Rusty Staub (Part One- The First Mets Years) From the World Series to the Trade (1972 - 1975)

The Mets Perusing Rusty Staub: The New York Mets needed a bat badly after the 1971 season & the Montreal Expos needed to fill some position players with young solid talent. In the 1971 -1972 off season even as late as Spring Training, Mets manager Gil Hodges was after Rusty Staub. He wanted him bad & even told Staub about it during a March exhibition game.

The two teams got together and began talking about a blockbuster trade, just before the start of the 1972 season.

Shockingly toward the end of Spring Training & during a brief Players strike, Mets manager Gil Hodges suffered a fatal heart attack in Florida. The team was devastated, upper management named Yogi Berra the popular choice as the team's manager. 

On April 6, 1972, four days after Gil Hodges fatal heart attack, Staub was Traded to the Mets in exchange for Ken Singleton, Tim Foli, & Mike Jorgensen. This turned out to be a good trade for both teams. Rusty was a true hitter with power, who would find a home in the middle of the Mets lineup for the next four years.

Rusty Staub arrived in New York City with a lot of fanfare & hope for adding punch to the

Mets lineup. 

Mets Debut: On April 15th, Opening Day 1972 the Mets honored Gil Hodges & unofficially retired his uniform #14. That rainy afternoon Rusty was the Mets right fielder, batting cleanup in between Tommie Agee & Cleon Jones. 

In his Mets debut he went 1-3 with a walk in a Tom Seaver 4-0 rain shortened shut out over the Pirates. 

In the last two games of the first home stand Staub would have back-to-back three hits games, in wins over the Cubs & was batting .348.

On April 27th he hit his first Mets HR, leading off the 2nd inning off the Padres Fred Norman in a 4-3 Mets win over San Diego. On May 10th, in a game with the Dodgers at Shea, Rusty singled in the 5th inning bringing in Bud Harrelson, bringing the Mets within a run. In the 8th he homered off Al Downing to tie the game up. The Mets went on to walk off win on Teddy Martinez RBI single also scoring Harrelson.

Grand Slam on Willie Mays Mets Debut: On Mother’s Day, May 14th, in front of a Shea crowd of 35,000, Willie Mays, made his triumphant return to New York City, this time in a Mets uniform. Mays had been acquired in a trade earlier that week, even though he was at the end of his career his mere presence was important to the fans & his teammates. His debut came against his old San Francisco Giants teammates. 

Rusty Staub gave the mothers in attendance that day an early gift. In the 1st inning he hit a grand slam HR off the Giants' "Sudden" Sam Mcdowell. 

Later in the game Mays hit a 5th inning HR that sent the Shea crowd into a wild frenzy, it also proved to be the games winning run.

Four Hit Game: Late in May Rusty had two four hit games. On May 23rd at Wrigley Field, he had four of the Mets six hits, bringing in the Mets only run in a 2-1 loss to Fergie Jenkins.

On May 29th, Rusty hit a two run HR off the Cards Scipio Spinks in a 7-6 Mets win in St. Louis.

Four Hit Four RBI Game: On May 30th, in a Jon Matlack three hit shut out over Steve Carlton & the Phillies Rusty had a big game. He began with a 1st inning two run double off Carlton. 

In the 3rd inning, he had an RBI single putting the Mets up 3-0. In the 5th inning he added an RBI single giving the Mets a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the 7th, he doubled off Wayne Twitchell to complete his four-hit game. It was the second time that month he reached a season high four RBI game.

On June 1st, Rusty hit a three run HR off former Met Dick Selma in a 6-1 win over the Phillies. Staub would drive in nine runs in the first eight games of June. 

Injury: On June 3rd, in a 5-2 win over the Braves at Shea Stadium, Staub was hit on the hand by a pitch from George Stone. Ironically, Stone would be Staub's Mets team mate the following year. Although it was not known at the time, the pitch would sideline Staub for most of the season. Rusty continued to play with the pain & remained in the lineup.

By mid-June Staub was batting .307 and the Mets were atop the NL East ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

On June 18, in a 2-1 win over the Reds in Cincinnati, Staub started the game but was removed after reinjuring his hand swinging at a pitch in the 4th inning.

Staub, who missed only seven games in the previous four seasons would go down for the next month.

