On October 27, 1986, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox to win their second world championship. They were coming off a dramatic win in Game Six, as recapped here.

Most Mets fans are well aware of how things went down on those two October nights in Queens. I am among the lucky, in that I was able to attend both of those games. I’d like to share the emotional rollercoaster of emotions that took place during those 48 hours.

Game Six

I had a good feeling going into Game Six, as the Mets had rebounded to win two of three on the road to keep the series going, and were headed home where they had an advantage all year, posting a 55-26 record at Shea.

Here are a few things that stand out about game six. First, the skydiver (Michael Sergio) who literally dropped in during the first inning. The reaction in the Mets dugout (after Sergio was apprehended) wasn’t one of disgust (as one might expect). Rather, Ron Darling and Mel Stottlemyre (among others) were seemingly amused. As a nervous fan, I was not amused, and couldn’t wait to get the game going again.

Bob Ojeda yielded single runs in the first and second innings, and those confident feelings quickly dissipated. The Mets were held silent by Roger Clemens through four innings, and the anxiety began to skyrocket. The Mets finally tied the game in the fifth, setting up the bizarre events to come.

When Ray Knight committed an error that led to an unearned Red Sox run in the seventh, things became very uncomfortable. It was getting late, and the possibility that the dream season would end in unfulfilling fashion was becoming very real. But the Mets always found a way, that’s what I kept telling myself. The bottom of the eighth came, and the Mets were down to six outs.

Lee Mazzilli (who was a very valuable piece during the postseason and a great pickup by Frank Cashen) began the inning with a single. Later in the inning, the Red Sox walked Keith Hernandez to load the bases, bringing up Gary Carter with one out. “The Kid”, a proud player, clearly wanted to make the Sox pay. I was panicked that he’d expand the zone, and either strike out or worse, hit into a double play.

Carter worked Calvin Schiraldi to a 3-0 count. Davey Johnson, showing trust in his veteran catcher, gave Carter the green light. Carter hit a rocket directly to Jim Rice in left field. I only wish the exit velocity was available on that one. If Carter had gotten under that ball just a little, it would have been a grand slam. The Mets had to settle for a sacrifice fly and tie game. The play at the plate was not really close, but I remember being a bit spooked that Mazzilli did not slide, as Rice’s throw home made it on the fly (through a little late and slightly up the third base line).

The tension grew as the game went to the bottom of the ninth. The Mets got the first two runners on, and it just felt like a walk-off was coming. They could score off Schiraldi here, right? They didn’t. We all know that a blown situation like this can turn the momentum. This one did (for a brief time).

Rick Aguilera, who had pitched a clean ninth, faced Dave Henderson to start the tenth. When Henderson homered, I was sure it was the end. Remember, Henderson had hit a key home run in game five of the ALCS when the Red Sox were on the brink of elimination.

Well, 1986 was going to be their Cinderella story. The same guy works the same magic in both post-season series. That was it. The Mets were done. The wrecking ball Mets were outmaneuvered by a fairy tale team from Boston. The additional run Boston scored in the tenth appeared to be window dressing.

The first two outs in the ninth seemed to confirm the theory above. When Carter singled, I was almost annoyed. Just end it. Please, let my mourning begin. However, the Mets had, as they say, a puncher’s chance.

Kevin Mitchell and Knight singled, and I still thought, even with a run in and the tying run on third with two outs, it was a big tease. Mookie Wilson was coming up, and he was a strikeout waiting to happen (72 in 381 official ABs during the season).

Bob Stanley was on the mound at this point. When he uncorked the wild pitch that allowed Mitchell to score, I remember yelling “slide” from my Loge seat as Mitchell streaked down the line. That play seemed to take five minutes. I had a vision of him being thrown out at the plate to end the game, the season, and the dream. But he crossed the plate easily. The emotion was one of relief. The Mets would live to fight another inning.

When the ball “got by Buckner”, I think I had nothing left. Sure, I was excited. Sure, I hugged people I knew and many I did not. But for me, the wild pitch was the pinnacle moment. To this day, I get greater chills at that point of game replays than at any other.

Being a Mets fan, even as the frenetic hugging was happening, I had one thought: “They still have to win tomorrow. They’re the Mets. Nothing is certain.”

Game Seven

On Sunday, October 26th, we made the drive down to Shea, only to be turned around because the game was postponed due to rain. This is unfair! I can’t take another day of waiting…

We left at 3 pm to make the hour drive for an 8 pm game on Monday, October 27th.  It had to be better waiting there than at home. At least there would be more people around to engage in nervous chatter.

