Mets To Induct Bobby V & Maz In Team HOF; '86 Celebration Set

 

Bobby Valentine at Citi Field last September. Photo by Jason Schott.

The Mets announced on Thursday a pair of very special events happening this summer.

Former Mets Manager Bobby Valentine and outfielder Lee Mazzilli, Brooklyn's own, will be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame on Saturday, May 30 in a pregame ceremony prior to the Mets' game against the Miami Marlins at 4:10 p.m.

The 1986 Mets World Championship Reunion and Celebration will be held on Saturday, August 1, when the Mets will also be taking on Miami at 4:10 p.m. Further information about the programming of this special event will be available at Mets.com/1986.

Bobby V led the Mets to the 2000 National League Pennant, and he won 536 wins in his time as Mets Manager from 1996 to 2002.

In 1999, Valentine led the Mets to the playoffs for the first time since 1988, and when they returned the next year, it was the first time in team history they made consecutive playoff appearances. 

Valentine is also recognized for being a key part of the Mets' immediate response to the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, with relief efforts being run out of the Shea Stadium parking lot. He also galvanized the players and front office to raise money and volunteer for 9/11 related charities, in addition to making numerous visits to Ground Zero.

"I'm proud to have been part of helping turn this franchise around when I got here in the '90s," Valentine said in a statement. "We were the first Mets team to make it to back-to-back postseasons. I'll never forget being part of the Subway Series. It was something else."

Mazzilli burst on the scene for the Mets in the late 1970s, and he was an All-Star in 1979, when he became the first Met to homer in a Midsummer Classic. He also drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning to help the National League win, 7-6.

In two stints with the Mets, from 1976-81 and 1986-89, combining to play 10 years in Queens, Mazzilli combined to hit .264, with a .357 on-base percentage. He twice finished in the top ten in the National League in OBP and walks. 

Mazzilli ranks sixth in Mets history with 152 stolen bases, and is tied for fifth in team history with 38 pinch-hits. 

A member of the 1986 championship team, Maz went 2-3 with two runs scored in Game 6 and 7 of the 1986 World Series.

"I'm so thankful for the way that fans treated me, and they always had my back and were so supportive," Mazzilli said in a statement. "I'm just glad I got to make it back in 1986 and play a part in that championship."

For more information and to purchase tickets to the Mets Hall of Fame induction, please click here.