Quotes- Rusty Staub: "It's been very frustrating very tough because I'm used getting keyed up for a game every day. I've been irritable, it's been irritating for me". 

On July 18th, he returned to the lineup. The Mets had also suffered injuries to Cleon Jones & Tommie Agee, finding themselves five games behind the Pirates in second place. 

In his first at bat Staub grounded out but brought home a run, he later singled off the Dodgers Tommy John in a 2-1 loss in Los Angeles.

Staub felt pain in his hand, then X-rays showed a break. He would miss action games for the next two months; the Mets post season hopes were put to rest as his bat was sorely missed.

It was the first major injury of his career. He returned to the line up in late September going 7-30 with two RBIs in nine games. 

In his first Met season Staub only played in 66 games batting .293 with 70 hits, nine HRs, eleven doubles, 31 walks 32 runs scored & 38 RBIs. He struck out just 13 times with 31 walks, posted a .372 on base % (second on the club to Wayne Garrett) & .824 OPS.

Baseball Card Trivia: Staub does not have a 1972 or 1973 Topps baseball card because he refused to join the players union being one of the last hold outs.

1973 Mets Championship Season: In 1973 Rusty was one of the team’s leaders & the teams most clutch position player. Staub was one of the few regular players that did not get injured for a long period of time as he played in 152 games that season.

Rusty struggled early on, not getting his average over .200 until the beginning of May. 

Multi HR Game: On April 25th in a match up against his old Astros teammates, Staub hit his first two HRs of the year. In the 2nd inning he hit a solo shot off Don Wilson then a 5th inning solo shot off Tom Griffin in a 5-2 Mets win at the Astrodome.

Staub had only driven in one run up to that point & was still only batting .155. He began to get hot from that point, hitting safely in 20 of the next 22 ball games.

Grand Slam: On May 3rd in a 6-5 loss to the Reds at Shea, Rusty hit a 1st inning grand slam HR off pitcher Jim McGlothlin. It was his fourth career grand slam & second as a Mets player.

From May 6th to May 26th, he drove in runs in 11 of 15 games, while hitting safely in 12 of 13 games.

Five Hits in a 19 Inning Game: On May 24th Staub had a big five hit game in a 19-inning 7-3 Mets win at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Stub collected two singles off Tommy John then a base hit off Pete Richert in the 8th inning. He scored the game's tying run on George the Stork Theodore's RBI single. Staub later collected a base hit off Doug Rau in the 17th inning.

In the top of the 19th, Cleon Jones led off with a base hit, then it was Staub’s double off Doug Rau that broke the 3-3 tie. The Mets went on to score four runs & win the game after five hours & 45 minutes of play. 

Staub picked up 17 RBIs that month, while batting .319 raising his average 100 points. He also walked 13 times to post a .407 on base % & score 14 runs in the month.

On Saturday June 9th, in front of 47,000 fans at Shea Stadium, Staub put the Mets on the board first with a two run double in the first inning off the Dodgers Al Downing. In the 8th inning he added another RBI double off Doug Rau leading Jon Matlack to a complete game 4-2 win. 

In June he had ten multi-hit games, while batting .336 bringing his average up near .290 by the end of the month.

On July 5th, Staub helped the Mets avoid a four-game sweep in Montreal when he cracked a bases loaded single 6th inning double, off relief ace Mike Marshall tying the game. Earlier in the game he had homered driving in three runs in the 7-3 Mets win.

On July 17th, the Mets came to bat down 7-1 to the Braves in Atlanta. Staub started a comeback rally with a two run HR off Carl Morton. John Milner also hit a two run HR that inning, Jim Beauchamp added an RBI single to tie the game. Willie Mays got the game winning hit with a pinch-hit RBI single off Tom House.

Five RBI Game: The next day on July 18th Staub had his biggest RBI Day of the season as he drove in five runs in the Mets 12-2 win, giving Tom Seaver his tenth win of the year. 

In the 3rd inning he hit his 9th HR of the year, a solo shot off Roric Harrison. In the 8th inning Staub drew a bases loaded walk & then in the 10th inning he hit his 10th HR of the year, a three-run shot off Jim Panther.

In the three-game series at Atlanta he collected six hits, with three HRs & seven RBIs while scoring four runs.

By the All Star break he was hitting .280 and had 10 HRs with 47 RBIs way ahead of most Mets players. 

