Twenty-five years ago today, I decided to take in a Saturday matinee at Shea Stadium to see the Mets take on the Chicago Cubs. Although the 1996 squad had three offensive forces in center fielder Lance Johnson, left fielder Bernard Gilkey and catcher Todd Hundley, my favorite player on the team was first baseman Rico Brogna.
Brogna was only a Met for parts of three seasons and never played for a winning Mets team, but in his short time with the club, he became a beloved figure with the fans. One of Brogna's many big moments with the team came on that particular Saturday - May 11, 1996 - when he delivered a walk-off home run to defeat the Chicago Cubs, 7-6, at Shea Stadium.
But the story of the game wasn't the Brogna blast that erased a four-run Cubs rally. It was the bench-clearing brawl in the fifth inning that started when Mets starting pitcher Pete Harnisch and Cubs catcher (and good friend) Scott Servais got into a heated argument at the plate. And before the 15-minute donnybrook was done, Mark Grace had punched me in the face. Here's the story - 25 years later - of how a great contact hitter made some unwanted contact with my left cheek.
Is this what Mark Grace looked like before his fist came in the direction of my face?
The Mets were celebrating John Franco Day at Shea Stadium on May 11, 1996, to commemorate the reliever's 300th career save. But Franco was not around to notch a save in this game, thanks to the fisticuffs that took place in the fifth inning of the Mets' 7-6 victory.
The seeds to the battle royale were planted in the first inning, when Mets catcher Todd Hundley had to duck out the way of a errant pitch by Cubs starter Kevin Foster. When Foster came to bat for the first time in the second inning, Harnisch drilled him with his first pitch. No warnings were issued at the time by home plate umpire Greg Bonin.
Harnisch expected retaliation by Foster when he came to bat, but fortunately for him, the Mets had two runners on base when he came up to the plate in the second inning and the bases loaded for his next at-bat in the third. Neither Foster nor relief pitcher Rodney Myers (who came in for Foster in the third) could hit Harnisch with a pitch because doing so would damage the Cubs' chances at a scoreless inning. Harnisch batted again in the fifth inning, but this time there were two outs and no one on base. Terry Adams was now on the mound for the Cubs. It didn't take long for the fracas to begin.
Adams threw his first pitch low and behind Harnisch. Cubs catcher Scott Servais then started jawing at Harnisch, which caused the Mets pitcher to throw a punch at Servais. Both benches and bullpens emptied and a violent brawl ensued. The fight then moved in the direction of the Cubs dugout. Guess where my seat was that day?
Now, you should know that I have always enjoyed taking photos at Mets games. And in 1996, the Mets had a promotion where they gave fans in attendance a disposable Kodak camera. It was a camera that had no zoom and could only be used for 24 photos before it had to be discarded. It was as primitive as you could get for a wannabe photographer. The Mets didn't draw well in 1996, so I was able to get a ticket three rows behind and slightly to the home plate side of the Cubs dugout. Because I was so close to the field, I figured I'd use the disposable camera since I wouldn't need a zoom feature from that distance.
Of course, as soon as I saw the mountains of men pushing, shoving and trying to decapitate each other near the Cubs dugout, I ran down to the front row and tried to take a super close-up photo of the action. That's when Cubs first baseman Mark Grace stepped in. And my face and my camera checked out.
In his effort to try to separate Mets players from his teammates, Grace accidentally (or at least I think it was unintentional) took a swipe in my direction, landing his fist on my face between my left cheek and left eye. I dropped the camera in shock, and of course, it broke upon impact with the field level concrete. The area between my cheek and eye ended up slightly swollen, and it had the appearance of a piece of skin that had just been ripped off with a piece of tape. Grace had as mean a left hook as he had a sweet lefty swing. I just had a mean bruise on my face and a broken camera.
After the pugilists were sent back to their respective corners, nine players and coaches had been ejected, including the man who was celebrating his special day at Shea Stadium: John Franco.
The Mets, who at one point had a 6-2 lead in the game, saw their lead whittled down to two runs in the ninth. With Franco stewing in the showers - he claimed he was unjustly ejected, saying "I'm too old to be doing that kind of stuff" - the Mets used three pitchers in a failed attempt to protect a 6-4 lead in the ninth. A two-out, two-run single by Jose Hernandez off Doug Henry tied the game at six and put Rico Brogna in position to win it in the bottom of the ninth.
With one out and no one on, Brogna delivered a high fly ball deep down the right field line. Right fielder Sammy Sosa climbed the fence right near the foul pole, but Brogna's blast just cleared the wall over Sosa's glove. With Sosa still dangling on the wall, Brogna ran gingerly around the bases, having injured himself during the fifth-inning fracas. It gave Brogna a four-hit, two-homer, four-RBI day and capped a thrilling 7-6 victory for the Mets.
Of course, I have no photographic evidence of this home run because my camera was in pieces thanks to Mark Grace, but I'll always have clear memories of that free-for-all, Rico Brogna's amazing day at the plate, and the shape of Grace's left fist - all of which happened 25 years ago today on a Saturday afternoon at Shea.
I guess I should be thankful Grace didn't sock me a few inches higher. My memories might not have been so clear then.
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Big thanks to MetsRewind for the video of the fight. I was standing near the dugout at the 0:49 mark of the video, but might have been bending over at the time picking up my damaged camera. At least I had a ringside seat.
