Jerry Grote of the Mets Wasn't Certain About the Location of the Pitching Mound

It was a minor trade that turned out to be significant, but not for a while.  It helped to set the foundation for the miracle of 1969.

On Oct. 19, 1965, the Houston Astros sent catcher Jerry Grote to the New York Mets for a player to be named later and cash.  A month later, the Mets sent Tom Parsons to Houston.

Parsons, whom the scouts thought would become a winning pitcher, had been 1-10 with a 4.67 ERA and a 75 ERA+. The 1965 Mets finished last, losing 112 games.

Grote, who was an excellent defensive catcher, spent 1964 with Houston, batting .181/.240/.262 with three home runs. He was soon sent to the minors.

In 1965, with Oklahoma City of the Pacific Coast League, Grote hit .265 with 11 home runs. He played third base when the Astros demoted catcher John Bateman to Oklahoma City.  Grote played third base, but Jerry Grote could catch and handle a pitching staff.

Grote became the Mets regular catcher in 1966. He never was much of an offensive threat, but the Mets pitchers loved it when he was behind the plate as much as potential base stealers hated it.

From 1966-68, Grote nabbed 40 percent of attempted base steals. Lou Brock, who knew a thing or two about stealing, admitted that he had to compensate when he faced the Mets.

“For quickness in getting rid of the ball and accuracy, I have to pick Grote.”  Brock said. He admitted that tried to extend his lead off first in order to get a bigger jump when he tried to steal against Grote.

From his first day as a Met, Grote exhibited his ornery personality. He was often short-tempered when he spoke to the media, although he always was pleasant to Ralph Kiner. Grote sometimes snapped at his teammates and wasn't many umpires' favorite catcher.

A small thing he did, especially when the Mets had Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Gary Gentry and Tug McGraw, all of whom had their share of strikeouts, was roll the ball to the side of the mound when the last out of an inning was a strikeout.

If the batter were right-handed, Grote rolled the ball toward first base. He rolled it toward third base if the hitter were left-handed. It was a small thing that would go unnoticed today, but it rankled many players.

An incident at Los Angeles in late July, 1967, was typical of Grote.

The Mets were leading the Dodgers 5-3 in the top of the eighth inning. Grote was upset with home plate umpire Bill Jackowski's calls of balls and strikes.

From the dugout, Grote rode Jackowski fiercely. He threw a towel onto the field, at which point Jackowski ejected Grote. The problem was that manager Wes Westrum didn't have another catcher.

Outfielder Tommy Reynolds went behind the plate. The Mets lost the game.

Westrum fined Grote $100, which was a big fine in those days.

Grote finished 1967 batting only .195/.226/.253. but when Gil Hodges took over as manager in 1968, Grote had the best offensive year of his career, batting .282. He was the starting catcher in the All-Star game as well. He credited Hodges.

 “Gil got me to shorten my stride and showed me how to be quicker with the bat. It has helped me to no end,” Grote said.

The Mets were building something.

By 1967, they had one of the best young managers in the game in Hodges, they had Tom Seaver, who even in his rookie season, pitched as if he were a grizzled veteran and they had a catcher that would get the most out of a great young pitching staff.