El Sid, the Strikeout King

Following a short stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sid Fernandez was traded to the Mets in 1984. The born-and-raised Hawaiian southpaw would stay in New York for a decade. Fernandez made back-to-back All-Star teams in 1986 and 1987, posting records of 16-6 and 12-8, respectively. He later pitched a gem against the Atlanta Braves on July 14, 1989. “El Sid” recorded a career-high 16 strikeouts in the game, but ultimately gave up a home run in the 9th inning for a heartbreaking 3-2 loss. Still, his outing set a record for most strikeouts in a game by a Mets lefthander. “This was about the best game I’ve ever seen Sid pitch,” said manager Davey Johnson. Fernandez finished his Mets career with a 98-78 record and 3.14 ERA in 255 games played.