The Colt .45s win 5-3 over the Mets in the first meeting of the two National League expansion teams. All five of Houston’s runs come on round- trippers, a two-run home by Norm Larker in the sixth inning and a three-run shot by Don Buddin wins the game in the 11th. Hal Smith and Joey Amalfitano had singled ahead of his homer. After scoring a run in the eighth New York sends the game into overtime in the last of the 9th on Gus Bell’s home run. Starter Bobby Shantz was lifted with two-out in the sixth without allowing a run, giving up only four hits, striking out five and allowing only one walk. Jim Golden was the winning pitcher. Roman Mejias continued his plus .400 hitting going 3-for-4.

Dick Farrell (4-6) and lefty Al Jackson (3-7) hook up in a good pitching dual with New York and Jackson winning 3-1. The game was scoreless until the fifth when the Mets put together a walk, a triple by Sammy Taylor and Jim Hickman’s single for a 2-0 lead. Doubles by Norm Larker and Merritt Ranew scored Houston’s only run in the bottom of the inning. A base on balls and Charlie Neal’s single accounted for the final run of the game in the sixth. Farrell gave New York only six hits while striking out nine Mets and walking four. The .45s picked up seven hits off Jackson but fell victim to three New York double plays.

Only game the Mets won in Houston in 1962. They also lost seven and had one tie. They weren't much better playing in the Polo Grounds against their fellow expansion team going 2-6.

Houston’s Bob Bruce tosses his fifth win against only one defeat going the distance in a 10-2 victory over the Mets. New York starter Jay Hook (4-7) failed to retire a batter as the Colt .45s tally seven runs in the first inning. In that frame the Colts pick up six hits among them a two- run home run by Carl Warwick. Bruce struck out seven batters and walked eight – never allowing more than one walk an inning until the ninth when he walked the bases loaded after two were out. Now he was facing Marv Throneberry, who in his previous four plate appearances had homered, walked, singled and singled again accounting for three of the six hits off Bruce. The 6-3 righthander has the pleasure of getting the final putout of the game when Throneberry grounds to Norm Larker.

The .45s finish their home stand with six-wins and four-losses moving their record to 26-34 for the season. The club is currently in seventh place 14 and-a-half games out of first.

My first Met game. A twi-night doubleheader. Little Alvin Jackson from Waco, Texas, pitches a 1 hitter. Richie Ashburn hits a homer and Mets win 2-0. I think the hit was by Joe Amalfitano. Then the Mets got clobbered in the second game. My most vivid memory was what a dump the Polo Grounds was at that time, falling apart at the seams. That stadium was really made for football.

Al Jackson pitches the Mets to a stunning one- hitter to beat the Colt .45s 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader and the Colts come back to take the nightcap 16-3. In the opener with one out in the first inning, the native of Waco now making his home in Houston, gives up his only hit of the game to Joey Amalfitano - a single. After striking out Roman Mejias, Jackson (4-8) walks Norm Larker before Carl Warwick strikes out to end the inning. The next 22 batters to face Jackson are retired in order - no Colt .45 would reach base until Pidge Browne draws a lead off walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth. Ironically, Dick Farrell’s (5-7) loss is his second to Jackson (3-1 June 11) in that game both pitchers also went the distance. This game had we known at the time was over after Mets lead off hitter Ritchie Ashburn homered in the first inning. Farrell allowed only two hits after Ashburn’s home run and the second run off Farrell was scored in the seventh on a walk to Ashburn and a base hit by Felix Mantilla.

Al Jackson pitches the Mets to a stunning one- hitter to beat the Colt .45s 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader and the Colts come back to take the nightcap 16-3.

In the opener with one out in the first inning, the native of Waco now making his home in Houston, gives up his only hit of the game to Joey Amalfitano - a single. After striking out Roman Mejias, Jackson (4-8) walks Norm Larker before Carl Warwick strikes out to end the inning. The next 22 batters to face Jackson are retired in order - no Colt .45 would reach base until Pidge Browne draws a lead off walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth.

Ironically, Dick Farrell’s (5-7) loss is his second to Jackson. (3-1 June 11) In that game both pitchers also went the distance. This game, although we didn't know it at the time, was over after Mets lead off hitter Richie Ashburn homered in the first inning. Farrell allowed only two hits after Ashburn’s home run and the second run off Farrell was scored in the seventh on a walk to Ashburn and a base hit by Felix Mantilla.

First one-hitter by a Met pitcher ever.

This is the game that hooked me on the Mets. I was 9 years old, knew almost nothing about baseball. I had asked my dad what an "error" was. He explained but then said the best way to learn the game was to watch it. He sat me down in front of the TV and turned on this game. He explained the Mets stunk. I asked him why he liked them. He said he always roots for the underdog. I was in awe of Ashburn's 2 homers. Mets kicked ass and I was a Mets fan for good.

Richie Ashburn hit two homers in this game: one over the fence, and one inside the park.

Not only did Wille McCovey have three homers, but he hit the three homers in the first four innings!

As of today, a player has had three homers by the end of four innings only nine times in major league history.

I was 12 years old and a Richie Ashburn fan since about 7 or 8 or since I heard Dizzy Dean (I believe) on a Saturday afternoon broadcast say "that Ashburn, he can run like a deer" and what 7 or 8 year old kid wouldn't want to "run like a deer" especially after fly balls! His 2 homers that day were an amazing part of an amazing year. I think he also crashed into a wall that day making a "routine" catch.

My first Mets game ever. Only 11 years old. Still a Met fan and still going to games 45 years later.

I was three days shy of my tenth birthday and attending my first baseball game. My dad had bought a suit at Howard Clothes and they were giving away two Mets tickets for each suit purchased. We sat behind first base in the upper deck at the Polo Grounds and I was in awe the entire afternoon. Richie Ashburn hit two homers and the Mets enjoyed one of the few laughers that year.

I have always been more a Yankee fan but I will remember and cherish that day forever.

My mother caught a foul ball bare handed and a kid behind us yanked it from her hand. My first MLB game and never have gotten a foul ball.

Ashburn hit the second inside-the-park homer ever by a Met in this game. Gil Hodges had hit the first one on May 16th and Charlie Neal hit one in 1963. Those were the only ones that the Mets hit in the Polo Grounds.

On a steamy 85 degree afternoon with the humidity at 77% the Colt.45s win the day-half of their day- night doubleheader from the Mets 4-3.

The Colts get behind in the first inning on two unearned runs on errors by J.C. Hartman and starting pitcher George Brunet, but Brunet pitches through seven innings giving up no further runs and only three hits before he’s lifted for a pinch hitter while trailing 2-0.

Mets starter Jay Hook is lifted to start the seventh after shutting out the Colts for his six innings and allowing five hits. Manager Casey Stengel sends in rookie Ray Daviault and this is the turning point of the game.

Daviault has two infield errors behind him as well a hit by Al Spangler in his first inning of work as Houston cuts the lead to 2-1. Hal Smith opens the 8th inning batting for Jim Campbell and ties the game with the first Houston home run in the last nine games. Russ Kemmerer (4- 2) working his second inning in relief of Brunet gives the lead back to New York in the ninth on a triple by Joe Christopher and a base hit by Rod Kanehl.

With the Mets now leading 3-2 Stengel lifts Daviault to start the 9th and brings in another rookie Willard Hunter who promptly gives up singles to pinch hitter Bob Lillis and Johnny Temple.

Out goes Hunter and number 37 lumbers to the mound and brings in Craig Anderson (3-17). Anderson forces Joey Amalfitano to hit into a double play but Norm Larker is walked on purpose and scores the winning run on a combination of Bob Aspromonte’s single that eludes Frank Thomas in left field for New York’s fifth boot of the game.

On a steamy 85 degree afternoon with the humidity at 77% the Colt.45s win the day-half of their day-night doubleheader from the Mets 4-3.

The Colts get behind in the first inning on two unearned runs on errors by J.C. Hartman and starting pitcher George Brunet, but Brunet pitches through seven innings giving up no further runs and only three hits before he’s lifted for a pinch hitter while trailing 2-0.

Mets starter Jay Hook is lifted to start the seventh after shutting out the Colts for his six innings and allowing five hits. Manager Casey Stengel sends in rookie Ray Daviault and this is the turning point of the game. Daviault has two infield errors behind him as well a hit by Al Spangler in his first inning of work as Houston cuts the lead to 2-1.

Hal Smith opens the 8th inning batting for Jim Campbell and ties the game with the first Houston home run in the last nine games. Russ Kemmerer (4- 2) working his second inning in relief of Brunet gives the lead back to New York in the ninth on a triple by Joe Christopher and a base hit by Rod Kanehl.

With the Mets now leading 3-2 Stengel lifts Daviault to start the 9th and brings in another rookie Willard Hunter who promptly gives up singles to pinch hitter Bob Lillis and Johnny Temple. Out goes Hunter and number 37 lumbers to the mound and brings in Craig Anderson (3-17). Anderson forces Joey Amalfitano to hit into a double play but Norm Larker is walked on purpose and scores the winning run on a combination of Bob Aspromonte’s single that eludes Frank Thomas in left field for New York’s fifth boot of the game.

I have a sad memory of this game. Late in the season Casey brought some of his old-timer friends back as coaches. In this game Rogers Hornsby was the third-base coach. I remember that he didn't look well and could hardly move around. He died several months later.

This also was the doubleheader were Marv Throneberry got a boat as some kind of prize. The paid attendance was 1,200 at this doubleheader!

Turk Farrell stuns the Mets with a home run, a 390 ft drive to left, his second of the year. I found a website that actually had Bob Murphy's radio call of the home run hit off Roger Craig.

Only 1,638 showed up for the partly cloudy afternoon game but under the lights with the temperature “cooled” to 83 and the humidity up to 82% 6,568 gather for the night game. The evening was a hitters delight with a total of 25 hits and a 10th inning win for the Colts 6-5.

Oddly, the two starting pitchers gave up all 25 hits with Dick Farrell allowing 13 and Roger Craig (7-23) giving up 12. Only four of the 25 hits went for extra bases including Farrell’s second home run of the season.

After retiring the first seven in order Farrell was kicked around for four runs and four hits in the third inning and the .45s didn’t catch up until the eighth with a 5-5 tie. Farrell came out for a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth with Hal Smith on first with a base on balls but Craig struck out Johnny Temple to send the game into overtime.

