With the 2010s coming to a close, it’s time to acknowledge some of the greatest achievements of the decade.
In this article, I will look at the top 15 games of the decade. Truth be told, there were so many to pick from in this article. For me, personally, these games basically cover my teenage years into my young adult life thus far (11-21 years old).
Here is my list of the top 15 games (listed, not a ranking) of the past decade.
1. NLDS Game 5 (October 15, 2015)
The Mets came into the night looking to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006. Daniel Murphy started the night off with an RBI double off Zack Greinke to give the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Jacob deGrom clearly didn’t have his best stuff, though, as he coughed up the lead and gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning. However, he battled throughout the night to keep the Mets in the game. That allowed Murphy to help tie the game in the fourth and give the Mets the lead in the sixth inning with a homer. The rest is history from there.
2. Cabrera Walk-Off Against the Phillies (September 22, 2016)
With the Mets in the midst of a crucial Wild Card playoff hunt, every game mattered down the stretch. After falling behind 6-4 in the bottom of the eighth on the heels of a Maikel Franco three-run homer, the Mets’ hopes were starting to dwindle for the night. But, with one out in the ninth inning, Jose Reyes tied the game with a two-run homer. The Mets would fall behind again in the 11th, but Asdrubal Cabrera would send fans home happy that night with a walk-off three-run homer to give the Mets a 9-8 victory as Gary Cohen’s “It’s outta here, outta here” became the call heard around the world that night.
3. Flores Proclaims He’s Here To Stay (July 31, 2015)
Less than 48 hours prior to this game, Wilmer Flores thought he had been traded along with Zack Wheeler to the Milwaukee Brewers for Carlos Gomez. In the end, the MLB Trade Deadline passed and he was still a Met and Yoenis Cespedes was joining the team. This night was meant for him as he made a beautiful play in the first inning and drove in the first run of the game on an RBI single. With a 1-1 tie in the 12th, Flores crushed a solo home run to left field to win the game for the Mets in what started up a special turn of events for the Mets over the next three months.
4. Santana Delivers First Mets’ No-Hitter (June 1, 2012)
Johan Santana did something on this day that had never been done in Mets’ history by tossing a no-hitter. It took him 134 pitches to get there, but the left-hander did so. He almost lost it twice as had instant replay existed, new Mets manager Carlos Beltran would have had the first St. Louis Cardinals hit of the day as he hit a ball that just dusted off the white of the left field line. In the seventh inning, Mike Baxter sacrificed his body to save the no-hitter by diving into the wall.
5. Labor Day Comeback (September 7, 2015)
The New York Mets had taken control of the NL East, but with the Washington Nationals still trying to win the division, their work wasn’t done yet. Early in the game, the Mets had no trouble taking the lead off of Max Scherzer, but a grand slam by then Nationals-catcher Wilson Ramos gave the Nationals a 4-3 lead. In the top of the sixth, Travis d’Arnaud tied the game with a sacrifice fly. David Wright would deliver the Mets the lead in the following inning and a Yoenis Cespedes double would bring Wright home as he’d pump his fist in celebration as the Mets won this Labor Day game.
6. World Series Game 3 (October 30, 2015)
This was going to be a special day whether they won or lost with it being their first World Series game at Citi Field ever. It was all the more special that they won. Noah Syndergaard established his aggressiveness that night as he threw a 100 MPH fastball over Alcides Escobar‘s head. After the team fell behind 1-0 to the Kansas City Royals, David Wright crushed a fastball from Yordano Ventura to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, Wright drove in a pair to blow the game open and secure a Mets’ victory, the team’s first since 2000.
7. “Harvey’s Better” (April 19, 2013)
This was one of the best games I ever attended as Matt Harvey battled against Stephen Strasburg in what was a battle of two rising stars in the NL East. Harvey would outduel him as he struck out seven over seven innings while allowing only one run. Strasburg allowed two earned runs, but four total as Lucas Duda and Ike Davis both had multi-homer games that night. A special moment happened in that game when the crowd started chanting “Harvey’s better” in the sixth inning.
8. Long Night in St.Louis (April 17, 2010)
In the game that never seemed to end, Johan Santana and Jaime Garcia both had phenomenal pitching performances with equally strong performances by each other’s respective bullpens. In the top of the 19th inning, Jeff Francoeur drove in the first run of the game, but the Cardinals tied it in the bottom half with an RBI from familiar foe Yadier Molina. The Cardinals had decided they had bigger fish to fry than this game, though, and started using position players on the mound which allowed Jose Reyes to get the game-winning sacrifice fly in the 20th inning. The game came just short of lasting seven hours.
9. Syndergaard Does it Himself (May 2, 2019)
Noah Syndergaard had one of the most single-handedly dominant games a player could possibly have as he tossed a complete-game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds and provided the only run of the game with a solo home run. In addition, he struck out 10 batters while allowing only four hits and one walk.
10. Mets Walk-Off on Doolittle (August 9, 2019)
Marcus Stroman made his Mets’ debut on this Friday night as the Mets were storming back into the playoff race with the Wild Card leading Washington Nationals in town for the weekend. Down 6-3 in the ninth, the Mets were tasked with scoring at least three runs off of Sean Doolittle to keep the game going. With runners on first and third, Todd Frazier tied the game with a three-run homer to left field that just barely stayed fair. Michael Conforto would drive in the winning run on an RBI single over the head of Adam Eaton with two outs in the inning. I was actually at this game and it was by far the best game I had even been to in my life.
11. Harvey Tosses One-Hitter (May 7, 2013)
Matt Harvey established his dominance while dealing with a bloody nose against the Chicago White Sox. Harvey didn’t allow a baserunner until the 21st batter he faced as Alex Rios beat out an infield single. Rios was the only baserunner all night and Harvey struck out 12 over nine innings pitched. As would be the case for most of the 2013 season, the Mets simply would not score for Harvey which resulted in his brilliant performance becoming a no-decision. The Mets would walk-off in the bottom of the 10th on a Mike Baxter RBI single.
12. Captain Kirk Strikes Thrice (July 12, 2015)
The Mets were looking to end off the first half of the season with a win so that they could go into the All-Star break feeling confident. Not only did they do that, but the unlikeliest of heroes became a Mets’ legend. Kirk Nieuwenhuis crushed three home runs off the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first five innings of the game. From there, the main focus the rest of the day was on whether or not Nieuwenhuis could hit a fourth homer.
13. Wright Takes The Field One Last Time (September 29, 2018)
In what was probably the most emotional night of the decade for Mets fans, David Wright played in his final game ever, starting one at third base for the first time since May 27, 2016. His daughter threw out the first pitch of the game to him as Wright got ready to take the field one final time. In the game, Wright had two plate appearances. He walked in the first one and popped out to first baseman Peter O’Brien in his second. Wright would be pulled from the game in the top of the fifth inning and would walk off the field for one final standing ovation.
14. Dickey Wins 20th Game (September 27, 2012)
In a season where R.A. Dickey was competing for the NL Cy Young Award, the right-hander pretty much sealed the deal on winning the award in this game. He recorded his 20th victory on the season while striking out 13 batters over 7 2/3 innings. The knuckleballer became one of the most beloved Mets in a season that was otherwise not very fruitful for the organization.
15. Super Tuesday (June 18, 2013)
The Mets called up Zack Wheeler to start the second game of a double-header with Matt Harvey starting the first game. In the afternoon game, Harvey dominated as he struck out 13 batters over seven innings while allowing three runs. Wheeler’s MLB debut in the nightcap went really well too as he tossed six shutout innings against his hometown team, the Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader sweep. This was viewed as the birth of a new era to many Mets fans.
