How 1975 actually went.
The Mets improved by 11 wins and briefly looked capable of returning to the race. Dave Kingman arrived with the kind of raw home-run power the lineup had long lacked, while Seaver returned to full strength. The roster was still unbalanced, but games had more life than the flat 1974 season.
Seaver led the league in wins and strikeouts and captured his third Cy Young Award. Jon Matlack remained excellent and shared the All-Star Game MVP award. The rotation again looked worthy of October, yet the offense outside Kingman and a few steady bats could not produce enough. Even at 82–80, the Mets were never able to make a serious late charge.
A winning record made the season respectable, but it also hid the growing problem between Seaver and management. The ace wanted the club to spend and improve; ownership resisted. On the field, 1975 proved the Mets still had enough pitching to matter. Off the field, the argument over whether the franchise truly wanted to compete was moving closer to an ugly break.
Seaver won another Cy Young, and the front office still acted as if giving him a real offense was too much to ask.