John Milner
From The Met Wiki
John Milner was a first baseman and outfielder for the New York Mets from 1971 to 1977. He led the Mets in home runs in each of his first three full seasons with the team and tied for the team lead once. John's 94 home runs were the most among all Mets' players during the 1970s. He also established a team record of 5 grand slams.
After a nine-game stint with the team in '71, John had an outstanding rookie season in 1972. He hit seventeen home runs and finished third in the voting for National League Rookie of the Year (won by fellow Met Jon Matlack.) At Shea Stadium on May 17, Milner drove in five runs with a double and his first major league homer as the Mets defeated the Expos, 12-2. He singled, doubled and homered in a 6-1 Mets victory over the Phillies at Shea on June 1. John had three singles and scored a run in the Mets' 2-1 win at San Diego on July 15. He had a triple, homer and three runs scored in a 12-2 Mets triumph over the Cubs on August 6 at Shea. Milner had a home run and a run-scoring single in the Mets' 13-6 win at Atlanta on August 27. He also went 5-for-5 (three singles, double, home run) in an 8-2 Mets victory over the Cardinals in the first game of a doubleheader on September 8 at Shea.
In 1973, John's second full season got off to a fast start with five home runs in the Mets' first twelve games. He finished with a team-leading 23 in the pennant-winning season. Milner slugged a three-run homer in the first inning of the Mets' 10-2 victory over the Padres on June 16 at Shea. He hit a grand slam in the Mets' 11-3 win over the Expos at Shea Stadium on July 28. John had a game-tying double in a Mets comeback that led to a 10-3 victory over the Cardinals on August 6 at Shea. He had two singles, a double and a grand slam in the Mets' 12-1 win over the Reds at Shea on August 18. Milner hit game-winning singles in the ninth inning in two consecutive games for 2-1 and 4-3 Mets triumphs over the Dodgers at Shea on August 21 and August 22. At Chicago's Wrigley Field on October 1, he turned an unassisted double play for the final two outs in the Mets' division-clinching 6-4 win over the Cubs.
John hit 20 homers and scored 70 runs to lead the Mets in 1974. He also had a team-high 10 stolen bases during the year. Milner had a sacrifice fly and a two-run single in a 5-2 Mets win at San Diego on April 25. At Shea on May 5, he homered in the bottom of the tenth inning to give the Mets a 6-4 victory over the Padres in the second game of a doubleheader at Shea. John had three singles and three runs scored in a 10-5 Mets win over the Cubs at Shea on May 21. He had two singles, a double and three runs scored in the Mets' 6-5 win in 14 innings at Houston on June 8. At Philadelphia on June 21, Milner hit two home runs off Steve Carlton in a 3-1 Mets win over the Phillies. He also singled three times in a 3-0 Mets win over the Braves on September 1 at Shea.
In 1975, injuries limited John to 91 games played. He colledted 42 hits for 74 total bases during the season. At Chicago on April 29, Milner had a run-scoring single and a three-run homer in the Mets' 9-1 victory over the Cubs. He singled twice, doubled and drove in a run in a 3-0 Mets win over the Expos on May 2 at Shea. John hit a home run in the Mets' 3-2 triumph over the Reds at Shea on May 11. He had a two-run homer in a 4-0 Mets victory over the Cubs on July 3 at Shea. Milner also doubled twice to drive in three runs in the Mets' 11-6 win at St. Louis on July 29.
Milner led the Mets with 25 doubles and 65 walks in 1976. He hit 15 home runs (including a team-record three grand slams) and had 78 RBIs for the year. From April 11 to May 24, John hit safely in 21 of 22 games. He went 31-for-77 (.403) during this period. On June 26, Milner hit a grand slam in the Mets' 10-2 win at Chicago. He had an RBI double and a grand slam in a 13-0 Mets victory over the Cardinals at Shea on July 1. John had a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer to lead the Mets to a 4-2 win on August 7 at Pittsburgh. He had a single, two doubles and two runs scored in an 11-5 Mets triumph over the Cubs at Chicago on September 8. Milner also had a two-run homer and a grand slam in the Mets' 10-3 win over the Expos on September 27 at Shea.
In 1977, Milner had 161 total bases in 131 games played. He had 12 homers among his 99 hits for the year. In the home opener on April 12, John hit a home run as the Mets defeated the Cardinals, 4-0, at Shea. He singled and homered in a 4-3 Mets win over the Giants at Shea on May 19. Milner had two singles and three RBIs in a 6-2 Mets victory over the Expos on May 31 at Shea. He singled three times, scored twice and stole a base in the Mets' 8-0 triumph over the Reds at Shea on June 7. John had a pair of two-run doubles in a 7-4 Mets victory at St. Louis on August 15. At Atlanta on August 27, he hit two home runs off Phil Niekro in a 5-4 Mets' loss in 10 innings to the Braves in Atlanta. These were John's last homers as a Met.
Following the '77 season, Milner was part of a 4-team trade that landed him with the Pirates. In Pittsburgh, he became a member of the Bucs' World Series winning team in 1979. John played for the Montreal Expos in their 1981 National League East Division winning season. He ended his career with the Pirates in 1982.