Jim Umbricht (2-0) set New York down in order in the 10th and picked up the win when Bob Lillis led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Al Spangler, moved to third on an infield ground out by Roman Mejias and the .45s won when Lillis rode home on Craig’s wild pitch. Here is the unrealistic line on both starters: Farrell (9 innings), 5 runs, 13 hits, 9 strike outs, two walks – Craig (10-innings), 6 runs, 12 hits, 5 strike outs, 6 walks, one wild pitch.

Only 1,638 showed up for the partly cloudy afternoon game but under the lights with the temperature “cooled” to 83 and the humidity up to 82% 6,568 gather for the night game. The evening was a hitters delight with a total of 25 hits and a 10th inning win for the Colts 6-5. Oddly, the two starting pitchers gave up all 25 hits with Dick Farrell allowing 13 and Roger Craig (7-23) giving up 12. Only four of the 25 hits went for extra bases including Farrell’s second home run of the season. After retiring the first seven in order Farrell was kicked around for four runs and four hits in the third inning and the.45s didn’t catch up until the eighth with a 5-5 tie. Farrell came out for a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth with Hal Smith on first with a base on balls but Craig struck out Johnny Temple to send the game into overtime. Jim Umbricht (2-0) set New York down in order in the 10th and picked up the win when Bob Lillis led off with a single, was sacrificed to second by Al Spangler, moved to third on an infield ground out by Roman Mejias and the .45s won when lillis road home on Craig’s wild pitch. Here is the unrealistic line on both starters: Farrell (9 innings), 5 runs, 13 hits, 9 strike outs, two walks – Craig (10-innings), 6 runs, 12 hits, 5 strike outs, 6 walks, one wild pitch

This game had just about everything except good pitching and a winner. The .45s and Mets send a total of ten pitchers to the mound – five each - and the game is halted at the end of eight innings because of curfew (no inning shall start after 7 p.m. on Sunday night). When the game was called each team had seven runs, ten hits and one error. This was the final game scheduled between the two teams in Houston which means next week they will attempt to play six games in three days due to earlier postponements.

Only 3,630 paid for this Sunday afternoon 90 degree game that lasted over four hours with only the individual statistics going into the record books.

The most interesting inning was the seventh and how the Mets scored the run that tied the game at 7-7. Jim Golden entered the game to start the inning and walked Joe Christopher and while striking out Frank Thomas and walking Elio Chacon Golden throws two wild pitches to move the runners up to second and third. With first base open Golden walks Choo Choo Coleman to load the bases and then is relieved of his duties and replaced by Don McMahon. Felix Mantilla then drives in the tying run with a sacrifice fly to Carl Warwick in center in a game that one inning later had an end but no winner or loser.

First tie game in Met history.

As Featfan noted, the failure to play this game to its conclusion meant the two teams needed to play three straight doubleheaders in NY later in the month to complete their 1962 schedules. One of those three days ended up rained out and thus the Mets ended up with a 40-120 record instead of a full 162 games of wins and losses.

One other item of note: This game marked the last Major league appearance of Sherman "Roadblock" Jones. He had been sent to AAA by the Mets in May and recalled in September.

Sherman is remembered for being the originally scheduled starter for the Mets opener but was replaced by Roger Craig when Sherman temporarily hurt his eye with a cigarette lighter. Instead, he started the Mets home opener and lost that game.

Houston sweeps a pair from the Mets at the Polo Grounds, 7-2 and 5-4. Bob Aspromonte's league- record 57-game errorless streak is snapped in the opener but he responds with a 5-for-6 performance in the nightcap. Jim Golden wins the lidlifter and drives in three to help himself. Hal Smith is the hero of the nightcap with a two- run homer in the seventh, a key double in the ninth, and the game-winning single in the twelfth. New York sets a major league mark for home losses with their 57th defeat at Coogan's Bluff.

Mets finished the season two games short of a fill 162 game schedule. In order to make up prior rainouts, they would have needed to play Houston three straight doubleheaders at the Polo Grounds in September to complete the full schedule but the middle date (September 19th) was rained out. Considering that they had lost the doubleheader the day before the rainout, and then lost this doubleheader on the day after the rainout, it was probably just as well.

Bob Bruce hurls 8 plus frames yielding three hits, fanning 11. Brooklyn born Don McMahon comes on for the save. The only Met runs a result of light hitting catcher Chris Canizzarro's 9th inning two run pinch hit single. Roger Craig goes the distance in the loss. Duke Snider, Tim Harkness are in the METS lineup that day.

And that's the way it was before 7200 fans in Texas!

This was my first met game attanded and I've been hooked on them ever since, good or bad. I was 10 years old and my older brother suprised me that Sunday morning by telling that he was taking me to the game. I vividly remember a lot this game. It was a scheduled doubleheader against the Colt 45's. Galen Cisco started and never got out of the first inning! The Colt 45's scored 7 runs in the first of the first game. The first Colts batter hit a ground ball to 2nd base and it went right through Larry Burright's legs! A rookie, Rusty Staub was batting 3rd for Colt 45's and was hit right in the head by Cisco and left the game I beleive. Anyway, in the bottom of the 8th, Frank Thomas hit a 2 run home run off the upper deck left field facade of the Polo Grounds to make it 8-3 and then the game was called due to rain and they never played the 2nd game. I also remember that this was the day I found out my older brother (17) was smoking! What a day!

This was my first Mets game too. I don't remember much but I do remember it was raining and that someone was hit in the head. The game seemed to be held up for quite a while. I didn't know it was Rusty Staub!

Just listened to a recording of this game, and Houston scored six runs before the Mets got their first out. This got me to wondering what was the record for most runs allowed by a team in the first inning of a game before the first out was made. Apparently the record is 10, scored by the Red Sox vs. Florida in a game vs. Florida before Florida got the first out on June 27, 2003, but couldn't find what the record was at the time this Mets game was played. I say "apparently" because this doesn't seem to be an official MLB record.

By the way, the home run hit by Jim Wynn was the first of many in his big league career.

Carl Willey is the first Mets pitcher to hit a grandslam home run. His blast was off of Colt's 45 starter Kenny Johnson. Only one other Met hurler would replicate this feat 4 years later. That would turn out to be Jack Hamilton.

I remember my brother got tickets for this game and we drove to the Polo Grounds from Brooklyn, which was daring for working class kids in 1963, and parked on a street along Coogan's Bluff and descended down into the Grounds which was interesting since I has never entered a ballpark in this fashion before. Although Hemingway said all good writing starts with geography, I digress. What I remember about the games was that the METS and .45s traded laughers and in the first game while intentionally walking Jim Hickman they tried to sneak pitch him with the catcher ducking back in but he smoked the pitch to deep left center and a run scored on the sac fly. We had seat behind the plate so it was startling to see this maneuver and had never seen it before and I can recall only seeing it once since. Loved Jim Hickman and he went on to have a solid career with he Cubs and Dodgers in better line-ups than in '63.

Carl Willey hit a grand slam to help his own cause in this doubleheader opener. It put the Mets ahead to stay for a win that snapped the team's fifteen-game losing streak. Willey's slam was the first of two ever to be hit by a Mets pitcher. Jack Hamilton homered with the bases loaded four years later. These were, of course, back in the good old days of when pitchers took their own turns at bat like they should!

Another key point about this game is Jay Hook's relief pitching. Hook got credit for a save by hurling one-hit scoreless ball from the sixth inning to the ninth. Four innings is the maximum a reliever can pitch in order to get a save (he'd be the winning pitcher by going any longer since starters must pitch at least five innings to qualify for the win.) Jay was the first Met ever to record a four-inning save.

This game has a special memory for me. It was the very first Mets game I attended. My brother and I watched as the Mets beat the Colt 45's 4-3! I have been a Mets fanatic ever since!

This was my first game too!!! The old Polo Grounds with my dad. I got in for free because I was only 6 years old. This was the first of about 250 Mets games I have seen through the years. And they won, too! But it means a lot to me for it was the first game I saw with my dad.

Another tough loss for Roger Craig as Houston pitcher Bob Bruce shuts out the Mets, 1-0. Frank Thomas, playing first base, pulled off the hidden ball trick on Jimmy Wynn.

This loss is the Mets' TWENTY-SECOND consecutive road loss, matching a record set by the 1890 Pirates. The Mets will win the next night at Dodger Stadium for their first road win since June 15 in Cincinnati. In between they were swept in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Houston.

Turk Farrell once again is a Met killer. The leadoff hitter and RF for the Mets is Eddie Kranepool. Choo Choo Coleman homers in the loss!

This was the first game of a doubleheader that hosted the Mets' first-ever "Banner Day," with the parade of banners taking place on the field between games.

It was my one and only trip to the Polo Grounds, and a disappointingly quiet day at the plate for the home team. (Imagine Ed Kranepool as a leadoff hitter!) I did, however, get to see Choo Choo Coleman hit a homer in person--and how many fans can actually claim to have had that experience?

Living 100 miles north of NYC, I would eventually attend thirteen Mets losses before finally seeing them win a game in person. Years later, I was one of the lucky ones who attended (and brought sod home from) Game 5 on October 16, 1969--which more than made up for the frustration of all those earlier losses.

I'll never know what inspired my dad to take me to a Mets game in 1963, but I'll always be grateful for the opportunity to have seen a couple games at the Polo Grounds and to have had him there to share the experience with me.

Colts surrender just seven hits in sweeping a twinbill from the Mets, 5-4 and 5-0. Turk Farrell goes the distance on four hits in the opener while fanning eleven. Chris Zachary and Hal Woodeshick combine for a three-hit shutout in the nightcap. Teenager Rusty Staub and Johnny Weekly go deep in the second game.

This was the second game of a doubleheader that hosted the Mets' first-ever "Banner Day," with the parade of banners taking place on the field between games.

It was my one and only trip to the Polo Grounds, and a disappointingly quiet day at the plate for the home team. (Imagine Ed Kranepool as a leadoff hitter!) I did, however, get to see Choo Choo Coleman hit a homer in person--and how many fans can actually claim to have had that experience?

Living 100 miles north of NYC, I would eventually attend thirteen Mets losses before finally seeing them win a game in person. Years later, I was one of the lucky ones who attended (and brought sod home from) Game 5 on October 16, 1969--which more than made up for the frustration of all those earlier losses.

I'll never know what inspired my dad to take me to a Mets game in 1963, but I'll always be grateful for the opportunity to have seen a couple games at the Polo Grounds and to have had him there to share the experience with me.

