Mike Jorgensen: Former Mets Player Who Grew Up in Queens (1968-1971 / 1980-1983)

Michael Jorgensen was born on August 16, 1948, in Passaic, New Jersey. 

Trivia: Jorgensen is the only MLB player to be born on the same day that Babe Ruth died. 

The Jorgensen family shortly moved to Bayside Queens where Mike would grow up. He attended high school in the shadows of the new Shea Stadium, at Francis Lewis High School in Fresh Meadows, Queens.

In 1966 Jorgensen was selected in the fourth round of that year’s draft by the hometown New York Mets. He hit .315 in the Rookie league his first season & then .295 at A ball Winter Haven in the Florida State League in 1967.

Mets Career: On September 10th, Jorgensen made his MLB debut, going 0-1 as a pinch hitter at Wrigley Field in an 8-1 Mets loss to the Chicago Cubs. 

Jorgensen played in eight games going 2-14 (.143) that September. 

1969 Mets Championship Season: Jorgensen spent the 1969 Amazing Mets season at AAA Tidewater, hitting .290 with 15 doubles in 105 games. His 21 HRs & 69 RBIs were second on the Tides team to Roy Foster.

1970: Jorgensen made the Mets big league club out of Spring Training. He said he was walking around in awe, at the likes of Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Cleon Jones, Tommie Agee, Bud Harrelson & the rest of his World Champion Mets teammates. 

Quotes- Mike Jorgensen: "Gil Hodges was intimidating. In 1970 I was the only rookie on a world championship team. I knew of Hodges from the Dodgers. As a player, he was quite powerful. I knew to be quiet & do my job."

On Opening Day, Jorgensen came into a tied game at Pittsburgh against the Pirates, replacing Art Shamsky at first base. He singled to lead off the top of the 11th inning & would come around to score what was the game winning run-on Don Clendenon's base hit.

First Career HR: On April 26th, he hit his first career HR coming off Sandy Vance at Dodger Stadium helping the Mets & Tom Seaver to a 3-1 win. 

Three days later he homered in San Francisco off the Giants ace, Juan Marichal in a Met loss.

On June 12th, Jorgensen hit a two run HR off the Braves Larry Jaster in a 8-1 Met win at Shea Stadium.

But Jorgensen struggled at the plate most of the year, not getting above the .200 mark until the end of July, as a result he saw less playing time. 

Jorgensen played in 50 games at first base behind Donn Clendenon & ten games in the outfield, usually as a late inning replacement. On September 14th, the Mets were tied for first place but went 5-9 the rest of the wat, finishing third.

Overall, he only hit .195 (17-87) with three HRs three doubles one triple four RBIs & 15 runs scored. He posted a .278 on base % & .635 OPS in 76 games. 

US Marines: Mike served in the same unit as Tug McGraw in the US Marine reserves.

1971: Mike began the season back in AAA Tidewater but after 65 games he was batting .342 with 15 HRs, which got him brought back up to the big-league club by June 12th.

Multi- HR Game: On June 16th, in his second game back up, Jorgensen hit two solo HRs coming off the Dodgers Bill Singer & Jose Pena, at Shea Stadium, helping the Mets to a 7-2 win. 

On June 20th, in the first game of a double header split with the Phillies at Shea, he hit a 1st inning HR off Barry Lersch, helping in a 7-6 Mets win.

Jorgensen was eventually sent back down to Tidewater from July 24th to early September. He returned on September 10th & drew a walk scoring a run in a 4-3 win over the Phillies.

Walk Off Hit: On September 12th, Jorgensen came to bat in the bottom of the 9th inning, in a 2-2 tie against the Philadelphia Phillies. Danny Frisella had walked & Ed Kranepool had singled ahead of him, putting two men on. Jorgensen then singled off pitcher Joe Hoerner bringing in the games winning run.

On September 13th, he hit a 1st inning two run HR off the Expos 1970 Rookie of the Year Carl Morton in a 4-2 win over Montreal. 

In 1971 he played in 45 games hitting .220 with 5 HRs, one double, one triple a .303 on base % & 11 RBIs.

Traded for Rusty Staub: On April 5th, 1972, Jorgensen was traded to the Montreal Expos along with Ken Singleton & Tim Foli for “Le Grande Orange” Rusty Staub. He later admitted, he was pretty devastated at the time.

Quotes- Mike Jorgensen: "If I had known I'd be on six clubs eventually, I wouldn't have been so down. I was young. It gave me a chance to play every day. It was a nice trade for all of us".

Post Mets Career: In Montreal Jorgensen got a chance to be an everyday player & he came into his own. He would be an everyday player for parts of six seasons (1972-1977) with the Expos, playing in 670 games batting .254 with 57 HRs & 243 RBIs.

In 1972 Jorgensen, played in 113 games with 13 HRs & 47 RBIs with a .716 OPS. He turned out to be a fine defensive player, winning a Gold Glove at first base in 1973, while posting a .995 field % (second in the NL).

