Rank the Mets' collapse

[Wynton]

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The collapse tonight was epic.

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Indeed. And I think that if this continues, the Mets deserve some extra mention for style points. I don't know the manner in which the Phillies managed to lose 10 in a row that year, but the Mets have been routinely rallying to take late inning leads of several runs, only to see the bullpen blow it over and over again.

I think the extra pain inflicted by late inning-blown leads should count for something in the equation.

[andyfox]

It ain't a collapse yet. They're still in first place.

I note that the team with the best record in the NL has given up more runs than it has scored. Has that ever happened before?

[andyfox]

On September 17, 1964, the Phillies had a 6.5 game lead over St. Louis. Here is how they fared the rest of September:
9-18: lose 4-3 (led 3-0 in the 7th)
9-19: lose 4-3 in 16 innings
9-20: win 3-2
9-21: lose 1-0
9-22: lose 9-2
9-23: lose 6-4 (led 3-2 after 6)
9-24: lose 5-3
9-25: lose 7-5 in 12 innings
9-26: lose 6-4 (led 4-2 after 7 and 4-3 after 8)
9-27: lose 14-8
9-28: lose 5-1
9-29: lose 4-2
9-30: lose 8-5

Manager Gene Mauch pitched his aces, Jim Bunning and Chris Short, twice each on just two days' rest. Bunning lost 14-8 and 8-5, and short lost 7-5 and 5-1.

[Wynton]

Andy,

My gut reaction to your list is that last couple of weeks for the Mets have been more painful, though maybe that's just my skewed perspective. Sure feels like the Mets have blown like 6 late inning leads recently.

edit: But that is very interesting about Mauch. Did he survive to manage the Phillies the following year?

[JordanIB]

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Andy,

My gut reaction to your list is that last couple of weeks for the Mets have been more painful, though maybe that's just my skewed perspective. Sure feels like the Mets have blown like 6 late inning leads recently.

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Mike and Chris just said that the last 6 losses, the Mets have had leads of at least 2 runs in each of them.

[Wynton]

And I suspect that if one looked further - to the prior 5-10 losses - you would see several additional late-inning, blown leads.

[jogsxyz]

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Manager Gene Mauch pitched his aces, Jim Bunning and Chris Short, twice each on just two days' rest. Bunning lost 14-8 and 8-5, and short lost 7-5 and 5-1.

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Managers seldom win games. But they sure manage to lose
lots of games.

[andyfox]

Yup, got fired, finally, in '68. Was hired as Montreal's first manager in 1969 and went on to a long and undistinguished career with two other teams. Widely regarded as a genius for no good reason that I can discern. He also managed to take a 2 games to nothing lead in the best of 5 1982 AL Championship Series and lose it 4-3 in game 5, despite his team garnering nine singles, two doubles, 3 walks, two successful sacrifices (he loved the sacrifice bunt) and four opponent errors. And, of course, his Angels 1986 collapse in the Championship Series was epic: up three games to one and leading 5-2 in the ninth inning of game 5, they also had the bases loaded with the score tied in the bottom of the 9th and one out and didn't win the game nor the series.

Incidentally, the 1964 World Series featured a manager for one team that had already agreed to become the manager for the opposing team the next year.

[Wynton]

Bump. Just because, if I have to live through this collapse, I want it to get full credit for historical value.

[areinitz]

Its not a collaspe untill they actually blow it