During his 23-year major-league career, former Jesuit High School star Rusty Staub played in only one World Series, but he made the most of his appearance in the Fall Classic with the New York Mets in 1973.
Staub was in his 11th major-league season and his second with the Mets in 1973. He had previously played six seasons with the Houston Astros, beginning as a 19-year-old in 1963. He followed that stint with three seasons for the Montreal Expos, where he acquired the French nickname “Le Grand Orange,” as a popular redhead.
Montreal traded the 28-year-old left-handed hitter to the Mets before the 1972 season, in a deal that sent Ken Singleton, Tim Foli, and Mike Jorgensen to the Expos.
The Mets prevailed in one of the tightest races in baseball history, as they captured the East Division title in 1973, winning only 82 games. Only five wins separated them from the fifth-place Chicago Cubs.
Offensively, the Mets were one of the worst teams in the National League. Their team OPS+ was 83, tied for the lowest in the league with the Cubs. Yet Staub turned in a credible season when he slashed .279/.361/.421. He led the team in doubles (36), RBIs (76), total bases (246), and OPS (.361).
On the other hand, the Mets pitching staff was second-best in the NL, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers in runs allowed per game. Their starting rotation was manned by Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, and Jon Matlack, while closer Tug McGraw led the bullpen.
The Mets upset the Cincinnati Reds, who were in their heyday as the “Big Red Machine,” in the League Championship Series. Staub contributed the only three home runs by the Mets. He missed the decisive Game Five due to a shoulder contusion he suffered in the previous game, when he ran into the outfield wall making a catch.
The Mets faced another juggernaut in the World Series. The Oakland A’s, led offensively by slugger Reggie Jackson, had captured their second consecutive American League pennant. The A’s featured their own stellar pitching staff, consisting of Ken Holtzman, Vida Blue, and Catfish Hunter, each of whom had won 20 games during the regular season.
Staub had always dreamed of playing in the Fall Classic. He said, “When you’ve been in the bigs for 11 years, you’re always hoping that one day you’ll play in the World Series.”
Staub ended up making the most of his opportunity. Still stinging from the shoulder injury, he missed Game One of the World Series. However, deciding to play in his painful condition, he became the Mets’ hitting star in the rest of the series, recording 11 hits, while batting .423 with a home run and six RBIs.
In Game Four, he went 4-for-4, including the home run, as the Mets evened the series at two games apiece. Staub said after the game, “To have a night like I had is unbelievably satisfying, especially under the circumstances [playing with a sore shoulder].” Even with his condition, A’s manager Dick Williams still feared Staub. He said, “I’m still afraid of him. I know Rusty Staub. He’s a competitor. He doesn’t have to pull the ball to hurt you, he can go to the opposite field.”
The A’s ended up winning the last two games of the seven-game series to claim their second straight World Series. The Mets lost the final game, 5-2, with Staub collecting two of the Mets’ eight hits.
Staub still holds the Mets’ record for most hits in a World Series.
The closest he came to getting another chance to play in the World Series came in his final major-league season in 1985. Then 41-years-old, Staub had returned to the Mets as their primary pinch-hitter, after having played for Texas, Detroit, and Montreal, a second time. The Mets came within a game of overtaking the first-place St. Louis Cardinals in early October, before losing three of their last four games.
Staub finished his career with 2,716 hits, 292 home runs, and 1,466 RBIs. He had a career OPS+ of 124.
Another former Jesuit prep star had a memorable post-season series in 1989. Playing for the San Francisco Giants, Will Clark single-handedly defeated the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series. He collected 13 hits, including three doubles, a triple, and two home runs (one of which was a grand slam) in five games.