Ultimate Mets Database: Game of April 6, 1973

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Previous Game:
October 4, 1972
Mets 3, Expos 1 1973 Regular Season Game 1
April 6, 1973
Mets 3, Phillies 0 Next Game:
April 7, 1973
Mets 3, Phillies 2

Click to view scorecard

National League Standings, April 6, 1973

Box Score Game Memories Scorecard Mets Stats
Thru This Game

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE APRIL 6, 1973 GAME:

Stephen Vincent O`Rourke
March 28, 2004
This was one of my favorite games in Met history.....Cleon Jones slammed 2 home runs.....it was Opening Day.....Seaver and McGraw combined on a shutout.....and they defeated the hated Phillies (a very bitter rivalry back then.)! It provided a lot of optimism for the season ahead, and each of the stars of this game played pivotal roles in the incredible pennant run that lay ahead. It was a nervous time in the country (Watergate was beginning to get serious, Vietnam was still ongoing) and the Mets were still dazed by what had happened in 1972, losing Gil Hodges, perhaps the most respected manager at the time, the two week strike which saw regular season games cancelled for the first time. They had a great start in 1972 under Yogi, going 30-10, and of course had begun aquiring some great talent in Staub and Mays....but the Ryan trade would haunt them all year and see Fregosi being traded to Texas in June....for....nobody! But Opening Day planted a seed of hope in this ten year old!

Hank M.
September 15, 2004
I remember this Opening Day game. I had just gotten home from school and the Mets already had a 2-0 lead on Cleon Jones' first home run. Later on in the game, a preview of what was to come took place. I don't remember in which inning it happened, but Rusty Staub made a great catch in right field for the third out. He crashed into the wall and lay flat on his back. After Channel 9 showed a replay of the catch, he was seen running, uninjured, to the dugout.

Rusty would make the same kind of play in Game 4 of that year's National League Championship Series against the Reds. He injured his right shoulder on that one, though, affecting his performance in what would be his only World Series.

Except for the injury, the catch he made on Opening Day was a carbon copy of the one he made in the NLCS. It preserved a shutout for Tom Seaver, but also served as an omen for October.

Peter C
October 4, 2005
I remember being home sick from school with the flu or a bad cold (how convenient) and watching this game. I even made an audio tape of the opening ceremonies and the first inning or two. It's probably around somewhere. Does anyone remember the former P.O.W.s throwing out the first pitch? I have an image of 7 of them throwing balls at Duffy Dyer all at once, but I may be wrong. I also remember a blurb on the screen announcing Ron Bloomberg had become the first DH in Major league history. I occassionally would flip to Channel 11 where the Yankees were getting drubbed in Boston.

Felix the cat
September 7, 2007
If you watch this game and others on the 1973 Met Highlight Film, the Mets get the benefit of around 5 bad calls at first base, and 1 at the plate.

Ron Hodges tagging out Richie Zisk in the ball-off-the-top-of-the-wall play still sends shivers down my spine.

Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:

Please note:
We're looking for your comments about this specific game. We've had people use this space to share their thoughts on how the current season is going, or on ways that the Mets can improve the team. Such comments, unless in the context of this particular game, will be considered off-topic and will be removed.

Example One
The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
This comment is off-topic and will be removed. It has nothing to do with any specific game. But here's an acceptable alternative:

Example Two
The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
See the difference? Here you're getting the same point across, but it's in the proper context. We wouldn't consider this message to be off-topic, and we would let it remain.

We do appreciate anybody who takes the time to share their thoughts on our site, and we hate to remove anybody's postings. But if we didn't take steps to ensure that only on-topic messages were retained, The Ultimate Mets Database would become a confusing jumble of unrelated comments, and would thus be less enjoyable to visitors like you.

Thank you!