The 1997 New York Mets season was the 36th regular season for the Mets. They went 88–74 and finished third in the National League East, thirteen games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. The Mets were managed by Bobby Valentine. They played home games at Shea Stadium. It was their first winning season since 1990, despite not making the playoffs.
Offseason November 25, 1996: Paul Byrd and a player to be named later were traded by the Mets to the Atlanta Braves for Greg McMichael. The Mets completed the deal by sending Andy Zwirchitz (minors) to the Braves on May 25, 1997.Paul Byrd page at Baseball Reference November 27, 1996: Rico Brogna was traded by the Mets to the Philadelphia Phillies for Ricardo Jordan and Toby Borland.Rico Brogna page at Baseball Reference December 20, 1996: Robert Person was traded by the Mets to the Toronto Blue Jays for John Olerud and cash.John Olerud page at Baseball Reference March 22, 1997: Héctor Ramírez was traded by the Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for Scott McClain and Manny Alexander.Scott McClain page at Baseball Reference
Regular season For the first time since 1990, the Mets finished the regular season with a winning record. Their offensive output was led by their corner infielders, the 23-year old third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo and the two-time former world champion first baseman John Olerud, the latter of whom was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. Alfonzo, in his first full season as a starter, led the team with a .315 average and 163 hits while Olerud notched a .294 average and drove in 102 runs to lead the Mets in that category. Catcher Todd Hundley, a year removed from his record setting 1996 campaign, led the team in home runs with 30 and added 86 RBI, one of five Mets to record 70 or more (joining Alfonzo, Olerud, Bernard Gilkey, and Butch Huskey).
After a year out of baseball, Rick Reed joined the Mets' starting rotation and led them with a 2.89 ERA. Bobby Jones led with fifteen wins, with Reed recording thirteen. John Franco saved 36 games, his most since 1988.
Jackie Robinson tribute On April 15 the Mets hosted ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers before their game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Shea Stadium. The ceremony was attended by President Bill Clinton and commissioner Bud Selig announced that Robinson's jersey number, 42, would be retired permanently across baseball. The Mets won the game 5–0.
Subway Series Interleague play was brought to MLB in 1997 and the Mets played New York Yankees in June as part of the first ever regular season games that counted in the standings between the two teams (they had previously an exhibition game until 1983 during the season). The series took place at Yankee Stadium, and Mets won the first game by a score of 6–0.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions June 3, 1997: 1997 Major League Baseball draft Garrett Atkins was drafted by the Mets in the 10th round, but did not sign.Garrett Atkins page at Baseball Reference Jeremy Guthrie was drafted by the Mets in the 15th round, but did not sign.Jeremy Guthrie page at Baseball Reference August 8, 1997: Lance Johnson and players to be named later were traded by the Mets to the Chicago Cubs for Brian McRae, Mel Rojas and Turk Wendell. The Mets completed the deal by sending Mark Clark to the Cubs on August 11 and Manny Alexander to the Cubs on August 14.Brian McRae page at Baseball Reference
Game log LegendMets WinMets LossGame Postponed Eliminated from playoff spotBold = Mets team member
|- bgcolor="#fcc" | 1 || April 1 || @ Padres || 5–12 || Hamilton (1–0) || Pérez (0–1) || — || Qualcomm Stadium || 43,005 || 0–1 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 2 || April 2 || @ Padres || 5–6 || Bergman (1–0) || Jordan (0–1) || — || Qualcomm Stadium || 16,465 || 0–2 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 3 || April 3 || @ Padres || 4–1 || B. Jones (1–0) || Valenzuela (0–1) || Franco (1) || Qualcomm Stadium || 21,611 || 1–2 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 4 || April 4 || @ Giants || 4–6 || Rodriguez (1–1) || Jordan (0–2) || Beck (1) || 3Com Park || 8,380 || 1–3 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 5 || April 5 || @ Giants || 0–2 || Roa (1–0) || Manuel (0–1) || Beck (2) || 3Com Park || 13,768 || 1–4 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 6 || April 6 || @ Giants || 4–2 || Bohanon (1–0) || Gardner (0–1) || Franco (2) || 3Com Park || 15,073 || 2–4 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 7 || April 7 || @ Dodgers || 2–3 || Astacio (1–0) || Crawford (0–1) || — || Dodger Stadium || 