–47 119 August 15 @ Giants 12–5 Rogers (7–3) Hernandez (6–11) — 3Com Park 41,530 72–47 120 August 16 @ Padres 4–3 (10) Cook (10–2) Cunnane (2–1) Benitez (14) Qualcomm Stadium 21,974 73–47 121 August 17 @ Padres 2–3 Williams (6–11) Leiter (10–8) Hoffman (31) Qualcomm Stadium 22,790 73–48 122 August 18 @ Padres 9–1 Yoshii (8–8) Spencer (0–6) — Qualcomm Stadium 24,519 74–48 – August 20 Cardinals Postponed (rain); rescheduled for August 22 123 August 21 Cardinals 7–4 Mahomes (7–0) Mercker (6–5) Benitez (15) Shea Stadium 45,491 75–48 124 August 22 (1) Cardinals 8–7 Benitez (2–2) Bottalico (2–7) — Shea Stadium N/A 76–48 125 August 22 (2) Cardinals 5–7 Stephenson (4–0) Hershiser (12–10) Acevedo (4) Shea Stadium 50,139 76–49 126 August 23 Astros 3–2 Benitez (3–2) Powell (4–4) — Shea Stadium 39,292 77–49 127 August 24 Astros 1–5 (10) Wagner (3–1) Cook (10–3) — Shea Stadium 35,673 77–50 128 August 25 Astros 4–0 Rogers (8–3) Reynolds (14–10) Cook (3) Shea Stadium 44,640 78–50 129 August 27 @ Diamondbacks 6–3 Dotel (5–1) Daal (13–7) Benitez (16) Bank One Ballpark 42,581 79–50 130 August 28 @ Diamondbacks 3–5 Reynoso (10–2) Cook (10–4) Mantei (24) Bank One Ballpark 47,076 79–51 131 August 29 @ Diamondbacks 4–8 Anderson (6–2) Leiter (10–9) Olson (14) Bank One Ballpark 38,596 79–52 132 August 30 @ Astros 17–1 Yoshii (9–8) Reynolds (14–11) — Astrodome 28,032 80–52 133 August 31 @ Astros 2–6 Lima (18–7) Wendell (3–2) — Astrodome 24,982 80–53
September: (13–13) Home: 7–5; Away: 6–8 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 134 September 1 @ Astros 9–5 Dotel (6–1) Holt (3–13) — Astrodome 24,112 81–53 135 September 3 Rockies 2–5 (10) Leskanic (5–2) Wendell (3–3) Veres (27) Shea Stadium 36,102 81–54 136 September 4 Rockies 4–2 Leiter (11–9) Bohanon (11–11) Benitez (17) Shea Stadium 43,431 82–54 137 September 5 Rockies 6–2 Yoshii (10–8) Kile (8–13) — Shea Stadium 49,117 83–54 138 September 6 Giants 3–0 Rogers (9–3) Gardner (4–10) — Shea Stadium 35,727 84–54 139 September 7 Giants 4–7 Rodriguez (3–0) Wendell (3–4) Nen (32) Shea Stadium 24,002 84–55 140 September 8 Giants 7–5 Dotel (7–1) Estes (10–8) Benitez (18) Shea Stadium 26,499 85–55 141 September 9 @ Dodgers 3–1 Hershiser (13–10) Brown (16–7) Benitez (19) Dodger Stadium 33,954 86–55 142 September 10 @ Dodgers 1–3 Dreifort (13–13) Leiter (11–10) Shaw (32) Dodger Stadium 34,414 86–56 143 September 11 @ Dodgers 6–2 Yoshii (11–8) Valdez (9–14) — Dodger Stadium 47,747 87–56 144 September 12 @ Dodgers 10–3 Rogers (10–3) Gagne (0–1) — Dodger Stadium 34,685 88–56 145 September 13 @ Rockies 6–5 Wendell (4–4) Veres (3–8) Benitez (20) Coors Field 40,547 89–56 146 September 14 @ Rockies 2–7 Wright (3–2) Dotel (7–2) — Coors Field 41,090 89–57 147 September 15 @ Rockies 10–5 Wendell (5–4) Dipoto (4–5) Benitez (21) Coors Field 41,820 90–57 148 September 17 Phillies 5–8 Wolf (6–8) Leiter (11–11) Brewer (2) Shea Stadium 31,842 90–58 149 September 18 Phillies 11–1 Yoshii (12–8) Grace (1–3) — Shea Stadium 37,655 91–58 150 September 19 Phillies 8–6 Dotel (8–2) Byrd (14–10) Benitez (22) Shea Stadium 51,560 92–58 151 September 21 @ Braves 1–2 Remlinger (10–1) Cook (10–5) Rocker (34) Turner Field 43,948 92–59 152 September 22 @ Braves 2–5 Glavine (12–11) Hershiser (13–11) Rocker (35) Turner Field 47,520 92–60 153 September 23 @ Braves 3–6 Maddux (19–8) Leiter (11–12) Rocker (36) Turner Field 49,228 92–61 154 September 24 @ Phillies 2–3 Grahe (1–3) Benitez (3–3) Aldred (1) Veterans Stadium 21,649 92–62 155 September 25 @ Phillies 2–4 Person (9–7) Rogers (10–4) Gomes (19) Veterans Stadium 23,319 92–63 156 September 26 @ Phillies 2–3 Byrd (15–10) Reed (10–5) Montgomery (1) Veterans Stadium 26,370 92–64 157 September 28 Braves 3–9 Glavine (13–11) Hershiser (13–12) — Shea Stadium 43,888 92–65 158 September 29 Braves 9–2 Leiter (12–12) Maddux (19–9) — Shea Stadium 43,922 93–65 159 September 30 Braves 3–4 (11) Mulholland (10–8) Dotel (8–3) — Shea Stadium 48,364 93–66
October: (4–0) Home: 3–0; Away: 1–0 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 160 October 1 Pirates 3–2 (11) Mahomes (8–0) Sauerbeck (4–1) — Shea Stadium 29,528 94–66 161 October 2 Pirates 7–0 Reed (11–5) Cordova (8–10) — Shea Stadium 36,878 95–66 162 October 3 Pirates 2–1 Benitez (4–3) Hansell (1–3) — Shea Stadium 50,111 96–66 163 October 4 @ Reds 5–0 Leiter (13–12) Parris (11–4) — Cinergy Field 54,621 97–66

