Ultimate Mets Database: Game of September 25, 1973

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Previous Game:
September 23, 1973
Mets 5, Cardinals 2 1973 Regular Season Game 157
September 25, 1973
Mets 2, Expos 1 Next Game:
September 26, 1973
Expos 8, Mets 5

Click to view scorecard

National League Standings, September 25, 1973

Box Score Game Memories Scorecard Mets Stats
Thru This Game

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE SEPTEMBER 25, 1973 GAME:

john m
December 21, 2004
First game I ever went to in person. Two brothers and I spent all spring saving Dairylea milk carton coupons (4 gallon container coupons equaled a free upper deck ticket) and picked a game in September.

Well, it turned out to be Willie Mays Night - 55,000+ to watch Willie say farewell and the Mets - in first place! Win a close game and retain first place! Chanting "We're number one!" leaving a sold out Shea for the IRT 7 - it's never been better!

Of course, next season the promotion was only valid for games thru July - not that the team contended seriously for another decade.

Check the box score - Bud Harrelson was intentionally walked!

Bob P
December 27, 2004
As JohnM says above, Bud Harrelson was intentionally walked, mainly because he was batting eighth. With two outs in the bottom of the second, Jerry Grote doubled. Harrelson was walked to get to Jerry Koosman, who popped to short to end the inning. Harrelson finished his career with 31 intentional walks, or about as many as Barry Bonds gets in a week!

Back to this game, the Mets scored first on a sac fly by Felix Millan in the fifth inning. The Expos tied it on an unearned run in the top of the sixth but Cleon Jones quickly untied it with a one-out homer in the bottom of the sixth.

The win, combined with a 2-1 win by the Phillies in Pittsburgh, moved the Mets a game and a half ahead of the Pirates with five games remaining.

Ray Tucker
July 5, 2005
My memories of this game aren't as vivid as the September 20 game against the Pirates (the "Ball on the Wall" game), but I do remember being there. My father and I had no idea it was Willie Mays night, and my most vivid memory was after the Mets had won, the big scoreboard in right field lit up with "Look Who's in First", and listed the National League East standings after the game with the Mets in first place.

AJP
October 19, 2011
I was in attendance for Willie Mays night on September 25, 1973. It was one of my most memorable nights ever at Shea. My mother's friend took me and my brother. I was in 6th grade at the time and it is interesting to note my mother's friend coincidentally happened to be my Spanish teacher's mother!

We got there very early and I saw Channel 2's Andy Fisher file a report outside Gate C. (First time I ever saw a live TV report.)

We were in the first base mezzanine with a bunch of Giants fans and during the pre-game ceremonies I never heard anybody get booed more lustily than Horace Stoneham did. Willie's final words, "Willie, say goodbye to America" were amazin'.

Joe Santoro
August 11, 2015
The night was bittersweet. I heard the game on the radio, because my older sister wouldn't let me watch the TV. She was watching a Rolling Stones documentary- "Gimme Shelter" I was 10 years old. Could care less about music. All I cared about was sports, the Mets, and Willie Mays. I had to hear his retirement speech on the radio as well as the game. I was very emotional from the combination of the speech and, but mostly, from not being able to watch it live. At least I did get to see the highlights on the news. However I did get my revenge in the post season!

Raymond M.
October 31, 2016
A friend of our family got the tickets from the milk carton coupons. They did not want to go so they asked my father and he took me instead and both of us had a great time. What made it special was the Mets win and it was Willie Mays Night and the Mets were in the middle of a pennant race.

Frank the Met
February 28, 2020
A few memories about this game that no one has mentioned. Yes, it was Willie Mays night and it was another crucial victory in the pennant drive. But I remember, first, that it was the final win in that famous 7-game wining streak that the Mets put together in September. With the score tied 1-1, Cleon hit a monstrous home run to give the Mets the lead off Steve Rogers, who was the Expos' best pitcher. And I remember Pearl Bailey, a big Met fan, was at the game, and as Cleon was rounding the bases after his home run they showed Pearl cheering. In a later inning, with the one-run lead, Cleon made one of his patented circus catches, back-handed, in left-center, preserving the lead and the game. What great cherished memories!

Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:

Please note:
We're looking for your comments about this specific game. We've had people use this space to share their thoughts on how the current season is going, or on ways that the Mets can improve the team. Such comments, unless in the context of this particular game, will be considered off-topic and will be removed.

Example One
The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
This comment is off-topic and will be removed. It has nothing to do with any specific game. But here's an acceptable alternative:

Example Two
The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
See the difference? Here you're getting the same point across, but it's in the proper context. We wouldn't consider this message to be off-topic, and we would let it remain.

We do appreciate anybody who takes the time to share their thoughts on our site, and we hate to remove anybody's postings. But if we didn't take steps to ensure that only on-topic messages were retained, The Ultimate Mets Database would become a confusing jumble of unrelated comments, and would thus be less enjoyable to visitors like you.

Thank you!