Garnering back page headlines was all the Mets could do to steal the spotlight away from the dominant Bronx Bombers. They did a pretty good job of it in late May with the acquisition of Mike Piazza, and thus would help them compete with the National League’s best. The Yankees, meanwhile, weren’t just competing against the current Major League teams, but with the greatest teams in baseball history. The Yankees were 55-19 (compared to the Mets’ 43-34 mark), and fresh off beating their fellow New York inhabitants twice in the second-ever regular-season Subway Series (and first held at Shea Stadium).
But for this night, at least, the team from Queens had the edge.
Some highlights to look for in this ESPN Sunday Night telecast (and a two-part video):
- The Yankee lineup includes an old friend in the cleanup spot: Darryl Strawberry.
- Hits were very hard to come by in the early going. So much, in fact, that either team got one over the first four innings. But the Mets did threaten early against recent Cuban refugee and first-year major leaguer Orlando Hernandez. “El Duque” found trouble locating the plate in the first inning — walking three but finding his way out of it without allowing a run.
- John Olerud‘s single in the bottom of the sixth (at the 1:33:48 mark of Part 1) fell just in front of Paul O’Neill and ended Hernandez’s no-hit bid, which was followed soon after by Carlos Baerga‘s hit up the middle (at 1:37:52 of Part 1) to bring home Piazza for the game’s first run.
- Masato Yoshii‘s scoreless outing lasted until the top of the seventh when Scott Brosius connected to deep left field (at 1:44:13 of Part 1).
- The Mets find a way to salvage a game from the series, but not before a bizarre sequence that appeared briefly to take the victory away. With Baerga on third and Brian McRae on first, watch Luis Lopez‘s bid for a sacrifice fly to end it and see for yourself.
