Thursday, October 15

Welcome back to the Mets Beat newsletter! Anthony DiComo has covered the Mets for MLB.com since 2007, including the past 17 seasons full-time on the beat.

NEW YORK -- Ask Jay Horwitz, the Mets vice president of alumni public relations and team historian, and he will say that Bobby Valentine is going into the team’s Hall of Fame as much for his work off the field as for his success on it.

Yes, Valentine oversaw one of the most fruitful stretches in Mets history, taking over a fourth-place team in 1996 and lifting it, just a few years later, to consecutive playoff berths for the first time in franchise history. Yes, he took the Mets all the way to the World Series in 2000. Yes, he departed with the second-most wins and second-highest winning percentage of any manager in franchise history, trailing only Davey Johnson in both categories. (Terry Collins later passed Valentine in wins; Willie Randolph and Buck Showalter in success rate.)

Horwitz knows all that; his contention is not that Valentine’s managerial bona fides are half-baked. It’s just that Valentine’s impact outside the lines, particularly in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, is a significant reason why he’s entering the Mets Hall of Fame alongside Lee Mazzilli this Saturday.

“It was a major part of my life, that’s for sure,” Valentine said this month from his seats behind the first-base dugout in Anaheim, where he spends much of his time in semi-retirement. “When Fred [Wilpon] hired me the first time, he said, ‘I want to hire a person for 12 months, not for six months.’ I said, ‘I’m all in.’ There was always stuff out in the community, so we knew our way around. We knew the heartbeat. And then when the heart was broken on 9/11, we just went out there trying to mend it.”

In the days between Sept. 11 and the resumption of baseball in New York City on Sept. 21, Shea Stadium transformed into a staging ground for first responders and suppliers headed to Ground Zero. Valentine was a constant presence at the site, feeding workers at his nearby restaurant and organizing players and staffers to help with relief efforts. He personally visited Ground Zero on multiple occasions to encourage first responders.

“During that 10-day period,” Horwitz wrote in an email, “I don’t think he slept at all.”

For Valentine, the work did not end when normal life resumed. Among his many charitable efforts post-9/11, Valentine helped establish Tuesday’s Children, a nonprofit created to aid the more than 3,000 children who lost a parent in the attacks. That organization continues to operate today.

“It was something that I gave my all to,” Valentine said. “I gave my all to managing and coaching and playing. But when that happened, I was like everyone else wondering what to do. I was just always good at doing, and so I kept doing. And there was a lot to do.”

These days, Valentine spends most of his time in Southern California, with frequent trips to New York and Japan. Among the things keeping him busy are a sports academy in his hometown of Stamford, Conn., as well as work on various documentaries. The day before his Hall of Fame induction, Valentine will be at Citi Field to promote the fake-mustache-and-glasses giveaway created in his honor. Then it will be on to the main event -- celebrating a man who, both on and off the field, oversaw one of the most remarkable eras of Mets history.

“[It] was a spectacular part of my life,” Valentine said, “and I’m glad that it hasn’t been forgotten.”

Who leads the Mets in career win-loss percentage (minimum 50 starts)?

A) David Cone

B) Jacob deGrom

C) Dwight Gooden

D) Tom Seaver

Not only has Marcus Semien replaced Jeff McNeil at second base this season, but he’s also updating one of McNeil’s charitable initiatives. This Thursday evening, Semien will co-host a poker tournament with celebrity Mets fan Hank Azaria at Citi Field, taking over an initiative that McNeil ran before his trade to the A’s over the offseason.

The event benefits three causes: Azaria’s Four Through Nine Foundation, which addresses societal challenges relating to education, social justice, the environment, and physical and mental wellness; Pitch in for Baseball and Softball, which provides sports equipment directly to leagues, schools and organizations around the world; and City Harvest, New York City’s first and largest food rescue organization.

Tickets to the event, including $1,500 individual seats, remain available here.

Those with young Mets fans in their lives may appreciate the latest episode of MLB Clubhouse’s “The Doug Out,” a social media show created for children. The episode features Juan Soto and his signature “Soto Shuffle,” explaining why patience is important at the plate … and in life. It also digs into some of what makes Citi Field and New York City special.

Grab your kids and check out the full episode here.

• The Mets could be shaking up their rotation … again. Following David Peterson’s latest rocky start and Sean Manaea’s improved relief outing, team officials met to discuss whether they might be better served promoting Manaea to the rotation and demoting Peterson back to the bullpen. But those aren’t the only two options. More here.

• The Mets placed another player, Tyrone Taylor, on the injured list this week, but they did get two others back from the IL. One of them, A.J. Minter, tossed a scoreless inning in his return, calling it an emotional night after 13 months away from the Majors.

• Elsewhere on the injury front, Francisco Lindor restarted baseball activities and Jorge Polanco began a rehab assignment, providing at least some hope that he can return to being a productive member of the team.

• Juan Soto is on one heck of a heater. His home run Wednesday was his eighth in 12 games, making him one of only a dozen Mets players to accomplish that feat.

C) Gooden

Gooden went 157-85 over his time with the Mets. His .649 winning percentage remains the highest in Mets history.

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