The Mets were the predominant story of 1986. They had the National League’s lowest team ERA, the most runs scored, and the highest batting average. And naturally, they had the most wins and the biggest margin not only among current division leaders, but by any club since divisional realignment began 17 years ago. So it was of little surprise that when the All-Star rosters were announced, the...
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Carlos Beltran is arguably the best center fielder this team’s ever had. In franchise history, he ranks fourth in OPS, sixth in home runs, and sixth in runs batted in. His 41 homers in 2006 were a single-season record shared with Todd Hundley until it was broken by Pete Alonso two years ago. The third-highest bWAR among position players (31.1), Beltran also collected three Gold Gloves. And...
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Who needed fireworks at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium when the Mets and Braves provided a better show than any pyrotechnic display could? What unfolded through the evening of Independence Day and continued until 3:55 a.m. on July 5 transcended franchise history and became a regular-season game unlike any other. There were a combined 29 runs, 46 hits, 37 men left on base, 43 players used,...
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“Losing,” Ray Knight said following his walk-off home run against Houston, “is a word we don’t think of.” It was rarely needed in 1986. And whenever these Mets were on the precipice of defeat, it was a mistake to count them out. Such was the case on July 3 at Shea Stadium, even when Phil Garner muscled a home run off Jesse Orosco to give the Astros a two-run tenth-inning lead and put New York’s...
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The greatest comeback in Mets history? Game 6, 1986 World Series — obviously. The largest deficit ever overcome by a Mets team? That would be September 2, 1972 in Houston — making up eight runs on the Astros. What took place on a Friday night in June at Shea Stadium 21 years ago doesn’t hold the same significance as the ‘86 Fall Classic and not quite the depth of recovery in ‘72 at...
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