The game started in a light mist. Right away, the Red Sox made it clear they did not have a hangover from game six. They scored three runs off Ron Darling, and led 3-0 in the third inning. Darling had a rough fourth inning, and was replaced by Sid Fernandez, who made it out of the inning unscathed.

Fernandez did provide a spark for the crowd, striking out four batters over the fifth and sixth inning. That’s fine, but the Mets were down to 12 outs and had just one hit off Bruce Hurst (who had kept them in check in games one and five) going into the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Lee Mazzilli stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter to try to get the Mets going.

Mazzilli singled, and after a Wilson single and a walk by Tim Teufel, Hernandez got in the box with the bases loaded in a role made for him. The Mets needed a quality at-bat, down 3-0. In my same Loge seat, I was worried about an inning-ending double play, but Hernandez singed in two runs and Shea was rocking. Even though they were still down a run, even the most pessimistic fans (I was among them) started to “feel it”.

The Mets tied the game, and in the seventh, took a three-run lead. All was good, or so it seemed. The Red Sox got to Roger McDowell for two runs in the top of the eighth, and they had the tying run at second with no outs. I was done. I left my seat, and transversed the Loge level, stopping at concession stands to watch every pitch. When Orosco got Don Baylor to ground out to end the inning, I returned to my seat, to the raucous laughter of my group at how the moment had gotten too big for me.

The Mets added two runs in the bottom of the eighth, with one coming on a Darryl Strawberry home run and the other on a hit by Orosco. Now, they needed three more outs. I left my seat again, and sat on the filthy cement stairs. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Leave me alone…

In the ninth, someone threw a smoke bomb on the field. Great, let’s break Jesse’s concentration, after all there’s nothing on the line here.

When Marty Barrett stepped to the plate with two outs, the fairy tale worm had turned from the night before. Barrett had tormented the Mets all series, and it was poetic justice that he made the last out.

The celebration was on. Collectively, Mets fans were talking dynasty. What would be good? Three championships in ten years, five, what’s the number? This is going to be great!

We know the Mets have not won a championship since that night, 35 years ago. If and when they do, cherish it, folks. It’s an Amazin’ feeling, but you never know how long it will be until it comes around again.

The post OTD 1986: “The Dream Has Come True” appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The 2022 Mets was piloted by MMO editor and writer James Villani. The 1988 Mets was ran by MMO writer Dilip Sridhar.

If you have not taken advantage already, we are giving folks access to 10% off coupons for downloading the game as well as giving away codes to download the game for free.

Game 1

The first game of the championship series was tightly contested. It was a pitcher’s duel between 2022 Mets starter Max Scherzer and the 1988 team’s David Cone. When it was all said and done, it was the 1988 Mets who were able to hold onto a 3-2 lead and a Game 1 victory.

Kevin McReynolds had the big blow, and what ended up being the game-winning, two-run home run in the sixth inning.

Game 2

In another low scoring game, the 1988 team’s starting pitching once again shined. Dwight Gooden went 7 2/3 innings striking out seven and only allowed one run. Offensively, it was once again McReynolds for the 1988 team, who slugged two more home runs en route to the 4-1 Game 2 victory. All of the runs the 1988 Mets scored were via the long ball.

Game 3

The great pitching by the 1988 team continued in Game 3 as they shutout the 2022 Mets, 8-0. Bob Ojeda posted a complete game, allowing only four hits to go along with seven strikeouts. It took him 105 pitches to get it done.

Offensively, the 1988 team was led by a huge six-run fifth inning. Chris Bassitt and Seth Lugo combined to allow all six of those runs. Offensively, McReynolds once again had a huge game posting three RBIs while Gary Carter had three as well.

Game 4

The 1988 team finished off the sweep in Game 4 defeating the 2022 team in a tightly-contested 4-3 game. It took 11 innings, but a Wally Backman ground out was the deciding run as Randy Myers shut the door in the bottom half of the 11th inning at Citi Field.

The 1988 team only needed three pitchers, with Ron Darling doing terrific work over 2 2/3 innings after Sid Fernandez started the game and went 6 1/3 innings. It was a much different story as the 2022 team had to rely on a bullpen game of sorts, as Carlos Carrasco started the game and five relievers followed.

MVP

It was an easy decision as Keith McReynolds was named the most valuable player of the championship series. He hit a series-high four home runs and posted a 1.000 slugging percentage. He was the main driver of a 1988 Mets offense that did just enough to capture the 16-team tournament crown.

