…that difficult period from 1974-1985 that saw the Mets go without a postseason berth.
Not only would Stearns be a worthy emblem for that time, he is legitimately one of the great Mets, regardless of era.
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Stearns played a decade in New York, from 1975-84, and was a lifelong Met, except for one unfortunate appearance for the 1974 Phillies. He was even acquired for another Met Hall of Famer, Tug McGraw. His four All Star appearances were usually the bright spot for Mets fans in an otherwise Met-free series of games, and he was a justifiable choice for the team.
via John Franco gets his due from the Mets; now how about John Stearns? | Capital New York.
You kids today probably know nothing about Stearns. Trust me you would have loved him.
He got hurt at some point and the joke for like 4 years running was that John Stearns would be ‘back in June.” He somehow made an appearance on the 84 Mets but I don’t remember it.
I think Stearns would be a great Mets HOFer one day…perhaps he could share it with another Mets player from that era, the great Lee Mazzilli.