Eleven years ago today, Endy Chávez made an unbelievable catch that will always be remembered as one of the best in not only New York Mets history, but in Major League Baseball postseason history as well.
Endy jumped as high as he could over the fence in left field to rob Scott Rolen of a go-ahead home run and then had the presence of mind to throw into the infield to double off Jim Edmonds at first base to end the inning.
Unfortunately, Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series will be remembered for the Mets’ failed opportunities in the sixth and ninth innings. As well as Yadier Molina hitting a two-run homer off Aaron Heilman in the top of the ninth that gave the Cardinals a 3-1 win to secure a spot in the World Series.
It was the culmination of a great season for Chávez, who had a career year at the plate with his .306/.348/.431 slash line during the 2006 regular season. He would go on to play two more seasons for the Mets as an outfield reserve before being traded to the Seattle Mariners.
After a season in the minors in 2010, Chávez returned to the big leagues with the Texas Rangers in 2011 to hit .301/.323/.426 in 274 plate appearances.
He struggled for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 before playing his final two seasons in the majors with the Mariners.
Endy returned to the Mets organization in 2019 as a coach in the minor leagues and stayed with the organization until after the 2022 season.
No matter how excruciating the end of the game was, the Endy Chávez catch will always have a special place in the hearts and memories of Mets fans. We talked to Endy a little bit about the catch (and other topics) back in 2019.