Please check out metsrewind.com for podcasts, blogs and much more amazin' Mets content. You can also find MetsRewind on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (@metsrewind, naturally).
The Mets defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in their home opener today, 7-2. It marked the 26th consecutive year I've attended the Mets' first home game of the season. In fact, it was 25 years ago on this date that I attended my first home opener - a day in which the temperature reached a record high of 90 degrees, or about twice as many degrees as today's affair.
Speaking of dates, that game also marked the first time I went out on a date, because what better place to take your date than to Shea Stadium to see the rapidly declining post-Davey Johnson era Mets play? So to mark the 25th anniversary of my first date and first home opener - a game in which the Mets were also playing gracious hosts to the Phillies - here is the happy recap of that game and date (plus some other interesting anecdotes). Enjoy!
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I love my wife. And I met her at a Mets game. True story. She was a blogger, as was I, and we were both going to "Build-A-Bear Night" at Citi Field on August 1, 2009. So we decided to meet up on the Promenade Level before the game. Of course, we had our new bears in tow, and I had a few other bears with me. We talked about bears and the Mets, then saw the game separately from our regular seats.
Later that month, we went to our first game together. Naturally, the bears were our chaperones. We met up a few more times during the season's final month. Then I asked her what she was doing during the off-season. Notice I didn't say "during the winter", because to a Mets fan, there are only two seasons - baseball season and the off-season. Well, that phrasing struck a chord with her. Needless to say, what we did during the off-season was spend more time together and fall in love. The following May, we got married, then waited two months to go on our honeymoon in San Francisco. Why the wait? Because the Mets weren't due to play the Giants on the road until July. Yup, I gave her a diamond AFTER we got married.
I never said we were a conventional couple.
Almost 20 years before I met the love of my life, I went on my first-ever date. The day was April 8, 1991, and my date's name was K.V. (I'm using her initials in case she's reading this and doesn't want to be associated with a bear-carrying Mets fanatic.) Most people go to the movies or dinner or a combination of the two on a first date. Not me. Where did I take K.V. on our date? Like you need to ask...
It was Opening Day. So we went to Shea Stadium.
The temperature that day was an unseasonably hot 90º. At the time, it was the earliest date on the calendar that New York had ever registered a 90º reading. We were both undergraduates at St. John's University, finishing up our sophomore years. Her mother worked in the school library, so I had already gotten that first meeting with her out of the way. We actually went to visit K.V.'s mother prior to leaving for Shea, at which time she told us to have a good time and stay out of the sun, if at all possible.
The Mets were fielding a brand-new team in 1991 as they embarked on what the team hoped would be its eighth consecutive winning season. But this would also be the first time since 1983 that Davey Johnson wouldn't come out of the dugout during the Opening Day introductions, as Buddy Harrelson had taken over for the former skipper during the previous season.
K.V. confessed to me that it was her first baseball game as we proceeded to sit in our Upper Deck seats on the first base side. I confessed to her that it was my first-ever date with anyone, to which she said "Awww, and you chose me. I'm so honored."
As the game began, I noticed that four of the starting nine players on the Mets had not been with the team at the beginning of the previous campaign. Charlie O'Brien was calling the game behind the plate, while former Cardinal nemeses Tommy Herr and Vince Coleman were the Mets' new second
baseman and center fielder, respectively. Right field used to be where
Darryl Strawberry had his patch, but he had left for Los Angeles as a
free agent. In his stead was a player who was very special to long-time
Mets fans, including myself, but had not worn a Mets uniform since
1984. And this was how he was re-introduced.
"Playing right field, No. 7. Welcome back, Huuuubie Brooooks."
I'd have bought one of these, but I chose to save the money for my date.
Hubie Brooks made a quick impression on me during his first stint in New York. It was Brooks who hit the first home run I ever saw in person. On June 15, 1983, I was at Shea Stadium with my Little League teammates when Brooks took future Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins deep in the fourth inning. It was the only home run Brooks would ever hit off Jenkins in 18 career plate appearances, and one of only two hits he would muster off the pitching legend.
Eight years after I cheered Brooks as he touched home plate following his homer, I would cheer him again as he scored, although this time he touched the plate in a completely different way.
The Mets were leading the Phillies, 1-0, as the game headed into the bottom of the fourth. Hubie Brooks led off the inning by roping a double to right field - his first hit as a Met in seven years. Brooks then advanced to third on a fly ball by Howard Johnson. Left fielder Kevin McReynolds failed to bring him home when he grounded out weakly to third base. With two outs, Tommy Herr drew a walk to put runners on the corners. That brought up Charlie O'Brien, whose .209 career batting average entering the game was six points lower than Mario Mendoza's .215 lifetime mark.
You read that right. The namesake of the "Mendoza Line" was a better hitter than Charlie O'Brien.
Clearly, if the Mets were going to extend their lead, manager Buddy Harrelson was going to have to try something different. So he did. On an 0-1 pitch, Harrelson had Herr steal second. When Phillies catcher Darren Daulton threw the ball to second in an attempt to nail Herr, Brooks darted for the plate, sliding home safely to give the Mets a 2-0 lead.
