Honorary 1962 New York Mets – Paul Foytak

A well-rounded team requires players with a broad range of skills. We’ve been slowly building this loser for over a year now, and we just realized we don’t have a home-run prone pitcher on the roster. In fact, we don’t even have a pitcher on our roster! In today’s edition of our ongoing “Honorary 1962 New York Mets” series, we’re going to take care of that.

Now entering from stage right, because he threw right handed, is Paul Foytack. Our man broke into the big leagues with the Detroit Tigers in 1953. He had several better than average years with them, compiling ERA’s in the mid-three range and fashioning a slighted better than .500 record from 1956 to 1958. From there he went from average, to slightly below average, and finally to playing out the string with minimal success. That’s our Paul Foytack.

Foytack, seen here on his 1964 Topps card, demonstrated his worthiness for inclusion in our collection of inept bumblers on July 31, 1963, in Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. It was in the second game of a double header when Foytack was called to pitch for the Angels in the bottom of the fifth. The Indians had a 5 to 1 lead, and if our man could just hold the Tribe there, the Halos might be able to come back and win the game. Somehow Foytack reached back to his more successful days and induced three infield ground outs. After the Angels failed to score in the top half of the sixth, Foytack returned to the mound for the inning’s bottom half.

He got Indians catcher Joe Azcue on a ground out. Up next came right fielder Al Luplow, and he flied out to deep right field; our man was finding his mark. Then up came versatile infielder Woody Held. Although only a .240 career hitter, Held had  some pop, so when he hit a home run, it didn’t come as a surprise. The Indians now led, 6 to 1, and more importantly, our man had found the range.

Pedro Ramos, a pitcher who averaged about a home run or two every year in his prime, came up next for the Tribe. Unfortunately for Foytak, on this particular day Ramos was in his prime, and he promptly launched home run number two; Indians 7, Angels 1.

Next in the lineup was Tito Francona, an outfielder and first baseman who was averaging about 15 home runs a year at this point in his career. He wasted no time in depositing another Foytak offering into the stands for the third home run of the inning; Indians 8, Angels 1. By now Foytak was in a zone that 1962 New York Mets fans knew entirely too well, so the next round tripper was expected.

Foytak did not disappoint, surrendering a home run to light-hitting Larry Brown, the Indians shortstop. That made the score Indians 9, Angels 1, and Indians Manager Birdie Tebbetts, having seen enough, replaced our man with a pitcher who would never qualify for our team. He got the third out of the inning.

And there you have it. Ladies and gentlemen, we present for your approval, the first pitcher to qualify for admittance into the hallowed fraternity that we call the Honorary 1962 New York Mets, Paul Foytak. In him we have a man capable of walking into a difficult situation and making it immediately worse, a skill this team turned into an art form. If our squad is ever in need of a pitcher who can immediately increase an opponent’t lead, we’ve got him!

Paul Foytak, take a bow! Your the next member of perhaps the worst team in the history of baseball, the Honorary 1962 New York Mets. Welcome aboard!

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This is an ongoing series dedicated to my beloved 1962 New York Mets, an inept bunch whom many historians consider the worst baseball team ever. They taught me more ways to lose baseball games than I ever dared to imagine. During that inaugural season, they won 40 and lost 120 games, finishing 60 and a half games out of first place. In order to be recognized, a current or retired player, or team, has to do something reminiscent of the 1962 Mets. Trust me, this isn’t easy.