Once associated with Wall Street extravagance, Cohen has liberally contributed to the Mets, turning him into Queens’ most popular millionaire. Could it be sufficient to undo the team’s past?
NEW YORK The New York Mets honoured Howard Johnson and Al Leiter with hall of fame inductions on Saturday before their game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Johnson was a New York player from 1985 to 1993. With 202 stolen bases, he is third in franchise history; he is fourth in terms of home runs (192) and RBIs (629). Before pitching for the Mets from 1998 to 2004, Leiter was a lifelong New Jersey resident and admirer of the franchise.
In 1982, the 62-year-old Johnson made his major league debut for the Detroit Tigers. In 1995, he played his final big league game with the Chicago Cubs.
Being able to play the game at the level we did when we were 25 is definitely something you consider every day, according to Johnson. That was a long time ago, and it’s a reminder every time you get out of bed. It nearly seems like two distinct individuals. And that person gets more and farther away from us as we age.”
Broadcasters Gary Cohen and Howie Rose, who have been calling the team’s games on radio and television since 1989 and 1995, respectively, joined Johnson and Leiter in the 2023 class. Award for Hall of Fame Achievement went to veteran media relations professional Jay Horwitz as well.
Johnson finished fourth on the all-time list after Bobby Bonds, Barry Bonds, and Alfonso Soriano with at least 30 home runs and 30 steals over his three seasons with the Mets.
“There are very few players in the history of the game who have been switch hitters with the power and speed that HoJo brought to the table,” Cohen stated. “To be a three-time 30/30 player is an extraordinary feat.”
Leiter is eighth in strikeouts (1,106) and sixth in the team rankings for starts (213) and victories (95). Luis Sojo hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to give the Yankees their third consecutive championship. He started Games 1 and 5 in the 2000 Subway Series, throwing 142 pitches in the latter contest and taking the loss.
“I really gave everything on every pitch,” Leiter added, tying the team’s well-known rally song, “Meet The Mets,” into his award speech. “I wasn’t the best, but I gave you my best.”
Both Rose and Cohen grew up in Queens as die-hard Mets supporters who watched and listened to the team’s original commentators, Bob Murphy, Lindsey Nelson, and Ralph Kiner, at games held at Shea Stadium.
“Well, the whole thing is more than just a little bit surreal,” Rose replied.
From 1989 to 2003, when Murphy retired and Rose took over from the television booth, Cohen was Murphy’s radio sidekick.
Cohen remarked, “I am just a kid from Queens,” in his winning speech. “I was fortunate. I belong to you all.”
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