Centerfield Maz: Lee Mazzilli

My buddy Centerfield Maz wrote this great piece of Lee Mazzilli. I love that third pic down, what a riot. Ah, the 70s.

With CFMaz’s permission here’s what he wrote last week:

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2009

Former Met of the Day : Lee Mazzilli

Lee was born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, March 25, 1955. Mazzilli’s grandfather was from Bari, Italy, came to NY and worked in the piano business. His father Libero was a former welterweight boxer & lived in the same 3 1/2 -room apartment until his passing in 2007. Mazzili won eight national speed-skating championships, but chose baseball when the Mets drafted him first round in 1973.

At Visalia in the California League, he stole seven bases in a seven-inning game in 1975. He was brought up to the Mets, in 1976 and was promoted as a star prospect. The hometown boy with matinee idol looks drove the ladies crazy, and became a sex symbol. He broke into the majors with a bang in September 1976, pinch hitting a three-run homer off the Cubs’ Darold Knowles, then two weeks later a two run game winner off Kent Tekulve with two out in the ninth. Overall in 24 games he only hit .195.

Quotes: Lee on his debut â€œI remember walking into that tiny locker room. I was in total awe of the players. Seaver, Koosman, Matlack, Harrelson. Joe Torre took me under his wing â€œYou sit by me today at the end of the dugout.â€

With speed and a good batting eye, Mazzilli was thrown right into the everyday lineup in 1977. He would have been a better leadoff man but the â€™77 Mets had no offense and he was needed as an RBI guy. The front office promoted him as the next Willie Mays because of his talent and the basket style catches he made, ala Mays. In 159 games he hit .250 with 6 HRs, 24 doubles, 24 stolen bases and 46 RBIs. Certainly no Mays, but the best player on a poor team.

In 1978 he had a better year hitting .273, with 16 HRs, 28 doubles, 66 RBIs, 5 triples, and 20 steals. He became the first Met to hit home runs from both sides of the plate. His best season came in 1979, when he had a 19-game hitting streak and hit .303 with 15 HRs, 34 doubles, 79 RBIs and stole 34 bases. He was named to the All Star Game and became the NL hero. Lee tied the score in the eighth inning with a two-run homer off Clevelandâ€™s Jim Kern. Then in the ninth, he walked & was credited with the game winning RBI off none other than Ron Guidry.

Mazzilli played a lot of first base in 1980, and lead the team with 162 hits, 31 doubles, 16 HRs, 76 RBI, 82 runs, and 41 stolen bases. In 1981 injuries held him back to a .228 average, 6 HRs, and 36 RBIs. That winter he was traded to Texas for Ron Darling & Walt Terrell. At the time it was a very unpopular trade with Met fans but proved to be a good one.

He was hurt most of the season in Texas, got traded to the Yankees for Bucky Dent then was passed on to the Pirates. In 1985, in Pittsburgh, he led NL pinch hitters with 72 plate and hit .286 with a .437 on-base %.

Post Season: The Mets reacquired him for their pennant drive in 1986, he hit .276 and was warmly welcomed back to Shea. In the NLCS he set a record with 5 pinch hit at bats, but only got one hit. In the 1986 World Series he appeared in four games getting two key hits and scoring two big runs. He led off the 8th inning of Game #6 with a pinch hit single off Cal Schiraldi and scored the tying run. In Game #7 with the Mets down 3-0 he again started a tying rally with a sixth-inning pinch hit single off Bruce Hurst, scoring on Keith Hernandez single.

In 1987 Mazzilli tied for the NL lead with 17 pinch hits, batting .306. By 1988 he dropped to .147, appeared in the 1988 NLCS with two plate appearances getting a hit & was hit by a pitch. He was put on waivers and retired with Toronto in 1989. After 14 years, he ranked in the top ten in most Mets offensive categories.

Retirement: A good friend, actor Dan Lauria, (the father in The Wonder Years) suggested acting, and “The Italian Stallion” got the part with actress Sharon Angela ( The Sopranos) in the off-Broadway production of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding (1992-1993). After that he went into the restaurant business, as a partner in Lee Mazzillis Sports CafÃ© located in Manhattan at 70th St & Amsterdam Ave. He then managed the Orioles from 2004- 2005, and was first base & bench coach for Joe Torre from 2000 to 2003.
then was the SNY studio anatyst in 2007-2008.

Honors: Maz was honored by the Brooklyn Cyclones on â€œLee Mazzilli Bobble Head Nightâ€ in 2007. He was at the closing ceremonies of Shea Stadium in 2008.

Do the right thing and give Centerfield Maz (the website, not Lee) some hits.