I didn’t think I’d get the opportunity to use the names Bruce Boisclair, Mike Vail and Roy Staiger in a post this year, but here it goes.
In celebration of the Mets’ 7,600th game without a no-hitter (and considering that the Mets got spanked 10-1 Monday night) we thought we’d go retro and take a look at the Mets game on this date in ’76.
First, lets get game number 7,600 out of the way. Livan Hernandez, 5 1/3 innings, six runs, 11 hits, lost his no-hitter on the first pitch, a Eugenio Velez single that made us update our No-hitters killed by first at bat page. Giants 10, Mets 1.
OK, that’s enough about ’09. Let’s drop back to ’76.
Here’s the starting lineup for the Aug. 17, 1976 night game at Dodger Stadium:
Bruce Boisclair CF
Felix Millan 2B
John Milner LF
Joe Torre 1B
Mike Vail RF
Roy Staiger 3B
Ron Hodges C
Bud Harrelson SS
Jon Matlack P
The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning after Boisclair drew a leadoff walk, Millan singled to right and Milner hit a three-run homer. Unfortunately, the Dodgers scored four runs in the fourth inning, and L.A. starter Rick Rhoden settled down to keep the Mets scoreless for a complete-game 4-3 victory that gave him an 11-1 record on the season.
Matlack lost his no-hitter in the first inning on a Steve Garvey single, advancing the Mets’ dubious streak to 2,383 games without a no-no – a mere pittance of where we stand today.
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The only thing I remember about Roy Staiger was that Ralph Kiner kept calling him Rod Steiger.
The thing that I remember about him is we sent him to the Bronx in a rare Mets-Yankees trade. (I think it might have been the first between the two.) We got Sergio Ferrer.
The things I remember about him is seeing him on holidays like Thanksgiving and having to overpay for his rookie card because it was a multi-player card including Willie Randolph.
Thanks Dustin, I had forgotten they shared a rookie card (The Braves’ Jerry Royster and the Twins’ Dave McKay round out the group – I still have all my Topps Mets cards from the 70s) … I was absolutely amazed when he was traded to the Yankees. Being 8 years old at the time and having already developed a hatred of the Yankees, I had thought that trades between the two teams were somehow illegal.