Thanks for following along!

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You certainly know the elite seasons by one pitcher: Seaver 1969, Gooden 1985, and deGrom 2018 — just to name a few. But as we imagine the possibilities of two top-line starters in the future Mets rotation, here’s the standard they have to meet. As a point of reference, the primary criteria taken into account for this list were adjusted ERA (or ERA+), pitching bWAR, and influence on high-leverage games.

5. Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey, 2015

In some cases, the unofficial ace of a tandem is easily the dominant arm (i.e. deGrom in ’18 and ’19). In this instance, it’s more balanced. By the ridiculous standards Jake has laid down now, a 149 ERA+ and 0.979 WHIP are rather pedestrian. But for a pitcher in his second season considered an afterthought when he arrived a year earlier, it was confirmation that he was a fixture. He further underscored that belief with a gutsy effort in the deciding game of the Division Series against Los Angeles. Matt Harvey was arguably more impressive. Overcoming Tommy John Surgery and exceeding the originally-set innings limit, he won Comeback Player of the Year with a 140 ERA+ and 188 strikeouts.

4. Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling, 1985

Doc ’85 alongside any average pitcher would’ve looked pretty impressive. Gooden’s sophomore year stands alone when it comes to Met pitching excellence: 24-4, eight shutouts, 229 ERA+. The numbers are so magnificent they dwarf those around him. Choosing the No. 2 was a toss-up between Darling and Sid Fernandez. Although 22-year-old Sid proved a much-needed left-hander in the Mets’ 98-win campaign (leading the league with 9.5 Ks per nine innings), it was Darling — making 35 starts and appearing in his only All-Star Game — who served as the most worthy complement to Doc’s dominance. Despite a high walk rate, Darling compiled a strong first half and finished with a 2.90 ERA.

3. Jerry Koosman and Tom Seaver, 1968

Predictable spoiler: this pair will come up again. The “Year of the Pitcher” has two Mets examples to fit the narrative. Seaver’s second season was a marked improvement over his first. He began what would become an all-time record nine consecutive years with at least 200 strikeouts — fanning 208. He also posted the third-lowest WHIP of his career at 0.978. Koosman, meanwhile, nearly turned his debut season into a Rookie of the Year Award. He narrowly lost out to Johnny Bench, but it was still good enough to net an All-Star selection alongside Seaver (making his second straight). He bested Tom in wins (19 to 16) and ERA+ (145 to 137), but their combined efforts gave some indication of what the Mets could be if other pieces fell into place.

2. Bob Ojeda and Ron Darling, 1986

More difficult than determining where they belonged on the list was figuring out who to choose from. Ojeda more than validated the trade from Boston that offseason with team-lows in WHIP at 1.090 and ERA at 2.57. He, Darling, and Gooden each had ERAs below 3.00 for a staff that led the NL in that category. You could go either way on Ron or Doc, but Darling gets the nod thanks to a slightly better ERA and a higher bWAR than all other pitchers at 4.4. Both had outstanding postseasons too. Ojeda prevented the Mets from falling into an 0-2 hole in Houston with a complete game and prevented any hint of a Red Sox World Series sweep with seven shutout innings in Game 3 at Fenway. Darling bounced back from a rough NLCS outing to string together 15 straight innings without an earned run in the Fall Classic.

1. Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman, 1969

When it comes to balanced excellence over a single season and significance towards a team’s ultimate success, there isn’t a better choice. The strategy of the ’69 Mets centered more on preventing runs than scoring them. Seaver and Koosman, as far as on-field contributors, were the linchpins of that philosophy. In the season’s crucial moments, each was at his best. From August 9 through the end of the regular season, in which the Mets won 40 of their final 52, Seaver made 11 starts and went 10-0 with eight complete games. His ERA was a microscopic 1.34. Koosman allowed 11 earned runs over his last seven outings. After beating the Cubs in a September showdown at Shea which propelled the Mets past Chicago and on their way to the division title, he went the distance in his next five games — three of which were shutouts. And they were there when it mattered at the end. Koosman no-hit the Orioles for seven innings en route to a Game 2 World Series victory. Seaver tossed 10 brilliant innings (aided by Ron Swoboda’s catch) to take Game 4. Then Koosman helped write the final chapter of the storybook season — overcoming three early Baltimore runs by allowing just one hit over the final six innings as his offense rallied to take the title.