On July 27th, Staub came to bat in the 6th inning facing Rick Wise in a 1-1 tie with the Cardinals in St. Loui. He doubled scoring Felix Millan with the go ahead & game winning run as Tom Seaver went on to his 12th win of the year to 12-5. Staub would drive in runs in three starit games from there.

At the end of July, the Mets hit rock bottom, they were in sixth place 10.5 games out of first with a 44-57 record. The NY Post actually ran a poll asking the fans who should be fired, Manager Yogi Berra, GM Bob Scheffing or Chairman M. Donald Grant? It was then a famous clubhouse meeting ended with Tug McGraw shouting "Ya Gotta Believe" at the end of Grant's speech. It became a rally cry that led the Mets to the World Series.

Although they won seven of ten games at the start of August, the Mets found themselves 11.5 games out of first place on August 5th with a record of 48-60, twelve games under .500. 

On August 7th, Rusty's 4th inning RBI single turned out be the insurance run the Mets needed in a 6-5 win over the Cards at Shea Stadium. 

Grand Slam HR: On August 27th he hit his second grand slam of the year it came against the Padres at She Stadium. In the 5th inning with the Mets down 2-1 Staub connected off San Diego's Steve Arlin leading the Mets to the 6-5 win.

In August Rusty had two eight game hit streaks, the latter of which led him right into the September stretch drive. The Mets began September with a win, on streak where they won five of six games & now just 4.5 games out of first place in a tight NL East that no one could dominate.

The Mets went 19-8 thru October 1st to capture the NL Eastern division title.

Staub was one of the few regulars that season who didn’t suffer an injuries or land on the DL. Staub was always clutch, when the Mets needed him in the big games. He went into early September with a nine-game hit streak, and in the final month hit safely in 23 of 28 games.

In September he batted .305 with 35 hits, ten extra base hits, six doubles, four HRs & 16 RBIs ending the regular season with a 15-game hit streak. 

Multi HR Game: On September 11th he hit two HRs off the Phillies Jim Lonborg & drove in four of the Mets five runs at Philadelphia in a losing effort. It was the fourth time he had driven in four runs or more on the year.

On September 18th, Rusty set the tone with a 3rd inning RBI hit off Bob Moose of the first place Pirates in Pittsburgh in what was a 6-5 Mets win. Although they were in a tight race in fourth place, New York was just 2.5 games behind the Pirates. 

The Mets returned home to Shea and swept series' with both the Pirates & the Cardinals with Staub hitting safely in every game. 

On September 21st he hit an 8th inning two run HR off the Pirates John Lamb in a 10-2 Mets win

completing the sweep & putting the Mets in first place.

1973 NL East Clinching: In the last regular season series, it was off to Chicago's Wrigley Field for a four-game set against the Cubs. 

After three straight rain outs, the Mets clinched at least a tie of the NL East, winning the second game of a double header on Sunday.

In that game Staub collected a single off Fergie Jenkins in the 1st inning & scored the Mets second run. In the 7th inning he singled home Felix Millian with the Mets sixth run. In the 9th he added a two run double off Ray Burris, as he went 3-5 with three RBIs, and two runs scored in the Mets 9-2 win.

In the final game of the regular season the next day, he collected four hits & singled in a run in the 5th inning adding to the Mets 3-0 lead as they went on to win the game clinching the NL East.

For the 1973 season Staub may have had one of his lesser productive years, but he led the '73 team in RBIs (76) on base percentage (.361) walks (74) OPS (.781) & set a club record with 36 doubles. 

He finished up second on the club in HRs (15) hits (163) batting average (.279) games played (152) & slugging (.421%).

Defensively, Staub was one of the league’s best out fielders, nailing 17 assists from the outfield, second best in the NL among all outfielders. He led the league with five double plays turned as an outfielder & was also second in put outs (294) & third in games played (152) while posting a .978 fielding %.

1973Post Season- NLCS: After eleven seasons in the big leagues, Rusty was finally playing in the post season. It was the only time in his 23-year big league career he would get to play in the post Sesson & reach a World Series.

In the 1973 NLCS, Rusty played a huge role in the Mets' upset victory over the NL Western Champion Cincinnati Reds.

Although he only batted .200 (3 -15) all his hits were HRs as he drove in five big runs. 