The Colt .45s start nine rookies, including 20- year-old Jerry Grote, 19-year-old Rusty Staub, 20- year-old Joe Morgan, and 21-year-old Jim Wynn.

Houston's starting pitcher is 17-year-old Jay Dahl, who makes what will turn out to be his only major league appearance. Dahl is killed in a car accident in June 1965 without ever making it back to the majors.

Check out this link for more details on the game.

In the closing series of their sophomore season, the fledgling Houston Colt .45s faced flagging attendance.

In an effort to bolster gate receipts, the front office decided to try something new: field a team composed entirely of rookies. No major league team had tried it before, and none has done so since. It was a unique occurrence in the history of Major League Baseball.

Two days before the end of the regular season, on September 27, 1963, at Colt Stadium in a game against the New York Mets, the Colt .45s put an all-rookie team on the field. Their average age was 19. It was MLB's youngest-ever starting lineup.

Jackson S, ss Morgan J, 2b Wynn J, cf Staub R, 1b Pointer A, rf Davis B, Vaughan G, 3b Grote J, c Dahl J

Aaron Pointer went back to the minors and has since become an NFL head linesman. His four sisters (Ruth, Anita, Bonnie, and June) are known today as the Pointer Sisters.

Jay Dahl went back to the minors, but was killed in a 1965 car accident in North Carolina at the age of 19.

Note that Jerry Grote got his first major league hit in this game - a single off Al Jackson.

It was Jackson's last start of the 1963 season and the win gave him a 13-17 record which is pretty amazing on a team that finished 51- 111.

This was the night the Houston Colt .45s had nine rookies in their starting lineup. Three of them (Morgan, Staub and Grote) would play in the National League Championship Series between the Mets and Reds ten years later. The game also featured the major league debut of Houston reliever Joe Hoerner, who would pitch for seven different teams over fourteen seasons.

There's irony in the fact that Dick Drott was the .45s' pitcher on the mound for the ninth inning. While the four previous Houston hurlers in the game were rookies, Drott was at the opposite end of things. He appeared in the 176th and final game of his seven-year major league career.

For the Mets, the win was their 51st and last of the season.

This marked the last game of the 1963 season as well as rookie John Paciorek's big league debut. The older brother of Tom Paciorek, John went 3- for-3 but never returned to the majors, retiring with a 1.000 batting average. He has the most hits of any player who never made an out.

The last game ever for Grover Powell. Too bad!

A few interesting things came about on the Houston side of this season closer. In his first and only major league game, John Paciorek collected three singles and drew two walks in five plate appearances. This gave him marks of 1.000 for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage for his one-day career. Paciorek also had four runs scored.

Another noteworthy fact is that the Colt .45s' winning pitcher was Jim Umbricht in his last career game. Umbricht was suffering from cancer at the time and passed away just before the next season began.

For the Mets, Larry Bearnarth was more productive at bat than on the mound. He gave up seven runs on six hits in 3+ innings for the loss, but also had a two-run single and hit the only triple of his career.

Ron Hunt hits into game ending twin killing. West Palm Beach native Kenny Johnson the cg sho.

My first Mets game. We sat in the Loge boxes behind the third base dugout. My dad was upset we couldn't get field level seats. When Don Larsen came in in relief my Dad told me (I was seven) about the perfect game in the World Series and how he did nothing after that. I was devastated when my favourite Met at the time, Roy McMillian made an error on a ground ball. But the Mets won and I got to see a real game.

Well I really cannot comment on my first Met game ever, so I will comment on this game. My first game was on June 3, 1964, the day before. As an excited 7 year old, I went to the brand spanking new Shea Stadium with my father, grandfather, and uncle. We sat in the box seats, you know...the yellow ones, the ones that cost $3.50 per ticket behind the dugout. I got to see the warmups and recall seeing Rusty Staub, Jimmy Wynn, and yes Jerry Grote from the Houston Colt 45s. Well the rains came in the third inning and the game was rained out, along with all the records of the day. Despite eating 3 Hot Dogs and getting sick on the way home, it was a great moment in my young life!

The Mets survive two Walt Bond home runs and defeat the Colt 45's 8-6.

The Mets collected sixteen hits for a victory over the Colt .45s that left them "only" twelve and one-half games behind the ninth-place Houston team in the National League standings. John Stephenson, Ed Kranepool and Larry Elliot all went 3-for-5 with a run scored in the game. Kranepool came up just a home run short of the cycle and Elliot had a homer among his three hits.

Willard Hunter's relief pitching was the key factor to the win. After a leadoff triple by Joe Gaines in the bottom of the sixth, Hunter retired the next twelve Colt batters for the first save of his career. It was the second four-inning save ever recorded by a Mets reliever. Jay Hook had the first one a year earlier.

One of 3 DH's dad got tix for in Shea's inaugural year. First time I sat in field box and saw players up close. It was the first time I heard the actual sound of glove and bat on ball. Pure music. It was an unusual DH win for the blue & orange. I remember that I liked how one of the Colt 45's catchers played his position and how good his throws to second looked. That catcher was Jerry Grote. I heard he caught on with another team after that.

Astros outfielder Al Spangler stole home in the 11th inning to win the game for the Astros. Warren Spahn made his first start as a Met and came away with a no-decision.

Houston gets their first regulation win as the Astros, an eleven-inning 7-6 triumph over the Mets. Al Spangler stole home for the eventual winning run. Ron Brand has a two-run bunt single that refused to roll foul.

This was the first game that I ever watched on a color TV at my friend's house in Brooklyn.

I was amazed every time the camera showed the old Shea scoreboard !

Houston survives a 7-6 marathon in eleven innings for their first National League win as the Astros. Playing in cool damp weather in what is now the league's second-youngest park, the Astros rally against 43-year-old Warren Spahn to take a 3-2 lead into the ninth. With two outs, Joe Christopher homers off Turk Farrell to send the game into extra innings.

The Astros score four times in the 11th on four walks, two errors, two wild pitches and a bunt. The bunt is a two-run roller from Ron Brand down the third base line that Charley Smith hopes will roll foul but never does. Al Spangler then steals home to complete the inning. But Houston almost gives it back when Farrell and Hal Woodeshick falter for three runs that bring New York back within one. It is up to Jim Owens to strike out Smith for the final out to register his first save of the season

This is the game in which the Mets had a unique triple play: Rightfielder Johnny Lewis to Catcher Canizzarro to SS Roy McMillan. Jimmy Wynn was the batter.

I attended this game,and next to seeing Sandy Koufax pitch at the Polo Grounds in 1963 this remains my favorite game. It was a rainy, damp and raw but for a diehard young Met fan it had it all. A fine pitching performance by Jack Fisher till he ran out of gas in the 9th. The afore mentioned triple play,a long home run by the "toy cannon" Jimmy Wynn, a fine defensive play by Bob Lillis at short turning what looked like a game winning hit by Jim Hickman into a double play in the bottom of the 9th. Bobby Klaus HR in the 10th off of the hard throwing Quebecker Claude Raymond (the original Eric Gagne), if my memory serves me Klaus just missed a HR on the preceding pitch. Raymond threw the same pitch and Klaus hit it off the foul pole in the mezzanine (then blue seats) I'm sure it was the longest HR of his career. The train ride to Seaford sure was a happy one.

For the fifth straight game (if you count three exhibitions), the Astros go extra innings against a team from New York, this time dropping a 5-4 decision to the Mets in ten on a one-out homer down the left field line from Bobby Klaus off Claude Raymond. Jim Wynn's two-out two-run shot off Jack Fisher in the ninth forces extras this time. Ed Kranepool drives in three to lead New York.

It is the earliest regular-season win in the Mets' short history and they also record a triple play, the third by the Mets in just over three seasons. In the second, with runners at first and third, Wynn lifts a fly ball to right. Walt Bond is nailed at the plate attempting to score then Bob Aspromonte is gunned down at second trying to advance on the throw. As rare as triple plays are, a 9-2-6 model is one for the books.

I should also note this was the first Met game involving a triple play that the Mets ever won. They had fielded two and hit into two previously, all in losing causes.

I remember this game....I was 14 and it was COLD!!!!!!! It was a cold, raw, April day and we were freezing. I remember getting hot chocolate and it was the worst hot chocolate ever, as long as it was hot. I think they sold more chocolate than anything else.

I remember the triple play from Lewis to Cannizaro to McMillan but most of all I remember Bobby Klaus's HR in the bottom of the 10th (thank God!!!). It was down the left field line, right above the orange line at the 341 sign.

My Dad had a friend who worked for the Mets and I got autographed pics (including Casey) of most of the 1965 team.

This is the game Ralph Kiner often talks about because Lindsey Nelson broadcast this game from a gondola 208 feet above second base at the brand- new Astrodome.

There is a rare audio clip of Nelson calling the game at astrosdaily.net.

What a find!

With Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson reporting from the gondola 208 feet above second base, Houston wins their seventh straight, 12-9, in a 3-1/2-hour marathon. Bob Bruce is pounded for four runs in the first two innings but the Mets give it back, two runs crossing on a throwing error by Jim Hickman. John Bateman's single in the fifth puts Houston up, 6-5.

The Mets slap around Larry Dierker to gain a 9-6 advantage in the sixth. Houston answers with four runs of their own, keyed by a two-run single from Bob Aspromonte. Walt Bond's triple in the eighth adds two more to the lead but, by then, Claude Raymond has everything under control. He blanks New York over the final three frames, striking out six of the nine batters he faces for his first save. Jim Owens gets the win. Tug McGraw takes the loss.

April 29th:

An overactive New York media circulates rumors that the Astros are manipulating air currents in the Dome to gain a unique home field advantage. The Astros say the charge is ridiculous but the 6-1 home record has out of town critics mumbling.

Commissioner Ford Frick is concerned enough to send Robert Salinger, an engineer from Chicago, to investigate the claim. Salinger's report would state that air conditioning has no effect on the flight or distance of batted balls.

No matter how bad life gets for the Astros, they always have one thing to fall back on - they are better than the Mets. The expansion twins get together for a four-game series in Houston and the New Yorkers are a sight for weary Houston eyes.