Roster

1999 New York Mets
Roster
Pitchers 43 Rigo Beltrán 49 Armando Benítez 27 Dennis Cook 29 Octavio Dotel 45 John Franco 55 Orel Hershiser 44 Jason Isringhausen 28 Bobby Jones 22 Al Leiter 23 Pat Mahomes 39 Josías Manzanillo 34 Chuck McElroy 36 Greg McMichael 48 Dan Murray 35 Rick Reed 73 Kenny Rogers 48 Glendon Rusch 38 Jeff Tam 26 Billy Taylor 30 Allen Watson 99 Turk Wendell 21 Masato Yoshii		Catchers 31 Mike Piazza  7 Todd Pratt  3 Vance Wilson Infielders 13 Edgardo Alfonzo 15 Matt Franco 17 Luis López  5 John Olerud 10 Rey Ordóñez 30 Jorge Toca  4 Robin Ventura		Outfielders 50 Benny Agbayani 46 Jermaine Allensworth 25 Bobby Bonilla 19 Roger Cedeño 12 Shawon Dunston 11 Shane Halter 18 Darryl Hamilton 24 Rickey Henderson 33 Mike Kinkade 56 Brian McRae  6 Melvin Mora 44 Jay Payton Other batters 26 Terrence Long		Manager  2 Bobby Valentine Coaches 34 Bob Apodaca (pitching) (fired on June 6, 1999) 52 Dave Wallace (pitching) 20 Bruce Benedict (bench) 48 Randy Niemann (bullpen) (fired on June 6, 1999) 53 Tom Robson (hitting) (fired on June 6, 1999) 53 Mickey Brantley (hitting) 54 Al Jackson (bullpen)  8 Cookie Rojas (third base)  1 Mookie Wilson (first base)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Mike Piazza	141	534	162	.303	40	124
1B	John Olerud	162	581	173	.298	19	96
2B	Edgardo Alfonzo	158	628	191	.304	27	108
3B	Robin Ventura	161	588	177	.301	32	120
SS	Rey Ordóñez	154	520	134	.258	1	60
LF	Rickey Henderson	121	438	138	.315	12	42
CF	Brian McRae	96	298	66	.221	8	36
RF	Roger Cedeño	155	453	142	.313	4	36

^[11]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Benny Agbayani	101	276	79	.286	14	42
Darryl Hamilton	55	168	57	.339	5	21
Todd Pratt	71	140	41	.293	3	21
Matt Franco	122	132	31	.235	4	21
Bobby Bonilla	60	119	19	.160	4	18
Luis López	68	104	22	.212	2	13
Shawon Dunston	42	93	32	.344	0	16
Jermaine Allensworth	40	73	16	.219	3	9
Mike Kinkade	28	46	9	.196	2	6
Melvin Mora	66	31	5	.161	0	1
Jay Payton	13	8	2	.250	0	1
Terrence Long	3	3	0	.000	0	0
Jorge Toca	4	3	1	.333	0	0
Vance Wilson	1	0	0	----	0	0
Shane Halter	7	0	0	----	0	0

