Back in 1983, the New York Mets acquired World Series champ and former NL MVP Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s a trade that has gone in Mets’ franchise lore. Led by Hernandez, New York shocked the baseball world by winning the 1986 World Series.
Meanwhile, the man acquired by St. Louis did pretty much nothing for his new team. Neil Allen played less than three full seasons in the Gateway to the West, posting a 20-16 record in the process.
The Mets decided to bring up this trade nearly 40 years after the fact. They did so in grand fashion with both men appearing in an awesome video.
“Throw in Rick Ownbey.” That’s just all sorts of great right there. How random is that name? The pitcher put up a 3-11 record in the majors, including a 1-6 mark as a member of the Cardinals following the trade.
One has to wonder what would’ve happened if this trade didn’t go down. Maybe Newman and Kramer wouldn’t have been spit on and the entire grassy knoll theory would be obsolete.