Ex-Mets and the Yankees
Only four players from the 2000 team that won the NL Pennant remain with the Mets: Al Leiter, John Franco, Timo Perez and Joe McEwing. Meanwhile, the Yankees have four players from that same team, Armando Benitez, Robin Ventura, Todd Zeile, and Bubba Trammell. Trammell is on the restricted list after going AWOL from the team, so perhaps he doesn't count.
Acquiring 2000 Mets is one thing, but it's tough to stomach the Yanks' trade for Jesse Orosco, who will always remain an all-time favorite among Mets fans - especially those of us who weren't around in '69. Not only did Orosco get the final out of the 1986 NLCS and the World Series, without him they would not have won either series. He won 3 games in the NLCS, and pitched 5 2/3 innings in the Series, gave up no runs and just two hits and picked up two saves. Instead of bunting, he even lined an RBI single in the eighth inning of Game 7 to give the Mets an 8-5 lead.
Interestingly, Orosco will be reunited with Joe Torre, who managed the Mets in 1979 when Orosco made his big league debut, and Mel Stottelmyre, the Yankees pitching coach, who served in that role for the '86 Mets.
posted on 7/23/2003
