-Matthew McConkey
When I was a kid, the first time I saw David Cone pitch was during a Mets game at my grandmother's house here in Tennessee. It was a network on her cable subscription called WWOR, channel 5, where I saw Cone pitch. On Sundays, I would go to Grandmother's house with my dad to visit her. I'd watch the Braves (my favorite team) on TBS, and during commercials, I'd flip over to the Mets. I would flip between the games like that until it was time to go.
I remember seeing Cone pitch one Sunday. I liked his devilery, his toughness, his way of getting out of jams on the mound. Plus, I'd had a bunch of his baseball cards I'd pulled over the years and knew he was a good pitcher. But in late August of the 1992 season, the Mets traded Cone to the Toronto Blue Jays, who needed some pitching for their push to the postseason. I didn't get to see Cone pitch anymore on those Sunday visits with my grandmother. Little did I know, I was going to get to see a lot of David Cone during that 1992 postseason on national broadcasts on TV.
The acquisition of Cone gave the Jays exactly what they needed. In the end, the Blue Jays not only made it to the World Series but they won it over the Atlanta Braves. I was once again devastated, but that's another story for another post.
I consider the righty's 1992 MLB season his best overall in the 1990s, split between the Mets and Blue Jays. At the end of the season, Cone was 17-10. His 2.81 ERA was the second-lowest of his career and the lowest of his 1990s decade.
He logged 249.1 innings pitched, his second-highest during his 90s decade. He started 34 games, producing 7 complete games and 5 shutouts. He also fanned 261 hitters, the most ever in his career. He led the National League in walks while with the Mets, with 82, before being traded, and was second in the National League in strikeouts with 214.
When the Blue Jays played the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS in 1992, Cone went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA.
The Jays dispatched the A's 4 games to 2, advancing to the 1992 World Series. He was 0-0 in 2 game starts with a 3.48 ERA against the Braves in the fall classic, allowing 4 ER in 10.1 innings, which wasn't bad at all. Eventually, the Jays won the World Series over the Braves, 4-2, giving Cone his first World Series championship.
Cone's 1992 Season At A Glance
Went to his second career All-Star game
Cone was tough on righties, limiting them to a .207 batting average in 1992
Pitching on the road, Cone was a road warrior, allowing the home team a .212 batting average while posting a 9-4 record with a 2.33 ERA
On May 3rd, he was named the NL Player of the Week
In July of 1992, Cone was stunning, going 5-0 with a 3.20 ERA
When given 3-5 runs of support, Cone was dazzling, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.37 ERA
When it came to RISP with no outs, Cone was greedy, limiting teams to a .181 batting average, while RISP W/2 outs, he was even greedier, allowing a .175 batting average
The Giants, Astros, and Braves, Cone was a combined 6-1 in 7 starts with a 1.15 ERA, which included 2 complete game shutouts against the Giants
While with the Mets, Cone ranked first in the NL in strikeouts per 9 IP with 9.793
David Cone Stats