The unexpected play caused K.V. and I to simultaneously jump out of seats and embrace. Yup, it was our first hug, and Hubie Brooks made it happen. With the Mets now holding a two-run lead, we decided to get some refreshing ice cream to cool down on the sweltering day. By the time we got to the concession stand, John Kruk had homered off Dwight Gooden to cut the Mets' lead back to a single run.
Needless to say, we went back to our seats and didn't leave our section again until the final out was recorded.
In the seventh inning, as we were singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", K.V. accidentally bumped into my leg. So I bumped her back. We ended up doing what appeared to be a strange leg-bump dance for the duration of the song. It was then that I realized that I could do something other than calculate players' batting averages in my head. I could also flirt. Score one for me.
Speaking of scoring, there were no more runs scored after Kruk's fifth-inning homer. The Mets held on for a 2-1 victory, making my first date - and my first-ever Opening Day game - a complete success.
After the game, K.V. and I walked back to Main Street in Flushing, where we had two additional ice cream cones (mint chocolate chip for both of us), then we took the bus back to her house. I was a gentleman, and didn't ask to go in, but she insisted. I didn't spend much time inside, but when I left, I did get a kiss goodbye.
I scored more that day than the Phillies did.
K.V. and I continued to hang out during our remaining college years, but we never went to another Mets game. We also didn't really date much more after that hot April afternoon. Perhaps that's a good thing. After all, had something happened between us, I might never have met my wife on "Build-A-Bear Night" nearly two decades later.
Hubie Brooks and I go way back. He was responsible for the first home run I ever witnessed at a ballgame, and he was responsible for the first (and to this date, only) double steal I've ever had the privilege to see in person. He may also have helped me get that special kiss at the end of my first date.
This was the scene at Shea after the final game played there in 1986. Three years later, the scene was just a tad different.
On Thursday, the captain of the New York Yankees played his final game in front of his home fans. He ended the game in memorable fashion, by delivering a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Twenty-five years ago today, the New York Mets were bidding adieu to their co-captains, who were playing their final game at Shea Stadium as members of the team. The ending to that game was also memorable, but it had nothing to do with the soon-to-be-departed team leaders.
Keith Hernandez (named Mets captain in 1987) and Gary Carter (named Mets co-captain in 1988) were the heart and soul of the 1986 World Champions. Acquired by general manager Frank Cashen in 1983, Hernandez was the first piece that helped turn the team around from pretenders to contenders. A year and a half later, Carter became the most important piece added by Cashen.
Together, Hernandez and Carter helped a team that had qualified for the postseason just twice in its first 24 seasons win two division titles in three years. But by the end of the 1980s, both players were no longer productive and it had become clear that Cashen was not going to bring them back to the team in 1990. Cashen had already traded away several fan-favorites in 1989, including Wally Backman, Mookie Wilson, Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell, hoping that the future of the team would be molded by younger players like Gregg Jefferies.
Cashen's breakup of the championship team led to disarray in the clubhouse and the club's first season with fewer than 90 victories since 1983. Although the '89 team had stayed in the hunt for the division crown for most of the season, by September 27, the Mets had been eliminated in the playoff race. With nothing left to play for going into the final home game of the season, the Shea Stadium finale became all about Hernandez and Carter's last hurrah at the ballpark they helped electrify for many years. Neither player was in the starting lineup, as Dave Magadan and Mackey Sasser were starting at first base and catcher, respectively. But both co-captains did make it into the game in the later innings, as Hernandez appeared as a pinch-hitter in the eighth inning and Carter replaced Sasser behind the plate in the ninth. Although just 18,666 fans attended the game, the roars for Hernandez and Carter were loud enough to drown out the airplanes flying into LaGuardia Airport. But those vocal fans remained on their feet for a different reason once the game ended, and it had nothing to do with an extended ovation for their departing co-captains.
After Gregg Jefferies grounded out to end the game, a 5-3 loss to the Phillies, the Mets' second baseman made a beeline toward his former teammate, Roger McDowell, who had earned the save in Philadelphia's victory. What happened next was not exactly the tribute Mets fans were expecting for Hernandez and Carter.
(Video courtesy of the official MLB.com channel on YouTube)
Four years before Nolan Ryan made atomic noogies the cool thing to do when he pounded away on Robin Ventura's skull, McDowell sent the bratty Jefferies to his room with a few well-placed knuckles to the left side of his noggin. The incident stemmed from a game earlier in the series, as recalled by manager Davey Johnson.
"It went back to Monday night," said Johnson. "Roger screamed something at Gregg after he broke Gregg's bat. Obviously there's bad blood between them."
Breaking one's bat does not usually set off a bench-clearing brawl a few nights later, leaving some to doubt Johnson's reason for the melee. However, Phillies manager Nick Leyva had what was perhaps the real reason for the unique sendoff to Carter and Hernandez.
"There were 30 guys on our side rooting for Roger and 20 guys on their side rooting for Roger."
Gregg Jefferies was never liked in the Mets clubhouse and his subpar performance on the field did not endear the supposed wunderkind to Mets fans. But he did make headlines on a night that should have been remembered for the final appearances of two of his beloved teammates.
A few days ago, the Yankee captain ended his final game in his home park by walking off a hero in victory. Twenty-five years ago today, the Mets' co-captains ended their last game at Shea by separating teammates and opponents at the bottom of a pile of testosterone (McDowell) and puberty (Jefferies).
