Frank Edwin "Tug" McGraw Jr. was an All-Star, A World Series Champion, and a Mets legend. Tug McGraw pitched 19 years, splitting his time between the Mets and the Phillies. Tug was the last active major league player to play under legendary manager Casey Stengel.
Tug McGraw started his career off as a starter, but found his niche as a reliever. He was a top closer in the early 1970's, earning his first All-Star nomination in 1972. Tug went 8-6 with 27 saves and a 1.70 ERA for the season.
Even though 1973 wasn't quite as good of a year as the previous one, he may have been more important to the squad because of his leadership. The Mets were in last place on August 30th, and hopes were down.
During a team meeting he coined the term "Ya Gotta Believe!" He said this believing that the Mets could win the World Series that year. Tug led the way to the Mets stunning division title that year, by going 3-0 and earning 10 saves while sporting a 0.57 ERA. The Mets would finish the last month of the season by going 20-8, clinching the division on the last day of the season.
The Mets would eventually take down the Cincinnati Reds, then known as "The Big Red Machine" in the National League Championship Series that year. They would eventually fall to the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. But without the leadership and enthusiasm of Tug McGraw that year, the Mets may have never left the bottom of the division.
Tug would be traded to the Philadelphia Phillies following the 1974 season with his health in question. After a simple surgery, Tug would go on to continue being a top closer in the National League until 1984, winning another World Series with the Phillies in 1980.
Tug died of an inoperable brain tumor in 2004. When originally diagnosed, the doctor gave him three weeks to live. Not surprisingly, Tug would live another nine months. While Tug is gone, his legacy in both New York and Philadelphia lives on.
More importantly, when the Mets are down, always remember the image of Tug McGraw yelling "YA GOTTA BELIEVE!"
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