The 1998 Mets, who fell just short of the playoffs in real life, faced the 2015 NL pennant winners in the first round of Mets Madness. MMO editor Mojo Hill and giveaway winner Sammy Cohen managed the two squads, respectively.

The series started with a couple of pitching duels, but the 2015 team’s offense exploded in Games 3 and 4, giving them a commanding 3-1 lead. That same offense, which scored 21 runs in a two-game span, fell to a hush with just one total run over the next three games. The ’98 team went out on top and advanced to the next round in a seven-game thriller.

Game 1

Al Leiter outdueled Jacob deGrom, while a home run from leadoff hitter Brian McRae was enough offense to get the ’98 team started on the right foot. The Mets beat the Mets 3-1, with John Franco getting the save and putting the finishing touches on a gem.

Game 2

Prime Matt Harvey went deep into this one, outdueling a solid Rick Reed. Michael Conforto, who sat in Game 1 against the left-handed Leiter, smacked two home runs and provided 2015 with all the offense it needed.

The 2015 Mets took this one 4-2, with Jeurys Familia knocking down the save. This may bring back a whirlwind of emotions for Mets fans who feel pain when they remember Harvey and Familia’s postseason efforts in 2015 — how they were so good, but let up at the worst moments.

Game 3

After two relatively quiet offensive games, the 2015 team exploded with a 10-2 win. Bobby Jones got tattooed for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings, surrendering three home runs in the process. One of those bombs was another by Conforto, who started the series on a tear. Lucas Duda and Travis d’Arnaud were the other two to go deep.

John Olerud homered for 1998, but it was about all the offense the Mets could muster up. Jon Niese, of all people, earned the save by going the final three innings.

Game 4

The 2015 team kept the offense rolling, following up the 10-run outburst with an 11-run explosion. Duda and d’Arnaud each homered again against a struggling Armando Reynoso. Yoenis Cespedes, who had a miserable series overall, smashed a grand slam that put the icing on the cake. It was Cespedes’ only home run of the series and one of only three hits. But he sure made it count.

The 1998 team put up a fight and almost completed a comeback for the ages. McRae hit his second homer of the series, while Mike Piazza hit a three-run shot. Bartolo Colon, who was brought in on mop-up duty, allowed the ’98 squad to make it a game.

But the early hole proved too much for them to overcome, falling 11-9 in a wild back-and-forth affair. Steven Matz earned the win for his five solid innings to start. The 2015 team took a 3-1 series lead and appeared to be on the cusp of advancing to the next round.

Game 5

Leiter made his second start of the series and picked up where he left off in Game 1. Between his two starts, he allowed just two runs in 15 innings while striking out 19 and walking two. He outdueled deGrom once again, while Edgardo Alfonzo went deep for 1998.

The ’98 Mets won 6-1 and trimmed their deficit to 3-2.

Game 6

Piazza chose a good time to catch fire, swatting two more home runs to lead an 8-0 walloping of Harvey and the 2015 Mets. Alfonzo also went deep for the second straight game, and the 2015 team was never in it.

Reed, who was solid but overmatched in Game 2, turned it all around in Game 6. He flirted with a no-hitter and led the shutout effort to even the series at three games apiece.

Game 7

With a tired pitching staff, 1998 turned to Masato Yoshii in the winner-take-all Game 7, hoping to at least a couple solid innings out of him before turning it over to the bullpen. Facing Noah Syndergaard, who got the win in Game 3, the ’98 Mets had their work cut out for them.

But to everyone’s shock, Yoshii silenced the ’15 Mets as if it was easy. An offense that was lethal in Games 3 and 4, led by Conforto and Duda, fell completely silent, and Cespedes could never get in a rhythm after his grand slam in Game 4. Yoshii ended up pitching into the seventh inning with a shutout going.

The ’98 team merely scratched out one run against Syndergaard, who was still at his best back in 2015. But one run was all they needed. Franco recorded a stress-free save in the ninth, his second of the series, and Game 7 was decided by a 1-0 contest.

Series MVP

Piazza earned series MVP for his consistent performance throughout the series, especially for a lineup that needed it. Piazza was acquired midseason in 1998, and he and Olerud really led what was otherwise a pedestrian group of hitters. Olerud contributed in the series as well, with a .452 OBP, but Piazza earned the honors for his .312 average, three home runs, seven RBIs and .594 slugging percentage.

Leiter and Yoshii certainly deserve honorable mentions as well, as this series easily could have gone the other way if not for their efforts. Leiter came up huge in Games 1 and 5, leading the ’98 team to its only two wins at the time. It seemed that they couldn’t win a game without Leiter on the mound until they finally ignited their series comeback in Games 6 and 7. Without Leiter, they may not have gotten the chance to do that.

Yoshii, meanwhile, made only a couple relief appearances before his Game 7 heroics, but he truly was the difference in that deciding matchup. With little expected of him, he gave one of the best performances of the series. And considering his team only put up one run, he needed to be dominant with very little room for error. Even as he started to tire, he wiggled out of a couple jams and kept the ’15 team completely off the board.

Conforto seemed primed for an MVP bid after Games 2 and 3, but he finally fell back to Earth in the latter games and couldn’t pick up his struggling teammates. Even still, he batted .458 for the series and deserves a mention.

On Deck

The 1998 Mets will move on and play the 1973 Mets now, another team with strong pitching that outweighs its offensive shortcomings. Make sure to tune in to see who wins: the Mets or the Mets!