Ultimate Mets Database: Game of September 19, 1998

Michael
March 21, 2016
Franco was booed mercilessly as he came into this game due to blowing the game the night before. And he came very, very close to letting this one get away too. Johnny loaded the bases with 2 outs and a 3-2 count with a one-run lead before finally getting the K to end the game. At that point in his Mets career, that was probably the biggest out he ever got, in a game the Mets absolutely had to win. (obviously before 99 and 2000).

Dave VW
March 30, 2024
The final pitch Franco threw was also a ball, but he got bailed out when Mike Redmond swung at it anyway. If Redmond takes that pitch, Franco walks in a run, and then who knows. Franco said after the game if Redmond hadn't swung, he would have needed the national guard to get out of Shea alive.

After recording the strikeout, Franco jumped in the air and aggressively high-fived his teammates like he just saved Game 7 of the NLCS. It was certainly a gutsy call by Bobby V to turn to Franco to protect a 1-run lead after his struggles the previous night. John had no one to blame but himself, too, as he loaded the bases on 2 walks and a hit by pitch. He was also bailed out of further trouble when Rey Ordonez, who made sparkling plays all night, charged a grounder that hit off Franco's glove, then picked up the ball and threw to first all in one motion to get the batter out. That play saved the game.

Former Met prospect Jesus Sanchez started for the Fish and had quite the performance, striking out a career high 11 while also walking a season-high 7. The Mets did all their scoring in the first two innings, then mostly fell silent as Masato Yoshii and Turk Wendell held up the lead. Wendell, pitching in his 6th straight game (of a streak that would eventually reach 9) continued to amaze, tossing 1.2 scoreless innings. How this guy's arm didn't fall off in 1998 is beyond me.

Not to be outdone, John Olerud continued his pursuit of the batting crown. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, extending his streak to 10 straight plate appearances reaching base.

I also couldn't help but laugh and shake my head after another classic Kinerism. In the 7th inning, with the cameras clearly showing two pitchers warming up in the Mets bullpen, and after Gary Thorne just got done announcing that very fact, Kiner waited a pitch and commented on the thought of Yoshii perhaps tiring and said, "There's no action in the bullpen for the Mets," then quickly added, "Now a pitcher is starting to warm up." I'm sure it took everything within Thorne not to correct him. At this point in his broadcasting career, why WWOR still thought Kiner could handle a full game in the booth is a true mystery.

Please note:
We're looking for your comments about this specific game. We've had people use this space to share their thoughts on how the current season is going, or on ways that the Mets can improve the team. Such comments, unless in the context of this particular game, will be considered off-topic and will be removed.

Example One
The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
This comment is off-topic and will be removed. It has nothing to do with any specific game. But here's an acceptable alternative:

Example Two
The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
See the difference? Here you're getting the same point across, but it's in the proper context. We wouldn't consider this message to be off-topic, and we would let it remain.

We do appreciate anybody who takes the time to share their thoughts on our site, and we hate to remove anybody's postings. But if we didn't take steps to ensure that only on-topic messages were retained, The Ultimate Mets Database would become a confusing jumble of unrelated comments, and would thus be less enjoyable to visitors like you.

Thank you!

Your name:
E-Mail address: OPTIONAL
Comments about the game: