Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not very often that these two teams are (at least) good at the same time. Taking out the late 1990s and early 2000s, it’s even rarer. But when the quality of the clubs is near equal, the intensity between the Mets and Braves is red-hot. That doesn’t necessarily equate to balance, as when Atlanta reigned as perennial NL East champs, New York was often nothing more than a slight inconvenience. But lately, as in the last couple weeks, the Mets have superiority.

1969 NLCS

What was supposed to be Mets pitching against Braves hitting turned into a one-sided slugfest. New York, adding to a year’s worth of surprises, showed more muscle—outscoring the Braves 27–15 in the inaugural NLCS and swept the best-of-five series. At Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, the Mets got five eighth-inning runs to give Tom Seaver the win in the opener and followed that with 11 runs on 13 hits in Game 2 in spite of a poor start by Jerry Koosman to leave Georgia with a commanding 2-0 lead. Nolan Ryan tempered Atlanta bats for seven innings in Game 3, a 7–4 victory at Shea that set up a World Series date in Baltimore and a miracle seemed even more real.

July 4 (and 5), 1985

Keith Hernandez hit for the cycle and it registered as ordinary on the scale of events at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. What began on the evening of Independence Day lasted until 3:55 a.m. on July 5 became a regular-season saga unlike any other. There were 29 runs, 46 hits, 37 left on base, 43 players, 14 pitchers, three blown saves, two rain delays, two ejections, the aforementioned cycle, a formal protest, and a game-tying home run in the 18th by relief pitcher (Rick Camp). It finally ended 19 innings after a total elapsed time of 8 hours and 15 minutes. A Ron Darling strikeout put a period on perhaps the wackiest baseball chapter ever, but the festivities weren’t over. The stadium proceeded with the scheduled postgame fireworks. Nearby Residents reportedly made panicked calls to police—some fearing the onset of nuclear war with the Soviet Union.

September 25-27, 1998

They went into Turner Field needing to win one of three to keep their season going. They ended up with none. After failing to secure a victory at home versus the Montreal Expos, the Mets put themselves in an uncompromising spot facing a club that had won six of nine against them during the year. Their best chance came in the opener, which ended up a 6-5 loss. Tom Glavine and a series of relievers completely shut New York down the next day. The pitching match-up in the regular season finale? Greg Maddux for Atlanta and Armando Reynoso for the Mets. You can figure out how that went. The ’98 Mets, with a final record of 88-74, overachieved—even after Mike Piazza joined the lineup. But the five-game losing streak to end the year undid most good feelings.

1999 NLCS

In the end, it was always going to be the Braves. Even a lead in the late innings of Game 2 wasn’t going to hold up. Even a superb pitching performance by Al Leiter in Game 3 was for naught in a 1-0 loss, the third straight defeat of two runs or fewer. Even a 15-inning, 5-hour and 46-minute thriller in the rain in Game 5 wasn’t enough to swing the momentum. Even a comeback from five runs down and taking the lead twice couldn’t extinguish the Braves in Game 6. Atlanta showed why it’s better. Regardless, the “Grand Slam Single” remains an iconic moment in franchise history as part of one of the most dramatic games ever played in the postseason.

July 30, 2000

Just when it looked like the end result between the Braves and Mets would be all-too-familiar, New York managed to get the Atlanta’s number. Ten, to be specific…as in the number of runs scored during a ridiculous eighth inning. With a succession of productive at-bats, New York rallied from a seven-run deficit—punctuated by Mike Piazza’s laser beam home run just over the left-field wall. What took place on that Friday night certainly didn’t have the same significance as Game 6 of the 1986 World Series and not quite the depth of recovery from September 1972 at the Astrodome, but the sensational 11-8 victory is arguably the memorable regular-season comeback. The tie-breaking three-run bottom-of-the-eighth blast, the across-the-body right fist pump from Piazza as the ball cleared the fence, and the roar generated by 52,831 drowning out the airplanes departing LaGuardia.

September 21, 2001

Any feelings of contempt were put aside. On this night, the first major sporting event in New York since the September 11th attacks, Mike Piazza lifted the spirits of a broken city with his unforgettable go-ahead home run that gave his team 3-2 win. To Mets fans, baseball fans, and those seeking normalcy in unstable times, it provided a temporary sense of order. The 41,000-plus in attendance, understandably, were more solemn than celebratory. Atlanta held a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth. With one out and none on, Edgardo Alfonzo took a borderline pitch for ball four. Piazza was up, and it was central casting for him to provide a storybook script. On 1-1, Piazza hammered the Steve Karsay pitch to deep center, well over the 410′ mark and into the camera well. Those who hadn’t known when the right time was to express happiness over a simple baseball game found something to cheer about.

September 9, 2012

He played his first game at Shea Stadium, hit his first home run at Shea Stadium, and named his daughter after Shea Stadium. He made a habit out of torturing the Mets, most especially in 1999 when he captured the National League MVP Award. Many in New York affectionally call him Larry, most known him as Chipper Jones. But after 19 stellar seasons and a resume minted for Cooperstown, the career-long Atlanta Brave made his final appearance in Queens. He faced the Mets 245 times in the regular season with a .949 OPS and 49 home runs. Jones received a standing ovation from the Citi Field crowd after coming out for a pinch-runner.

September 13, 2015

Murphy magic, the prequel. Just when the Braves thought, for once, they finally had them in this three-game series, the Mets second baseman showed otherwise. Atlanta punctured holes in the Mets bullpen to turn a 4–3 deficit into a 7–4 lead heading into the top of the ninth. Murphy was due up fifth. His teammates would need to string together at least two productive plate appearances for him to try to atone for some earlier fielding miscues. It took until there were two outs before Juan Lagares doubled and Curtis Granderson walked to give Murphy the chance. The Mets remained backed against the wall until Murph lifted a Ryan Kelly pitch over it. New York scored three more times in the tenth and continued on its way to the NL East title.