Remembering Mets History (1973) Willie Mays Hits His Final Career HR #660

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Friday August 17th, 1973: Yogi Berra's New York Mets were still in last place on this day (53-66) but just seven games behind a tight NL East. 

They would soon be making their pennant push of 1973. The Mets would win 30 of their next 43 games to capture the NL Eastern title on the last day of the season.

On this night, it would be an NLCS preview as Sparky Anderson's Cincinnati Reds (75-48) were in town for a weekend series at Shea Stadium. 36,803 fans came to see the Mets George Stone (7-3) take on the Reds Don Gullet (14-8).

George Stone had gone 6-1 since being put in the starting rotation at the start of June. He would go another 5-0 thru the end of the season. Stone was a pleasant surprise for the Mets going 12-2 with a 2.80 ERA in the regular season.



Mets pitcher George Stone would pitch into the 9th inning, shutting out the Reds up that point while recording the first two outs of the innings. Then Dan Driessen & Tony Perez singled. Next Johnny Bench singled to score Driessen with Reds tying run.

Overall Stone allowed just a run on five hits, striking out eight batters & walking two. The Mets would lose this game 2-1 in the 10th inning, as pinch hitter Hal King hit a HR off Harry Parker.

The Mets highlight of this game was came back in the 4th inning. Willie Mays connected for a HR to right center field, it was his sixth HR of the year & more importantly his 660th HR of his career.

 No one knew it at the time, but it was to be the last HR Willie would hit in his Hall of Fame career, his 660 HRs placed him third on the all-time HR list. 

Willie would get just six more starts in the season before announcing his retirement on September 17th. He was convinced to stay on if the Mets made the post season by team owner Joan Payson. The Mets did make the post season. 

Mays played in Game #5 of the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds getting an RBI base hit in the Mets 7-2 win. He then collected the first hit of the 1973 World Series, in his final career starting Game #1. He appeared in three games going 2-7.

Trivia: Willie Mays first career HR came on May 28th, 1951, at the Polo Grounds off Hall of Fame pitcher; Warren Spahn.

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