Trivia: That season was the only year from 1967 to 1977 that a Los Angeles Dodger didn’t win the Gold Glove Award at first base. Wes Parker had won six straight Gold Gloves from 1967-1972. Next, Steve Garvey won four straight from 1974-1977. 

Offensively in the 1973 season Jorgensen hit just .230 with 9 HRs 16 doubles three triples a .336 on base % & stole 16 bases.

In 1974, Jorgensen had his best season, leading all N.L. first baseman in fielding (.998%) while batting a career high .310, with a .444 on base %. Jorgensen hit 11 HRs with 16 doubles 59 RBIs & a career best .931 OPS. 

Player of the Week Award: In 1975 he won a late September Player of the Week Award, From September 19th to September 28th, he batted .500 going 15-30 with 5 HRs & 13 RBIs. He walked seven times & posted a .595 on base %.  

Overall, his average fell off from the previous season to a .261 average but had career highs in doubles (18) RBIs (68) & HRs (18) leading his Expos team in that department, one ahead of a young Gary Carter.

In the bicentennial year of 1976, his numbers dropped off all around, batting .254 with just 6 HRs & 23 RBIs although he played in just 125 games.

In 1977 the Expos hired Dick Williams who had won two World Series with the A's, as manager. Things began to get better in Montreal. Tony Perez was also brought in from the Reds & there was no longer a starting spot at first base for Jorgensen.

Midway through the 1977 season, after having played in just 19 games & batting .200 Jorgensen was traded to the Oakland A’s, for pitcher Stan Bahnsen. With the A's he hit .246 in 66 games.

After the season he signed a two-year deal with the Texas Rangers to play behind Mike Hargrove at first base. 

Bean Ball Incident: On May 28, 1979, in a game against the Boston Red Sox at Texas Arlington Stadium, Jorgenson was hit in the head by a pitch from Boston’s Andy Hassler. He had a seizer & spent a week in the hospital intensive care. 

He suffered headaches and missed a month of playing action. He was diagnosed with a blood clot, but luckily it was found quick enough before it could cause any permanent damage. 

He got into 96 games that season but hit just .196. In 1979 he played in 90 games but batted .223 with 6 HRs & 16 RBIs in157 at bats.

Second Time with the Mets: In October of 1979 Mike was sent to the New York Mets as the player to be named later in the Willie Montanez trade. 

1980: Things were sure different at Shea Stadium since he had left back in 1971. The Mets were in the doldrums in the early eighties as Jorgensen entered the twilight of his career. 

On Opening Day, Mike played right field & batted in the fifth position behind Steve Henderson in the Mets 5-2 win over the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. On May 4th he hit his first HR since returning to New York, it came at Shea off Steve Mura of the Padres in a 6-2 Mets win. After 13 games he was batting .313.

On May 24th Jorgenson hit a HR in the 2nd inning in a 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves. The next day he hit another HR, helping Craig Swan to a 3-0 shutout over the Braves Phil Niekro. Over a four-game span he drove in five runs with four extra base hits.

Walk Off Hits: On June 5th, the Mets Craig Swan & the Cards Bob Sykes went at it in a pitcher's duel. Jorgensen came to bat as a pinch hitter for Doug Flynn in the bottom of the 9th, with the score tied 1-1. The bases were loaded as he singled off George Frazier with the walk off game winning hit.

Walk Off Grand Slam: The next week on June 11th, Craig Swan, the Mets best pitcher at the time, was at it in another great pitchers matchup with the Dodgers Jerry Ruess. In the top of the 9th Jorgensen came in to play first base. 

The game went to the 10th inning, with Rick Stutcliffe on the mound the Mets loaded the bases with a base hit from Doug Flynn & walks to Lee Mazzilli & Steve Henderson. Jorgensen came to bat & hit a dramatic walk off grand slam HR to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-2. 

It was just the third Mets walk off Grand Slam in team history. Tim Harkness & Ron Hunt had both done it last in 1963. It would be another six years until Tim Teufel did it with the 1986 Champs.

It was one of the few exciting comeback wins for the 1980 fifth place Mets who went 67-95 under Joe Torre.

Brawl with Expos: On the Fourth of July 1980, the Mets had their first ever Fireworks Night. That evening they hosted the Montreal Expos. A wild 1st inning, had the Mets up 4-2 after Claudell Washington had tripled in a run & Joel Youngblood hit a two run HR off Expo rookie pitcher Bill Gullickson. 

The next batter was Jorgensen & Gullickson sailed one over his head. Jorgensen was still sensitive about getting hit in the head with pitches after the previous year's beaning in Texas.

Jorgensen exchanged words & gestured to Gullickson, pointing his bat, then went after him on the mound. But he was held back by catcher Gary Carter & before he arrived, teammate John Stearns, who wasn’t even in the lineup that night, tackled & body slammed Gullickson to the ground. The benches cleared as a brawl broke out.