Others considered: Seaver & Koosman, 1970; David Cone & Gooden, 1988; Al Leiter & Rick Reed, 1998; Mike Hampton & Al Leiter, 2000

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What more can be said? In books, in films, and in memories, October 25, 1986 is among the greatest days in the history of the universe for Mets fans and among the worst for Red Sox fans (albeit it’s a lot easier for them to take now).

What unfolded in the bottom of the 10th inning has been relived and dissected to a tremendous degree. But how did it get there?

Here’s a brief recap of what led up to the defining moment of the Mets’ greatest team.

After an exhausting NLCS with the Astros, it was expected that New York would have an easier time against Boston — coming off a dramatic playoff win of its own. Not so. The Mets were playing from behind very quickly: losing the first two games at home before taking the next two in Boston, but falling at Fenway in Game 5. That put them in a desperate situation against the soon-to-be Cy Young and MVP winner in the American League.

Roger Clemens looked the part, too. Through four innings, he didn’t allow a hit. He gave up two runs, which allowed the Mets to tie it in the fifth, but was otherwise dominant over seven frames. Controversy ensued when Clemens was removed for a pinch-hitter with the Red Sox threatening in the top of the eighth. Whether or not Clemens asked out because to a blister on his pitching hand or it was manager John McNamara‘s decision to replace his star pitcher, we’ll never know.

The Red Sox took the lead following a key seventh-inning throwing error by Ray Knight, but New York immediately jumped on Clemens’ replacement, Calvin Schiraldi. Lee Mazzilli singled and was safe at second when Schiraldi’s throw on Lenny Dykstra’s bunt couldn’t be handled cleanly by Spike Owen. A sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Gary Carter. On 3-0, Carter swung and lined it deep enough to left fielder Jim Rice to allow Mazzilli to score.

The Mets had a terrific chance to win in the ninth, starting with a walk and another botched defensive effort by Boston on a bunt. Howard Johnson, after initially attempting to move the two runners over, struck out. Fly-outs by Mazzilli and Dykstra sent the game to extras.

Red Sox center fielder Dave Henderson led off the 10th and added to his postseason heroics with a home run to left field. If that wasn’t enough of a back-breaker, Boston added to its lead with Marty Barrett‘s single to score Wade Boggs.

Backman and Hernandez flew out to start the bottom of the 10th to bring Boston within one out of its first title since 1918 and the Mets to within one out of a colossal disappointment.

The rest is, well, miraculous. Carter single, Mitchell single, Knight single, Stanley wild pitch, Mookie’s grounder. A sequence for the ages which carried them to an improbable win and a Game 7 victory two nights later.

The post OTD 1986: The Miraculous World Series Game 6 Comeback appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The 1986 Mets dominated the National League. They won 108 games during the regular season, and seemed destined to steamroll any opponent that stood between them and a championship. The Houston Astros had other ideas.

The Mets and Astros clashed in the 1986 NLCS, after Houston won the National League’s western division with a 96-66 record. The Astros, behind the pitching of Mike Scott, gave Mets all they could handle during the six-game series, culminating in an epic sixth game that frayed the nerves of Mets fans everywhere.

Game One in the Astrodome had gone to the Astros by the score of 1-0, when Mike Scott threw a complete game, five-hit, fourteen strikeout shutout to out duel Dwight Gooden. The Mets bounced back to win Game Two by a 5-1 score, behind the pitching of Bob Ojeda. Ojeda went the distance, allowing 10 hits and striking out five.

Back at Shea Stadium for game three, the Astros roughed up Ron Darling for four runs in the first two innings. The Mets were stymied by Bob Knepper through five innings, but rallied to tie the game in the sixth inning, highlighted by a Darryl Strawberry three-run home run. After the Astros took a 5-4 lead in the seventh, the Mets were down to their last two outs when Lenny Dykstra stepped to the plate in the ninth with Wally Backman on second base.

Dykstra swatted a two-run home run to right field, and the Mets had a walk-off win, with a two-games-to-one series advantage. The good feelings were thwarted the next night, when Mike Scott again beat the Mets. This time it was 3-1, with Scott once again pitching a complete game, allowing only three hits. The series was tied a two games apiece, and the Mets were destined to have to try to win the pennant in Houston.

Game Five was a nail-biter, when Gooden took on Nolan Ryan. The game was tied 1-1 (the Mets’ run came on a Strawberry home run) going into the 12th inning. Gary Carter singled in Wally Backman to end the game, and send the Mets to Houston up three games to two in the series, needing one win in two games to claim the franchise’s third pennant. The problem? Mike Scott was set to pitch game seven.

