Rick Reed: 2000 N.L. Champion Mets Pitcher (1997 - 2001)

Richard Allen Reed was born August 16, 1965, in Huntington, West Virginia. 

The six-foot right hander was drafted out of Marshall University, way down in the 26th round of the 1986 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Reed went 12-4 through all levels of the minors in 1988, getting a brief call up to the Pirates staff.

MLB Debut: He made his MLB debut on August 8th, 1988 against the NL Eastern Champion Mets in Pittsburgh facing Bobby Ojeda. In that game, he stunned the mighty Mets hitters, pitching eight shutout innings. He allowed just three hits, to earn his first career win, a 1-0 victory. 

Over the next three years, Reed pitched between the Pirates & AAA, winning the American Association Pitcher of the Year in 1991 going 14-4 with a 2.15 ERA.

In 1992 he signed with the Kansas City Royals seeing action in 19 games going 3-7 with a 3.68 ERA striking out 49 batters in 100 innings. In August 1993, he was granted free agency & signed with the Texas Rangers. In 1994 Reed was 1-1 in four appearances with the Rangers before getting placed on waivers in May. He was picked up by the Cincinnati Reds & spent the rest of the season at AAA Indianapolis.

MLB Players Strike & Pitching As a Replacement Player: In 1994 the MLB Players went on strike in August & the rest of the season was cancelled. In 1995 baseball approved to use replacement players as to continue operations. According to Reed he said he was told by the Reds to cross the picket line & play or he would release, then black balled from the game. At the time he was paying his mother's medical bills, she was diabetic with no insurance. He claimed he had no choice but to play. The weekend before opening day, which he was scheduled to start, he said he prayed for the strike to be settled.

The strike continued & baseball went on with replacement players. Reed did indeed pitch as a replacement player. When the strike ended, he was sent down to AAA Indianapolis.

He returned to the Reds on July 22nd & GM Jim Bowden called a team meeting to inform them Reed would be back on the team. At least one player shouted he didn't want to be a teammate of a scab. Reed certainly wasn’t the most popular guy in the Cincinnati clubhouse. His teammates treated him like an outcast, even voting to move his locker near the bathroom.

In his first game he pitched well, pitching seven innings giving up two runs to the Cubs in a no decision which the Reds won. But in his next start, he allowed six runs to the Giants in San Francisco & gave up three HRs. He made a relief appearance & then had a start where he gave up four more runs taking a loss in Atlanta. Reed made just the four appearances & was grated free agency at the end of the year.

Mets Career: In November 1995 he signed with the New York Mets. In 1996 he spent the year at AAA Norfolk going 8-10 with a 3.16 ERA.

In 1997, he talked with Mets manager Bobby Valentine about pitching in Japan, through some of Valentine's contacts. At Spring Training Valentine approached his veteran players about Reed.

Quotes- Bobby Valentine: " I've heard everything from It's fine, I've forgotten all about it to Well I still need a little time. I've never heard I'm the first to burn his uniform, it's not going to happen on my team".

Quotes- Mets Pitcher Greg McMichael: "Some people make good decisions some people make bad decisions & he has to live with it."

At first Reed was ignored, in the clubhouse he sat with pitcher Joe Crawford who was also a replacement player. Crawford pitched 18 games for the Mets in 1997 going 4-3 with a 3.30 ERA.

Valentine had Reed pitch in Spring Training & he impressed the team, earning himself a spot in the bottom of the rotation. 

Quotes- Mets Pitcher Dave Mlicki: "if he can help us win, you have to look past stuff like that".

Mets Debut: On April 5th, Reed made his Mets debut at Candlestick Park in the fifth game of the 1997 season. He pitched seven shutout innings but got no decision as the Mets lost to the Giants 2-0. William VanLandingham pitched seven shut out innings & the bullpen completed the combined three hit shutout.

On April 16th, Reed lost his first decision, giving up two runs in a 5-2 loss to the Dodgers at Shea. 

From April 22nd to May 3rd, Reed won three straight decisions, only allowing three earned runs over 24 innings pitched. On May 14th he pitched eight shutout innings against the Astros, taking no decision as Greg McMichael gave up a sac fly in the 9th to Craig Biggio. Darryl Kile & Billy Wagner shut out the Mets 1-0. Reed gave up four runs to the Marlins in another no decision followed by another in Montreal where he allowed just one run.

