The 2009 Mets posted a team ERA of 4.45, good enough for 20th in the majors. Mets pitchers struck out 1,031 batters, ranking them 25th in the league. Even worse, they walked the second-most batters in the league by giving 616 free passes.
Obviously, the staff needs a bit of help. They got just that from one of the game's best pitchers in history in Sandy Koufax.
The 74-year-old Koufax, who became a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1972, was in Port St. Lucie this week at Mets spring training to offer some tips to the staff. The New York Daily News reported that Koufax spent time explaining the art of control to Oliver Perez.
"You can't control the ball unless you can control your body," Koufax told the News. "If I can help somebody, I'm happy to do it."
Koufax put together arguably the most dominant stretch that any pitcher has ever thrown, going 111-34 with a 1.95 ERA, 1,444 strikeouts and 100 complete games from 1962-66 with the Dodgers. Perez? He's got some catching up to do, with his 58-64 record and 4.54 career ERA.
Still, Koufax kept an air of humility about him in offering his advice.
"These are just suggestions," Koufax told the Daily News, "and if they don't feel they're working, they shouldn't use them."
