Mets 5, Polish All Stars 4

“It was just like the way we worked on it in Spring Training” – Tug McGraw

It was quite the finish. The Mets had a one-run lead going in to the bottom of the ninth, and the Polish All Stars had the top of the order coming up. A leadoff double from Alan Trammel was followed by two quick outs, and it looked like the Mets could get out of it. But Stan Musial dropped a single into shallow left field, putting runners on the corners, and bringing Ted Kluszewski to the plate. “Big Klu” was 3 for 4 so far, with a home run and two singles. On deck was Troy Tulowitzki, who was hitless in four at bats – and had grounded into two inning-ending double plays.

After a meeting on the mound, Kluszewski was given a free pass, loading the bases. “Tulo had hit the ball hard in his at bats,” said the Poles manager. “He just had the bad luck of hitting it right were the fielders could make some great plays.” Tulowitzki was allowed to bat, and after fouling off a couple of pitches, slapped one sharply to Hubie Brooks who turned it into a 4-3 game ending groundout.

The Mets got a gift run in the top of the third, when Niekro’s knuckler kept missing the zone. A single and three walks gave them the early lead. The Poles got the lead back in the bottom of that inning, thanks to a three-run blast from Kluszewski. More walks and singles gave the Mets more runs, and after the top of the sixth, they led 5-3. The Poles added another run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Mets bullpen shut them down after that.

LOB: Mets 12, Polish AS 9. 2B: Wright, Yastrzemski, Simmons, Trammel. HR: Kluszewski. IBB: Kluszewski (by McGraw). E: Brooks