On June 1st, he beat the Phillies to earn his fourth win to go 4-2 while posting a 1.81 season ERA. 

From June 23rd to August 4th, Reed was 6-0, with a 3.02 ERA over eight games, reaching double digits in victories for the first time in his career.

On June 23rd, he beat John Smoltz 3-2 as both pitchers went the distance in the matchup at Shea Stadium.

First Career HR: On July 19th, he pitched eight innings, striking out seven in a win over the Reds. In the 5th inning he hit his first career HR, a two shot HR off Pete Shourek. It was Reed's third & fourth RBIs of the year.

On July 24th, he shut out the Dodgers in L.A. over eight innings for his fourth straight win.  On July 30th, in San Francisco, he didn't strike out a single batter but still earned a 5-2 win for his fifth straight.

On August 4th he won his sixth straight game, but then lost four straight decisions, although he allowed just two runs in two of those losses. Being superstitious he lost his stirrup socks, which he had worn for every game before the losing streak. He didn't blame the lost stirrups but felt it was a weird coincidence.

On August 31st, he rebounded with a seven inning one run performance at Camden Yards where he beat the Orioles 4-1.

In September he was 2-1, with a win over the Expos at home & a loss at Philadelphia.

On September 21st, Reed shut out the eventual World Champion Marlins in Florida into the bottom of the 9th inning, throwing a season high 121 pitches. He exited with a 2-1 lead after Darren Daulton doubled in the Marlins first run with two outs. Mel Rojas closed out the game & sealed Reed's victory.

Reed would finish the year at 13-9 (second on the staff to Bobby Jones in wins) with a 2.89 ERA (6th best in the NL). He posted 113 strike outs. 

Best NL Walks Per Nine Innings: In 208 innings Reed walked just 31 batters. His walks per nine innings ration was second best in the league at 1.339. 

He also led the team with 33 starts. During the season pitched into the 8th inning or beyond eight different times. At bat he hit one HR with, a career best five doubles & five RBIs.

Quotes- Todd Hundley: "He's probably got the best control of anyone on this staff".

1998 Season: As teams returned to Spring Training, he was allowed to attend the Players Association meeting, although not a member it was a courtesy. The previous year he had to sit in Bobby Valentines office during such meetings. 

On April 3rd, in the third game of the season, Reed started the year giving up just one run to the Pirates thru seven innings. Esteban Loaiza matched him with one run thru six, as Reed took no decision in the 2-1 Mets win, highlighted by a walk off win on a Pirates error by Lou Collier on a Rey Ordonez grounder.  

On April 9th, he had his worst start of the year, giving up seven runs at Wrigley Field, exiting in the third inning, taking his first loss. 

HR & Pitching Victory: On April 15th, when the Cubs came to Shea he shut them out thru seven innings as he beat future Met, Steve Trachsel 2-1. In that game he provided all the offense with a two run HR in the 2nd inning.

From April 27th to May 29th, Reed was 55-0 with a 1.42 ERA as opposing batters hit just .174 against him in those six games. He got his record to 6-2 with a 2.44 ERA. In the five wins, he pitched seven innings or better each time, allowing just four earned runs in 36 innings. 

On May 22nd, he beat the Brewers 3-2 at Shea Stadium & the next day Mets history was changed forever as they acquired Mike Piazza. On May 29th, he shut out the Phillies going into the 8th inning, while striking out nine, in a 11-0 Mets romp in Philadelphia. On June 3rd, Reed & the Mets took a 2-1 loss to Jon Lieber & the Pirates.

Three Hit- Shut Out: On June 8th, Reed had a perfect game going into the top of the 7th inning against the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Rays were making their first trip to Shea Stadium in an interleague game, which centerfieldmaz attended. Reed had retired the first twenty batters he faced until Wade Boggs doubled into centerfield. Reed ended up pitching a three-hit shutout, striking out a season high ten batters & walking just one as he went to 7-3.

Reed would pitch into the 9th inning, striking out eight each time in his next two starts, both coming against the Marlins where he gave up three & four runs respectively, going 1-1. On June 24th he posted his 9th victory as he beat Baltimore at Shea Stadium, allowing just one run in seven innings.

1998 All Star: By the All Star break he was 9-5 with one of league’s best ERAs at 2.72. Reed was named to the NL All Star staff, although he did not pitch in the game played at Colorado's Coors Field.

Quotes- Rick Reed: "Believe me this is as big a surprise to me as anyone else. I never considered myself in the All-Star category but I'm going to enjoy it.'

