For a team whose name is derived from the residents of the location they inhabit, the Mets have had some notable moments away from America. This weekend will be the latest as they and the Philadelphia Phillies embark on the third regular season series to be played in London.
Save for the many games in Montreal against the Expos plus several in Toronto, New York has previously played in two other countries as well as a U.S. territory.
Mandatory Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
August 16-18, 1996 vs. San Diego Padres: Monterrey, Mexico
This was a historic series south of the border as the Mets and Padres squared off in the first regular season series ever played outside North America. Fittingly, native hero Fernando Valenzuela took the mound first for San Diego in what amounted to a three-game slugfest at the elevated grounds inside Estadio Monterrey — nestled below the Cerro de la Silla mountain range.
The two teams combined for 43 runs and nine homers, most of which came during a wild opener in which the Mets spotted San Diego a 15-0 lead before finally coming to life. They recorded three runs in the seventh against Valenzuela before putting up a seven spot in the ninth, though it ultimately wasn’t enough as the Padres escaped with a 15-10 victory.
It was New York that jumped out to a 5-0 lead the next night, courtesy of hits from Edgardo Alfonzo, Todd Hundley, Bernard Gilkey and others. The Mets later secured their only win in this series by a score of 7-3 with two insurance runs in the ninth inning.
The only bats that were alive in the finale were those of the Padres, as Ken Caminiti’s two home runs and Joey Hamilton’s strong pitching (plus a homer of his own) bolstered San Diego’s 8-0 win.
March 29-30, 2000 vs. Chicago Cubs: Tokyo, Japan
The Mets went international again as MLB stretched its borders once more with the first official games outside North America at the Tokyo Dome in Japan during the 2000 campaign. Joining New York on this long maiden voyage were the Cubs.
Starting pitcher Mike Hampton, New York’s new acquisition from Houston, was unusually wild as he permitted a staggering nine walks and 14 baserunners over five innings in what would become a 5-3 loss in the series opener. Adding to the unusual occurrences, Rey Ordoñez misplayed a grounder, putting an end to the sure-handed shortstop’s major league record errorless streak of 101 games.
The second and final game was much more satisfying and capped with a storybook finish. The contest moved into extras tied at one when in the top of the 11th, the Mets loaded the bases with two outs and the pitcher’s spot due up. Manager Bobby Valentine’s pinch-hitter of choice was Benny Agbayani, who at this point was uncertain if he’d be on the major league roster much longer.
With a pre-swing leg hike patterned after Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh, Agbayani connected on Danny Young‘s 1-0 pitch over the heart of the plate. It not only broke the tie, but it also went over the center field wall for a grand slam that became the defining moment of this series in a 5-1 victory and helped him remain a big leaguer for the entirety of the year.
April 11-14, 2003 vs. Montreal Expos: San Juan, Puerto Rico
Major League Baseball’s hopes of increasing attendance for Montreal Expos home games led to temporary stays in Puerto Rico. Once more, the Mets were one side of this experiment’s initiation, and based on the results, they were far too accommodating.
The opener was a 10-0 blowout in favor of Montreal. The next game was closer, but had the same ultimate result: a 5-4 Expos win. The Mets let the final two slip away as well as Armando Benítez couldn’t protect the shutout furnished by Al Leiter and company during the penultimate contest, leading to a 2-1 Montreal walk-off win in the 10th. That was followed the next night by two runs for the Expos in the bottom of the eighth inning that broke a 3-3 tie and set up a four-game Montreal sweep with a 5-3 victory.
April 9-11, 2004 vs. Expos: San Juan, Puerto Rico
(Almost) same time, same place but different results. New York took two of three in this set, bookending the series with victories. It did feel like deja vu, though, when Mets relievers failed to protect a 2-0 lead in the eighth of the first game. They were reprieved, however, when Todd Zeile’s 11th-inning RBI double delivered what would be the deciding run in a 3-2 win. Other standout moments from the game included Tyler Yates pitching six shoutout innings and former Expo Cliff Floyd homering to open the scoring.
The Mets took the series behind Tom Glavine’s outstanding start (seven innings, no earned runs, no walks) and Eric Valent’s two-run homer in the sixth.
June 28-30, 2010 vs. Florida Marlins: San Juan, Puerto Rico
By definition, these were neutral site games. By designation, the Marlins were the home team. And by proximity, the Marlins were the “closer to home” team.
Florida took two of three, scoring a combined 22 runs. The Fish got five home runs in their wins, coming from the likes of Giancarlo (then known as Mike) Stanton, Dan Uggla, and Hanley Ramírez. While the first Mets loss wasn’t close, losing 10-3, the second was in the balance until the end. New York held a 3-0 lead before Florida struck for six in the third. The Mets clawed back to tie with two ninth-inning runs before Uggla won it with a walk-off single in the bottom half as part of a 7-6 Marlins victory.
David Wright recorded two hits and two RBIs in the Mets’ lone W as they avoided a sweep. A 6-5 advantage was protected, shakily, by Francisco Rodríguez — who allowed two runners to reach base before getting the last two outs.