As usual, the Mets are generous guests, giving up three unearned runs as the Astros take the series opener, 4-2, behind the five-hit pitching of Claude Raymond. Bob Aspromonte doubles off Jack Fisher in the second and advances on a bunt single by Jim Wynn. A wild pitch brings Aspro home. Ron Brand walks. Next, Bob Lillis taps back to Fisher who fires to second to start a double play - except nobody is covering second. Wynn comes home on the error. Raymond then hits a roller to Ed Kranepool at first but, after seeing Fisher is late breaking to the bag, Kranepool loses his race to Raymond at first base while Brand scores. In the fifth, Joe Morgan triples off the right field fence and Lee Maye plates him with a single for the last Houston run. Raymond gives way to Jim Owens with two aboard in the ninth who picks up his third save while Claude evens his own mark at 3-3.

The Astros pass the 1,000,000 mark in attendance for the first time. The lucky person, selected by postgame drawing to be chosen as the millionth fan, was Mrs. Charley Williams of Jacksonville, TX who is there to watch her first baseball game.

She picked a dandy, starting with a pitching matchup for the ages. That would be 44-year-old legend Warren Spahn against 18-year-old Larry Dierker. It is Houston left fielder Lee Maye who plays like someone having a senior moment, dropping two fly balls and pinning another one against his chest like it was a fair catch. But Dierker works around this, nine hits and three walks over six innings to come out with a 6-2 victory. Nine strikeouts help to bail him out of trouble. Joe Morgan opens the scoring with a triple to left-center in the second (his sixth of the year), driving in Maye and Dierker. In the fifth, Dierker singles and Morgan walks before a single by Joe Gaines chases them home. Jim Wynn triples to left-center for another run and Spahn gets the hook but his understudy, Tom Parsons, is touched for singles by Walt Bond and Bob Aspromonte to push the lead up to 6-1. Dave Giusti, having lost his starting role, finishes with three innings of relief.

New York infielder Chuck Hiller is ejected after his relay toss strikes umpire Ken Burkhart in the leg.

New York (23-47) at Houston (31-41) The Astrodome

Turk Farrell makes his third solid start in a row, blanking the Mets on a five-hitter, 2-0. The shutout shrinks Farrell's ERA down to 2.10.

Joe Morgan scores the game's only runs, both beginning with walks. In the first, he steals second against Frank Lary and comes home on a single by Jim Gentile. In the sixth, he crosses the plate on a double by Lee Maye, who had three hits. Jim Wynn steals his 13th base of the year to break the club record held by Roman Mejias.

The only person to give Farrell any trouble on the night is Charley Smith who raps three hits, including two doubles, but gets no help from his teammates. 33,500 attend for a Saturday night show that is over in just two hours and eight minutes.

Nice matchup in Houston, "Little Al Jackson" vs Bob Bruce. Bruce hurls 8 strong innings, fanning 10 and Lee Maye hits a home run to aid his cause.

The Mets' offense had tallied just 32 runs in their last 23 games and Bob Bruce extends their misery with a 4-2 triumph to sweep the four-game series. Bruce fans ten and walks one while giving up just three hits over eight innings. Bruce also singles home a run and Lee Maye delights the throng with a solo homer off Al Jackson. Jim Wynn and Walt Bond each have two hits and an RBI. Wynn adds his 14th steal. The Mets, however, don't go quietly in the ninth. After Bruce leaves with a sore shoulder, Jim Owens allows two hits. Mike Cuellar comes in to get the final two outs and the save. Houston is 7-1 against the New Yorkers this season, 6-0 at the Astrodome.

The Astros jump on Jack Fisher early, allowing Larry Dierker a cushion to sink the last-place Mets, 6-2. Rusty Staub plates Lee Maye with a first-inning single before Houston explodes with five runs in the second. Jim Wynn doubles to start the uprising, followed by a walk to Gus Triandos and an error by Chuck Hiller which allows Bob Lillis to reach first and load the bases. One out later, Morgan rips a triple to right that drives in three and causes Fisher to get the hook from Manager Casey Stengel. Lee Maye triples off Gordie Richardson to score Morgan and Maye comes home from third when Met shortstop Roy McMillan hauls in Staub's pop fly in shallow left.

Dierker scatters seven hits in eight innings as he gets his third victory. Ron Taylor works a perfect ninth. Houston also swipes four bases, two of them by Wynn - his club-leading 19th and 20th of the season.

Houston scores early and often for the second straight night. Legendary lefthander Warren Spahn is spanked for four runs in just over an inning's work. The Mets release the 44-year-old southpaw four days later with a 4-12 record.

Joe Morgan cracks two more home runs to give him ten for the season and six in the past two weeks. The other 17 Houston hits are all singles as Lee Maye, Jim Wynn, Rusty Staub and Bob Lillis slap three each in the 10-1 rout. Wynn steals his 21st base of the season. He's been thrown out only twice.

Dick Farrell celebrates his naming to the National League All-Star team by coasting to his seventh win. His only run allowed is a homer from Johnny Lewis in the second. Ron Taylor works the final three innings in relief for the Astros.

My first game at Shea and Warren Spahn's last game pitching for the Mets. It was a slight improvement over my first Met game in the Polo Grounds in 1962 when the Mets lost 15-1 !

New York (34-80) at Houston (47-67) The Astrodome

Friday the 13th is an appropriate time to get together the two clubs at the bottom of the standings. Once again, the Mets demonstrate why they deserve to be last. After an error by Bob Lillis leads to two New York runs in the fifth, the Astros tie it in the seventh against Jack Fisher. Joe Morgan draws a walk then Jim Wynn singles. Jim Gentile and Bob Aspromonte spank base hits to get the two runs home. Don Nottebart is doing well, scattering six hits over nine innings when he gets a break to get his third win. Morgan leads off the ninth with a fly to short left. Shortstop Roy McMillian races out to get it but collides with left fielder Jim Hickman as Morgan pulls into second. A long fly out by Wynn advances him to third. Gentile and Aspromonte are walked intentionally to fill the bases. Rusty Staub, limping with a hamstring injury, slaps the game-winning hit for a 3-2 victory.

Finally, on thier 8th try, the Mets won a game in the Astrodome!

The winning run, scored by Chuck Hiller, was set up by Hiller stealing second base. They mentioned on the broadcast that it was Hiller's first stolen base of the year. It turned out to be his only stolen base. Earlier in the game, Charlie Smith stole two bases, his first and second of the year. They were the only two HE had all year. What was going on with the Astros, LOL. Hiller scored on a suicide squeeze by Ron Hunt. They tried the squeeze on about five straight pitches during that at bat, and it only finally worked because the Astros' pitcher, Danny Coombs, threw the ball away. Well, keep on trying. I remember Coombs later on as a pitcher for the Padres. Being with the Astros and Padres at that time meant you saw a lot of bad baseball.

This must have been Darrell Sutherland's best game in the Major Leagues. He pitched 4 innings and gave up no hits and got the win. He faced the minimum amount of batters because the two walks he gave up both were eliminated on double plays. I don't remember seeing Darrell Sutherland play, but I do remember his brother Gary, who was a weak hitting SS for the Phillies and Expos.

Also, during the broadcast, Bob Murphy was bragging on the Mets having two "great" catching prospects in their farm system. One was Greg Goossen and the other was Tug McGraw's brother Henry. I read elsewhere on this website that Henry was an outfielder, but I guess they were trying to turn him into a catcher by 1965. Well, you could count on Bob Murphy to be optimistic.

I've no memories of this game, played in Houston at the newly-opened Astrodome. What this game may be best noted for -- aside from an Al Jackson win -- is what happened at Shea Stadium that night.

The Beatles played before a packed house as Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon turned in the best infield performance in the two-year history of the new ballpark!

Actually, what the game should be noted for is that it completed the first back-to-back shutouts by Met pitchers in history. The Mets had won 1-0 on the previous night.

The day before this game, Casey Stengel announced he was retiring as Mets' manager after breaking his hip five weeks earlier.

Frank Thomas, aka, The Big Donkey hits two two run home runs providing Houston with all of it's scoring. Gary Sutherland's older brother ( Gary a former middle infielder with Philly and Detroit) Darrell works 6 1/3 splendid innings in the loss.

My first Met game. Eight years old, a day at Shea with dad, two Met losses. I've been hooked ever since.

Rookie LHP Rob Gardner from Binghampton NY makes his ml debut.... Diamond Jim Gentile cracks 2 home runs and Rusty Staub one in the Astro win...

Houston (58-76) at New York (44-91) Shea Stadium

Rusty Staub stays hot with three hits, including a homer and a double, as Houston edges the Mets, 4-3, to win four of five on the series. Normally dreadful on the road, the Astros emerge with a 10- 5 record for the trip and 14-4 for the season against the Mets, 7-2 at Shea Stadium. Houston leads the all-time series versus New York, 49-21.

Rookie Larry Dierker evens his mark at 7-7, allowing one run over eight innings but he has to watch from the dugout after giving up a leadoff walk in the ninth. Jim Owens surrenders a hit and a walk to load the bases then Joe Christopher singles home two runs. Claude Raymond comes in with nobody out and the tying run in scoring position. Cool Claude gets the next three batters for his third save. Lee Maye has a good day at the plate with 4-for-5, including two doubles. Ron Brand chips in two hits and an RBI.

This was the night they honored Casey Stengel by retiring his number. Casey had given up the managers job earlier in the summer when he broke his hip in an accident.

This was a great game for Gerry Arrigo. He pitched seven innings for the win and drove in three runs with two doubles to help his own cause. These were Arrigo's only three RBIs of the season. In addition to the pair of two-base hits, Gerry also had three singles for a total of five hits in his ten at-bats as a Met. That's a .500 batting average, which matched his winning percentage (three wins and three losses) for the year.

Bob Friend hurls a complete game allowing 11 hits, 5 runs and fanning five. Ed Kranepool hits a Met home run in the win, Felix Mantilla belts one out against his former mates.

Bill Hepler works the first 7 yielding a run, Roy McMillan goes 3-3 in the win.

First time the Mets ever swept back-to-back doubleheaders. An indication that things were starting to get better.

What a game for Rob Gardner! In the sixth inning, he takes the mound with two runners on base and none out and halts the Astros with a strikeout and a double play. Rob then gave up only a walk in facing the minimum nine batters from the seventh to the ninth for a rare four-inning save. It was the first of two saves that Gardner would have during his career.

Nolan's first ML start does not go well. He's gone after an inning as Met Killer Bobby Bruce has an easy time of it in Houston.

Jack Fisher of the Mets pitched a complete game win but only had two plate appearances! This isn't a trick; the Mets beat Larry Dierker in the bottom of the ninth when Ron Hunt, batting for eighth place batter Danny Napoleon, singled to end the game with the Mets having a total of 26 batters.