In his first start after the break, he gave up twelve hits but still beat the Expo's 10-5 for his tenth win, making it two straight seasons of double-digit victories. 

On July 21st he shut out the Pirates for eight innings at Shea, as he struck out nine batters for the third time on the season, in the 4-0 win. 

From August 1st to August 20th, he had another Reed win streak.  although he gave up 13 earned runs in 29 innings, he went 4-0. In the month of August Reed, was 5-1striking out 32 batters in 40 innings, while issuing just three walks.

On August 1st he beat the Carlos Perez & the Dodgers 2-1 at Shea Stadium, allowing just one run on six hits over eight innings of work. The Mets won the game on Edgardo Alfonzo's Walk off hit. In his next start he matched his season worst seven runs giving up a season high 12 hits at Coor Field, but the Mets supplied him with eight runs, including Mike Piazza's 20th HR of the season.

The Mets entered September tied for the wild card race, but they went 12-12 that month finishing one game behind the Cubs for the wild card spot, tied with the Giants. For Reed his September wasn't good as he lost three of four decisions. 

Reed finished the year winning a career high 16 games (16-11). He also had career highs in strike outs 7 (153) innings (212) 

He walked just 29 batters posting the second-best walks per nine innings ratios in the league (1.229) for the second straight year.  He posted a 3.48 ERA. He served up 

30 HRs on the year, seventh most in the NL.

At the plate he had 12 sacrifice hits (6th most in the NL) while batting .125 with one HR & five RBIs.

1999 Mets Wild Card Season: Bobby Valentine liked what he had seen giving Reed a chance the past two seasons. In 1999 he looked at him as one of his top pitchers, second behind Al Leiter. In the second game of the season, he earned his first victory, allowing just one run over six innings, striking out six & walking two in the Mets 12-3 romp. 

On April 11th he left the game after three innings, after he tore a calf muscle hitting a double in Montreal. He was shut down for the rest of the month until May 3rd. 

He returned with a victory at Shea over the Astros to go 2-0.

But on May 9th in Arizona, he gave up a 1st inning three run HR to Luis Gonzales. In the 2nd inning he gave up three more runs & was charged with a total of eight runs in his worst outing of the season, taking the loss.

From May 28th to June 5th the Mets had an eight-game losing streak, Reed took losses in two of those games. On June 4th, he took a loss in the subway series, falling to 3-3 with a 5.33 ERA.

But from there Reed turned his season around, From June 15th to August 2nd, he went on a seven-game win streak, not taking another loss for two months. He went 7-0 although he posted a 4.38 ERA in that time, the Mets helped with good run support. He beat the Reds, Cardinals & Braves all on the road, for three straight personal wins. 

At the trade deadline he was concerned he would be dealt, but Bobby Valentine assured him he was safe. On August 2nd, Reed earned his tenth victory, making it three straight seasons over double digits in wins. He beat the Brewers in Milwaukee & also collected his ninth hit of the season, to raise his batting average to .257. 

On August 8th, he injured his middle finger & would miss the rest of August & a week in September. He returned on September 7th & pitched four innings at Shea, giving up three runs to Giants in a Mets loss. He took three straight no decisions but pitched better each time.

On September 21st, he allowed just one run to the Braves in six innings at Atlanta, but the Mets
took a 2-1 loss to John Smoltz, Mike Remlinger & John Rocker in extra innings. 

Shut Out: His biggest game, came on the next to last day of the regular season, he pitched a three-hit shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates to secure the Mets a tie for the Wild Card spot with Cincinnati Reds. It was his fourth career shutout & second as a Met.

On the season Reed was 11-5. Although he was fourth on the team in wins, he was first in winning percentage (.688%). He struck out 104 batters with 47 walks in 126 innings in 26 games pitched, while posting a 4.58 ERA.

That year he batted a career best .244 going 11-45 with a pair of doubles & five RBIs.

1999 Post Season: NLDS: In 1999 Reed made his first post season, he saw action in one game of the NLDS win over Arizona. In Game #3 at Shea Stadium he earned the win, pitching six innings allowing two runs on four hits.  He struck out two & walked three. The win put New York ahead two games to one in the Series.

1999 NLCS: In the NLCS loss to the Braves, with the Mets facing elimination down three games to none, he went head-to-head with Atlanta’s John Smoltz in Game #4. 