^[11]

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	GS	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Al Leiter	32	32	213.0	13	12	4.23	162
Orel Hershiser	32	32	179.0	13	12	4.58	89
Masato Yoshii	31	29	174.0	12	8	4.40	105
Rick Reed	26	26	149.1	11	5	4.58	104
Octavio Dotel	19	14	85.1	8	3	5.38	85
Kenny Rogers	12	12	76.0	5	1	4.03	58

^[12]

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Bobby Jones	12	59.1	3	3	5.61	31
Allen Watson	14	39.2	2	2	4.08	32
Jason Isringhausen	13	39.1	1	3	6.41	31

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Armando Benítez	77	78.0	4	3	22	1.85	128
Turk Wendell	80	85.2	5	4	3	3.05	77
Pat Mahomes	39	63.2	8	0	0	3.68	51
Dennis Cook	71	63.0	10	5	3	3.86	68
John Franco	46	40.2	0	2	19	2.88	41
Rigo Beltrán	21	31.0	1	1	0	3.48	35
Greg McMichael	19	18.2	1	1	0	4.82	18
Josías Manzanillo	12	18.2	0	0	0	5.79	25
Billy Taylor	18	13.1	0	1	0	8.10	14
Chuck McElroy	15	13.1	0	0	0	3.38	7
Jeff Tam	9	11.1	0	0	0	3.18	8
Matt Franco	2	1.1	0	0	0	13.50	2
Dan Murray	1	2.0	0	0	0	13.50	1
Glendon Rusch	1	1.0	0	0	0	0.00	0

^[12]

Postseason

Game log

1999 Postseason Game Log (5–5)
NLDS vs Diamondbacks (3–1) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 1 October 5 @ Diamondbacks 8–4 Wendell (1–0) Johnson (0–1) — Bank One Ballpark 49,584 1–0 2 October 6 @ Diamondbacks 1–7 Stottlemyre (1–0) Rogers (0–1) — Bank One Ballpark 49,328 1–1 3 October 8 Diamondbacks 9–2 Reed (1–0) Daal (0–1) — Shea Stadium 56,180 2–1 4 October 9 Diamondbacks 4–3 (10) Franco (1–0) Mantei (0–1) — Shea Stadium 56,177 3–1
NLCS vs Braves (2–4) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 1 October 12 @ Braves 2–4 Maddux (1–0) Yoshii (0–1) Rocker (1) Turner Field 44,172 0–1 2 October 13 @ Braves 3–4 Millwood (1–0) Rogers (0–1) Smoltz (1) Turner Field 44,624 0–2 3 October 15 Braves 0–1 Glavine (1–0) Leiter (0–1) Rocker (2) Shea Stadium 55,911 0–3 4 October 16 Braves 3–2 Wendell (1–0) Remlinger (0–1) Benitez (1) Shea Stadium 55,872 1–3 5 October 17 Braves 4–3 (15) Dotel (1–0) McGlinchy (0–1) — Shea Stadium 55,723 2–3 6 October 19 @ Braves 9–10 (11) Springer (1–0) Rogers (0–2) — Turner Field 52,335 2–4

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Norfolk Tides	International League	John Gibbons
AA	Binghamton Mets	Eastern League	Doug Davis
A	St. Lucie Mets	Florida State League	Howie Freiling
A	Capital City Bombers	South Atlantic League	Dave Engle
A-Short Season	Pittsfield Mets	New York–Penn League	Tony Tijerina
Rookie	Kingsport Mets	Appalachian League	Guy Conti
Rookie	GCL Mets	Gulf Coast League	John Stephenson

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: GCL Mets^[13]

References

1. Bobby Bonilla Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
2. Todd Hundley Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
3. Charles Johnson Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
4. "Robin Ventura Stats | Baseball-Reference.com".
5. "Josias Manzanillo Stats | Baseball-Reference.com".
6. Todd Fitzpatrick (August 16, 1999). "Turn Ahead? Turn around". The Sporting News. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved January 14, 2011.
7. "Orel Hershiser modelling the Mercury Mets jersey". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
8. "Apr 5, 1999, Mets at Marlins Play by Play and Box Score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2012.
9. Brian McRae Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
10. Jason Isringhausen Statistics Baseball-Reference.com
11. 1999 New York Mets Statistics and Roster Baseball-Reference.com
12. "1999 New York Mets Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com".
13. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007

External links

• 1999 New York Mets at Baseball Reference
• 1999 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com