For the 1980s Mets, I suppose it was the only way the decade could end.
Every generation has its defining moment. People who grew up in the
1960s know exactly where they were when President Kennedy and Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. were assassinated. In the 1980s, every American knows
where they were when the Space Shuttle exploded. It's no different for
Mets fans.
People who grew up rooting for the Mets remember every detail of the
1969 Miracle Mets' run to the World Series. Fans of my generation well
up with happy tears when you mention two words to them: Game 6. How
can anyone forget the night of October 25, 1986?
The Mets were facing elimination entering Game 6 of the 1986 World
Series. They fought back to tie the Series at Fenway Park after
dropping the first two games of the Series at Shea Stadium. Then Bruce
Hurst shut them down in Game 5 to send the series back to New York with
the Mets down three games to two.
It was up to Bob Ojeda to save the Mets' season. He was opposed by
Roger Clemens, who was on his way to his first Cy Young Award. Ojeda
was also called upon for Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS against the Astros, a
game in which the Mets defeated Houston in 16 innings to claim the
National League pennant. In that game, Ojeda struggled early, giving up
three runs in the first inning before settling down. Game 6 of the
1986 World Series was no different for Ojeda. He gave up single runs to
the Red Sox in each of the first two innings, but then settled down.
When Ojeda was replaced by Roger McDowell to start the seventh inning,
the Mets had come back against Roger Clemens to tie the score at 2.
Although the drama that unfolded in the tenth inning is what Game 6 is
most known for, a number of interesting events occurred in the seventh
inning that are often forgotten.
With one out and Marty Barrett on first base for the Red Sox, Jim Rice
hit a ground ball near the third base line that barely stayed fair. Ray
Knight fielded it and threw wildly to first base, with the ball popping
in and out of the glove of a leaping Keith Hernandez. That brought up
Dwight Evans with runners on the corners. Evans hit a ground ball for
the second out of the inning, but Barrett scored the go-ahead run and
Rice was able to advance to second base. That was when Mookie Wilson
became a hero for the first time that night.
Roger McDowell was able to get ahead of Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman by
throwing strikes on the first two pitches, but Gedman then grounded the
0-2 pitch from McDowell between short and third for a base hit that
appeared to give the Red Sox an insurance run. However, Mookie Wilson
charged the ball and fired a strike to Gary Carter at home plate to cut
down a sliding Jim Rice for the third out of the inning.
The defensive efforts of Wilson and Carter helped keep the Red Sox lead
at one, a lead that would be erased when the Mets came up to bat in the
bottom of the eighth inning.
Roger Clemens had been pinch hit for in the top of the eighth inning, so
the Red Sox brought in former Met Calvin Schiraldi to pitch the bottom
of the eighth inning. Schiraldi had been brilliant in relief for the
Red Sox during the regular season, compiling a 4-2 record and a sparking
1.41 ERA. However, all that changed once Lee Mazzilli led off the
inning with a base hit. Lenny Dykstra followed with a sacrifice bunt,
but he reached first base safely when Schiraldi threw wildly to second
base in a failed attempt to nail Lee Mazzilli. Now the Mets had two men
on with nobody out for Wally Backman, who laid down a bunt of his own.
His successful sacrifice moved Mazzilli and Dykstra into scoring
position for Keith Hernandez, who was intentionally walked to load the
bases. That brought up Gary Carter. On a 3-0 pitch, Carter had the
green light and lined a sacrifice fly to left field. The fly ball
allowed Lee Mazzilli to score the tying run. When neither team scored
in the ninth inning, the stage was set for the most dramatic inning in
Mets history.
The inning started with a bang, but not the one wanted by Mets fans.
Dave Henderson led off the inning with a laser beam down the left field
line that just stayed fair as it cleared the wall. The home run off
Rick Aguilera silenced the Shea Stadium crowd of 55,078 and gave the Red
Sox a 4-3 lead. They weren't done yet. Aguilera came back to strike
out the next two batters but then proceeded to give up a double to Wade
Boggs and a run-scoring single to Marty Barrett. The latter hit gave
the Sox an insurance run as the lead was now 5-3. The next batter was
hit by a pitch. Who was the victim of Aguilera's wayward offering?
None other than Bill Buckner (more on him later). Now there were two
men on base for Jim Rice. Rice could have redeemed himself for being
thrown out at home in the seventh inning with a hit in the tenth.
However, Rice failed to add to the Red Sox lead when he flied out to Lee
Mazzilli in right. His failure to come through in two crucial spots
set up the events in the bottom of the tenth inning for the Mets.
Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez were due to lead off in the bottom of
the tenth inning. However, two fly balls later and the Mets were down
to their final out with no one on base. The dream was one out away from
becoming a nightmare. 108 regular season wins and a thrilling NLCS
against the Astros would mean nothing if the Mets couldn't start a rally
against Calvin Schiraldi and the Red Sox. The Shea Stadium scoreboard
was flashing "Congratulations Red Sox: 1986 World Champions" and NBC had
already awarded its player of the game to Marty Barrett. Then Gary
Carter stepped up to the plate and something special began to happen.
