A few days ago, the Mets sent the orange-and-blue-clad fans of the greater New York area into a frenzy by finishing off the rival Phillies in a memorable four-game NLDS that was much closer than some of the final scores indicated.
There were several heroes for the victors, of course. Francisco Lindor struck the decisive blow with his grand slam in the clincher. Polar Bear Pete contributed a pair of blasts. Lefties Sean Manaea and Jose Quintana were sterling in their starting assignments.
But the force that powered them from start to finish was unquestionably Mark Vientos. Five months after he was recalled from the Minors in mid-May, the 24-year-old lashed multiple hits in each of the four Division Series games, including a two-homer effort that nearly ignited a comeback win in Game 2. As my colleague at Coffee & Box Scores noted, Vientos’ .563 batting average for the NLDS was a record breaker for the franchise.
Part of the fun that comes with postseason viewing is watching a player stay improbably hot as he comes up with clutch hit after hit. Sometimes it’s a big-name stud or a rising star like Vientos, but often, it’s a little-known backup who somehow stumbles upon a magic elixir that turbocharges his bat for October.
Let’s take another look at Roger’s Game Notes for the other Mets mentioned as batting average leaders of their respective series: Art Shamsky with a .538 average in the 1969 NLCS, and Al Weis with a .455 mark in the ’69 World Series.
Unsurprisingly, these highlights in Mets history lead back to 1969.
While never an All-Star, Shamsky was a solid platoon player for much of his eight-year big league career. He was actually one of the Mets’ best hitters in 1969, slashing .300/.375/.488 in 100 regular-season games, before going 7-for-13 to help propel a sweep of the Braves in the NLCS (he then went quiet in the World Series).
Weis wasn’t half the hitter Shamsky was in 1969; in fact, he was only half the hitter he’d been in previous seasons after abandoning his switch-hitting approach in favor of planting himself solely in the right-handed batter’s box.
No matter which direction he was facing, Weis was rarely adept at putting the bat on the ball. He slashed .215/.259/.291 in 1969 – all pretty much in line with his career marks – and was primarily valued at that point for his sure-handed glove at shortstop and second base. He barely even played in the NLCS, entering all three games as a defensive replacement.
So naturally, this glove-first middle infielder turned into the reincarnation of Rogers Hornsby for the World Series – against a Baltimore staff that easily led the American League with a 2.83 ERA during the regular season.
Game 1 offered little reason to think the Mets had a shot at the upset, as the O’s knocked Mets ace Tom Seaver out of the game after five en route to a 4-1 win. Weis drew a pair of walks and drove home the lone Mets run with a sacrifice fly, an inkling of the ignition he’d provide in the days to come.
Game 2 featured a fantastic pitchers’ duel between Jerry Koosman and Dave McNally. This being 1969, both starters were still around for the ninth inning of a 1-1 ballgame, and Weis greeted McNally the fourth time they squared off by banging what turned out to be the game-winning single in the top of the frame.
Game 3 was the Tommie Agee show at the plate and especially in center field, with Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan teaming up on the mound to shut down the Orioles offense. It also marked a partial off-day in the series for Weis, who entered as a replacement for Shamsky in the eighth.
Back starting at second base for Game 4, Weis stroked two more hits in another tense pitchers’ battle – this one between Seaver and Mike Cuellar. One inning after Ron Swoboda’s kamikaze diving catch in the ninth, Weis was in the middle of the winning rally when he was intentionally walked to set up a force play, and then made his way to second when an errant throw on a bunt allowed the winning run to score.
Their backs against the wall, the O’s jumped on the board first in Game 5 with a three-run third inning. The famous “shoe polish” plunking put Cleon Jones on first in the bottom of the sixth, setting the table for Donn Clendenon’s two-run blast to cut the deficit to one. One inning later, Weis uncorked his swing on a McNally offering to send a high fly over the wall in left, tying the game at three.
How unlikely was this outcome? In 800 regular season and another eight postseason games, Weis went deep a grand total of eight times; this was the lone time he cleared the fence while wearing a home uniform. On the other hand, he’d touched McNally for another of his rare dingers earlier in his career, so maybe this wasn’t as inconceivable as it initially seemed.
Anyway, the Mets kept rolling on with two more in the eighth, and by the time future manager Davey Johnson’s fly ball had settled into Cleon Jones’ glove, the former laughingstock Mets had completed the miracle transformation into World Series champions.
As with the 2024 NLDS winners, there was no shortage of heroes in what was truly a team win. Koosman was outstanding across his two starts. Swoboda hit .400 to go with his game-saving catch. Clendenon batted .357 with three homers to win series MVP.
But clearly Weis deserved some special kudos for leading all regulars with his .455 average and timely hits, and to that end, the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America honored him with the Babe Ruth Award as the postseason’s MVP.
Of course, pro sports is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, and for Weis, the World Series heroics wouldn’t indefinitely mask his deficiencies at the plate. He batted .207 with one home run (off Steve Carlton!) in 1970, and the following year, he was released in July after going hitless in 14 plate appearances.
But the memories of fandom operate on a different track. As eagerly as we await the next prospect or free-agent signing to keep our teams competitive on a year-to-year basis, there’s no dislodging the perfectly ingrained images of the big swing or mad dash or perfectly dotted strike three – those singular moments that ensure triumphant postseason performances live on, no matter what that player does for the rest of his career.
It’s too early to say whether Vientos will have a career closer on the spectrum to that of Hornsby or Weis. Given a choice, he’d likely prefer the former, but it’s never a bad fallback to be remembered as an unlikely engine who sparked his team to an improbable World Series win.
Thanks to the SABR Bio Project as well as Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.
Tim Ott
Tim's early yearnings for baseball immortality began on the dirt and grass of the P.S. 81 ballfield in the Bronx. Although a Hall of Fame career was not in the cards, his penchant for reading the MLB record book and volumes of history tomes led to an internship with MLB.com in 2002. Tim fulfilled an array of roles over the next nine years at the company, from editorial game producer to fantasy writer and editor and reporter for MLB-related promotions. While a busy freelance writing career has since taken him in other directions, Tim has always kept baseball in his heart, and is happy to be back to observing and reflecting on our great pastime.