On June 15 1983 ā In one of the worst trades in franchise history, theĀ St. Louis CardinalsĀ send first basemanĀ Keith HernandezĀ to theĀ New York MetsĀ in exchange for pitchersĀ Neil AllenĀ andĀ Rick Ownbey. The deal is motivated by Hernandezās penchant forĀ cocaine, which he will overcome in New York.
Hernandez had submitted a list of 6 teams he could veto a trade to and he thought the Mets were on it but they werenāt.
āIf they donāt want me here, I donāt want to be where a team doesnāt want me. Iāll go anyway.ā
The righties will compile a 21-22 record for the Redbirds, and the Gold Glove first baseman will spend seven seasons in New York, batting .297, playing an instrumental role in the clubās World Championship in 1986.
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