The Mets knew they had to win game six to avoid seeing Scott in an elimination game. Game Six could not have started worse for New York, as the Astros scored three runs off Ojeda in the bottom of the first inning. Going into the top of the ninth, the Mets were being shutout and had just two singles off Bob Knepper. Len Dykstra started a rally with a pinch-hit triple. A single by Mookie Wilson, double by Keith Hernandez, and sacrifice fly by Ray Knight tied the game.

To extra innings the game went. The tension was palpable, and become more intense with each passing inning. The Mets broke through in the 14th inning, on a Dykstra single that scored Strawberry. Needing three outs to go to the World Series, Jesse Orosco took the mound for the bottom of the inning. He struck out Bill Doran, then faced Billy Hatcher.

The game was tied. A World Series vision that was becoming clear had been instantly extinguished. Now, the Mets had to remain composed and try to find a way to win the game. They got out of the 14th, and seemingly put the game away in the 16th when Knight and Dykstra drove in runs, and another scored on a wild pitch. The Mets led 7-4. This time it had to hold, right?

It wasn’t that easy. The Astros refused to go quietly. After recording the first out, a tiring Orosco allowed the Astros to rally. RBI singles by Hatcher and Glenn Davis had the winning run on base when Kevin Bass stepped to the plate with two outs. Orosco snapped off a wicked 3-2 curve ball to strike Bass out swinging, and the celebration was on.

The Mets were headed to the World Series. What seemed like destiny became an arduous battle, one that drained the team so much that several players admitted to having a a hangover effect when they played Games One and Two of the World Series at Shea.

Mets fans who witnessed Game Six of the 1986 NLCS will never forget it. With a great season hanging in the balance, the Mets showed why they were the class of baseball, coming from behind and then hanging on to punch their ticket to a championship.

I’ll never forget the tension that mounted inning by inning. For a few hours, it seemed like the inevitable was not going to happen. When the game was over, the players were not the only ones feeling a hangover effect over the next few days.

Little did we know that another Mets’ thriller was set to play out in ten days.

The post OTD 1986: Mets Outlast Astros, Win NLCS appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Rarely, if ever, has a team better represented its time and place than the 1986 New York Mets. That is at the heart of a four-part ESPN 30 for 30 documentary produced and directed by Nick Davis and executive produced by Jimmy Kimmel and Sal Iacono, which premiered Tuesday and is available to stream on ESPN+.

But there’s so much more in the story of the Big Apple’s most fascinating baseball team — a group of characters that were brawling, belligerent, and the league-leaders in bravado. In the end, they won — 108 times over the course of a dominant regular season and eight more times in a taught, tension-filled postseason.

The World Series victory was the culmination of a nine-year climb from nadir. The Mets’ darkest moment, trading Tom Seaver to Cincinnati in June 1977, just about coincides with a city-wide blackout the next month. That’s where the parallels between New York and New York’s National League club begin and truly come to fruition in the mid-80s.

For those who’ve yet to watch, here’s a brief — and certainly not complete — summary of the highlights with additional content to serve as a complement to the film:

• Major points of reference were footage from a documentary film crew that followed the team that year, the season’s team-produced highlight video “A Year to Remember“, and Jeff Pearlman’s 2004 book The Bad Guys Won. Pearlman is one of the many great interview subjects, as is Greg Prince — a true Mets savant.
• Part 1 delves into the Mets’ origin and timeline leading up to the Seaver trade, as well as the building of the team starting in 1980 under new ownership.
• As far as the newness of content is concerned, there is definitely stuff you likely have never seen or heard before — a mic’d up Gary Carter in spring training, for instance.
• Backstories are provided for the main characters: Darryl Strawberry, Keith Hernandez, Dwight Gooden, and Carter (who’s represented in interviews by his widow, Sandy). Hernandez’s relationship with his father and brother (accompanied by home video footage) is very poignant. He comes off as the central figure, especially so in the years preceding ’86 establishing himself as the team leader. Then too are the masterminds behind the club’s development: bow-tied general manager Frank Cashen and self-assured manager Davey Johnson.
• The supporting cast, no less crucial to the team’s makeup, is featured, too: Mookie Wilson, Kevin Mitchell, Bob Ojeda, Wally Backman, Ron Darling, and Ray Knight. The Mets succeeded primarily because of the contributions from nearly everyone on the roster.
• Then there’s Lenny Dykstra. If you dare engage in a drinking game predicated on him saying the something profane, you’d probably be drunk during Part 2.
• If you’ve checked social media lately, you probably were hinted to the real scene-stealer: Hadji (aka Keith’s cat).
• Here’s some ear candy: Bob Murphy and Gary Thorne’s radio calls are frequent. As is the voice of Ralph Kiner. Part 1’s end credits pay special tribute to the Hall of Famer.
• Part 2 ends with a montage of the madness that unfolded in Cincinnati on July 22. Here is the full broadcast (Reds announcers), but jump to the 2:56:05 mark to begin with the melée instigated by Knight and Eric Davis.
• A recurring theme weaved into the story is the lifestyle and social scene of New York City in the 1980s. The Mets indulged in it. Greed and grittiness were at the core of the city’s personality. So too were those elements a central part of the NL team which played there.
• That leads to an inescapable detail of this team: off-the-field behavior. The film offers context when it comes to drug use, drinking, misogyny, and other assorted debauchery — neither excusing them nor shying away.
• Camcorder footage is used for such events as the NL East clincher on September 17 and Game 3 of the NLCS at Shea Stadium, specifically Backman’s drag bunt to start the ninth and Dykstra’s homer to end it.
• NLCS Game 6 in Houston, an epic of baseball lore, can be seen and heard in all its glory (with Murphy and Thorne’s radio voices over video).
• Spoiler alert: the Mets rally from two down in the 10th of Game 6 in the World Series. What is new is the 57-second tracking shot following Mookie Wilson from the field to the clubhouse after his winning grounder. It’s the best segment of the entire four hours.
• The ’86 Mets distinguish themselves partly because they never won again. There are many factors as to why, some of which had been emerging before and during the championship season — notably, the downfalls of Strawberry and Gooden — and some took place immediately after the World Series — parting ways with Ray Knight and Kevin Mitchell. But when you watch and listen to what took place away from the playing field, it feels like sort of a miracle that they were able to win once.

As you can imagine, plenty more was covered. Be sure to check out our conversation with Nick Davis, which will be happening on Friday.

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On October 27, 1986, the Mets defeated the Boston Red Sox to win their second world championship.

Most Mets fans are well aware of that, so the point here isn’t to recap games six and seven and the play-by-play road to victory. Rather, it’s to take a look at the emotional rollercoaster that defined those games, and provide a forum for others to share their stories.

Game Six

Game six took place on October 25th. The Mets had lost games one and two at Shea Stadium, then won the next two at Fenway Park behind Bob Ojeda and Ron Darling. Game five is always pivotal in a seven game series, and the Mets lost game five as Dwight Gooden was roughed up by the Red Sox, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits over four innings pitched.

I had a good feeling going into game six, as the Mets had rebounded to win two of three on the road to keep the series going, and were headed home where they had an advantage all year, posting a 55-26 record at Shea.

Here are a few things that stand out about game six. First, the sky diver (Michael Sergio) who literally dropped in during the first inning. The reaction in the Mets dugout (after Sergio was apprehended) wasn’t one of expected disgust. Rather, Darling and Mel Stottlemyre (among others) were seemingly amused. As a nervous fan, I was not amused and couldn’t wait to get the game going again.

Bob Ojeda yielded single runs in the first and second innings, and those confident feelings quickly dissipated. The Mets were held silent by Roger Clemens through four innings, and the anxiety began to skyrocket. The Mets finally tied the game in the fifth, setting up the bizarre events to come.

An error by Ray Knight led to an unearned Red Sox run in the seventh. It was getting late, and the possibility that the dream season would end in unfulfilling fashion was becoming very real. But the Mets always found a way, that’s what I kept telling myself. The bottom of the eighth came, and the Mets were down to six outs.

Lee Mazzilli (who was a very valuable piece during the post season and a great pickup by Frank Cashen) began the inning with a single. Later in the inning, the Red Sox walked Keith Hernandez to load the bases, bringing up Gary Carter with one out. “The Kid”, a proud player, clearly wanted to make the Sox pay. I was panicked that he’d expand the zone, and either strike out or worse, hit into a double play.

Carter worked Calvin Schiraldi to a 3-0 count. Davey Johnson, showing trust in his veteran catcher, gave Carter the green light. Carter hit a rocket directly to Jim Rice in left field. I only wish the exit velocity was available on that one. If Carter had gotten under that ball just a little, it would have been a grand slam. The Mets had to settle for a sacrifice fly and tie game. The play at the plate was not really close, but I remember being a bit spooked that Mazzilli did not slide, as Rice’s throw home made it on the fly (through a little late and slightly up the third base line).