Fat Jack finished the year at 11-14 with a decent ERA of 3.68 besting 20 year old hardballer Larry Dierker.

Dierker had a perfect game going into the ninth. You can look it up.

This was the best pitched game I ever attended. Dierker was perfect starting the ninth. Bressoud led off with a sinking liner to left which could have been safely played as a single, but with a perfect game on the line Left Fielder Lee Maye tried for a diving catch and the ball got past him for an extra base. A wild pitch and a soft liner that touched the top of the glove of a leaping infielder and just dropped behind him got the winning run home.

Wow, nobody has a comment about this game.

A friend and I went on a Friday night with a good possibility of rain.

So what! Tom Seaver was pitching and he was already becoming a Met favorite.

When we got to Shea it was raining and the tarp was on the field. The only time I ever saw that while attending a MLB game.

We got box seats about five rows back between 3rd and right field.

God heard our prayers and the rain stopped.

Mets ahead 2-0 when Rusty Staub hits a monster HR off Tom S. to tie the game (May they both RIP)

Jerry Buchek leads off the ninth with an opposite field HR into the Mets bullpen.

Only time I saw a walk-off HR live.

My God, I think I'm going cry.

Jim L.

My first Mets game. I believe it was the first game of a helmet day doubleheader. P.S. I still have my helmet and ticket stub! Also I miss Jane Jarvis, the Queen of Melody playing the Thomas Organ.

A doubleheader win for the Mets! Seaver and Fisher bested Dave Guisti and Mike Cueller. Mets win a doubleheader, my friends and I were looking around for Rod Serling!

Tommy Davis smashed a grand slam in one game and Swoboda had a pair of homers on the day. This was one day that even the Borden's coupon seats in the upper deck were feeling pretty good!

Played hookie with a friend from work to go to this midweek DH. Scheduling was different then or maybe it was a make up of an earlier rain out. We had great seats in Shea mezzanine which I thought were the best seats at Shea. Seaver cruised to his 9th win and he was in his first year and just starting to exhibit what would mark him as The Franchise. You could sense as a Met fan he was special. Tommy Davis' grand slam exciting from a great hitter. One very good Met season. Hard to explain sun burn to boss next day.

A productive game for the Mets. Tommy Davis's grand slam and solo homers by Ed Kranepool and Ron Swoboda were the key blows in the completion of a doubleheader sweep. On the mound, Tom Seaver recorded 12 strikeouts and got his ninth win of the season. It was the first time Seaver had ever fanned at least ten batters in a game. There's a great piece of trivia about who Tom's catcher was for this moment of his career. Does anybody remember John Sullivan?

Attended my first Mets game on July 20th 1967. I was 7 years old and my only memories are that it was "Helmet Night" and the Astros beat the Mets 7- 0. Can't believe its been 37 years and I haven't missed a Mets season since.

It was the first ever batting helmet night at Shea and the helmets were given out to all kids under 16. Well, I was a week shy of my 14th birthday, and the ushers thought I was much older and at first wouldn't give me the helmet, but my friend's dad intervened on my behalf. It was the reverse of being "proofed"! In the game, I remember Rusty Staub rounding third and instead of wearing spikes, he was running in cleats. I also recall his hesitance to bat while those jets from LaGuardia were soaring overhead. I had no way of knowing at the time that five years later, this finicky player would become my hero, "Le Grande Orange!"

This was my very first game. I was 7 years old. I remember the grand slam that was hit in the game although I didn't remember the player who hit it until I looked at the box score. My dad and I sat in the upper deck since that was all my dad could afford. I remember thinking this was so steep and that I would fall all the way down to the box seats.

I was at this game and it was my first Met game ever. I remember it was Helmet Night and I got a Mets batting helmet, I was 10 years young then.

Jimmy Wynn cranks two home runs and drives in 6 as the Astros baffle the Mets 9-1. Jack Fisher is hit often and hit hard.

I remember watching this game with a great deal of anticipation. Bo Belinsky had a lousy record at the time of this start and I fully expected the Mets to light his ass up in this one. The Mets scored two runs in the first inning and I figured they would knock Belinsky out in the next inning or two. Belinsky then mowed down the Mets for eight straight innings, giving up two hits, both to Tommie Davis the only major league hitter the Mets had in the line up that day. This game taught me an important lesson about baseball and how unpredictable games can be. I still remember this particular game more than forty years after the fact because of this valuable lesson I received that July afternoon.

This was Bo Belinsky's 28th and final win of his mediocre career off which he had once become Hollywood famous. He gave up two runs in the top of the first inning before the Astros scored twice to knock out the Mets' Dennis Bennett in the bottom half. Belinsky then recorded outs on nineteen straight batters after a two-out walk to Bud Harrelson in the top of the second. Meanwhile, the Astros got a run in the fourth against Ron Taylor to take the lead for good. Bo got himself a major league win for the last time. For Bennett, it was the last of his eight games as a Met.

Jerry Koosman's first Major League start - no decision. He had two more starts in 1967 and lost both. Things got a lot better in 1968!

The first game of Salty Parker's short managing career with the Mets. After the Mets had lost the final game of a home series with the Dodgers, Wes Westrum resigned because it was clear he would not be back in 1968 as manager. So Salty got to manage the last eleven games. Johnny Murphy moved from the front office to fill Salty's vacated coaching spot temporarily.

After an off-day, the Astros came to Shea for a four game series starting with a doubleheader. In this game, Jerry Koosman (up from the minors for a cup of coffee at the end of the season) got beat but the Mets won the nightcap in extra innings.

After the series with Houston, the Mets completed the season with a West Coast trip, and Salty finished with a record of 4-7 as manager.

Was this "Banner Night" as a makeup for the original one rained out earlier with the Cubs?

A freezing cold night in the upper deck, actually with a lot of time spent in the heated bathroom. I actually witnessed most of the entire major league career of Joe Moock that evening.

The final home game of the 1967 season. Freezing cold and damp. For Fan Apperciation Day, we got orange caps with a blue bill that had the Mets' skyline logo on them. It was a golf hat with a flexible band in the back, I think.

Most vivid memory of the action was actually on the scoreboard. There were regular updates on the incredible pennant race going on in the American League when Boston, Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago were all still in it.

And, oh yeah, Joe Moock played 3rd base.

I went to this game also. I remembered that Wes Westrum had been fired as manager before I went to the game, but until I saw it here I forgot who was the new manager.

I wore the hat for a long time as a kid.

First major league win for Nolan Ryan and the first time that the Mets ever won a regular season game on Easter Sunday.

For the purists out there the Upper Deck Baseball Heroes card supposedly depicting a shot of Ryan being congratulated by Seaver, Koosman and Grote on Victory #1 is not from that game on this date. I have a larger photo that clearly shows Garrett in the shot also closing in on Ryan for congrats. I believe that shot is from the first ever Mets 'Save' in 1969.

It's fitting that Nolan Ryan had a no-hitter through five innings in his first major league win.

This was the longest 1-0 game in major league baseball history.

I stayed awake through the 12th inning listening to this game on a Sony transistor radio and an earpiece in my ear. It was way past my curfew.

Both teams combined to hit .139 ( 22-158 )

Stinger Jim Ray fanned 11 in his 7 innings of work and I remember names like John Buzhardt, Calvin Koonce, Don Wilson, Les Rohr, Wade Blasingame, Dick Selma getting in. Wow, a few of these hurlers are no longer alive yet I remember this game vividly. As Gregg Allman penned, Getting Old Before My Time!

I remember this game for two things: Tommie Agee was either 0 for 10 or 1 for 10, and it was the start of a terrible slump and season for him. The second was that the run was scored on a bad infield hop due to the infield being in such poor, chopped up condition. It became the reason why they started dragging the infield every 5 innings no matter how long the game goes.

Some interesting facts on this "classic": Seaver had 10 IP, gave up 2 hits and struck out ONLY 3; Future Met Rusty Staub went 2 for 9; the game took 6 hours and 6 minutes to play and the attendance was 14,219 which included the late John Wayne who reportedly left after the 15th inning give or take an inning or two.

Another amazing fact about this game is that each team only used one catcher.

Tom Seaver was just as dominant in this marathon game as he was in his almost-perfect classic against the Cubs the next season. He pitched one-hit scoreless ball with no walks during the regulation nine innings. Starting with a fielder's choice play at the plate in the bottom of the second, Seaver recorded outs on twenty-five consecutive Astros batters. A single by Rusty Staub in the tenth ended this string. Even though the game wasn't even half over when he departed, Tom provided a sign of what was to come.

In the Year of the Pitcher, Rookie Jerry Koosman pitches his third complete game victory in three starts, striking out eleven Astros while allowing just five baserunners.

Koosman experiences something new in this game: he allows a run! Jerry's first two starts of 1968 were complete game shutouts. The first run he allowed in 1968 came on an RBI double by Bob Aspromonte in the top of the fourth, after 21.2 scpreless inings to start the season. After the double, Kooz retired 16 of the last 17 batters he faced.

All three Mets runs in this game were unearned. Their first run came in the bottom of the third thanks to an error, wild pitch, infield out, and an RBI single by Ron Swoboda. They added two more in the sixth...the first on two errors by Houston starter Denny Lemaster, and their final run came on an RBI single by Greg Goosen.

I don't recall many details, but this was my first game ever (as an almost 8-year-old). True to pre-1969 form, the Mets lost that day behind Nolan Ryan.

Lemaster with a cg win, fires a 6 hitter, fans 10. Ryan goes the distance, fanning 12, walking 7.

Game includes a home run by the Toy Cannon. Some fun names appear in the boxscore, Dick Simpson, Hector Torres, Phil Linz, Don Bosch!

We were there loading up on soda, dogs and cracker jacks. To be thirteen and out of school in just a few days again!

Checking back in almost 5 1/2 years after my previous posting...

Perusing the boxscore, I'm struck by several fun facts...the Glider playing 1B...Agee playing RF...Rusty Staub batting cleanup & playing 1B for the Stros; he had a game-tying single in the 5th...5 of the Mets 8 position starters -- Bosch, Linz, Buchek, Agee, and Weis -- with interstate batting averages...no wonder Jerry Grote, hitting .310, batted cleanup!...Lemaster & Ryan each going the distance, and Ryan with his typical line of 7 walks & 12 K's...35 years later, I still shudder and get a queasy feeling in my stomach about that stupid *&$%#@ trade with the Angels for Fregosi!