In the Mets Game #1 loss at Cincinnati, Staub went 0-2 but did draw two walks.

In Game #2 he put the Mets on the board first with a solo HR off Don Gullett in the 4th inning, the Mets went on to win it behind Jon Matlack's two hit shutout. In the game he was 1-3 with another walk.

It was after that game that Mets short stop Bud Harrelson made a comment that the Reds looked like him out there hitting today against Matlack. Although Harrelson meant it as a put down of himself the words angered the Reds, especially Pete Rose who was looking to motivate his team.

During batting practice before Game #3 at Shea Stadium Reds second baseman Joe Morgan confronted Harrelson about what he had said. Staub a former teammate of Morgan jumped in, to cool things off between the two All Star infielders. Morgan said he was cool but Pete Rose was still fuming.

In the classic Game #3 at Shea Stadium, Staub hit a 1st inning solo HR off Reds pitcher Ross Grimsley to set the tone for a big game.

In the 2nd inning, Jerry Grote walked & Don Hahn singled. With one out Jerry Koosman singled to load the bases. Wayne Garret hit a sac fly & Felix Millan Singled making it a quick 3-0 Mets. Staub came up with two men on & blasted a three-run HR off Grimsley, his second of the afternoon putting the Mets ahead 6-0. Shea Stadium was going crazy as the 1973 version of the Amazing Mets were smelling another World Series. 

His big day at the plate, was overshadowed in history for what happened in the 5th inning. Pete Rose, now even more upset being down 6-0, went after Harrelson with a pop-up cheap shot slide at second base to break up a double play. Harrelson barked at Rose calling him a cheap shot "@#$% sucker". Rose went wild lifting Harrelson & tossing him to the ground.

The Bud Harrelson / Pete Rose fight became legendary, the benches cleared & all out brawl ensued. It is still one of the most famous in post season brawls in MLB history. 

Staub was one of the Mets who had to walk out to left field when play was suspended, to plead with Mets fans to stop throwing debris on the field at Pete Rose so the game would not be forfeited.

Order was restored as the Mets went on to a 9-2 win taking two games to one series lead.

In Game #4, Staub made two spectacular defensive plays with his glove. The first came early on saving two runs from scoring for pitcher George Stone. 

The game went into extra innings, in the top of the 11th, Staub robbed the Reds Dan Driessen of an extra-base hit as he crashed into the right field wall to making a spectacular catch. Staub fell to the ground, injuring his shoulder. 

He was given a standing ovation as he left the field, but the shoulder was in bad shape.

The Mets lost the game & a decisive Game #5 was necessary. Even worse was the bad news that Staub could not play in the final Game #5.

In Game #5 the Mets, certainly inspired by the Staub injury, beat the Reds 7-2 with a thirteen-hit attack behind the pitching of that years' Cy Young winner, Tom Seaver. The Mets were the NL Champions & won the pennant as the Shea fans stormed the field tearing it apart in a wild scene.

1973 World Series: In the World Series the Mets faced the reigning American League Champion, Oakland A's. The A's were heavily favored with their team full of All Stars & three future Hall of Famers.

Although still injured & not at full strength, Rusty again led his team with both motivation & production.

He took cortisone shots for his shoulder, but still had to miss starting in the World Series opener at Oakland. He was announced as a pinch-hitter in the 9th inning but was called back when the A's brought in Darold Knowles to relieve Rollie Fingers. Oakland won the game 2-1.

Staub was back in the lineup for Game #2 playing in pain and unable to pull the ball with any power. He was 1-5 in the game with a 4th inning base hit off Vida Blue.

In right field he was forced to throw underhanded due to the sore shoulder, giving the A's a big advantage. The Mets went on to win the game 10-7 in 12 innings.

As the World Series moved back to Shea Stadium in New York, Rusty was feeling much better. Game #3 featured a Marquee matchup with Tom Seaver going up against Catfish Hunter, two of the game's best pitchers.

In the 1st inning Wayne Garrett led off with a HR, after Felix Millan singled, Rusty also singled off Catfish but was left stranded on second base. 

In the 9th inning with two outs & the score tied 2-2 Rusty just missed a walk off game winning HR, having to settle for a ground rule double.

The A's caught a huge break. Oakland pitcher Paul Lindblad intentionally walked Cleon Jones & got John Milner to fly out to right field. Rusty was once again left stranded on second base, as John Milner flew out for the third out. The A's went on to win it in the 11th inning 3-2.