On a 2-1 pitch from Schiraldi, Carter singled to left. Then Kevin
Mitchell, pinch-hitting for Rick Aguilera lined a hit to center on an
0-1 curveball. The tying runs were now on base for Ray Knight. If you
recall, Knight had made an error in the seventh inning that led to a run
for the Red Sox. Perhaps this game would never have gone into extra
innings had Knight not committed his error. Knight didn't care. All he
cared about was getting a hit to continue the inning. Unfortunately
for him, Schiraldi threw his first two pitches for strikes. The Mets
were down to their final strike, but Ray Knight had something to say
about that.
On a pitch that was headed for the inside corner of the strike zone,
Knight fisted it over Marty Barrett's head into short center for another
base hit. Carter scored from second base and Mitchell went from first
to third on the hit. The tying run was 90 feet away and the winning run
was at first base. Red Sox manager John McNamara had made up his
mind. He was going to Bob Stanley to try to win the World Series.
Stanley would face one batter, Mookie Wilson, with everything on the
line.
Stanley would throw six pitches to Mookie Wilson to get the count to
2-2. Hoping for strike three with his seventh pitch, Stanley let go of
the pitch and at the same time, let go of the lead. The pitch was way
inside, causing Mookie to throw himself up in the air to avoid getting
hit. Fortunately, the ball didn't hit Mookie or Rich Gedman's glove (or
home plate umpire Dale Ford for that matter). The ball went all the
way to the backstop and Kevin Mitchell was able to scamper home with the
tying run. The wild pitch also allowed Ray Knight to move into scoring
position with the potential winning run. All Mookie needed to do now
was get a base hit to drive him in, or perhaps he could so something
else to bring him home.
During the regular season, John McNamara had always removed first
baseman Bill Buckner for defensive replacement Dave Stapleton during the
late innings. However, this time Buckner was left in the game despite
the fact that he was hobbling around on two gimpy legs and had just been
hit by a pitch in the previous inning. What was McNamara's reasoning
for the decision? He wanted Buckner to be on the field to celebrate
their championship with his teammates. Instead, Buckner was on the
field for a different celebration.
Buckner was at first base as the count went to 3-2 on Mookie Wilson. A
mountain of pressure had been lifted off his shoulders once he went
airborne to elude Stanley's pitch. A relaxed Mookie came back to the
plate to finish what he came up there to do. After fouling off two more
pitches, including a line drive that curved foul down the left field
line, Wilson hit a little roller up along first, bringing Mets fans to
their feet as Bill Buckner hobbled to the line in an attempt to field
it. I'll let NBC broadcaster Vin Scully describe what happened.
"Little roller up along first. Behind the bag! It gets through Buckner. Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!"
A miracle had happened on the diamond. Perhaps Mookie's grounder hit a
pebble. Perhaps Buckner took his eyes off the ball as he watched Mookie
sprint down the first base line. Perhaps God was a Mets fan.
Regardless of what caused it to happen, Mookie's grounder found its way
under Buckner's glove and the Mets lived to see another day. (Buckner later admitted in the film "Catching Hell" that his momentum as he approached the first base line caused his glove to close on its own, a split second before he would have fielded it. With the glove closed before the ball reached it, the grounder was able to scoot by the gimpy first baseman.)
As a dejected Bill Buckner walked off the field, Shea Stadium was
rocking as it never had before. Mookie Wilson was still running towards
second base because he had no idea that Ray Knight had scored the
winning run. Ron Darling, who was scheduled to start the seventh and
deciding game of the World Series the following night (even though it
was rained out and played two nights later), admitted that he could see
dust falling from the roof of the Mets dugout because of the vibrations
caused by the fans jumping up and down over it. Keith Hernandez had
left the dugout to go into Davey Johnson's office after making the
second out of the inning, but never moved from the chair he was sitting
in, even after the historic rally had begun because as he admitted
afterwards, the chair he was sitting in had hits in it.
As the unbelievable events were flashing on the TV screen for those of
us who weren't fortunate enough to have tickets to the game, Vin Scully
came back on the air after a long pause to tell the viewers everything
they needed to know about what they had just seen unfold at Shea Stadium
on that Saturday night. The Hall-of-Fame broadcaster said:
"If one picture is worth a thousand words, you have seen about a million words. But more than that, you have seen an absolutely bizarre finish to Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. The Mets are not only alive, they are well and they will play the Red Sox in Game 7 tomorrow."
Game 6 didn't give the Mets the World Championship as many baseball fans
mistakenly believe. There was still one game left to play. Although
it was scheduled for the following night, rain put a hold on Game 7
until the night of Monday, October 27. Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd, who had
been scheduled to start the seventh game for the Red Sox, was scratched
from his start to allow Met killer Bruce Hurst to pitch. But I'll leave
that blog for another night.
For now, think of the memories you have of that unbelievable Game 6.
Imagine how different things would have been if Jim Rice had not been
thrown out at home plate in the seventh inning, or if Bob Stanley had
relieved Calvin Schiraldi before Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell or Ray
Knight produced base hits in the tenth inning. Mets fans who celebrated
the 40th anniversary of the Miracle Mets two years ago might still be
talking about that team as their only championship team.
A miracle happened at Shea Stadium 25 years ago today, on October 25,
1986. It is the single greatest Mets memory I have. I'm sure for many
of you reading this, it's your favorite Mets memory as well. Do Mets
fans believe in miracles? If you watched Game 6 of the 1986 World
Series, the answer is a definite yes.
