skarz
December 25, 2001
I thought the Mets were going to the playoffs after this game. With Piazza tying it in the 9th, then Hundley's most important Mets homer (and sadly his last), I thought the 10-year playoff drought would finally be ending. Instead, I remember it as the last time my favorite player would win a game for my favorite team.

Jimmy D.
April 25, 2003
Deep to right. Hidalgo looks up..and it's outta here!! Great Piazza HR to tie game and great call by Gary Cohen on the radio.

Jon
September 23, 2005
Many people overlook, what I feel, is one of the greatest all time regular season series in Mets history. The Mets were in the heat of the wild card hunt in late September of '98, while the Astros were looking to officially win the division. Both teams played their hearts out in a four game series (featuring one double header) at the Astrodome. The Mets took three of four in dramatic fashion with I believe three of the games going to extra innings. This game featured one of Piazza's amazing clutch opposite field homers against flame thrower Billy Wagner. This was a good time to be a Met fan with the unforgettable '99 season a year away and the World Series 2000 team to follow. We were on the verge of something.

Gregory Gewirtz
November 8, 2006
Cohen's radio call was replayed during the opening for WFAN Mets games throughout much of the 1999 season. It was something to the effect of "Swing and a drive deep towards the gap in right center field, looking up Hidalgo, IT'S OUTA HERE! PIAZZA GOES DEEP! A THREE-RUN HOMER IN THE NINTH OFF BILLY WAGNER! AND THE METS LEAD IT 3 TO 2!" It was a very long call, mentioning also that it was Piazza's 200th career homer, and the biggest hit of the year thus far for the Mets.

When you listen to Rose's TV call ("High fly ball, deep right field - that will be OUTTA HERE! HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT? MIKE PIAZZA GIVES THE METS THE LEAD!!"), you can hear Cohen screaming from the next booth. Cohen and Rose were yelling as loud and as emotionally as you have ever heard them, playoffs included.

vinny
October 4, 2006
I was at this game in Houston. One of the best games ever with one of the most clutch at-bats by Piazza off Wagner to give the Mets the lead inthe ninth.

JFK
February 2, 2007
I agree with Jon; this was one of the greatest regular season series I ever saw. Every time the Mets needed an out, there was Turk Wendell.

Michael
February 13, 2008
Absolutely the great regular season series in our history. I ran across the house when Piazza went deep.

Jon
October 29, 2010
I actually would love to hear Gary Cohen talk about this series one day during a Mets game. Knowing him I actually believe he would agree that this is one of the all-time great regular season series in Mets history.

Ed Zupan
February 13, 2014
I live in NY and have been a lifelong Met fan. I was at the game with a co-worker; we drove from Austin that night. My one-and-only game in the Astrodome. It was great when Piazza homered in the ninth off Wagner. I still have the ticket stub and came across it last night. I believe this is the only game when Piazza and Hundley homered for the Mets in the same game.

Dave VW
March 27, 2024
I absolutely love reading these comments. I had just started my senior year in high school at this time in 1998, and my parents didn't subscribe to FSNY, so I missed a large portion of Mets games. I finally watched this one for the first time recently (and didn't spoil it beforehand), and I found myself cheering as loudly as I would have been if it were 26 years ago!

This had to be the home run that sealed the Mets mindset to give Piazza whatever contract he wanted to stay in New York, and perhaps even what convinced Mike this was the team he wanted to play for long term. After he crossed the plate in the 9th, the team mobbed him halfway between home and the dugout, unable to hold back their excitement. And give huge credit to John Olerud, too, who went 4-for-5 and was down to his final strike before reaching on a hot-shot single to 3B before Piazza's at-bat. Piazza was also down to his last strike before lining one over the RF wall. Sadly, though, it was Mike's final home run of the season.

And then there's Hundley. Not only his last HR as a Met, his last hit as well. The camera caught him in the dugout with a helmet on and his bat in hand for multiple innings before he pinch-hit in the 11th, subtly planting the seed in Bobby V's head that he was ready whenever the opportunity presented itself. After he got back to the dugout, Valentine greeted him with multiple "Let's Go!"'s, hitting him on the back and on the helmet, then later came up to him to give him another high-five and to mess up his hair. These were good times.

Lost in the shuffle is a great start by Bobby Jones, who went 8 innings and allowed just 4 hits to a very dangerous Astros lineup. Don't forget, Houston was 40 games over .500 at the time. The only damage Jones allowed was a 2-run homer to ex-Met Carl Everett. He was in line for the win, but Dennis Cook allowed a 1-out homer to Brad Ausmus in the 9th to send the game to extras. It was the first earned run allowed by Cook since August 6th. He was used in the save chance as John Franco had worked 3 days in a row, so he was given the night off.

Greg McMichael nearly gave the game away in the 10th, as he got the first two batters out but then walked Everett (who then stole second and went to third on a Piazza throwing error), intentionally walked Jeff Bagwell, and walked Moises Alou. That brought up Ricky Gutierrez (who was allowed to hit despite the Astros having Derek Bell on the bench), and after he went down in the count 3-0, McMichael found a way to strike him out on 8 pitches. Then Wendell, pitching in his 4th consecutive game, struck out the side in the 11th to lock down the save. It was his only time striking out the side in 1998.

This was definitely the emotional high of the season, and probably of the last 10 years. You would think after this type of series the Mets would ride a wave of momentum into the playoffs... but alas they couldn't catch the Cubs, and would crash and burn over the final week of the season.