Multi HR - Five RBI World Series Game:  In Game #4 Rusty Staub had one of the best Mets post season offensive games in team history.

In the bottom of the 1st inning leadoff man Wayne Garrett & Felix Millan both started the game with base hits. Staub came up facing Oakland pitcher Ken Holtzman, he blasted a three run HR to left center field sending Shea Stadium into frenzy, as the Mets took an early 3-0 lead.

In the 4th inning with the bases loaded Staub singled off A's reliever Blue Moon Odom bringing in Bud Harrelson & Wayne Garrett giving the Mets a 6-1 lead as they went on to win the game & tie up the series.

Rusty was the big hero of the night collecting four hits with a walk a HR & five RBIs setting a Mets record that still stands today (although tied) for RBIs in a post season game.

 Trivia: Rusty Staub is the only Met to have five RBIs in a World Series game.

In Game #5 Staub would single in the 5th inning & later draw a walk. The Mets went on to a 2-0 win behind Jerry Koosman (6.1 innings) & Tug McGraw (2.2 innings) combined shut out. The Mets were one game away from the Championship as they left New York up three games to two.

As the Series shifted back to Oakland for Game #6, Staub singled in the 1st inning but was left stranded on base along with Wayne Garrett on second base as Cleon Jones & John Milner were both retired. The Mets were shut down the rest of the way by Oakland pitchers Catfish Hunter, Darold Knowles & Rollie Fingers taking a 3-1 loss.

In the final Game #7, Staub got two hits including an RBI double off Ken Holtzman in the 6th inning although the Mets were already down 5-0. It was a tough loss after the team had come from so far down, being in last place as late as August.

Despite his shoulder injury, Staub played in all seven World Series games. He had more hits than any player on either team (11) & led all players (who had three or more at bats) in batting average (.423) & slugging (.615%). Staub & the Series MVP Reggie Jackson led all players with six RBIs. 

Staub also drew two walks and hit a pair of doubles. He only scored one run in all those times, had the Mets won the World Series, Staub may have very well been named the Series MVP & certainly should have been considered for the Series MVP even in a losing role.

What was it like playing for Yogi Berra? "Yogi's a great guy. Yogi never gave up. When you hear that comment, 'It ain't over 'til it's over,' well, that's Yogi. He tried to encourage everybody & he's a special guy. One thing about Yogi - you can be walking down the street, and it's like the Pope, everyone knows Yogi and loves him.”

Trivia: Rusty was a gourmet chef, as a player he'd often embarrass teammates who joined him for dinner on the road by sending his meal back two or three times until the chef got it right to his taste.

After the Pennant Season: In 1974 the Mets raised the NL Champion flag at Shea Stadium.

Staub had a good second week of April, as he drove in runs in five of six games, hitting his first two HRs of the season. On April 29th he had his second multi-RBI game, driving in three runs in a 8-7 loss at Dodger Stadium. He batted .296 in April driving in ten runs.

Starting on May 4th, he hit HRs in three straight games against the Padres at Shea Stadium. On May 4th the Mets were down 3-1 to San Diego when Rusty hit a three run HR in the 7th inning off the Randy Jones putting the Mets ahead in what was a 6-3 win.

Staub would hit five HRs in the first ten games of the month. He hit two HRs & drove in five runs in a series at Wrigley Field in early May. 

On May 16th, Staub broke a 2-2 tie with an RBI single off the Cards John Curtis in a Mets win at St. Louis. The next day he hit a two run HR off the Expos Balor Moore in a Tom Seaver five hit shut out at Shea Stadium. Staub added two more RBIs the next day in Jon Matlack's four hit shut out over the Expos. That May he hit six HRs while driving in 16 runs.

He put together a nine-game hit streak in June and drove in 13 runs that month. 

On June 1st Rusty had an RBI double & RBI single off the Astros Dave Roberts leading his team to a 3-1 win behind Tom Seaver's pitching. On June 14th he had an RBI double & hit his 9th HR of the year, helping the Mets to a 4-1 win over the Dodgers. 

On June 20th he doubled home both Mets runs in Philadelphia leading Jerry Koosman to a 2-1 in over Dick Ruthven. He hit HRs in the next two games with the Phillies as well. On the season he hit five HRs & drove in eleven runs against the Phillies pitching.

