The 1976

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

season was the 15th regular season for the Mets, who played home games at

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

. Led by manager Joe Frazier, the team had an 86–76 record and finished in third place in the

National League East The National League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. Along with the American League Central it is one of two divisions to have every member win at least one World Series title. The division was created when the National Leag ...

Offseason

On December 6, Mrs. Lorinda de Roulet, daughter of the late Joan Payson, was named

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

of the Mets. The critical decisions, however, were still made by board chairman M. Donald Grant and General Manager Joe McDonald.

Notable transactions

* December 3, 1975:

Kelvin Chapman Kelvin Keith Chapman (born June 2, 1956) is a retired Major League Baseball player. He played his entire Major League career with the New York Mets. Early career Kelvin Chapman attended Santa Rosa Junior College. He was signed by the Mets organi ...

was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets. * December 12, 1975:

Rusty Staub Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first basem ...

and

Bill Laxton William Harry Laxton (born January 5, 1948) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Laxton pitched in all or part of five seasons in the majors between 1970 and 1977. Early career Laxton grew up in Audubon, New Jersey and attended Audubon H ...

were traded by the Mets to the Detroit Tigers for

Mickey Lolich Michael Stephen Lolich (born September 12, 1940) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1963 until 1979, almost entirely for the Detroit Tigers. A three-time All-Star ...

and Billy Baldwin. * January 7, 1976:

1976 Major League Baseball draft First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. ''*'' Did not sign Other notable Selections ''*'' Did not sign Background The 1976 Arizona State University team, considered by ma ...

** Greg Harris was drafted by the Mets in the 7th round, but did not sign.Greg Harris
at ''Baseball Reference'' **

Kim Seaman Kim Michael Seaman (born May 6, 1957) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 27 games for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1979 and 1980 baseball seasons. Early career Seaman attended ...

was drafted by the Mets in the 4th round of the Secondary Phase. * March 5, 1976: Mario Ramírez was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets. * March 30, 1976:

Jesús Alou Jesús María Rojas Alou (born March 24, 1942) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the San Francisco Giants (1963–68), Houston Astros (1969–73; 1978–79) ...

was released by the Mets.

Regular season

Season Summary

September 16 Events Pre-1600 * 681 – Pope Honorius I is posthumously excommunicated by the Sixth Ecumenical Council. *1400 – Owain Glyndŵr is declared Prince of Wales by his followers. 1601–1900 *1620 – A determined band of 35 religio ...

, before a small crowd of 5,472 at Shea Stadium, Jerry Koosman overcame a home run by future Mets player

Keith Hernandez Keith Hernandez (born October 20, 1953) is an American former Major League Baseball first baseman who played the majority of his career with the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. Hernandez was a five-time All-Star who shared the 1979 NL MVP ...

to pitch a complete game and win his 20th game of the season for the first time in his career in a 4–1 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. He became the second pitcher in NY Mets history to win 20 games.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

* June 8, 1976:

Dave Von Ohlen David Von Ohlen (born October 25, 1958) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Von Ohlen pitched in all or part of five seasons in Major League Baseball from 1983 through 1987. He appeared in 181 Major League games, all in relief. E ...

was drafted by the Mets in the 17th round of the

. * July 21, 1976:

Del Unser Delbert Bernard Unser (born December 9, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder and utility player from to , most prominently with the Philadelphia Phillies, where he was ...

and Wayne Garrett were traded by the Mets to the

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

for Jim Dwyer and

Pepe Mangual José Manuel "Pepe" Mangual Guilbe (born May 23, 1952) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played for the Montreal Expos (1972–1976) and New York Mets (1976–1977). Career Mangual played one full season, in 1975 with the Expos. ...

.Del Unser
at ''Baseball Reference'' * September 17, 1976: Greg Harris was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets.

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

''Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Other batters

''Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in''

Pitching

Starting pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Other pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Relief pitchers

''Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts''

Farm system

Notes

References

External links

1976 New York Mets at Baseball Reference1976 New York Mets
at ''Baseball Almanac'' {{New York Mets New York Mets seasons New York Mets season New York 1970s in Queens