In 1985, the New York Mets called Lenny Dykstra up from the minors to fill in for an injured Mookie Wilson. Immediately, he became a fan favorite and an offensive sparkplug for a 98-win team that just missed making the playoffs in an all-time classic pennant race with the Cardinals. The next season, Dykstra took over as the everyday leadoff hitter and helped propel the franchise to its second World Series title, highlighted by a stunning walk-off home run in Game 3 of the NLCS that still stands as one of the greatest moments in the team's history.
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| Dykstra's' Finest Moment |
However, Dykstra's tenure with the Mets wouldn't last for very long. In June of 1989, Dykstra was traded to the Phillies for the fading slugger Juan Samuel, in a transaction motivated primarily by Dykstra's well-earned reputation for off-the-field lunacy. I was 11 years old at the time and remember being devastated but defended Samuel throughout his lone half-season with the Mets, clinging to hope that their new acquisition would prove worthwhile. My faith was rewarded by a staggeringly bad 3 homer, .228 batting average, .599 OPS performance. Dykstra, however, went on to star for the Phillies, making 3 all-star teams and finishing second for the NL MVP in 1993 during his 7+ seasons with the team.
The Dykstra-Samuel trade marked the beginning of the end for the dynamic Mets squads of the 80s, as longtime stalwarts like Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter, Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry would soon follow Lenny out the door. It also managed to anger the baseball gods. As penance for their folly, the Mets have failed to develop a single minor league outfield prospect that has lived up to expectations in the 21 years since Dykstra was moved.