He also drove in eleven runs that year against the San Diego Padres pitchers, collecting six of those RBIs in July. Before the All-Star break, he hit a two run off Lowell Palmer, his 13th of the year in a 10-2 win at San Diego. The next day he drove in all three runs in a Mets 7-3 loss at San Diego.

At the All-Star break Staub had 13 HRs with 19 doubles 49 RBIs but was hitting just .267. In the second half of the season, he hit for more average as his power numbers went down. He would only hit six more HRs in the final two months.

 
In August he had a big month, batting .340 & driving in twenty runs with nine multi hit games. He collected 32 hits & 17 walks hitting safely in all but just six games the entire month with a .430 on base %. 

From August 10th - August 19th, he drove in runs in six of eight games.

Walk Off Hit: On August 14th with the Mets & Dodgers tied at 2-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning, Staub delivered a walk off RBI base hit off the game's best reliever Mike Marshall. Marshall made 106 appearances that year going 15-12 with 21 saves.

Four RBI Game: On August 21st he led the way in a 10-2 win in Houston with a two-run double, a sac fly & RBI fielder's choice as he had his biggest RBI game of the season driving in four runs.

Walk Off Hit: On August 26th with the Astros now at Shea, the two teams went to the bottom of the 9th inning with Houston trying to close out a 4-2 win. But the Mets tied the game with RBI hits from Ted Martinez & Felix Millan. With two outs & two on Staub singled off Ken Forsch bringing in the games walk off winning run. He collected six hits with three RBIs as the Mets took three of four from the Astros in that series.

On August 31st with the Mets down to the Braves 5-4 in the 8th inning, Staub delivered a two-run single off Tom House, putting the Mets ahead with what was the game's winning run.

Although he had raised his average to .280, Staub slumped in September as his average fell to .258. 

The Mets were unable to avenge their title having a horrible season finishing in 5th place.

1974 Mets he played in 155 games, leading the team in hits (146) RBIs (78) at bats (561) on base percentage (.347%) & intentional walks (12). He also hit 19 HRs with 22 doubles & 79 runs scored.  

Defensively he was one of the league’s top out fielders one again, leading the league in assists (19) & games (147) posting a .982 fielding % (third best in the NL).

1975 Season: In 1975 Rusty Staub became the first Met in team history to drive in over 100 runs. His 105 RBIs would stand as a Mets record for 13 seasons until 1987.

The Mets begam the season with optimism hoping to rebound from the bad 1974 season. They still had one of the league's best pitching staffs & brought in slugger Dave Kingman, veteran Joe Torre & centerfielder Del Unser for offense.

Staub began by year driving in a run on the Opening Day 3-2 loss to the Phillies. In the second game he hit his first HR of the season. 

On April 17th he drove in three runs with a pair of doubles in a wild 14-7 Mets win at St. Louis. 

Grand Slam HR: On April 23rd when the Cardinals came to Shea Stadium, Staub hit his fifth career grand slam, it came off Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in the 5th inning of a 7-1 Mets win.

Staub drove in runs in six straight games & by the end of April he already had 16 RBIs among the best in the N.L. & was batting .294.

On May 11th with Tom Seaver & Jack Billingham going at it in a pitcher's duel, Rusty came up in the bottom of the 8th inning with two men on & one out of a 2-2 tie. The Reds manager Sparky Anderson brought in Will McEnaney & Staub singled bringing in what was the games winning run. On May 14th he hit a two run HR off the Giants Mike Caldwell & added an RBI single later in the Mets 5-1 win. 

He picked up a HR on the first game of the next road trip starting in his old hometown of Houston. The next night he came to bat with the bases loaded & the Mets down 3-1 in the 7th inning. Staub brought in two runs tying the game with a base hit off Joe Niekro. Staub would drive in nine runs on the eight-game road trip.

From May 14th to May 28th, he drove in 15 runs with 17 hits keeping his average 316. In June he only batted .210 as his average dropped to .263 but he did still drove in 19 runs that month. 

On June 25th with Tom Seaver & Bob Forsch at it in a scoreless game, Staub tripled in the 7th inning bringing in both runs of what was a Mets 2-0 win. He drove in eight runs in the final six games of the month. 

