THE 1 AND ONLY

Mets pitcher to have both won and lost 20 games in a season:

Jerry Koosman THE TIME

1976 and 1977

THE BACKGROUND

Koosman debuted in 1967 and didn’t take long to reach great heights. In his first full season, the left-hander won 19 games and then in 1969 he tossed a complete game in Game 5 to clinch the World Series for the Miracle Mets. They posted a winning record in 1976 for the seventh time in eight years, but 1977 marked the first of seven straight losing seasons.

THE SKINNY

After posting a career-high 21 wins to go with a 2.69 ERA in 1976, Koosman plummeted to a careerhigh 20 losses the very next season. It wasn’t that he bombed in 1977, though, as his ERA was only 3.49 and he led the NL with 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings. A lack of run support was largely to blame, as any time he allowed more than three runs, he was charged with a loss. Koosman was 8-11 at the end of July before losing his final nine decisions.

THE OTHERS WHO CAME CLOSEST

Six pitchers have won 20 games and five have lost 20 games in a season for the Mets. Dwight Gooden and Frank Viola were both 20-game winners who had another season in which each lost 15 games. Jon Matlack also came close, losing 16 games in 1973 and winning 17 in 1976.

THE QUOTE

“We were competing in the National League with Double-A and Triple-A ballplayers.” — Koosman on the Mets’ 1977 season.

THE AFTERMATH

Koosman pitched one more season for the Mets, going 3-15, but after getting traded to the Twins, bounced back with another 20-win season in 1979 before eventually retiring in 1985. In 2009, Koosman was sentenced to six months in prison for federal tax evasion.

THE LEGACY

Koosman remains the last pitcher in MLB to lose 20 games the season after winning 20 (knuckleballer Phil Niekro went 21-20 for the Braves in 1979). But his Mets tenure was remembered much more for his role on the Miracle Mets, forming a 1-2 punch atop the rotation with Tom Seaver. Last September, the franchise announced it will retire Koosman’s No. 36.