Ron Taylor
From The Met Wiki
Ron Taylor was a relief pitcher for the Mets from 1967 to 1971. He posted a 3.04 earned run average in 269 game appearances during his years with the team. Taylor recorded 21 wins and 49 saves as a Met.
After five major league seasons with the Indians, Cardinals and Astros, Taylor came to the Mets in '67. He won 4 games and saved 8 others in 50 appearances for the year. Ron got the save in the Mets' 3-2 win over the Pirates at Shea Stadium on April 13. He recorded a victory in another 3-2 Mets win over Pittsburgh at Shea on June 26. Against the Braves on August 8, Taylor pitched two shutout innings for the win in a 3-2 Mets triumph in 11 innings at Shea. In the second game of a doubleheader, he notched a win as the Mets defeated the Astros, 8-5, in 10 innings on September 22 at Shea.
In 1968, Taylor posted the first of three consecutive 13-save seasons for the Mets. He also had a 2.70 and 49 strikeouts during the year. On May 2, Ron pitched two scoreless innings for the save in a 3-0 Mets win over the Phillies at Shea. He got his only win of the year in the Mets' 4-3 victory over the Pirates in 17 innings at Shea on May 21. At Cincinnati on July 27, Taylor recorded a save with two shutout innings in the Mets' 5-2 win over the Reds.
Taylor won 9 games and had a 2.72 ERA in the Mets' championship season of 1969. He got his first save of the season in the team's 9-3 win over the Braves on May 14 at Shea. On June 4, he was the winning pitcher in a 1-0 Mets win over the Dodgers in 15 innings at Shea. Ron recorded saves in two critical Met wins on July 15 (5-4) and July 16 (9-5) at Chicago. Taylor was also the winning pitcher in the Mets' 3-2 triumph in 12 innings over the Expos in a twinbill opener at Shea (which put them into first place) on September 10 and the team's 100th victory of the year (6-5 in 12 innings at Chicago) on October 1.
In the '69 National League Championship Series, Taylor got a save in the Mets' 9-5 win in Game 1 and a win in an 11-6 Mets victory in Game 2 at Atlanta. In the World Series, he recorded a save in the Mets' 2-1 win in Game 2 at Baltimore.
Taylor had a 5-4 won-lost record in 57 games pitched in 1970. On April 7, he recorded the win as the Mets defeated the Pirates in 11 innings, 5-3, for their first ever Opening Day victory. Ron got saves in consecutive appearances at St. Louis on April 10 and April 11 and against the Astros at Shea on May 30 and May 31. In the first game of a twinbill at Shea, Taylor was the winning pitcher in the Mets' 5-4 victory over the Reds on August 23.
In 1971, Taylor pitched 69 innings in 45 game appearances. His only two wins of the season came at Houston (6-5 in 10 innings) on May 2 and against the Braves (8-7 in 11 innings) at Shea on May 22. Ron pitched in his final game as a Met on September 22 at Chicago.
Taylor completed his playing career with the San Diego Padres in 1972. He went on to medical school and became a doctor. In 1979, Dr. Ronald W. Taylor began a career as the Toronto Blue Jays' team physician.