The tension grew as the game went to the bottom of the ninth. The Mets got the first two runners on, and the confidence grew. They could score off Schiraldi here, right? They didn’t. We all know that blown situations like this can turn the momentum. This one did (for a brief time).

Rick Aguilera, who had pitched a clean ninth, faced Dave Henderson to start the tenth. When Henderson homered, I was sure it was the end. Remember, Henderson had hit a key home run in game five of the ALCS when the Red Sox were on the brink of elimination.

Well, 1986 was going to be their Cinderella story. The same guy works the same magic in both post season series. That was it. The Mets were done. The wrecking ball Mets were outmaneuvered by a fairy tale team from Boston. The additional run Boston scored in the tenth appeared to be window dressing.

The first two outs in the ninth seemed to confirm the theory above. When Carter singled, I was almost annoyed. Just end it. Please, let my mourning begin. However, the Mets had, as they say, a puncher’s chance.

Kevin Mitchell and Knight singled, and I still thought, even with a run in and the tying run on third with two outs, it was a big tease. Mookie Wilson was coming up, and he was a strikeout waiting to happen (72 in 381 official ABs during the season).

Bob Stanley was on the mound at the this point. When he uncorked the wild pitch that allowed Mitchell to score, I remember yelling “slide” from my Loge seat as Mitchell streaked down the line. That play seemed to take five minutes. I had a vision of him being thrown out at the plate to end the game, the season, and the dream. But he crossed the plate easily. The emotion was one of relief. The Mets would live to fight another inning.

When the ball “got by Buckner”, I think I had nothing left. Sure, I was excited. Sure, I hugged people I knew and many I did not. But for me, the wild pitch was the pinnacle moment. To this day, I get greater chills at that point of game replays than at any other.

Being a Mets fan, even as the frenetic hugging was happening, I had one thought: “They still have to win tomorrow. They’re the Mets. Nothing is certain.”

Game Seven

On Sunday, October 26th, we made the drive down to Shea, only to be turned around because the game was postponed due to rain. This is unfair! I can’t take  another day of waiting….

We left at 3 pm to make the hour drive for an 8 pm game on Monday, October 27th.  It had to be better waiting there than at home. At least there would be more people around to engage in nervous chatter.

The game started in a light mist. Right away, the Red Sox made it clear they did not have a hangover from game six.They scored three runs off Ron Darling, and led 3-0 in the third inning. Darling had a rough fourth inning, and was replaced by Sid Fernandez, who made it out of the inning unscathed.

Fernandez did provide a spark for the crowd, striking out four batters over the fifth and sixth inning. That’s fine, but the Mets were down to 12 outs and had just one hit off Bruce Hurst (who had kept them in check in games one and five) going into the bottom of the sixth. With one out, Lee Mazzilli stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter to try to get the Mets going.

Mazzilli singled, and after a Wilson single and a walk by Tim Teufel, Hernandez got in the box with the bases loaded in a role made for him. The Mets needed a quality at-bat, down 3-0. In my same Loge seat, I was worried about an inning-ending double play, but Hernandez singed in two runs and Shea was rocking. Even though they were still down a run, even the most pessimistic fans (I was among them) started to “feel it”.

The Mets tied the game, and in the seventh, took a three-run lead. All was good, or so it seemed. The Red Sox got to Roger McDowell for two runs in the top of the eighth, and they had the tying run at second with no outs. I was done. I left my seat, and transverse the Loge level, stopping at concession stands to watch to watch every pitch. When Orosco got Don Baylor to ground out to end the inning, I returned to my seat, to the raucous laughter of my group at how the moment had gotten too big for me.

The Mets added two runs in the bottom of the eighth, with one coming on a Darryl Strawberry home run and the other on a hit by Orosco. Now, they needed three more outs. I left my seat again, and sat on the filthy cement stairs. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Leave me alone….

In the ninth, someone threw a smoke bomb on the field. Great, let’s break Jesse’s concentration, after all there’s nothing on the line here.

When Marty Barrett stepped to the plate with two outs, the fairy tale worm had turned from the night before. Barrett had tormented the Mets all series, and it was poetic justice that he made the last out.

The celebration was on. Collectively, Mets fans were talking dynasty. What would be good? Three championships in ten years, five, what’s the number? This is going to be great!

We know the Mets have not won a championship since that night, 34 years ago. If and when they do, cherish it, folks. It’s an Amazin’ feeling, but you never know how long it will be until it comes around again.

