Wayne Garrett

Garrett was the young third baseman who grew up in the middle of the Mets’ first great teams. He played with patience and toughness, delivered big hits in both pennant runs, and became one of the familiar faces of the Miracle era.

Garrett grew up in the middle of the Mets’ first great teams. He reached the majors as a young third baseman, learned beside Seaver and Koosman, and developed into the kind of player a pitching staff trusted. He did not have huge power, but he worked counts, made the routine play, and kept finding ways to contribute around the stars.

His biggest moments came in October. Garrett hit the go-ahead home run in Game 3 of the 1969 NLCS and homered twice in the 1973 World Series. Those swings mattered because the Mets often won with pressure rather than overwhelming offense. He was willing to take the at-bat that changed a game even when the rest of his stat line looked ordinary.

Garrett stayed through 1976, giving him a direct connection to both pennant teams and the difficult period that followed. He was traded during the 1977 breakup, another reminder that the franchise was dismantling its own history. Fans remember him as a familiar face who was there for the first miracle and the second pennant, even when the standings around him changed completely.