Reed pitched seven innings, shutting out the Braves until the 8th inning, when Brian Jordan & Ryan Klesko hit back-to-back HRs off him. He left the game down 2-1, but John Olerud's two run single off John Rocker in the bottom of the 8th inning brought in the games winning runs. Reed was off the hook & earned no decision. The Braves beat the Mets in six games.

In Game #5 he was warming up in the bullpen at Shea Stadium in the 15th inning when Robin Ventura won the game with his walk off grand slam single.

2000 NL Pennant Season: In 2000 he once again got the start in the second game of the season; this game was played in Japan against the Chicago Cubs. Reed didn’t allow an earned run in eight innings of work but earned no decision in the Mets 5-1 win. In the top of the 11th, Benny Agbayani hit a grand slam HR off Danny Young to win the game.

Reed began the year, pitching seven innings or more in his first six starts. From March 30th to April 19th, he allowed three earned runs in 29.2 innings over his first four starts to get to 2-0 with an 0.91 ERA. He earned victories over the Los Angeles Dodgers & Milwaukee Brewers. 

On April 29th he allowed six runs at Coors Field but still earned as the Mets put up 13 runs, led by three RBIs from both Todd Zeile & Derek Bell.

In his next eight starts he gave up three runs or more each time, earning no decisions over six starts & six weeks. The Mets were 3-3 in those games. 

On May 16th, Reed posted a season high ten strike out game, coming against the Rockies at Shea

 Stadium although he earned no decision in the 4-3 loss. On June 18th he earned a win in Milwaukee. After missing a couple of weeks of action in early July he returned to pitch in Toronto but allowed five runs earning no decision in a 7-5 Mets win. It wasn't until July 22nd where he got another victory to get to 5-2 with a 4.56 ERA.

His next start came at Turner Field, where he threw a seven inning, four hit shutouts against Greg Maddox & the Atlanta Braves. In that game he also drove in a run with a 5th inning sac fly. The Mets won the game 4-0. 

Reed had a good August going 4-2 as the Mets helped him out by scoring runs for him. On August 4th in Arizona, he held the D-backs to one run into the 8th inning of a 6-1 win. 

On August 30th in a thriller at Shea Stadium, he shut out the Astros for seven innings, beating Chris Holt 1-0. The only run was scored when Benny Agbayani scored on a wild pitch.

On September 5th, he took a no decision, allowing just two runs as the Mets lost a 3-2 game to the Reds in Cincinnati. Next the Brewers roughed him up for five runs at Shea, as he took his fifth & final loss in the regular season. 

On September 16th, Reed won his tenth game (10-5) of the year, making it four straight seasons of at least ten wins.

Wild Card Spot Secured: On September 25th, the Mets secured themselves the wild card spot, as
Reed collected his 11th victory, allowing one run in eight innings to the Braves at Shea, while striking out seven in a 6-2 Mets win. The Mets were four games behind the Braves with five to play.

Reed closed out the Mets pennant year at 11-5 with a .688 win % (sixth best in the NL) & a 4.11 ERA. In 30 games he struck out 121 batters, walked 34 in 184 innings pitched. His walks per nine innings ratio was third best in the league at 1.663. He allowed 28 HRs & 84 earned runs. 

That year at the plate he was second in the league with 14 sac hits, as he batted .204 driving in two runs.

2000 Post Season-NLDS: In the NLDS win over the San Francisco Giants, Reed got no decision pitching in Game #3. 

In the 4th inning he allowed four singles, putting the Mets down 2-0. He gave up two runs, seven hits while striking out six & walking two in six innings of work. 

The Mets did win the game on Benny Agbayani's 13th inning walk off HR. centerfieldmaz was in attendance that long afternoon game.

2000 NLCS: In the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals, he took the only loss the Mets suffered in the series, coming in Game #3. He did not have his usual command & gave up five Cardinal runs getting knocked out in the 4th inning in the loss at Busch Stadium.

2000 World Series: In the 2000 Subway World Series, Reed got the start in Game #3 at Shea Stadium, with centerfieldmaz in attendance. He struck out eight batters, allowing just two runs through six innings. 

He gave up a run in the 3rd inning on David Justice's RBI double. In the 4th inning Paul O'Neill collected an RBI triple.

In the 2nd inning, Robin Ventura homered to put the Mets up 1-0. In the 6th, the Mets went ahead
on Todd Zeile's two run double. In the 8th, with the score tied 2-2, Benny Agbayani's RBI double ended up being the game winning run.

