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John Candelaria
Ultimate Mets Database popularity ranking: 311 of 1252 players
John Robert Candelaria
Born: November 6, 1953 at New York, N.Y.
Throws: Left Bats: Both
Height: 6.06 Weight: 225

John Candelaria was the most popular Ultimate Mets Database daily lookup on March 1, 2022, and November 6, 2022.

First Mets game: September 18, 1987
Last Mets game: September 28, 1987

Share your memories of John Candelaria HERE IS WHAT OTHER METS FANS HAVE TO SAY: BIGSTRO I attended LaSalle Academy High School with The Candy Man and he was one the greatest high school basketball players ever. He beat Tom Seaver in his first pro start June 20th, 1975 at Shea Stadium. Kooz May 18, 2001 One of the uglier guys to grace a Mets uniform... Mike Michela November 19, 2001 Another attempt by the Mets to bring a big name pitcher to NY and did diddly squat when he was here. Candelaria Viola Saberhagen Marshall from LA the list goes on....... Larry Burns June 4, 2002 This guy rivaled Juan Berenger as the ugliest Mets ever. His hatred of NY spurred him to leave the Mets for the Yankees? This guy does not even lie well. He actually had a good career with the Pirates, but he became a major booze hound and threw his career away. Unlike most of his compatriots, he did it with legal substances. Jonathan Stern November 6, 2005 The Candyman couldn't. The 1987 Mets brought him in to aid their pennant run and he did not deliver. Then he was gone. That they turned to him at all (after trying out Seaver and several other over-the-hillers) was a telling measure of how much the team was hurting even then, a big reason being Doc's drug problems. Candelaria also had a pitching meltdown for the tragic 1986 Angels. He did not, however, fail as a member of the 1979 Pirates, one of my least favorite teams as a child ("We are Family!/I got all my sisters with me!"). Yecch. Kevin C August 24, 2006 I agree with Bigstro, Candyman was a great basketball player and La Salle had Gary Druitt and Kevin King on that team. I saw him play at St. Helena's HS gym and then again in the NY City Catholic HS playoffs. I too remember that win against Seaver---not sure why Mets didn't draft him, but then again he did not play HS baseball---all baseball talent developed in sandlot leagues if I remember right. Mark Tartaglione September 6, 2008 When I think of John Candelaria, I think of the song "The Candy Man". The lyrics went "The Candy Man Can" When it comes to this particular Met, It should read, "The Candy Man Couldn't" He was horrible down the stretch in 1987! Daniel Candelaria March 30, 2009 John Candelaria is my cousin. So all you punks who said that stuff. John had a great heart and played very well. So open your eyes maybe you"ll see him. I thank the people who said nice stuff. John Candelaria is the best! Mike B April 3, 2009 Simply put, the Candyman could pitch. pete April 3, 2009 I was a minor league player with the Pirates in spring training of 1981. It was right after Dave Parker signed that big contract and came to camp 30 or 40 lbs heavy. He was supposed to be getting into shape. I went into the clubhouse after workout and there sat Dave Parker and Candy. They had finished their work and had ordered a hundred dollars worth of ribs and a case of beer. They sat there devouring the ribs and just flinging the bones backwards over their shoulders. When they finished a beer they would squeeze the can and fling that too over their shoulder. Ahhhh spring training....the good life! Ralph Kramden August 9, 2010 One thing I remember about the Candy Man were his enormous hands. When he held a baseball it looked like it was the size of a lemon. No wonder he had such great movement on his pitches. Not that it helped the Mets of course. tony bracci January 10, 2014 He started having back problems around '78 or '79, so you'd see him toss 6 or 7 great innings, and then he'd have to be taken out, but with Tekulve, Romo, and Jackson in the pen, you still figured for the win. I swear every time I went to Buc Night -- for you New Yorkers, this was a Wednesday night game in Pittsburgh where the parking, beer, concessions, program, and cheap seat ticket cost $1!! You could go with your Dad and two friends to the park, and Dad would shell out all of $5 (the concessions, well your friends better have their own money for that...and you couldn't buy anything if your friends weren't able to; those are the values we were brought up with). This is like $20 in today's money, still a great bargain. Anyway, every time I went to Buc Night, it seemed that the Phillies were in town and Candelaria was the starter (either against Carlton or Lerch). Schmidt would always seem to come through with a big hit, but the Bucs were such a gritty team in the early 80s...you didn't dare leave the game, because they were often able to manage a comeback in the 8th or 9th inning. The organist would play "The Candy Man" ditty when John took the mound....and of course The Spinners "Rubber Band Man" would play on the P.A. system when Tekulve came in relief. Man, what fun times. Guli July 19, 2021 I remember the Candy Man pitching in summer ball with Pete Falcone at the Parade Grounds in Brooklyn. Many scouts always in attendance every weekend. Also Lee Mazzilli played and gave me great exposure as a pitcher also. Met scout always liked John but said his off-field antics always was concern for the draft. True pleasure to have played with the greats of pro ball!!!! Rocco Rocky Sagarese January 9, 2023 I remember playing baseball for the Bonnie's organization down at the parade grounds in Brooklyn. I played shortstop at the time and John Candelaria played for Holy Innocence. I remember facing him as a batter. They called him the Candyman at that time. He was tall; you felt like his pitch was on top of you the minute he released it. Those were good old days. Hope he's doing fine. We played a lot down in the parade grounds Prospect Park Brooklyn. Flitgun Frankie May 2, 2023 Looking at some of the other comments about how Candelaria didn't do anything for the Mets, he was with them for 3 games. What are you supposed to do in 3 games? And he won two of them. He was a very good pitcher when he was at his best and lasted a long time. Plus, I got to see him pitch a no-hitter when he was pitching for the Pirates. It was a Monday Night game on ABC vs. the Dodgers, and I believe the first no-hitter besides Don Larsen's in the World Series on a national broadcast. It was the second no-hitter I saw. First was Ed Halicki's vs. the Mets the year before. Alex October 3, 2024 Candelaria was a very good pitcher. Early on in his career, one could argue he had Hall of Fame "potential," though it was a potential that went unfulfilled as his career progressed. With the Mets, he was largely a non-factor, though in his final start with them on September 28, he tossed five scoreless innings, struck out the final batter he ever faced as a Met, Von Hayes, and earned the win. Since 2018, I have written him five autograph requests. He charges a fee—it used to be $15, now it's $25. My goal is to try and get guys without sending a fee—occasionally I say the right thing or catch them at the right time and they sign for free. But Candelaria has responded with a price list every single time. He's impossible! The funniest response I've gotten from him was in 2023. I sent an Angels card, but wrote "let's go Mets!" in my letter. Either he, or the guy who handles his mail, returned my card unsigned with the price list—and a little handwritten note on the price list that said, "Mets fan sends an Angels card?" Sorry John, it's all I had!

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