This was the famous Mets/Astros "brawl" game. I remember being stunned by the whole thing because I was only 10 and I had never wittnessed an all-out brawl before. This was in the era before "instant replays" so I was lucky to be sitting in the living room catching it all as it happened. Doug Rader triples to right-center and comes up sliding hard, elbow up, into Kevin Collins playing 3rd base. Collins is knocked out cold on the field, both benches empty, fists start flying. I clearly remember big Don Cardwell (pitcher!) with his arm around an Astro player's neck, socking him hard in the ribs. I remember Denis Menke in some kind of headlock with a Met player. I remember Joe Pignatano jawing with Astro manager Harry Walker and "Piggy" looking like he was gonna haul off and sock Walker. I remember my dad and my grand-dad on the edge of the couch screaming for blood as it all transpired.

The NY Daily News had pictures of the brawl as did the Star Ledger and my local paper, the Daily Journal. The Ledger had a picture of Cardwell with his arm around the Astro's neck. I think the News had a picture of both benches emptying and players about to run on the field.

I remember The Ledger quoting Gil Hodges as saying that if "Walker hadn't opened his big mouth" the brawl would never have occured (or something to that effect). I remember I cut the brawl pictures from the Journal and kept them around for several years for some reason.

On the Bob Costas Coast-to-Coast radio show back in '92, Tom recalled how this game was his biggest regret. With an 0-2 count to Jimmy Wynn, 2 outs, nobody on in the top of the 9th, one out away from a 1-0 complete game shutout, Tom threw a slider over the plate that was hit for a home run into the parking lot. Tom recalled that he can still see the ball leaving the park in his mind to this day.

This game was one of those classic bitter losses the Mets seemed to specialize in in the 60's. A surprise HR by J.C. Martin broke up a scoreless duel then Jimmy Wynn hit that 2-out HR to tie the game. Somewhere in this game there was a rain delay and the game dragged on late into the night.

In the bottom of the 11th the Mets loaded the bases with one out. Phil Linz came up and went down looking and the crowd groaned and continued groaning when Don Bosch came up to PH. Bosch showed incredible gymnastic skill in avoiding being hit by a pitch to the total dismay of the crowd. Bosch then feebly swung at the next pitch to end the threat. I think Hodges was extremely upset with Bosch not taking one for the team because he was sent down a day later. The Astros won the next inning and I remember getting home about 2.00am and having to go to work at Jones Beach at 7.00am only to be sent home at 10.00am because it was a slow day.

I loved the previous posts. I remember Seaver discussing this game on Kiner's Korner the next time he was on the show. He said he lost two nights sleep over that pitch to Jimmy Wynn. At the time I remember thinking that Seaver really did care about games like this. It wasn't enough that he pitched well and didn't win because he didn't get any runs to work with but he saw this game as one he should have won and he and he alone was responsible for the outcome. It was after this interview that I began to understand why this guy was as great as he was.

A warm and beautiful Saturday afternoon, with a great pitchers' duel between Jim McAndrew and Don Wilson. Rusty Staub was one of Houston's stars at that time.

Only run came on a home run by Jim Wynn in the sixth into the Astros' bullpen -- I still think Cleon should have caught it!

Mets offense was nonexistent this day, culminating in a silly attempt by Larry Stahl to score from second base on an infield single by Ed Charles in the eighth. Needless to say he was out by a mile.

Losing hurt in those days, but was endearing, too. Still nothing in the world as great as those days at Shea for a little boy who loved the Mets.

Dick Selma was one of my favorite pitchers during the late 60's. He took the hill squaring off with Jim Stinger Ray in this the nightcap of a twinbill. Ray fanned 10 in a cg win besting the righty from Fresno who fanned 7 in a 7 inning stint. I should mention that JC Martin went yard!

In the glory year of '69, this is one of the days my father decides to take me to Shea. An absolute disaster. Two embarrassing losses to Houston. Two grand slams in ONE inning by the Astros (Menke and Wynn, I think). It's the day that Gil Hodges made the long walk to retrieve Cleon from left field. But what really compelled me to write is this: when the Mets got spanked last night -- July 30, 2002 --- the score was 16- 3. I thought, the score, the opponent, the date, they sound familiar. Sure enough, the Astros beat the Mets 16-3 in the first game of this doubleheader disaster on the same exact date in 1969. 16-3! Then a repeat performance against the same team exactly 33 years later. Can't make this stuff up. Let's Go Mets!

In addition to the walloping the Mets took from their biggest '69 nemesis, there is one noteworthy thing about Jim Wynn's grand slam (the Astros' second of the ninth inning after one by Denis Menke.) The runner on third was Houston relief pitcher Fred Gladding, who got on base with a single that drove home Curt Blefary. This was Gladding's only hit of his 63 at-bats (an average of .016) over thirteen major league seasons. It was also the only run Gladding ever scored in his career.

This was game 2 of a doubleheader necessitated by a rainout the day before. I was psyched by the rain the day before because it meant I was going to see 2 games! It was the annual Blessed Sacrament (Cypress Hills, Brooklyn) Altar Boy trip to Shea. Instead of hiring a bus, a bunch of Dads drove all of us there. The first game saw the Mets get some runs in the 8th to close to 6-3, but the Astros put up a 10-spot in the ninth to win 16-3. Most of the crowd went home. My brother, Brendan, Ralph Chieco, and I convinced Father Lewk (a Yankee fan, but still a good guy) that it was ok to leave us at Shea to watch the second game while everyone else went home (including the Dads with the cars). The Astros scored early and often in the second game. I think we left in the fifth inning, probably my earliest exit ever from a baseball game.

When Manager Hodges went to the edge of dirt infield in front of the left field outfield grass and removed the N.L. batting leader (Cleon Jones was not trying hard enough), in front of a full house, you knew who was in charge of the Mets. They lost both games, but the players knew they had a winner in Hodges. And Gil produced a winner.

Sat in box seats along the first base line.....seated a few rows in front was the gorgeous Nancy Seaver, who kindly signed my scorecard. She had beautiful handwriting. Weekday afternoon game.

First game I ever attended. I think it was a rainout makeup game.

Seaver as a pinch runner? Can You imagine today?

Hodges always wanted to win, but to use a future Hallof Famer, Cy Young pitcher to pinch run... tells me this was Gil's team. After Kooz lost the lead, I was hoping for next year. Little did we all know 38-12 for the remainder of 1969. Mets always had problems in that Dome.

The Mets hit bottom on this day in 1969. After being swept in the three-game series in the Astrodome (they lost 10 of 12 to Houston in 1969), they fell into third place a game behind the Cards and a full ten games behind the streaking Cubs. But the Mets went 38-11 the rest of the way, the Cubs collapsed and the rest is history.

I remember this game was on NBC as part of the Game of the Week.

My uncle Adan takes me to my first game ever. I'm super excited it's helmet day. We're sitting in orange RF seats. Dave Marshall is playing catch just 20 rows away. I yell and yell and finally he turns, looks at ME and waves. I remember Ryan pitching, disappointed cause he walked so many and I didn't like him. I was hoping for Seaver. Agee comes to bat with that slow walk to the plate and I was Metsmerized. I read play by play and jarred my memory of the 8th inning comeback. Hooked for life.

I sat in a box right behind the Astros' dugout, with two school chums on a sunny day at Shea. One of my high school teachers provided the transportation, but he had to sit in the bleachers. Whenever Ron Swoboda batted, we chanted, "Dubcek, Swoboda! Dubcek Swoboda!" (There was some sort of rebellion going on in Czechoslovakia, and those were the names of the leaders.) My most vivid memory of the game was in the end of the nightcap, watching poor Astros' pitcher Denny Lemaster walking back to the dugout after losing the game in extra innings. You could see by the grimace on his face that it had been a bad day for him; he was the starter in the first game of the doubleheader, and credited with the loss in that one, too!

I was 6 years old. ust beginning to like and understand baseball. This was my very first of many trips to Shea Stadium. From the start I always loved the Mets.

I would like to add to my memory of being 6 years old going to my first Mets game. My father drove us to the game in his 1966 Galaxie 500. As we are on the Grand Central Parkway and as we got closer he told me look out the window. There it was: this huge stadium with those blue and orange speckles on the outside. I was in such awe of the stadium. Shea Stadium will always be my favorite stadium. I will never forget that moment when I was 6.

Just picked up for my collection a signed scorecard from this game. Signed by Dan Frisella, Dave Marshall and Jerry Grote. Good stuff.

Bud Harrelson's two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the seventh gives the Mets enough to beat the Astros and Wade Blasingame, 2-1.

Blasingame had been 9-0 against the Mets coming into this game. Since entering the league in 1963, Blasingame had a career record of 44-49.

I was at junior high baseball practice when my sister came rushing from the parking lot. My dad had gotten tickets to the Met game that night. Of course, I had to ask Coach Pranzo for permission to leave and he told me, "Yes, but remember the Mets don't come to see you play." I thought, "Duh" and ran inside to change.....Anyway, we went and Marshall hit a grand slam and I've got black & white photos of him rounding first base somewhere in my attic.

I was 12 and went to the game with my dad. It was the young Nolan Ryan in all his frustrating glory. I think the leadoff hitter got a hit for the Astros, then Ryan drilled Bob Watson on the wrist with a triple-digit fastball and Watson had to leave the game.

From that point on, the Astros didn't dig in at the plate as Ryan was electric and wild all night. He walked 7, but only gave up two more hits the rest of the way. On the car radio driving home we heard the newscasters talking about Ryan finally solving his chronic blister problems by soaking his fingers in pickle brine.

He wasn't the guy you'd expect to throw 7 no-hitters when he was with the Mets, but he was a lot of fun and never more so than this night.

Watching this game on TV as a young kid who was new to baseball, I saw a grand slam for the first time in my life. Thank you, Dave Marshall for introducing me to the biggest of all home runs.

Dave Marshall's grand slam in this game was the second of his career. This one extended the Mets' lead to 8-1 over the Astros. Marshall hit his big homer on the same night that Cleveland's Steve Dunning slugged his own slam against the Oakland Athletics, which turned out to be the last by an American League pitcher before the DH came around. There's a strange coincidence in that a player named Harrelson was on base for both of these grand slams. Bud was the runner on second for Marshall's and Ken was on third for Dunning's.

Astros turn their first triple play in franchise history. (Jack Billingham, Roger Metzger, Denis Menke, Doug Rader)

Figures that it would come against the Mets!