When you say the words "Game 6" to any Mets fan, immediately their thoughts turn to the 1986 World Series. You can't blame those fans for thinking of that memorable game first. After all, the game in which Mookie Wilson hit a "little roller up along first" was voted by Mets fans as the most memorable moment in Mets history.
But that wasn't the only memorable Game 6 for the Mets that season. If not for the events of "the other Game 6", there might not have been a chance for Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner to etch their names in the memories of millions of Mets fans. That first Game 6 was played in the Astrodome in Houston and it took place 25 years ago today.
After playing a 12-inning classic in New York the previous afternoon, the Mets and Astros traveled to Houston to play their second day game in 24 hours on October 15, 1986. The two teams normally would have had the day off before Game 6, but a rainout on October 13 forced them to sacrifice their travel day and play the extra-inning affair at Shea Stadium on the 14th. The game was won by the Mets, 2-1, when Wally Backman scored from second on a Gary Carter single.
Both teams were exhausted when they took the field for the 3 o'clock (Central Time) game, and rightfully so. Unfortunately for the Mets, the Astros woke up from their slumber early in Game 6, scoring three runs off Bob Ojeda in the first inning. The damage could have been worse, but Kevin Bass (more on him later) was tagged out by Ojeda trying to scamper home on a failed double steal attempt. Even with Bass' baserunning blunder, the Astros still held a 3-0 lead after one inning for starter Bob Knepper.
Remember this play. It ended up being huge 15 innings later.
Knepper, who was in line for the win in Game 3 before Lenny Dykstra took Astros' closer Dave Smith deep in the bottom of the ninth, was dominant over the first eight innings of Game 6. He faced the minimum three batters in seven of the eight innings, allowing only two hits and walking one. The Mets were three outs away from a potential Game 7 matchup against Mike Scott, who had confounded them in Games 1 and 4. The first batter in the ninth inning was pinch-hitter Lenny Dykstra. In Game 3, Dykstra waited until Knepper was out of the game before delivering his big ninth inning hit. This time, he didn't have to wait, driving a 1-2 offering from the Astros' southpaw to deep center field for a leadoff triple. It all went downhill for Knepper and the Astros from there.
The next batter was Mookie Wilson, who hit a soft line drive on an 0-2 pitch that fell in for a run-scoring single. Before you could say Dickie Thon, the Mets were on the scoreboard and the tying run was at the plate in Kevin Mitchell. The Mets' rookie utility man grounded out, but in the process moved Wilson to second base. Up came Keith Hernandez, who had gone 0-for-3 with a strikeout against Knepper. Four pitches later, that oh-fer was no more.
Hernandez doubled to deep center off Knepper, scoring Wilson from second base and cutting the Astros' lead to one. In doing so, Mex became the second lefty to collect an extra-base hit against Knepper in the ninth after the Mets' left-handed hitters had gone 0-for-7 against him through the first eight innings. That was the end of Knepper's day, as he was removed from the game after throwing 101 pitches. Knepper was replaced by Dave Smith, the salt-and-pepper haired reliever who had been tormented by the Mets all season.
Although Smith had an outstanding campaign in 1986, making his first All-Star team and finishing the year with 33 saves and a 2.73 ERA, the Mets were never intimidated by him. Smith faced the Mets three times during the regular season, allowing five runs and eight baserunners (four hits, three walks and one hit batsman) in three innings. That continued in the postseason, as Smith allowed the game-winning two-run homer to Lenny Dykstra to give the Mets the victory in Game 3 of the NLCS. Four total appearances. Four shoddy outings. Might as well go five-for-five.
The first two batters against Smith both walked on 3-2 pitches, as Gary Carter and Darryl Strawberry showed patience at the plate, and helped the Mets load the bases against the Astros. The next batter was Ray Knight, who worked the count to 2-2 before becoming the fifth batter in the inning to produce with two strikes on him. Knight hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Hernandez with the tying run and moving Kid and Straw into scoring position. The next batter, Wally Backman, was intentionally walked to bring up pinch-hitter Danny Heep. Heep worked the count full, but instead of becoming the sixth Mets batter to come through after strike two, the mighty Danny struck out, swinging at ball four, which would have given the Mets the lead.
Alas, the game was tied. But the fun was just beginning.
Roger McDowell came in to pitch the tenth inning, as the Mets needed a new pitcher to replace Rick Aguilera, who had been taken out of the game when Lenny Dykstra pinch hit for him in the ninth inning. McDowell would end up giving the Mets one of the best relief efforts in club history.
Perhaps it was a higher power that allowed Roger McDowell to pitch the game of his life in Game 6.
The Mets had hoped that McDowell would only have to pitch one or two innings, thinking that they would score against the Astros' bullpen. But that was easier said than done, as the Mets failed to pick up a hit over the next four innings against Dave Smith and Larry Andersen. Fortunately for the Mets, McDowell matched zeroes with the Astros' relievers, allowing only one baserunner (a 12th inning single to Kevin Bass) over five innings of work. The jolly Roger had gotten the Mets to the 14th inning, and the Astros were bringing in a new pitcher. The time for zeroes had come to an end.
Aurelio Lopez was on the mound for the Astros to start the 14th inning. Like Dave Smith, Lopez had also performed poorly against the Mets during the regular season. His 7.36 ERA against New York was his highest earned run average against any team in 1986. When manager Hal Lanier inserted Lopez into the game, he was hoping to get the reliever who allowed National League opponents to hit only .221 against him. Instead, they got the reliever who couldn't get anyone out.
