George Foster: New York Mets Favored White Lenny Dykstra over Mookie Wilson

Thirty-three-year-old George Foster became a New York Met on Feb. 10, 1982.  He never batted more than .269 for them and never hit more than 28 home runs for New York's favorite team at the time.

During the 1986 season, manager Davey Johnson decided that the Mets would be more effective with a platoon of left-handed hitting Danny Heep and right-handed hitting Kevin Mitchell in left field.

The Mets, their fans and the New York media, which is brutal and often eschew accuracy for sensationalism, were disappointed with Foster's performance.

His $2 million-a-year salary, one of the highest in baseball history at the time, didn't help matters.

To say Foster was upset is an understatement. He made statements under duress that he later explained.

"When a ball club can, they replace a George Foster or a Mookie Wilson with a more popular white player."

There have been few Mets more popular with the fans than Mookie Wilson.

Lee Mazzilli, whom the Mets brought up from their Tidewater farm team to take Foster's place on the roster, is white.

A day later, general manager Frank Cashen told the press that Foster denied making such racial comments, but Johnson was livid.

"I took that as a personal affront. It's unfortunate he saw fit to make those comments. He was creating waves unjustly."

In an interview with Jack Cavanaugh of the New York Times in 1988, Foster explained.

''I was unhappy because Davey Johnson was platooning Danny Heep and Kevin Mitchell in left field,'' Foster said. ''But the straw that broke the camel's back came when I criticized the club for not giving Mookie Wilson, who had been hurt, his job back in center rather than keep Lenny Dykstra out there.''

''What I said wasn't intended to be racial at all,'' Foster continued. ''I was just saying the team was showing favoritism to Dykstra, who had just come up. But I never got a chance to explain what I meant.''