Cleon hit into the triple play with Agee and Boswell on base.

I was 13 year old kid from Georgia visiting relatives in Texas; insisted on seeing game at the Dome (no one else a b'ball fan). VERY HOT DAY.

Have always remembered the triple play BUT it was not a line drive triple play. It was a double play (runners on 1st and 2nd) that turned into a TP when the runner on second attempted to advance after the DP. I remember Doug Rader placing the tag at third and holding his glove aloft after taking the throw from 1st baseman Menke (?). No one else in the crowd I was with realized the rarity of what transpired but I knew immediately it was a triple play. It was so smoothly executed (in the way that only major leaguers can do it) that it appeared to be a double play. Favorite childhood memory of mine.

This was the first game I ever attended - I was 9 years old. I seem to remember that the Mets scored 3 runs apiece in the first three innings. The Astros scored three in either the 3rd or the 4th, and that was the end of the scoring for the day. My only other memory was of Cleon Jones leaping above the fence to rob one of the Astro hitters (can't remember who) of a home run.

To clarify an earlier post on this game, the Mets scored three in the first and three more in the second to take an early 6-0 lead. Bill Greif started for the Astros, and left without retiring a batter (two singles and two walks) in his second major league start.

Houston got to within 6-3 with a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth, but the Mets scored three more times for the 9-3 win.

Cleon Jones had a big day, going 3-for-4 plus a walk with five RBIs. He drove in two in the first with a single, two more in the second with a double, and then had another double in the sixth to drive in the final run of the game.

My first game too. We were sitting behind the Mets' dugout a few rows back. My most vivid memory is of Teddy Martinez making an out and slamming his batting helmet into the ground.

The world look wonderful from the upper deck that fine June evening. All was well in Metville (never mind the loss), the Mets were in 1st, Willie Mays was in NY, a wonderful summer awaited. Then, reality! Staub starts an incredible sequence of injuries which ends up with Duffy Dyer playing right in August.

But I do remember that wonderful heady feeling only a kid can have at a ballgame in June when your team is in first.

Other lasting memory, for some reason, is catcher Larry Howard's (Is that right, isn't he one of the Stooges?) HR over the 396 sign in left.

It was my 13th birthday and I saw my favorite Met, Duffy Dyer, drill a double down the left field line. It was Helmet Day and there were over 55,000 blue helmets blanketing the stands on a sunny Saturday.

The Mets lose under the dome to Larry Dierker and the Astros, 3-0.

Dierker, having seen his teammate Jerry Reuss pitch a one-hit shutout the day before against the Phillies, goes out and pitches his own one- hit shutout. Duffy Dyer had the only Mets hit, a leadoff single to center in the third inning.

I had been to Mets' games before this one but this is the probably the oldest Met game I went to that I actually remember some of the game.

My most lasting memory is Tommie Agee dropping a flyball (I thought he dropped two in the game, but the box score lists him with one error). As a 9-year-old who idolized Agee, I couldn't believe it. He was my sister's favorite player. He was clearly nearing the end of his Mets' tenure and I guess they put him in right field to make room for Willie (I didn't even remember that). Fans booed him! He also struck out twice in the game, according to the box.

I also remember Jim Beauchamp going deep twice, yes twice, in that game, winning it with a homer in the bottom of the ninth. Now that was unbelievable and unforgettable. I remember walking out raving about Jim Beauchamp of all people. That was probably the high point of his career.

This was a game I remember very well. It was an exciting victory on a night that clearly belonged to the late Jim Beauchamp.

In the 7th inning, the game was tied, 1-1, when Jim homered to put the Mets in front. The Astros retied it, but in the bottom of the 9th, Jim came up with a runner on base. He blasted a 2-run homer that landed in the Houston bullpen in left field. The Mets had won in dramatic fashion thanks to Jim's heroics.

These were Jim's first two home runs of the season - and they were huge. He, naturally, made an appearance on "Kiner's Korner" that night. Not a bad way for the man to celebrate his 33rd birthday!

My first game. What an experience! 9 yrs old, in the upper deck, section 1, and the untold vastness of the place! The booming sound of the PA. The greenest green, the bluest blue, and those chipped wooden seats. I think the scorecard was 75cents and the genl admission was 1.35! I got a Tug McGraw pin and wore it the rest of the summer. I figured I was good luck for the Mets, cause they won that night. I wonder if the thrill is the same for kids today?

Interesting trivia note about this game: This was the night of the real-life bank robbery in Flatbush that inspired the movie "Dog Day Afternoon." The two robbers and their hostages passed their time inside the bank listening to the Mets game on the radio. The Mets did better than the robbers did.

Was staying with my grandmother in The Bronx and she took me to this game. She really wasn't much of a baseball fan. I was 8 years old and already a big Mets fan. Living in The Bronx she would always say "I was never into baseball especially The Yankees .But after 2 brothers and a husband it took my grandson Stuart to turn me into a Mets fan." I'll never forger that night, Grandma. Let's Go Mets!!!

The first of many games I have attended with the guy who would become my lifelong best friend. He was 13 and I was 12 then, we are 59 and 58 today. For some reason, I remember Lute Barnes and Jim Beauchamp playing in this one.

Our most recent game together was the David Wright tribute on 9/29/18. In between, we've been to lots of regular season games as well as those of the Mets in the NLDS and NLCS, the Yankees in the ALDS and ALCS, and both teams in the World Series. We were at Shea on 8/24/73 for Mets 1, Giants 0 in 10 innings - a barnburner we still talk about in which Juan Marichal and Jerry Koosman both went the distance, at Yankee Stadium on 8/4/85 for Tom Seaver's 300th win (he won his 110th on this night), at Shea on 10/9/88 for the Mike Scioscia heartbreaker (30+ years on, we're still waiting for Davey to bring in Randy Myers to relieve Gooden), at Yankee Stadium on 6/16/97 for Dave Mlicki's shutout in the first subway series game, and at Shea on 10/26/00 for the Game 5 elimination loss to the Yankees.

We have mentally marked our calendars for 8/22/22 when, if the Mets have a home game, we plan to attend together to mark our 50th anniversary.

This was my very first ML baseball game. I was 11 years old and had started following the Mets the year before. Since that game, I have frequently thought about that game. What I recall was that it was a very warm, sunny , Wednesday afternoon. I went to the game with my dad and one of his friends. Living in NJ, we somehow took the subway to get to Shea. We ended up with pressbox seats down the 1B line, near right field. I was so excited to actually see the field and the players in-person! I remember Jerry Koosman pitching against Larry Dierker and the Astros. The Mets lost the game. For years I thought the final score was 7-1 Astros. But I recently went to a local library and looked for the boxscore from that very day on microfilm, and the score was 7- 4 Astros. Koosman did lose to Dierker. Other than the Mets losing, it was a great day. Life was so simple then....

Wow, 40 years ago today. I went to the game with my brother and my cousin. We always took the bus from NJ in to Shea a few times during the summer. Great pitching matchup but Mets lost. I was 15 years old. What I remember most was my family moved across town that day. We woke up and left for the game from one house and returned to another.

I was at this game. They lost, but I still had a good time.

I remember the Astros had built an 8-0 lead in this game, going into the 7th or 8th inning before the Mets exploded and went on to win the game. I believe Ken Boswell had 4 hits, a highlight in a rather dismal season for him. I actually scored this game at home but the actual scorecard disappeared a long time ago. This might be their greatest single comeback game ever.

I remember watching this game with my Dad (he was a Yankee fan, but let me watch the Mets sometimes!) Well, I remember getting bored and sleepy as the Astros mounted an 8-0 win and decided to amble up to bed. Sure enough, the next morning my dad showed me the sports section and I read, much to my surprise and delight, New York 11, Houston 8. As manager Yogi Berra said, "It ain't 0ver 'til it's over!"

A spectacular comeback by the Mets on a Saturday night under the Astrodome.

Brent Strom started this game but gave up four runs in four innings, and relievers Ray Sadecki and Bob Rauch allowed four more, so it was 8-0 Astros and the Mets were down to their last six outs.

Houston starter Don Wilson was breezing along, having allowed just four hits through seven. But in the eighth, the Mets exploded for seven runs. The key hits were a three run homer by Ken Boswell and a two-RBI single by Wayne Garrett.

Then in the ninth, Agee led off with a walk and Boswell singled him to second (his fourth hit of the game). John Milner reached on an error by Doug Rader and that tied the game. After Ed Kranepool was intentionally walked, Cleon singled to drive in two. Wayne Garrett finished the scoring with an RBI single to drive Cleon home. Jones, Garrett, and Boswell had three RBIs each in the game.

This is the largest Mets comeback in history to date - surpassing the infamous Y2K game against the Braves when the Mets exploded for ten runs in the 8th to overcome an 8-1 deficit.

This was truly one of the Mets' greatest come-from-behind wins. After seven innings, the Astros had a lead of 8-0, the same score by which they beat the Mets in the previous game. It looked like a case of indoor lightning striking twice at the Astrodome. The Mets then put together a rally with seven runs in the eighth and four more in the ninth for an amazing victory.

The Mets had twelve hitters come up to bat in the eighth inning. They followed up with another ten batters in the ninth. I can't verify this fact, but it might be the only time ever that the Mets sent more than nine men to the plate in two consecutive innings.

How bizarre Tommie Agee's 1st game as an opponent against the Mets. Just as bizarre as when Tom Seaver pitched against the Mets for the 1st time as a Cincinnati Red ????

I remember that it was a dreary, cold and damp Saturday afternoon with sporadic light rain. It was my 15th birthday. We had box seats along the 1st Base side. I remember Cedeno's long home run and Rusty's double. I remember Jim McAndrew looking real sad and frustrated on the soggy Shea mound that afternoon. Even the Astros pitcher managed a double. The day was entirely dismal.

I remember getting Watson May and Helms auto graphs by the 3rd base railing in my program. In those days many of the athletes were from the go away kid you bother me syndrome, but those Astros were very accessible. We left after the seventh and heard the rest of the game in the car over the Whitestone and my friend's dad saying we didn't miss anything...

Going to this game was a present for my 9th birthday. It also happened to be Willie Mays' 42nd birthday. Before the game the Mets brought a cake to home plate and Jane Jarvis played "Happy Birthday" on the Thomas organ. Looked like it was going to be a happy birthday until Tug McGraw came in and had an awful outing.

I remember going to this game with my grandmother who lived in Maspeth, Queens. It was a great experience seeing Willie Mays perform just a smidgeon like the legend that he is.