When play resumed Jorgensen singled, after catcher Ron Hodges singled, Gullickson was removed from the game. The Mets lost the game 6-5.

From July 13th to July 19th, Jorgensen drove in five runs in six games & hit .368 in that time. He raised his season average to .289. Mike drove in runs in four straight games with the Mets winning three of them.

On July 30th, Jorgensen hit an 8th inning two run single off the Braves Tommy Boggs, giving Pat Zachry some insurance in his 3-0 four hit shutout.

Although he entered August batting .282 he fell off to .255 by the end of the season. 

On September 30th, he finished off the year with a 7th inning base hit off Pittsburgh's Don Robinson, driving in Steve Henderson with the games tying run. After being sacrificed over, he scored the game winning run-on Alex Trevino's sac fly.

On the 1980 season Jorgensen batted .255 with 7 HRs 11 doubles 43 runs scored & 43 RBIs. He posted a .349 on base % & .704 OPS. Jorgensen played 72 games at first base & 31 games in the outfield. 

1981: He started the season replacing Rusty Staub who was now also back with the Mets as a defensive replacement in the 2-0 win at Wrigley Field.  On May 7th, he hit a 6th inning two run HR off the Giants Doyle Alexander, breaking a 1-1 tie leading the Mets to a 3-2 win at Shea. In the three-game series he homered in two game while driving in five runs along the way. 

Three Straight Pinch Hit RBIs: The Players went on strike for two months, returning on
August 10th. On August 20th, Jorgensen came to bat as a pinch hitter & tripled off the Braves Rick Camp driving in a run. 

On August 22nd, in his next game, he grounded out as a pinch hitter but drove in Rusty Staub with his second straight pinch-hit RBI game. On August 23rd, he collected his third straight pinch-hit RBI game, when he hit a sac fly off the Reds Tom Seaver at Shea bringing in Mike Cubbage.

In the strike shortened season, Jorgensen hit just .205 with 3 HRs 7 15 RBIs in 86 games.

1982:  Dave Kingman was back at first base for the Mets hitting 37 HRs. Jorgensen saw action in 56 games behind Kingman at first base. He also played in 16 games in the outfield. Jorgensen would collect 12 pinch hits on the year.

On June 12th he hit a 3rd inning three run HR off the Cardinals Steve Mura in a 6-2 Mets win. On August 10th Jorgensen hit a two-run pinch hit HR against the St. Louis Cardinals in a 7-2 Mets loss. It was just one of two HRs he hit all year. 

On the season he raised his average fifty points from the previous year to .254 while getting into 120 games. Jorgensen hit two HRs with six doubles posting a .730 OPS.

1983: By 1983 the Mets were changing personnel under the new management. After 38 games on June 15th, Jorgensen’s contract was sold off to the Atlanta Braves, on the same day the Mets acquired Keith Hernandez. 

Mets Career Stats: Overall, Jorgensen spent seven years with the Mets. He played in 492 Mets
games (51st most on Mets all-time list) batting .234 with 187 hits 30 doubles 4 triples 21 HRs 90 RBIs 103 runs scored & a .360 on base.

Post Mets Career: Jorgensen played in Atlanta from 1983 -1984, playing again for his former Mets manager, Joe Torre. He batted .254 in 57 games for the second place Braves. On June 15th, 1984, he was traded, along with Ken Dayley to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ken Oberkfell. 

St. Louis Career: While playing in parts of the next two seasons for St. Louis, he would also remain in their organization for the next thirty plus years working in many different positions.

In the 1985 season Jorgensen got into 72 games for St. Louis batting just .196. More importantly, on a personal level, after 17 seasons in baseball, he finally made his first post season appearance. 

1985 Post Season: He got to appear in two games of the NLCS win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, going 0-2 as a pinch hitter. He then got into two games of the 1985 World Series loss to the Kansas City Royals. In the Fall Classic he went 0-3.

Career Stats: Jorgensen was a lifetime .243 hitter with 833 hits 95 HRs 132 doubles 13 triples 429 runs scored & 427 RBIs. He struck out 589 times with 532 walks posting a .347 on base % & .720 OPS. Jorgensen also stole 58 stolen bases. 

At first base he played 1052 games posting a .994 fielding %. He played 283 games in the outfield with a .979 fielding %. 

Retirement & Coaching: At the end of the 1985 season, the Cards wanted him as a coach, not a player. He accepted the role & began a new career. He would spend 34 years as a long time Cardinals coach, instructor & minor league manager. 

In 1995, he managed the St. Louis Cardinals after Joe Torre was fired, going 42-54 in that role. He was then replaced by Tony LaRussa, the next season.

Jorgensen was also the farm director for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1992-2001.  

Jorgensen became a minor league manager, a field coordinator & the Cardinals farm director for over a decade. In 2015 he was named special assistant to the Cardinals GM, John Mozeliak.