There were two themes to Mets’ regular season of 1986. Total dominance was one. The National League East was all but secured by early summer. They held a vice-grip-like 13-game lead, and had the skipper of the defending NL champs, the Cards’ Whitey Herzog, waving the white flag in surrender. They didn’t just beat the opposition, they beat them down. Which gets us to the other theme.

“We enjoy a fight,” manager Davey Johnson said. “If that’s what it takes, we’ll fight every time.”

The Mets didn’t fight all the time, but it seemed like it. They engaged in multiple on-field skirmishes (and a notable one off-the-field in Houston). But none was wilder than the one on a July evening in Cincinnati. And, as it turned out, no regular-season was crazier, either. Here’s a rundown of the zaniness:

  • Reds right fielder Dave Parker was a great hitter and sported a cannon for an arm. But without his costly miscue with two outs in the ninth, there would have been little drama to speak of. His dropped fly ball off the bat of Keith Hernandez spoiled the save chances of future Met John Franco.
  • Reds player/manager Pete Rose sends up a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the tenth: himself. Rose tallies one of the final hits of his career. Eric Davis comes into pinch-run for Pete and is in for quite the adventure on the basepaths.
  • Shortly after comes the main event, which goes on for about 16 minutes (longer than many title bouts actually). Davis found out the hard way that messing with a former Golden Gloves boxer like Ray Knight was a bad strategy. Those engaging with Kevin Mitchell were in for a rude awakening, too.

  • The ejections of Knight, Mitchell, and (earlier) Darryl Strawberry because of a disputed strike call in the sixth left Davey Johnson with too few position players. Gary Carter moved from catcher to third base, Ed Hearn went in behind the plate, and relief pitchers Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco were shuttled between the mound and right field, depending on who was batting.
  • Hernandez showed his defensive brilliance and on-field intelligence in the 12th. With runners on first and second, in a clear bunting situation, he charges toward the plate as an inexperienced pitcher attempts to lay down a sacrifice.

  • The tie is finally broken thanks to Howard Johnson in the top of the 14th with a three-run homer to right field.
  • McDowell is summoned from the outfield to get the save, which he does—putting a punctuation mark on this bizarre evening.

The Mets won eight of their 12 matches, but this felt like five wins in one.