On a road trip for the week of July 6th he hit four HRs driving in seven runs overall. On July 9th, his 10th inning HR off the Braves Max Leon broke the 1-1 tie giving the Mets the win.

 

By the All-Star break had 59 RBIs among the top run producers in the National League. The Mets were just above .500 ten games behind the Pirates. Staub went in & out of the All-Star break with a ten-game hit streak.

In his first game back after the break Staub hit a two run HR in Atlanta off Phil Niekro in a 4-3
Mets win. He drove in runs in the first three games back & eleven for the rest of the month. Overall he batted .330 that month with 12 extra base hits & 18 RBIs.

Staub had a good August as well, driving in twenty more runs. On August 15th he hit a two-run home run HR off the Giants Tom Bradley, driving in three runs in the Mets 9-4 win. From August 22nd to August 27th, he had three multi-RBI games, driving in runs in five of seven games. The Mets won all five of the games Staub drove in runs. 

The Mets made a good run for the pennant entering September just four games out but they lost 9 of 12 games & fell to ten games back falling out of the race by mid-month. They finished third 82-80, ten games behind the Pittsburg Pirates.

First Met to Drive In 100 Runs: On September 18th, 1975, Staub hit a two run HR off Chicago's Donnie Moore, giving him his 100 & 101 RBIs on the season, becoming the first Met to accomplish that feat.

At the end of the 1975 season Staub raised his batting average 24 points from the previous year, up to .282.

 In 155 games played he hit 19 HRs, with 30 doubles 93 runs scored (7th in the NL) & 105 RBIs (4th most in the NL). Staub had 9 sac flies (4th most in the NL) led the team with 77 walks & 14 intentional walks (fourth best in the league). He posted a .371 on base percentage & .818 OPS. 

Once again one of the leagues better outfielders, he led the NL with 15 assists in right field & in games played (153). Staub posted a .985 field % (third in the NL) & was third in put outs as well.

Terrible Front Office Decision- Staub Traded Away: After the 1975 season, Mets management made another debacle of a decision, deciding to trade Rusty Staub to the AL Detroit Tigers for veteran, out of shape 35-year-old pitcher Mickey Lolich & outfielder Billy Baldwin. 

Staub was the club's biggest run producer, the first Met to drive in 100 runs. He was a clutch player & a fan favorite, as well as a high-profile New Yorker.

But he was the second highest paid player on the team behind Tom Seaver, one more season who have given him the right to veto any trade. 

Staub later said he didn't renew the lease on his apartment because he felt that he may be traded in the wake of changes in the organization, especially after the death of principal owner Joan Payson that October.

Originally, he was to be sent to Baltimore in exchange for Doug DeCinces but Chairman M Donald Grant wanted to wait for Payson's daughter Lorinda deRoulet to be announced as the new team owner. She didn't want to trade Staub for a rookie so the deal with Detroit was made.

The Mets ball club was starting to change for the worse in the dawn of free agency, Staub became another piece of the 1973 Pennant team that was dealt. Tug McGraw had been traded away for catcher John Stearns prior to the 1975 season. 

The Mets seeing catcher Jerry Grote age & thought that a sist in McGraw's arm made him damaged goods. He began a new career in Philadelphia where he continued to thrive.

Post Mets Career (1976-1980): Staub was a star in Detroit as well continuing his fine career. In 1976 he made the AL All Star team playing in a league leading 161 games batting .299 with 15 HRs 28 doubles & 96 RBIs. That year he had a ring side seat to play behind Detroit's star pitcher the eccentric 19 game winner, Mark "the Bird" Fidrych. 

Trivia: Always known as a slow odd-looking runner, that year the slow footed Staub led the league grounding into 23 double plays.

The next two seasons Staub drove in over 100 runs each year. In 1978 he had a career high 121 RBIs (second best in the majors) with 24 HRs & 30 doubles batting .273. That year he became the first player to play an entire season as a designated hitter & finished fifth in the Sporting News AL MVP voting. 

The Tigers never finished better than fourth in his time in Detroit. In his three seasons with the
Tigers, he hit 70 HRs with 358 RBIs batting .277.

In July 1979 he was traded to the Montreal Expos for a player to be named later. At Spring Training 1979 he was sent to the Texas Rangers for Chris Smith & LaRue Washington. 

After one season he was granted free agency & signed back with the New York Mets for 1981.