How 1971 actually went.
Seaver produced one of the finest seasons of his career, posting a 1.76 ERA with 289 strikeouts. On many teams that would have driven a pennant race. The Mets again struggled to score, leaving their ace to work without room and finishing only four games above .500. His dominance made the club’s inability to build a stronger offense even more frustrating.
Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones remained the most dangerous everyday hitters, while young left-hander Jon Matlack received his first brief look in the majors. The pitching staff kept the Mets competitive, but long stretches of weak hitting prevented any sustained charge. Gil Hodges could still get sharp play from the roster; he could not create runs that were not there.
The final 83–79 record was exactly the same as 1970. Two years after the miracle, the Mets had become respectable but stuck. The season matters most as proof of Seaver’s greatness and as the last full year managed by Hodges, who died suddenly before the next season. The team’s early championship era was already beginning to change.
Seaver was almost perfect, and the lineup still found a way to leave him with too little help.