Gary Carter led off the inning with an opposite field single. Darryl Strawberry then walked on four pitches. After Ray Knight failed to sacrifice Carter to third (the Mets' catcher was thrown out by Lopez at third base), Wally Backman stepped up to the plate. With one swing from the Mets' scrappy second baseman, the Mets had taken the lead, as Backman's single scored Strawberry from second base. The Mets actually had a chance to do more damage against Lopez in the inning, as Lenny Dykstra was walked intentionally with two outs to load the bases for Mookie Wilson. However, just as Danny Heep had done five innings before him, Mookie struck out against a struggling pitcher. Nevertheless, the Mets had taken a 4-3 lead against the Astros and were now only three outs away from winning their third National League pennant. But the Astros had the top of their order up and were not about to go quietly into the offseason.
Jesse Orosco was called upon to pitch the bottom of the 14th for the Mets, as McDowell had been removed for pinch-hitter Howard Johnson in the top of the inning. After his five-inning, 58-pitch effort, McDowell was done for the late afternoon/early evening and it was up to Orosco to deliver the pennant. His first batter was Bill Doran.
Doran was a speedy second baseman for the Astros who made excellent contact and had one of the best eyes in the league. With 42 stolen bases in 1986, Doran placed fifth in the NL in that category. He also finished fifth with 81 walks and was one of the toughest batters to strike out (57 Ks in 550 at-bats). Doran's eye for strikes became even better in the postseason, as he had fanned only once in his first 25 postseason at-bats up to that point. So what did Doran do as he faced Orosco in what quite possibly could have been his last at-bat of the season? He struck out on four pitches.
The next batter was centerfielder Billy Hatcher. Hatcher had just finished his first full season with the Astros after playing in 61 games for the Cubs in 1984 and 1985. He had never been considered a power threat and was not a top candidate to get on base, as evidenced by his eight home runs in his first 641 career plate appearances and his .297 on-base percentage. Hatcher had gone 5-for-23 in the series and should have been an easy out for Orosco, as he had never gotten a hit off the Mets' reliever in four career plate appearances. But with a full count on him, Hatcher hit one of most memorable home runs in postseason history, crushing Orosco's offering to deep left field. The ball was hit far enough, but would it stay fair? That question was answered as the ball hit the screen attached to the foul pole, rolling down said screen, washing away the Mets' 14th inning pennant hopes. The game was now tied, 4-4, and Orosco's save situation had now turned into a "let's get out of this inning alive" situation.
With the three and four hitters coming up, including the dangerous Glenn Davis, Orosco had to settle down or else a seventh game against Mike Scott would become a shocking reality. The Mets' veteran got back on the mound and promptly retired Denny Walling and Davis on a weak grounder to first and a pop-up to second, respectively, to end the inning. The game, which had already reached epic proportions, would go on.
Stunningly, despite his best efforts to blow the game for the Astros in the 14th inning, Aurelio Lopez was still on the mound for the 15th, but this time he fared better against the Mets, allowing only a two-out single to Gary Carter. With Darryl Strawberry at the plate, Lopez threw a 1-1 pitch wildly, but Carter was thrown out at second base by catcher Alan Ashby to end the inning.
Orosco also went back to the hill for the bottom of the 15th, and he did even better than Lopez, striking out Kevin Bass and Jose Cruz to start the inning, before getting Alan Ashby to ground out to Wally Backman for the final out. The 16th inning was upon us, only one day and 2,000 miles after the Mets and Astros had played 12 scintillating innings in New York. Something had to give after 27 innings of pulse-pounding baseball. Something did give when the Mets came to bat in the top of the 16th.
After his relatively easy 15th inning, Lopez was given the ball again to start the 16th, but this time he wouldn't be so lucky. Darryl Strawberry, who was given a fresh turn at-bat after Gary Carter ran his way into the final out in the previous inning, led off the 16th with a double. He was followed by Ray Knight, who delivered an opposite field single to score Strawberry from second. That was it for Aurelio Lopez, who was removed from the game for Jeff Calhoun. With Wally Backman at the plate and an 0-2 count on him, Calhoun uncorked a wild pitch, sending Knight to third. Backman fought back from the 0-2 hole and was able to draw a walk.
Next came Jesse Orosco, who was allowed to stay in the game to sacrifice Backman over to second. On the very first pitch to Jesse, who had already squared around to bunt, Calhoun threw another wild pitch, scoring Ray Knight and moving Wally Backman to second. The Mets were now up by two runs in the 16th, but they were not done yet. Orosco laid down a successful sacrifice, with Backman taking third on the play, and Lenny Dykstra drove him in with a single to right, giving the Mets a 7-4 lead. Even though Mookie Wilson ended the inning by grounding into a double play, the Mets surely had to be happy with their three-run lead. This time, they weren't going to give up the lead like they did in the 14th, especially with the Astros riding on fumes, right? Unfortunately for the Mets and their fans, those fumes had one more rally left in them.
The bottom of the 16th began as the 14th inning had, with Jesse Orosco striking out the first batter (in this case, it was Craig Reynolds) to bring the Mets within two outs of winning the National League pennant. But then Orosco started showing fatigue of his own, allowing the next three batters to reach base. Pinch-hitter Davey Lopes started the rally with a walk, followed by consecutive singles by Bill Doran and Billy Hatcher. The latter single scored Lopes from second base and put the tying runs on base for Denny Walling.
