4/6/73: "You Gotta Believe" Yogi has some explaining to do after Mets get slammed by Phils, 5-4

Tom was "Terrific" through 8. Felix Millan had a 4-hit day. Only one thing wrong with these 1st 2 sentences, the Mets were slammed in the 9th.

The Metropolitans had a 3-0 lead, Tom Seaver limited the Phils to just 2 hits, a post-game celebration was in the works. Leading off the 9th, Larry Bowa casually dropped a fly ball in front of Willie Mays for a single. Del Unser then made Seaver "pull out the string", drawing a walk. Willie Montanez then lined a single to load the bases, suddenly making it a ball game. Yogi Berra wanted to take Seaver out, but the Met skipper thought Seaver had enough to get batter Tommy Hutton out before bringing on Tug McGraw. Hutton struck out, #8 for Seaver, then Yogi went with Tug. What happened next was another chapter in the Mets checkered history.

McGraw faced Greg Luzinski, only to have "The Bull" "pull the string and put the Phils on the board with a bases-loaded walk. Up stepped PH Deron Johnson and "You Gotta Believe" the Mets will have nightmares about what happened next. "The Next Mickey Mantle" belted it like Mickey, sending it high, deep and clear into LaGuardia next to all the other aircraft. Grand Slam. Tug cussed. Yogi dropped his Yoo-Hoo. Even with a run in the bottom of the 9th, the Mets still couldn't "Believe" their opening day was ruined by "DJ." They were slammed.

PHI 5-5-0 NYM 4-13-1 WP-Wilson (1-0) LP-McGraw (0-1) SV-Scarce. HR-Johnson (1) 

-The Mets stranded 13 baserunners.

-Steve Carlton pitched 7 innings, struck out 2, walked 5.

-Seaver, 8-1/3 IP, struck out 8. scattered 4 hits.

-Cleon Jones, 3-5 with 2 doubles, including a 2-run double in the 1st. 

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