It seemed like the baseball gods intended for the Mets to win it all and the Red Sox curse to continue. But the postscript to Game 6’s epic theater was anything but a formality.

Sunday rain let Boston manager John McNamara give Bruce Hurst the starting nod. Hurst proceeded to reinforce his credentials for series MVP — an award all but in possession before the Mets’ epic comeback two nights ago.

Ron Darling was unable to match the Sox’s red-hot hurler, allowing three early runs, so they called on their own lefty savior. Sid Fernandez never got a start in the ’86 World Series, but he had the most important pitching performance of the seven games. The Hawaiian lefty delivered 2.1 hitless innings and most importantly halted Red Sox momentum. Fernandez, in turn, energized the Shea Stadium crowd.

Hurst had limited the Mets to one hit before New York came to life in the sixth with singles from Lee Mazzilli and Mookie Wilson and a Tim Teufel walk. Keith Hernandez came up to the plate. He didn’t have to reach far into his memory to recall an eerily similar situation.

“I remember that well,” Hernandez said postgame, remarking on a two-run bases-loaded single in the sixth of the deciding game in the ’82 Fall Classic as his Cardinals prevailed over the Brewers. Just like he did four years earlier, Hernandez delivered. A hit to left-center sent home Mazzilli and Wilson and sent Shea into a frenzy.

“I had swung the bat great all series,” he said. “I told [my brother] this morning ‘If I get up with men on base tonight, I’m going to be the man.’”

On the next pitch, Gary Carter lofted a fly ball to right field. It landed in front of a diving Dwight Evans — allowing pinch-runner Wally Backman to score the run that tied it at three. The Mets’ charge steamed forward in the seventh. Ray Knight had his MVP moment leading off with a homer to left-center against Calvin Schiraldi.

New York scored twice more — so did Boston. But Darryl Strawberry’s home run to start in the bottom of the eighth, followed by another run and then Jesse Orosco’s three up, three down ninth ensured Saturday’s dramatics were more a catalyst than a footnote.

In winning 8–5, the Mets did what they were supposed to do from the outset. But the method by which they did it showed that for all their dominance, they had character and resolve when it mattered most.