In the off season, the Mets gave him a three-year $21.75 million contract.

Trivia: At the same time Reed was pitching for the Mets, there was an MLB umpire also named Rick Reed.

After the Pennant: In 2001, he started out his season with two complete games. On April 5th in Atlanta, he gave up just one run on three hits, in a 7-1 Mets win in the third game of the season. The Mets took two of three in that opening series. He followed that up with another complete game at Shea but took a 2-0 loss to Greg Maddox & the Braves bullpen.

Reed them won three straight decisions, beating the Expos at Shea, then a one run, 6.2 inning performance at Cincinnati. On May 4th, he pitched eight innings, allowing two runs in a 4-2 win over the Diamond backs. 

After a loss in Colorado, he then won three more straight decisions. From May 15th to June 12th, he was 3-0 with a 2.27 in six starts. On May 25th, he struck out a season high nine batters in a 4-3 win over the Marlins at Shea, earning no decisions. 

Shut Out: On June 5th, he threw his third complete game of the season. This was a four-hit shutout at Philadelphia. It was Reed's fifth career shutout & third for the Mets, as he had posted a shutout in each of his last three seasons. The win got him to 6-2 & lowered his ERA to 2.49 on the season, best on the Mets staff.

On June 12th, Reed won a game in Baltimore for his seventh win. In the subway series he gave up five runs & got no decision in a Mets 8-7 winning effort at Shea Stadium. 

2001 All Star: Reed was 7-4 with a 3.10 ERA at the All-Star break, best on the Mets staff in a struggling season. The National League's manager, the Mets own, Bobby Valentine picked Reed, for his second All Star Game. Once again, he did not pitch in the All-Star game, as he suffered neck troubles that week. The AL won the game 4-1 at Safeco Field, Seattle. 

After the break he earned his last Mets victory, a seven-inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays. On July 26th, he made his last Mets start, taking a 3-2 loss to former Met, Robert Person & the Phillies. At the July trade deadline, Rick Reed was traded to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Matt Lawton. 

At first Reed was devastated by the trade. In a 2010 interview, he talked about leaving the Mets

Quotes- Rick Reed: "That day, baseball kind of died for us, my wife & I. I wish I could have ended my career in New York".

All Time Mets Leaders: Reed is tied with Craig Swan for 14th on the Mets All Time wins list with 59. He is tied with Al Jackson for starts (138) is nineteenth in strike outs (590) & eighteenth in innings (882).

Post Mets Career: Reed went 4-6 the rest of the way, in his adjustment to the American League. In 2002 he made a remarkable comeback, as he put together another 15-win season going 15-7 with a 3.78 one of the best ERAs of his career.

2002 Post Season: Reed got to another post season that year. In Game #4 he served up four HRs to the Oakland A's taking a loss in Minnesota. The Twins came back to win the next two games to advance to the ALCS. In Game #2, he was the losing pitcher, giving up six runs on eight hits with a pair of HRs to the eventual World Champion Anaheim Angels in the ALCS.

In 2003 he followed up with his worst season going 6-12 with a 5.07 ERA pitching in 27 games. 

2003 Post Season: Reed got to his fourth, post season taking a Game #1 loss to New York in relief.

Post Season Stats: In his post season career Reed was 1-3 with a 5.03 ERA. He struck out 33 walked 9 & gave up 9 HRs in 39.1 innings in 8 appearances 9seven starts).

 After the season he signed with the Pirates but had back issues & retired at the age of 38. 

Career Stats:  Reed ended his 15-year career going 93-76 with a 4.03 ERA. He walked only 285 batters in 1545 innings pitched. He struck out 970 batters, had seven shut outs & 14 complete games pitching 1545 innings in 273 games.

At bat he hit .172 with two HRs nine doubles & 24 RBIs.

Retirement: In 2005 he became pitching coach at his old college, Marshall University for the Thundering Herd. After that he retired, choosing to spend time with his wife & two daughters as a full-time dad.

In 2010, he returned on a Mets alumni night at Citi Field. He said, "New York always had something going on, if you do well here, they love you."

In 2019 he donated $1 million to Marshall University's new baseball stadium.

Family: Rick & his wife Dee were not able to conceive a child after many years of trying. Finally, after having trouble adopting due to their age, they adopted a daughter in 1999 & a son two years later.