Jeff Reardon
From The Met Wiki
Jeff Reardon was a relief pitcher for the Mets from 1979 to 1981. He compiled a 10-9 won-lost record with 10 saves during his time with the team. Reardon had a 2.65 earned run average as a Met.
Reardon got his first major league victory in unusual fashion. At Shea Stadium on August 27, he pitched the ninth inning of a game against the Braves that had been suspended from June 17 (when he was in the minor leagues.) Jeff held Atlanta scoreless and the Mets won, 2-1, with a run in the bottom of the inning. Also in '79, Reardon recorded his first major league save in the Mets' 6-2 win at St. Louis on September 28. He got another save two days later as the Mets defeated the Cardinals, 4-2, in the final game of the year. Jeff had a 1.74 ERA for the '79 season.
In 1980, Reardon led all Mets pitchers with 61 game appearances. He had 6 saves and 101 strikeouts while recording 8 wins on the season. On May 5, Jeff was the winning pitcher in a 3-2 Mets win in 10 innings over the Reds at Shea. Against the Giants on June 14, he pitched a scoreless top of the ninth inning and emerged with a victory after the Mets got five runs in the bottom half for a 7-6 win over the Giants at Shea. Reardon struck out five batters in three innings for a save in the Mets' 6-5 win at Chicago on June 24. Against the Expos on July 4, he got a save at Shea for the first time as the Mets defeated the Expos, 9-5, in the opener of a doubleheader.
Reardon pitched 28 and two-thirds innings in 18 games for the Mets in 1981. He struck out two batters in a scoreless ninth to pick up the save in a 7-4 Mets win over the Dodgers at Shea on May 9. At San Francisco on May 20, Jeff was the winning pitcher in a 4-3 Mets win in 10 innings that ended the team's nine-game losing streak. Reardon also pitched three and one-third innings of one-hit ball to earn a save in the Mets' 13-3 victory over the Phillies at Shea on May 25.
On May 29, 1981, Reardon and Dan Norman were traded to the Montreal Expos for Ellis Valentine. Jeff went on to a standout career in which he recorded 367 saves. As an Expo, he won the National League's Fireman of the Year and Rolaids Award in 1985. He earned saves in the final games of both the American League Championship Series and World Series for the Minnesota Twins in 1987. Reardon also pitched for the Red Sox, Braves, Reds and Yankees before his retirement in 1994.
