Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Dramatic confrontations between the Mets and Cardinals are nothing new. The incredible ninth-inning comeback and the bench-clearing incident in April was just the latest in a lineage of notable games. Here are a few of the best—ranging from historic, thrilling, devastating, and unending.
April 11, 1962
It all goes back to day one. The Cards were host to the inaugural regular season game in Mets history. And many Mets were lucky to even see Sportsman’s Park after getting stuck in an elevator the day before following a rain out. The delayed opener easily went St. Louis’ way, 11-4, as did most games against the Amazin’s that year.
Richie Ashburn went into the record books the first batter, Gus Bell got the first hit, Charlie Neal tallied the first RBI, and Gil Hodges hit the first home run.
September 24, 1969
Earlier that month, the Mets won despite Steve Carlton’s 19 strikeouts—proof that nothing was preventing the miracle unfolding.
With the magic number at one, rookie Gary Gentry tossed a brilliant 6-0 shutout performance that ensured the NL East title. Once again, New York hitters were up against Carlton. But “Lefty” didn’t stand a chance this time. Donn Clendenon—the key acquisition at the trade deadline that helped ignite the team’s summer charge—hit a pair of homers. He opened the scoring with a three-run homer to center and the Mets put up a five-spot in that inning.
Gentry allowed the Cards just four hits while continuing to string together zeroes. With one out and one on in the ninth, Joe Torre grounded to Bud Harrelson. Harrelson tossed to Al Weis covering second base. Weis threw to Clendenon at first to complete a division-clinching double play that opened the floodgates.
It’s a cliche to “act like you’ve been there before.” But for the celebratory Mets and their fans who ambushed the Shea Stadium turf on a Wednesday night, there was truly no precedent.
September 11, 1974
First pitch came at 8:03 p.m. Last pitch came at 3:13 a.m. In between was 175 official at-bats, 45 runners stranded, 25 innings, and zero rain delays.
None of this would’ve been possible if Ken Reitz didn’t hit a ninth-inning two-out, two-run homer. A Shea crowd that began at 13,460—and slowly dwindled as the innings piled up—nearly could have had three for the price of one. After 15 scoreless innings, St. Louis broke through on a play created by speed and helped by fatigue.
Bake McBride, caught leaning from first, got off the hook on Hank Webb’s errant pick-off attempt. As John Milner retrieved it, McBride turned third and headed home. Milner’s throw was dropped by catcher Ron Hodges as McBride touched home plate for the winning run.
It’s the longest game innings-wise played to an outcome without delay or suspension. Fifty players were on the scorecard for the Cards—including Hall of Famer Lou Brock, ex-Met Ron Hunt, future Met Joe Torre, and a rookie named Keith Hernandez.
April 8, 1985
By the mid-1980s, this had become the best rivalry in baseball. There were several reasons for it: Hernandez traded from St. Louis to New York and the lingering resentment for Cards manager Whitey Herzog, a former Mets coach and director of player development, was certainly one. But also because both teams were very good and fighting for NL East supremacy in an era when there were just four divisions and four playoff spots.
The arrival of Gary Carter in a trade from Montreal marked the most anticipated season yet. On a cold, blustery afternoon at Shea, Carter connected on a Neil Allen curveball in the 10th inning that cut through the biting wind and found its way over the left-field fence to give the Mets the 6-5 win. The tone was set for a thrilling pennant race.
October 1, 1985
After trading turns atop the division, a September showdown at Shea was capped with a walk-off single from Hernandez which temporarily put New York back in first. St. Louis grabbed the division lead back with a torrid three-week stretch. The teams were separated by three when they collided at Busch Stadium with six to play.
There was almost no margin for error, and Ron Darling was saddled with the most pressure-packed start of his young career. He was more than up to the task, matching John Tudor through nine scoreless frames.
Darryl Strawberry’s colossal 11th-inning homer off the Busch Stadium clock to put the Mets up 1-0 didn’t stop time, but did keep the Mets alive for a night. New York prevailed again in game two, but ultimately lost out on the division title. Not next year.
