"He was the reason for my success," Grote’s former teammate Jerry Koosman said. "I have the photo in my home of me jumping into his arms after we won in 1969. I am heartbroken. No one was better ...

His number will hang alongside Mets legends Darryl Strawberry (18), Dwight Gooden (16), Willie Mays (24), Keith Hernandez (17), Jerry Koosman (36), Mike Piazza (31), Jackie Robinson (42), Tom ...