In May 1973, Grote broke a bone in his right arm when he was hit by a pitch and went on the disabled list for two months. When he returned in mid-July, the Mets began winning, climbing from last place on August 30 to win the National League Eastern Division pennant. They then proceeded to defeat the heavily favored Cincinnati Reds in the 1973 National League Championship Series. In the World Series, the Mets took the Oakland Athletics to the seventh and final game, before they were defeated. As he had in 1969, Grote caught every inning of every post-season game for the Mets in . Looking back on his two pennant-winning seasons with the Mets, Grote said, "It (the 1969 season) was no miracle. Now, '73 was a miracle."