THE Rankings: Top 5 Mets Relief Pitchers
We end the rankings out in the bullpen. The Mets have had so many top-notch relievers over the years that I did not have to include Armando Benitez in the top five.
1) John Franco (1990-2001, 2003-2004)
Franco is the all-time franchise leader in saves with 276. He led the league in saves twice with the Mets and was the team captain — a rarity for a pitcher, let alone the closer.
2) Jesse Orosco (1979, 1981-1987)
Orosco is third all-time in saves for the team. He was on the mound for the final out of the 1986 World Series; throwing his glove into the air and embracing Gary Carter is one of the Mets iconic moments.
3) Tug McGraw (1965-1967, 1969-1974)
McGraw was the closer for the 1969 and 1973 World Series teams and was the author of “You Gotta Believe.”
4) Billy Wagner (2006-2009)
Wagner’s Mets career was relatively short — he really only pitched for two and a half seasons because of injury, but he was dominant when he was on the mound. He had 101 saves in that time with a 2.37 ERA.
5) Roger McDowell (1985-1989)
McDowell also had a short Mets career, traded away for some reason with Lenny Dykstra for Juan Samuel. Man, that was bad. But McDowell, he was very good.
To see more rankings in this series, click here.
Mug Shots courtesy Ultimate Mets Database