27,547 || 2–5 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 8 || April 8 || @ Dodgers || 5–3 || B. Jones (2–0) || Valdez (1–1) || McMichael (1) || Dodger Stadium || 27,318 || 3–5 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 9 || April 9 || @ Dodgers || 2–3 || Candiotti (2–0) || Bohanon (1–1) || — || Dodger Stadium || 28,056 || 3–6 |- bgcolor="#ccc" | – || April 12 || Giants || colspan=8|Postponed (rain); rescheduled for April 13 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 10 || April 13 || Giants || 1–5 || Gardner (1–1) || Clark (0–1) || — || Shea Stadium || N/A || 3–7 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 11 || April 13 || Giants || 6–7 || Estes (2–0) || B. Jones (2–1) || Beck (6) || Shea Stadium || 21,981 || 3–8 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 12 || April 14 || Giants || 2–3 || Rodriguez (2–1) || McMichael (0–1) || Beck (7) || Shea Stadium || 12,001 || 3–9 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 13 || April 15 || Dodgers || 5–0 || Reynoso (1–0) || Valdez (1–2) || Borland (1) || Shea Stadium || 54,047 || 4–9 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 14 || April 16 || Dodgers || 2–5 || Astacio (2–0) || Reed (0–1) || Worrell (4) || Shea Stadium || 13,759 || 4–10 |- bgcolor="#ccc" | – || April 18 || Cubs || colspan=8|Postponed (rain); rescheduled for April 20 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 15 || April 19 || Cubs || 6–3 || Clark (1–1) || Wendell (0–2) || Franco (3) || Shea Stadium || 15,849 || 5–10 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 16 || April 20 || Cubs || 8–2 || B. Jones (3–1) || Trachsel (0–3) || — || Shea Stadium || N/A || 6–10 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 17 || April 20 || Cubs || 3–4 || Foster (1–1) || Mlicki (0–1) || Wendell (1) || Shea Stadium || 18,484 || 6–11 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 18 || April 21 || Cubs || 4–6 || Castillo (1–3) || McMichael (0–2) || Adams (1) || Shea Stadium || 13,250 || 6–12 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 19 || April 22 || Reds || 7–2 || Reed (1–1) || Smiley (1–4) || — || Shea Stadium || 14,585 || 7–12 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 20 || April 23 || Reds || 10–2 || Clark (2–1) || Morgan (0–2) || — || Shea Stadium || 26,492 || 8–12 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 21 || April 25 || @ Expos || 1–4 || Pérez (3–1) || B. Jones (3–2) || — || Olympic Stadium || 17,776 || 8–13 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 22 || April 26 || @ Expos || 1–8 || Martínez (3–0) || Mlicki (0–2) || — || Olympic Stadium || 42,888 || 8–14 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 23 || April 27 || @ Expos || 5–3 || McMichael (1–2) || Smith (0–1) || Franco (4) || Olympic Stadium || 15,925 || 9–14 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 24 || April 28 || @ Reds || 15–2 || Reed (2–1) || Smiley (1–5) || — || Cinergy Field || 15,572 || 10–14 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 25 || April 29 || @ Reds || 3–1 || Clark (3–1) || Morgan (0–3) || Franco (5) || Cinergy Field || 17,699 || 11–14 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 26 || April 30 || Padres || 6–2 || B. Jones (4–2) || Hitchcock (2–2) || Franco (6) || Shea Stadium || 12,429 || 12–14
|- bgcolor="#fcc" | 27 || May 1 || Padres || 3–7 || Ashby || Mlicki || — || Shea Stadium || 12,344 || 12–15 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 28 || May 2 || Cardinals || 7–4 || McMichael || Mathews || Franco || Shea Stadium || 14,877 || 13–15 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 29 || May 3 || Cardinals || 5–1 || Reed || Benes || — || Shea Stadium || 16,248 || 14–15 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 30 || May 4 || Cardinals || 2–8 || Stottlemyre || Clark || — || Shea Stadium || 17,652 || 14–16 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 31 || May 5 || @ Rockies || 6–1 || B. Jones || Ritz || — || Coors Field || 48,036 || 15–16 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 32 || May 6 || @ Rockies || 11–12 || Swift || Borland || Reed || Coors Field || 48,020 || 15–17 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 33 || May 7 || @ Astros || 4–1 || Reynoso || Martin || Franco || Astrodome || 12,574 || 16–17 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 34 || May 8 || @ Astros || 2–4 || Hampton || Reed || Wagner || Astrodome || 12,842 || 16–18 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 35 || May 9 || @ Cardinals || 10–3 || Clark || Stottlemyre || — || Busch Stadium || 32,054 || 17–18 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 36 || May 10 || @ Cardinals || 2–0 || B. Jones || Benes || Franco || Busch Stadium || 43,747 || 18–18 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 37 || May 11 || @ Cardinals || 6–4 || Lidle || Eckersley || Franco || Busch Stadium || 30,852 || 19–18 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 38 || May 13 || Astros || 4–3 || McMichael || Springer || Franco || Shea Stadium || 13,997 || 20–18 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 39 || May 14 || Astros || 0–1 || Kile || McMichael || Wagner || Shea Stadium || 13,051 || 20–19 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 40 || May 16 || Rockies || 1–2 || Munoz || McMichael || Ruffin || Shea Stadium || 15,261 || 20–20 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 41 || May 17 || Rockies || 3–1 || B. Jones || Thomson || Franco || Shea Stadium || 23,987 || 21–20 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 42 || May 18 || Rockies || 10–4 || Kashiwada || Ruffin || — || Shea Stadium || 22,845 || 22–20 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 43 || May 19 || Rockies || 4–3 || Lidle || McCurry || — || Shea Stadium || 14,248 || 23–20 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 44 || May 20 || @ Marlins || 5–6 || Nen || Franco || — || Pro Player Stadium || 25,165 || 23–21 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 45 || May 21 || @ Marlins || 2–1 || Clark || Leiter || McMichael || Pro Player Stadium || 27,058 || 24–21 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 46 || May 22 || @ Phillies || 10–3 || B. Jones || Schilling || — || Veterans Stadium || 18,486 || 25–21 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 47 || May 23 || @ Phillies || 1–2 || Stephenson || Mlicki || Bottalico || Veterans Stadium || 15,501 || 25–22 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 48 || May 24 || @ Phillies || 8–4 || Reynoso || Maduro || Franco || Veterans Stadium || 19,090 || 26–22 |- bgcolor="#ccc" | – || May 25 || @ Phillies || colspan=8|Postponed (rain); rescheduled for September 15 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 49 || May 26 || @ Expos || 4–3 || Lidle || Urbina || Franco || Olympic Stadium || 11,774 || 27–22 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 50 || May 27 || @ Expos || 4–5 || Valdes || Clark || Smith || Olympic Stadium || 11,703 || 27–23 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 51 || May 28 || @ Expos || 7–0 || B. Jones || Martínez || — || Olympic Stadium || 14,932 || 28–23 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 52 || May 30 || Phillies || 7–3 || Mlicki || Ramos || — || Shea Stadium || 17,401 || 29–23 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 53 || May 31 || Phillies || 10–3 || Reynoso || Leiter || — || Shea Stadium || 28,526 || 30–23
|- bgcolor="#cfc" | 54 || June 1 || Phillies || 8–5 || || || || Shea Stadium || 42,058 || 31–23 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 55 || June 2 || Expos || 0–10 || || || || Shea Stadium || 12,675 || 31–24 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 56 || June 3 || Expos || 2–1 || || || || Shea Stadium || 14,492 || 32–24 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 57 || June 4 || Marlins || 2–5 || || || || Shea Stadium || 17,083 || 32–25 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 58 || June 5 || Marlins || 6–0 || || || || Shea Stadium || 19,410 || 33–25 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 59 || June 6 || @ Reds || 2–5 || || || || Cinergy Field || 21,339 || 33–26 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 60 || June 7 || @ Reds || 5–10 || || || || Cinergy Field || 23,830 || 33–27 |- bgcolor="#ccc" | – || June 8 || @ Reds || colspan=8|Postponed (rain); rescheduled for June 9 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 61 || June 9 || @ Reds || 4–2 || || || || Cinergy Field || 23,079 || 34–27 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 62 || June 10 || @ Cubs || 10–6 || || || || Wrigley Field || 28,742 || 35–27 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 63 || June 11 || @ Cubs || 4–5 || || || || Wrigley Field || 24,703 || 35–28 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 64 || June 13 || Red Sox || 4–8 || || || || Shea Stadium || 44,443 || 35–29 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 65 || June 14 || Red Sox || 5–2 || || || || Shea Stadium || 35,456 || 36–29 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 66 || June 15 || Red Sox || 1–10 || || || || Shea Stadium || 23,557 || 36–30 |- bgcolor="#cfc" | 67 || June 16 || @ Yankees || 6–0 || || || || Yankee Stadium || 56,188 || 37–30 |- bgcolor="#fcc" | 68 || June 17 || @ Yankees || 3–6 || || || || Yankee Stadium || 56,253 || 37–31 |- bgcolor="#fcc"