On August 13th, 1965, at the Astrodome, then Houston Astro Rusty Staub singled home the game-winner in the ninth to slip past the New York Mets, 3-2. The Mets blew their 2-0 lead when they let Joe Morgan get the winning run on base when two Mets collided under an easy pop fly.

Rusty Staub, one of my all-time favorite Mets players, began his Major League career in Houston. (So too did Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Joe Morgan.) Staub had two separate stints with the Mets in his 23 year career. The first from 1972-1975. The second from 1981-1985. Looking at his Baseball Reference page you can see that besides Houston he also played with Montreal and Detroit. But in my heart and mind, he is forever a Met.

Staub arrived on the Mets after their 1969 World Series Championship and retired just before their 1986 World Series Championship, so he missed out on two Mets rings. He did get to play for the Mets in 1973 World Series against the A’s. The Mets, of course, lost but Staub went 11 for 26 for a .423 batting average.

Staub made six All-Star game appearances and led the league in games played twice. He was reliable, hit for average, and walked more than he struck out. In 1967, he had a .333 batting average and had four other seasons where he hit .300 or better.

Rusty was a redhead. And since I was also a redhead (and came from a family of redheads), I think Staub was destined to become one of my favorite players.

Staub died in Florida in 2018 at the age of 73. He is one of many very, very good players that will never make the Hall of Fame but deserves to be remembered by baseball fans.