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With both New York teams in the heat of pennant races this month, it’s fun to recall the talented Long Islanders who have suited up over the years for either the Mets or Yankees, or, in some cases, both teams.
You won’t find Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. here, but he was a Yankees bat boy in 1979 and 1980, rubbing elbows with Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson and other Yankee greats. Mets legend Keith Hernandez, a Sag Harbor resident who often muses on air during Mets broadcasts about his long commutes, also doesn’t appear on the list.
Nonetheless, here’s a list of notable Long Islanders who’ve worn the pinstripes and/or blue and orange.
Frank Viola (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: East Meadow
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1989-1991
- Highlights: Acquired from the Twins in 1989, Viola won 20 games for the Mets in 1990. He earned the Cy Young Award in 1988 for World Series champion Minnesota. A dominant pitcher at times, Viola was 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA during his 15-year career.
Steven Matz (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Stony Brook
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 2015-2020
- Highlights: A highly touted prospect, Matz had memorable debut at Citi Field in the heat of Mets pennant race in 2015. He had three hits and four RBIs to go with 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball in New York’s 7-2 June 28 victory against the Reds. The Ward Melville High School product won 31 games with the Mets over six seasons. He made three starts for the Mets in the playoffs during the team’s surprising run to the World Series. He is the only player on this list who played in the playoffs with either the Mets or Yankees.
Marcus Stroman (Mets and Yankees)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Medford
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 2019-2021
- Yankees career: 2024
- Highlights: In his first season with the Yankees, Stroman is 10-7 with a 4.03 ERA. He pitched for the Mets in 2019 and 2021, going 14-15 with a 3.21 ERA. The Patchogue-Medford High School alumnus has 87 wins across 10 big league seasons. He started five playoff games for the Blue Jays in 2015 and 2016.
Frank Catalanotto (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Smithtown
- Position: Outfielder/Infielder
- Mets career: 2010
- Highlights: Catalanotto, the current coach of Hofstra’s baseball team, played 14 seasons in the big leagues, with 1,113 career hits and an impressive .291 lifetime batting average and .357 career on base percentage. In 2010, his final season, he appeared in 25 games for the Mets.
John Valentin (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Mineola
- Position: Infielder
- Mets career: 2002
- Highlights: Valentin played 10 seasons with the Red Sox before finishing up his career with the Mets in 2002. In 1995 with Boston, the infielder finished ninth in American League MVP voting after hitting 27 home runs with 102 RBIs and hitting .298.
Pete Harnisch (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Commack
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1995-1997
- Highlights: Harnisch played for the Mets from 1995-1997, going 10-21 with a 4.33 ERA. He played 14 years for five teams, going 111-103 with a 3.89 ERA and 1,368 strikeouts.
Joe Sambito (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- High school: Bethpage
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1984
- Highlights: During his 11 seasons in the majors, Sambito made 461 appearances. Eight of those came with the Mets in 1985. The next season, the reliever pitched for Boston, making two appearances against the Mets in the World Series. Sambito spent most of his career with Houston.
Tom Veryzer (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- High school: Islip
- Position: Shortstop
- Mets career: 1982
- Highlights: A 12-year big league veteran, Veryzer appeared in 40 games with the Mets in 1982, batting .333 in his cameo with the Amazin’s. He was acquired by the Mets in exchange for another Long Islander, Ray Searage. After his playing career, he returned to Long Island and lived in Islip.
Ray Searage
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Deer Park
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1981
- Highlights: Searage debuted with the Mets just prior to the 1981 players’ strike. He pitched in 26 games that season, his only summer with the Mets. He was traded away to Cleveland for fellow Long Islander Tom Veryzer.
Neal Heaton (Yankees)
Embed from Getty Images- High school: Sachem
- Position: Pitcher
- Yankees career: 1993
- Highlights: Heaton played 12 seasons for seven different teams, finishing his career with the Yankees in 1993. For New York, he appeared in relief in 18 games. Primarily used as a starting pitcher, Heaton was 80-96 with a 4.37 ERA over the course of his career.
Paul Gibson (Mets and Yankees)
- Hometown: Center Moriches
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1992-1993
- Yankees career: 1993-1996
- Highlights: In three seasons with the Yankees — 1993-1994 and 1996 — Gibson made 54 appearances, recording a 4.06 ERA. He pitched for the Mets during the 1992 and 1993 seasons, appearing in 51 games with a 5.22 ERA.
John Pacella (Mets and Yankees)
Embed from Getty Images- High school: Connetquot
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1977 and 1979-1980
- Yankees career: 1982
- Highlights: Drafted out of high school by the Mets, Pacella pitched in parts of three seasons with the team. He appeared in 39 games, including 18 starts, for the Mets. In 1982, he pitched in three games with the Yankees.
Hank Webb (Mets)
- Hometown: Copiague
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 1972-1976
- Highlights: A Hofstra University alumnus, Webb was a Met for parts of five seasons, going 7-9 while pitching as a starter and a reliever. He appeared in 53 games for New York, recording a 4.42 ERA. His claim to fame is that he was the losing pitcher in the Mets 25-inning 4-3 loss to St. Louis in 1974.
Al Weis (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- High school: Farmingdale
- Position: Infielder
- Mets career: 1968-1971
- Highlights: Weis spent four seasons with Mets, including the Miracle Mets team that won the World Series in 1969. He hit .455 in the 1969 World Series with a home run, three RBIs, and a whopping .563 on-base percentage while playing second base.
John Habyan (Yankees)
- Hometown: Bay Shore
- Position: Pitcher
- Yankees career: 1990-1993
- Highlights: A St. John the Baptist alumnus, Habyan pitched in 164 games during his time in New York. He played on six different teams during his 11-year career.
John Lannan (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Long Beach
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 2014
- Highlights: Lannan, a Chaminade High School product, pitched in five games for the Mets in 2014, his final season in the majors. He played eight seasons in the MLB, mostly with the Washington Nationals. He continued to pitch for minor league teams before retiring in 2016.
Anthony Kay (Mets)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Stony Brook
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 2023
- Highlights: Drafted by Mets in 2016, Kay was dealt to the Blue Jays in 2019 as part of the deal that brought Stroman to the Mets. He was re-acquired by the Mets and pitched briefly for them in 2023. At the Se-Port Deli in Setauket, one of their chicken cutlet sandwiches is called The Anthony Kay.
Nick Tropeano (Mets/Yankees)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: West Islip
- Position: Pitcher
- Mets career: 2021
- Highlights: Tropeano appeared in 54 games during his Major League career. He pitched one game for the Mets in 2021, the final appearance of his career. He also had a brief stint with the Yankees in 2020, signing a contract with the team, though he never appeared in a game.
Greg Weissert (Yankees)
Embed from Getty Images- Hometown: Bay Shore
- Position: Pitcher
- Yankees career: 2022-2023
- Highlights: Weissert was 3-0 while appearing in 29 games for the Yankees over two seasons. This season with the Red Sox, he is 3-2 with a 3.81 ERA in 51 games. He has been featured several times in Greater Long Island. He pitched against Mets Wednesday night in Flushing.
