John Olerud
From The Met Wiki
John Olerud was a first baseman for the Mets from 1997 to 1999. He compiled a .315 batting average in 476 games during his three seasons with the team. Olerud had 63 home runs and 291 runs batted in as a member of the Mets.
After eight seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays, Olerud came to New York in a trade for Robert Person on December 20, 1996. In the ’97 season, he led the Mets with 34 doubles, 90 runs scored and 102 RBIs. At Los Angeles on April 8, John got four hits in the Mets’ 5-3 victory over the Dodgers. He hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Mets a 4-3 win over the Rockies at Shea Stadium on May 19. Olerud homered twice in a 10-8 Mets win at Pittsburgh on June 29. He also hit for the cycle and drove in five runs as the Mets defeated the Expos, 9-5, on September 11 at Shea.
In 1998, Olerud finished second in the National League in hitting with a Mets-record .354 batting average. His 135 singles and 93 RBIs were team highs and he had 307 total bases for the year. On July 11, John had two singles and two homers in the Mets’ 8-4 triumph over the Expos at Shea. He singled twice and homered in a 7-3 Mets victory at Shea over the Padres on July 28. At Colorado on August 7, Olerud had a single and a three-run double in the Mets’ 8-7 victory. John also had a sacrifice fly and a three-run homer as the Mets defeated the Astros, 8-4, in the second game of a doubleheader at Houston on September 15.
Olerud played in 162 games for the Mets in 1999. He had 173 hits and 107 runs for the season. At Shea on May 23, John hit a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning for a 5-4 Mets win over the Phillies. He had a single, a double and a home run in a 10-9 Mets victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 30. In the first game of a twinbill at Shea on August 22, Olerud hit a grand slam to highlight a Mets comeback in an eventual 8-7 win over the Cardinals. John also hit a grand slam in the Mets’ 9-2 triumph over the Braves at Shea on September 29.
In the 1999 post-season, Olerud went 15-for-43 (.349) with three homers and 12 RBIs. In Game 1 of the National League Division Series, he had a homer and two singles as the Mets defeated the Diamondbacks, 8-4, on October 5 at Arizona. He homered and hit a two-run single to drive in all the Mets’ runs in a 3-2 win over the Braves in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series at Shea on October 16. In Game 5 of the NLCS on October 17 at Shea, John hit a two-run homer in the Mets’ eventual 4-3 win in 15 innings over Atlanta.
Olerud signed with the Seattle Mariners as a free agent following the ’99 season. He played for the Mariners until 2004, during which he joined the Yankees. John finished his career with the Boston Red Sox in 2005.