Davey Johnson could have taken Orosco out of the game there, especially since both singles by Doran and Hatcher were hit on the first pitch, but the Mets manager stayed with his veteran closer, hoping he would reward his faith in him by getting the final two outs of the game. It seemed as if Orosco would get out of the jam and deliver the pennant to New York when Denny Walling hit a ground ball to Keith Hernandez, who attempted to start an inning-ending double play. However, the ball wasn't hit hard enough and the only out the Mets could get was a forceout of Billy Hatcher at second base. The Astros now had runners on first and third and Glenn Davis was coming up. A home run by the Astros' slugger would give Houston the improbable victory, adding more suspense to an already tense moment. Although the left-handed Orosco didn't give in to the right-handed Davis, he still wasn't able to send him back to the dugout, as Davis produced a run-scoring single to center, scoring Doran and moving Walling to second base. The game was now 7-6, and the tying and winning runs were on base for Kevin Bass.
Bass had already committed a mistake in the game way back in the first inning (hence the "more on him later" 21 paragraphs ago) when he got tagged out by Bob Ojeda trying to score on a failed double steal attempt. Had Bass not made that gaffe, the game might have ended after nine innings. Instead, the Mets and Astros were playing on into the Houston night in a game that seemingly did not want to end.
Baseball is a game of redeeming features, and Bass was being given a second opportunity to make up for his costly first inning baserunning error. Orosco was one out away from giving the Mets a hard-fought pennant, but was not making it easy for himself or his team. After going to a 3-2 count on Bass, Keith Hernandez came over to the mound to deliver an ultimatum to Orosco.
"If you throw him another fastball, we're going to fight."
With those words, Jesse buckled down, looked in at catcher Gary Carter's signs and threw Kevin Bass a full-count slider. In a moment that will forever live on in the minds and hearts of Mets fans, Bass flailed wildly at the pitch, striking out on the 3-2 offering and touching off a wild celebration on the Astrodome mound and on the streets of New York.
After four hours and forty-two minutes, the Mets had finally won their first pennant in 13 years. They had overcome eight masterful innings by starter Bob Knepper and two furious extra-inning rallies by the Astros' hitters to come out on top. Despite the game lasting 16 innings, the Mets only used four pitchers in the game, with none of them lasting fewer than three innings. Davey Johnson put faith in his pitchers' arms and that faith was now taking the Mets to the World Series.
The Mets would go on to play the Boston Red Sox in that World Series, and they would play in another memorable Game 6, one that has become even more memorable than the one played in the NLCS. But without that first epic Game 6, there might not have been a World Series appearance for the Mets in 1986.
Twenty-five years ago today, the Mets and Astros gave us baseball theatre in Houston. The curtain did not come down for 16 innings, but in the end, the players all came through with the performances of their lives. It might now be known as "the other Game 6", but it's always be one of the most amazing games ever played.
Do you remember where you were 25 years ago today? If you were alive and a Mets fan, you definitely should.
On September 17, 1986, the Mets became champions of the National League East for the first time in 13 years, riding the arm of a young Dwight Gooden en route to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. The game marked the first career start for Dave Magadan, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
The Cubs scored both of their runs on the "strength" of Rafael Palmeiro's two-run HR. It was only the second home run of Palmeiro's career, a career that saw him blast 584 more longballs and wave one finger at Congress.
Despite Palmeiro's homer, manager Davey Johnson kept Gooden in the game for the ninth inning, when he could have used either of his co-closers (Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell). He also inserted Keith Hernandez at first base for the final inning. It was Hernandez's bout with the flu that kept him out of the starting lineup and allowed Dave Magadan to get his first major league start at first base.
Gooden began the ninth inning by walking Cubs catcher Jody Davis. Shawon Dunston (who himself had a key moment in Mets history during the 1999 NLCS) then grounded into a fielder's choice, with Davis retired at second base. Pinch-hitter Chris Speier then singled to put the tying runs on base.
Two on, one out, no call to the bullpen. It was Doc's game to win or lose.
Dwight settled down after the single to Speier, striking out pinch-hitter Jerry Mumphrey. With two outs, Chico Walker stepped up to the plate. Let's go to Steve Zabriskie and Rusty Staub for the play-by-play:
As Rusty Staub said, it was "13 years of waiting" for the Mets and their fans (Rusty himself was a key member of the last Mets team to win a division title in 1973), but the team finally clinched the National League Eastern division crown 25 years ago today, on September 17, 1986.
By losing four straight games on the road to Philadelphia and St. Louis (the Mets did win the final game of their two-game series in St. Louis on September 16), the Mets allowed themselves the opportunity and luxury of winning the division title in front of the Shea faithful.
Although millions of fans will now claim to have been there, a total of 47,823 fans tore into the field after the final out was recorded. We don't know if any of those fans caught the flu from coming into close contact with Keith Hernandez after he caught the final out of the game, but we do know that the city had caught Mets fever.
On September 17, 1986, the Mets were champions again. They'd go on to win the championship of the National League 28 days later and the World Series 12 days after that, but it's that first taste of champagne that's the sweetest.