April 24-27, 1986
To use a tired phrase, the Mets “sent a message.” With a four-game road sweep over the defending NL champs, New York was on its way to total dominance of the league. Before long, the Cardinals were in the dust.
It began with Howard Johnson’s tie-breaking home run in the opener. It followed with a 9-0 win thanks to two Ray Knight homers and Dwight Gooden’s pitching. It continued with Wally Backman’s stellar defense at second base which initiated a game-ending double play. It ended with Bob Ojeda going the distance in a 5-3 victory.
Soon Herzog would concede defeat. But his team be back for more.
September 11, 1987
For fans of a certain age, this one hurts.
In ’87, the tables had turned somewhat. St. Louis jumped out to a big divisional lead while the Mets were scuffling and back-biting. Down by as many as 10 games in late July, New York rallied and played to its capabilities.
The margin was 1.5 by the time the two teams met in September at Shea. Ron Darling took a no-hitter into the sixth, only to lose the no-no and his season diving for a grounder. The Mets had a 4-1 edge with an out to get. Willie McGee singled to center to score Ozzie Smith and setting up a nightmare scenario.
Terry Pendleton against Roger McDowell—enough said. His two-run homer tied it and the Cardinals eventually won it in 10. The Mets never recovered.
2000 NLCS
Mike Hampton’s first year in New York had already been a success, but he truly solidified his acquisition by tossing 16 consecutive scoreless innings including a three-hit blanking in the clinching Game 5 to earn Most Valuable Player.
Timo Perez was a breakout star, serving as a spark plug from the leadoff spot. He, Mike Piazza, and plenty of others contributed to a narrow Game 2 victory in St. Louis, four straight doubles (five total) which helped them get a 7-1 lead in the second inning of Game 4, and finally three more first-inning runs in the clincher. The Cardinals were constantly chasing a Mets and against pitchers like Hampton, found it to be an impossible task.
August 22, 2006
The Cardinals might have figured they were safe up 7-1 in the fifth and even up 7-6 in the ninth. In both instances, they thought wrong.
They had withstood an expected surge of Mets offense, most coming on a grand slam from Carlos Delgado for his 400th career homer. The last person they wanted to see up two outs from victory was Carlos Beltrán, who nearly single-handedly beat St. Louis in the 2004 playoffs.
Beltran’s two-run, walk-off homer continued to reassure fans that the Mets were not just a playoff team with their substantial division lead—they were the best team in the league.
If only the NLCS between those same two teams could’ve ended the same way.
2006 NLCS
Even with a depleted pitching staff, the Mets were clear favorites to bypass a Cardinals team that had a mere 83 regular season wins.
In some ways, Game 2’s loss hurts the most. After a 2-0 victory in the opener, New York couldn’t hold leads of 3-0 and 6-4 — ultimately surrendering a three-run ninth.
The Mets came to life with a dominant Game 4 win, but a loss two nights later forced them to take both at Shea. Early runs and the pitching of John Maine took care of Game 6.
Endy Chavez’s sixth-inning catch in the deciding Game 7 contest wasn’t even a sign that it was the Mets’ year. Yadier Molina cleared Endy’s glove and the left-field wall with a two-run homer in the ninth. The Mets attempted to stave off elimination with two singles and a walk before Beltrán came up as the go-ahead run and, well, you know the rest.
April 17, 2010
This is what happens when two stagnant offenses meet. In the longest scoreless tie since 1989, the teams traded goose eggs for an astounding 36 turns at-bat.
Only until the Cards used a position player, Joe Mather, did the Mets figure out how to score. That came when Jeff Francoeur’s sacrifice fly drove in José Reyes.
One problem, the Mets suddenly forgot how to keep the Cards from scoring. Francisco Rodriguez could not close out St. Louis when Molina (who caught the entire game and went 3-for-9) singled in Albert Pujols and prevented an end to this never-ending game. Thankfully this one was put to bed in the 20th with another sac fly, this one from Reyes—0-for-7 on the day.
St. Louis left the bases loaded in the 10th, 12th and 14th and stranded 22 runners —14 in extra innings, including the bottom of the 20th. Mike Pelfrey made things interesting but nonetheless got his first career save. And now everyone could rest.
