METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE JUNE 13, 1986 GAME:
Hank M
December 31, 2008
I went to this game with my friend. We sat in the mezzanine down the left field line. It was an exciting game won by the Mets, which was the norm in '86.Dwight Gooden was on the mound this night. He pitched well, despite allowing three runs. The Mets had a two-run lead (thanks in part to homers by Keith Hernandez and Mookie Wilson) when Doc left after eight innings and in line to get the win. Gooden, however, was NOT the winning pitcher. With Jesse Orosco on the mound in the ninth, the Pirates scored twice to tie the game. It was one of Jesse's few blown saves during the season. Still, the Mets won in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by Darryl Strawberry off Pittsburgh lefty Pat Clements. Darryl's hit was big in another way. He had been struggling against lefties and the Bucs wanted him facing Clements. Hernandez was walked intentionally to get to Darryl, but the Straw Man foiled the strategy. He looped one into right field to score Mookie from second. Leaving Shea, I felt good about the win, but not about the winning pitcher. I kept thinking that Orosco walked away with the win after failing to save it for Gooden, who was left with a no-decision. It just wasn't right for it to happen that way and I was referring to it as 'criminal.' This is an example of how a pitcher's won-lost record is not the best indication of how good he really is.
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