National League Standings, June 12, 1996
METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE JUNE 12, 1996 GAME:
Stu Baron
October 12, 2007
I covered this game for a local newspaper, and at his locker following the game, starting/winning pitcher Mark Clark said, "People back home said (Braves pitcher Greg) Maddux is hard to beat, but hey, look at me, I did it!"
Dave VW
August 2, 2023
Nice quote, Stu. Clark sure deserved to feel jubilant, considering he set a career high with 9 Ks (though his eventual career high would be 11) and won for the 5th time in 6 starts. This performance legitimized his claim as the Mets ace, as he not only tamed a stacked Braves lineup but also bested Maddux head to head. Maddux was really struggling at the time, too, as he dropped to 5-5 with a 3.35 ERA with this loss -- figures that were unheard of when it came to the Professor.
The Mets really had Tony Graffanino, filling in for the injured Mark Lemke at 2B, to thank for the win. After all, he booted a tailor-made double play grounder off the bat of Edgardo Alfonzo in the 5th that put runners on the corners with no one out instead of bases empty and 2 out. Though the Mets only scored once in the inning, that run proved to be the difference in the end.
Clark was cruising, up 3-1 in the 8th, but had eclipsed 100 pitches and allowed the Braves to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and Dwight Smith coming up. With Chipper Jones on deck, there was no way the Mets were intentionally walking Smith, and since the teams played 13 innings the previous night (with John Franco tossing a pair), they were sticking with Clark instead of turning to the tired bullpen. Clark got Smith to ground out to first, but a run scored to make it 3-2. Chipper was then given an unintentional intentional walk, as Clark threw 4 straight out of the zone and clearly preferred facing Fred McGriff. Clark was right to think so, as he got the Crime Dog to fly out weakly to left on 1 pitch to end the threat. Franco then worked a scoreless 9th to ensure the Mets won their 4th straight series against the Braves at home.
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The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a
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