The post OTD 1986: “The Dream Has Come True” appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In 1986, it was clear very early in the season that the Mets were the team to beat in the National League East, and perhaps in all of baseball. The Mets roared out of the gate, and had a record of 59-25 at the All Star break. They were beating teams and literally beating them up, and it was a matter of time until they clinched a post season spot.

When the calendar turned to September, the Mets were 87-43, and the anticipation of their first entry into playoff baseball since 1973 was building. When the Mets went to Philadelphia to take on the second place Phillies on September 12th, they needed to win one game of the series to make it official.

I made the trip to Philadelphia, ready for the coronation. After all, the Mets basically won at will all season, so this would be no different, right? Well, it was different. The Mets lost the Friday night game by the score of 6-3, as Dwight Gooden was roughed up early and the Mets could not come back.

The Saturday night game started out well, on a Lenny Dykstra leadoff home run. The Mets held a lead of 3-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Phillies scored twice. The Mets added a run in the sixth, but Roger McDowell was ineffective in relief of Bob Ojeda, and the Mets fell 6-5. The Mets took Sunday off, losing 6-0.

Being there for three games, waiting for the one win that would put the team over top and not getting it was like going to a Broadway show to see your favorite actor, only to find at the last minute that the understudy would perform that day. The Mets were then off to St.Louis, and I went home disappointed. The Mets came back to Shea on September 17th, having clinched a tie for the division, needing just one win or a Phillies’ loss to pop the champagne.

I had to go to the game, right? I wasn’t going to be denied this amazin’ moment. Gooden was on the mound against the Cubs with a chance to deliver the division title once again. The Mets scored twice in the bottom of the third, with Dave Magadan (Keith Hernandez did not start due to illness) and Darryl Strawberry getting the RBIs. Magadan added another RBI single in the fifth, and Strawberry added another one of his own in the bottom of the seventh. The Mets were up 4-0, and Shea was ready to implode (22 years before it actually did).

Rafael Palmeiro hit a two-run home run off Gooden in the eighth, but Doc would give the Cubs nothing else. The Cubs got the tying runs on base in the ninth. Gooden kept them off the board, and the game ended on a ground out from Wally Backman to Hernandez, who entered the game to be part of the magical moment.

It was finally official. The Mets had completed step one of their quest for a championship, one they’d later win, albeit barely and with fans requiring a fair amount of Davey Johnson‘s Tums. The fans stormed the field on September 17th, ripping up grass and taking in the moment. GM Frank Cashen did not deem that an appropriate way to celebrate, and made his feelings known. There was talk that the Mets might have to forfeit the next game if the field could not be made playable. It was, and the game went on.

Hang with the Mets, folks. They don’t win often, but when they do, it’s all worth it. I can speak from experience.

The post OTD 1986: Mets Clinch NL East Title appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

For all the Opening Day re-broadcasts shown by SNY yesterday, one which wasn’t shown, but can be found on YouTube, came in the afterglow of the Mets’ most recent World Series title. Following a pre-game ceremony in which the championship flag was raised and the players, coaches, and personnel received their jewelry, the Mets rung in the new year with a narrow victory over the youthful and rebuilding Pittsburgh Pirates.

A few things to look for:

• Unfortunately, the video picks up at the tail end of the pre-game festivities. But if anyone has the 1986 World Series DVD produced by A&E Video that came out many years ago, it’s one of the extra features.
• The most notable absence from the Mets’ starting lineup is Dwight Gooden (the Opening Day starter in ’85 and ’86), who had tested positive for cocaine days earlier and had begun a month-long stint in a rehabilitation center.
• Bob Ojeda, arguably New York’s best pitcher in ’86, got the nod in Gooden’s place. Ojeda wasn’t overpowering (striking out three and allowing 10 hits). However, the Pirates stranded eight runners on base during Ojeda’s seven innings of work.
• The top of Pittsburgh’s lineup (shown at the 7:42 mark) has plenty of intrigue. Namely, the youngster batting leadoff — not a spot you’d find Barry Bonds 14 years later. In the No. 2 spot is a Mets catcher from the pre-Gary Carter days, Junior Ortiz. And the cleanup hitter — well, let’s just say he’s wouldn’t be worth the aggravation or the deferred payments.
• Darryl Strawberry provided all the scoring the Mets would need at 28:58.
• Jesse Orosco created some drama in the ninth by yielding consecutive singles to lead off the inning and then walking Bonds with one out. The Bucs managed a run, but Orosco extricated himself out of the jam.

The post Mets Video Vault: Opening Day 1987 appeared first on Metsmerized Online.