King Kong: The Original Slugger

The Mets never had a slugger of note until Dave Kingman came to New York in 1975. Kingman announced his presence with an Opening Day home run off Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies. In July 1975, Kingman was named NL Player of the Month as he clubbed 13 home runs and drove in 31 runs. He went on to blast 36 home runs that season and for good measure slugged 37 in 1976. Mets announcer Ralph Kiner once noted, “Kingman can hit them out of any park, including Yellowstone.” The Mets dealt Kingman in 1977 but “King Kong” returned to New York in 1981 and he led the NL with 37 home runs in 1982. He hit a home run every 15.1 at bats which was a franchise record until Pete Alonso and his 154 home runs were the most by a Met until Darryl Strawberry.