The thing I remember most about this game is that my childhood friend Patrick was there. It was the first game Patrick ever attended and he saw Jon Matlack pitch a one-hit shutout, facing only 28 batters to do it. Matlack began the night with five perfect innings, during which Wayne Garrett caught a solid line drive and Rusty Staub made a great play at the wall to take away an extra-base hit. Tommy Helms then led off the top of the sixth with a double that got past Garrett and went down the left field line. Jon shut down the Astros after that and ended the game the way he started it, with a strikeout of Tommie Agee. One of the best pitched games in Mets history.

I met Duffy Dyer at a bank grand opening that day. Bill Lauber did bank promotions in NJ. He got me to the front of the line that day to meet Duffy.

The bank opening was in the morning. That night we watched this game, my Dad and Mom and I. Duffer drove in the game winning run. He went on Kiner's Korner and said, "Wow it’s been so long since I have been here, Ralph." I thought, wow, I met him today and there he is tonight winning the game on tv!

I just saw Duffy at Mets fantasy camp and told him the story but Duffy is not that emotional about that stuff!

Great memories great site here !

Last night was the 50th anniversary of this game! I was there (age 13) with my aunt, uncle and 2 cousins from Brooklyn, and I still have the program and yearbook. I had never been to a Mets game because I was a Baltimore resident at the time visiting my relatives. I was thrilled to see Willie Mays play in person, hoping to see him hit a home run. The closest he got was to hit a pop fly to shallow center, but nonetheless it was still great to see Willie. A great player, and a really nice guy, from what I've read.

Lee May hit a homer off Jerry Kooseman that may still be going. Tommie Agee came off the Houston bench to deliver an rbi hit, and got a nice hand from the Shea crowd. The only good thing for the Mets that happened that day was Fregosi was sold to Texas.

I was 8 years old and it was my first baseball game. My father and I sat on the first base side so I could see Rusty better. I was taken out of the game prety early, the score being 6-1 after about 4 innings. Rusty went 0 for 4. We had box seats and I remember two elderly black men sat next to us and they were Houston fans! What was that about? Then, as fathers will do, it was the old let's beat the traffic deal. So we left around the middle of the eighth. Thanks for letting me track down this game so I could find the date!

On this night Mets LF Bennie Ayala hit a home run in his first major league at bat. It came with one out in the bottom of the second off Houston RHP Tom Griffin.

My dad took me to this game for my 14th birthday and we sat in the left field Mezzanine among a bunch of Benny Ayala's extended family - cousins, uncles and such. They were thrilled that Benny was starting in his first Major League game and when he hit a Home Run in his first at-bat they went wild, hugging and kissing each other (and us!)

It was a great memory I often shared with my father for many years afterwards, and remains one of my fondest memories of time spent with him.

Back when night games started at 8:05, my sister and her boyfriend took me. We left our house in Bridgeport a little before 7:30 and as we were walking to our seats I saw this #18 circling the bases. I had no idea who he was. It was Benny.

This was also the first of four starts that the Mets gave Tug McGraw at the end of the 1974 season. I'm not sure whether it was a test to see whether to convert him back to a starter in 1975 or to increase his potential trade value, but of course, he was eventually traded to the Phillies.

I brought a banner my friend and I made out of a manilla folder to this game - years later we had our Citi Field brick inscribed with the same message. I sat in the loge on the 3rd base side and kept score. Still have that program with my 11 year old's scratchy handwriting denoting Benny's blast.

This was my 10th birthday .... I think that they gave away "photo albums" that day. I can remember my father bringing several of my friends to the game and we all got those great photo albums with framable (sp?) pictures of Teddy Martinez.

It was Dairylea photo album day, and Shea was packed. It was my first trip to a big-legue game and Seaver completely dominated Houston that afternoon. I've been a Met fan my whole life, and I'll never forget that game.

This was my very first Met game. I was 11 years old, and could not sleep the night before in anticipation of going to my first game. I remember that it was a Thursday afternoon, 4:05PM start, and most of the Met subs started that day, like Theodore, Martinez and Dyer. However, Tom Seaver started, and pitched his finest game of that subpar season, in which he went 11-11. I'll never forget the feeling I had when I saw the field in person for the first time. We got great seats in Loge behind home plate, first row. That day will live in my memory forever.

Wow, apparently this was a first for many people. I was 8, and this was the first Mets game I ever attended. It was a make-up game for a rain-out earlier in the year and my Dad and I drove out to Shea at the last minute because he heard tickets were still available. The seats weren't terrific, but Tom sure was.

I was seven years old and this was the first game I ever went to. For some reason I always thought that this game was played on a Sunday. I remember that the place was packed and that Tom Seaver pitched a shut-out that day.

My parents are from France, so this was also the first game my father, mother, and sister attended. My sister’s friend was supposed to come with us, but she stepped on a bee that morning.

My father wasn’t a baseball fan, but he really enjoyed watching George Theodore play. He thought that the gangly outfielder was funny. My mother became a baseball fan and Rusty was her favorite player. My sister loved Wayne Garrett and Buddy Harrelson was my favorite.

We were all happy that day because each person’s favorite player was in the game. I remember my sister and I were really excited to receive the photo album. It seams strange now, but in those days it was really rare to find large color pictures of baseball players. My sister cut each individual picture and tacked them to her wall. I remember they stayed on her wall for about two years.

My sister remained a Met fan until Wayne Garrett was traded for Pepe Manguel. Then she switched her allegiance and started following the Yankees (How terrible!). My mother and I remain Mets fan until this day.

This was my first MLB game as well. I was 8 years old, and my family was up from D.C. visiting friends. Made me a life-long Mets fan. I vividly remember Seaver pitching the complete game, and that it was a shutout. I had forgotten about the photo albums until visiting this site. Wow, brings back memories. I also recall that Seaver had to pitch his way out of a (bases-loaded?) jam in one of the later innings to preserve the goose egg. Anyone else recall that?

I remember the News joking the next day on the back page saying if you were gone for the whole summer and thought the Mets were in a pennant race with packed house you would be mistaken. I loved my photo album and Seaver pitched very well in an off year for him....

This was the wildest Mets game of 1975 and it's in my top 10 of greatest regular-season games I ever saw.

What I love about the Mets teams of the past was their ability to come back. You'd have thought that the Mets were dead in the water after Houston jumped out to a 7-1 lead. But what do the Amazin's do? Right. Match the five runs and make it a game.

I think it was also the game that kind of put Dave Kingman on the map as a home run hitter. I recall him hitting two bombs and the Shea Stadium crowd going berserk. So was this then 12-year old from his bedroom.

I also remember yelling over to a couple of area playmates who were next door in a swimming pool that the Mets had won and watching them splash around in joy.

What a game... should've scored it!

Joe, you are quite right. This is one of my favorite Met games ever....yet few people ever talk about it because '75 was not a pennant-winning season or maybe because the Mets were just mediocre. Anyway, I was 8 and living in Roselle Park and yet it seems like it was yesterday. The Mets got off to a terrible start. They were down 7-1. Kingman comes up and hits a three-run shot in the 5th. This was the same inning in which Jack Heidemann hit a routine fly to Cesar Cedeno in center. Cedeno lost it in the sun, it broke his thumb and Heidemann had a triple. Cedeno, it is often said, was never the same player after a shooting incident. But this also contributed to his demise from superstar status to merely a decent player. Anyway, I saw the first Kingman homer, then my mom and sister take me out to go food shopping in Elizabeth. The game see-saws. I get back and the Astros are up 9-7 in the bottom of the eighth. Up comes Kingman again and again he swats a three- run shot. Mets win it, 10-9. Of course watching it all again on Kiner's Korner was sweet! So many twists and turns.

Wow, Barry, you jogged my memory big time about Cedeno misplaying the pop fly. Thank you. That was such a freakish thing... the kind of things that make the Mets so Amazin'

Anyway, I would love to try and find a color video of this game. Anyone?

I had my cheap Kodak camera at this game,the orange-yellow rainbow jerseys of the Astros came out great. After Kingman hit his 2nd homer, the scoreboard had "DAVE" in huge type. Was one of the most exciting regular season games I've ever been to. I was from upstate NY and only could go to one game a year, what a treat that this was the one I got to.

For some reason, I remember the Mets getting two outfield assists in this game. And the plays were carbon copies of each other because it seemed to be the same Astro player who got thrown out at the plate each time. Each time there were at least two runners on. The batter gets a hit each time. The first runner just trots home from third base, but the other player following him is just FLYING around third and sliding into home only to be tagged out. And I think they both ended an inning as well.

Can anyone back me up on this one?

I JUST found this site, although I think I heard about it before. Thank you for all of the comments I read above, even though they are 8 to 10 years old, they are great to read, BECAUSE THIS GAME was my FIRST ever baseball game I attended as a 9 year old. Attended with my Dad and my Uncle, both were Yankee fans. I remember when the Mets were down big in this game, they asked me if I was ready to leave and of course there was NO way I was leaving my first game early. I remember the Cedeno play and the wildness around that and of course when the Mets came back and Kingman had the second home run, that was incredible.

This is the game Joe Torre hit into 4 double plays after all Felix Millan's 4 singles

This game wasn't broadcast on TV, but I read about it in the papers the next day. I think Joe was quoted in jest that when he retires, he was going to buy himself a shortstop and hit groundballs to him. At the time of this writing, Joe Torre is the manager of the New York Yankees and his shortstop is Derek Jeter. A premonition?

This was the first time I saw Mike Vail. If I remember correctly Mike homered on his first at bat. He seemed like he was born to be in MLB, he was a natural, or at least that is what he seemed to me. Mike hit a couple of home runs in the next three days. I lost track of whom I thought would be one of baseballs greatest assets, but, I'll never forget his first at bat this day in 1975. Warm Regards,(No.-ONE Met FANATIC)

Take a look at this box score. Richard gives up 8 hits, 10 walks, PB on a strikeout and 2 wild pitches and the Mets still got shut out over 10 innings.

This was the third Mets game I attended in 1976. July 15, 1976 was two days before my seventh birthday, but I remember parts of the game vividly. I sat behind the Astros dugout with my parents in one of the first ten rows. Kingman's home run was monstrous. I remember it went out near the light brown brick wall that used to be in left. There was talk at the time that Kingman might hit 60, but then he got hurt. Koosman was magic that night on his way to a 20+ win season. It was a beautiful night all the way around. I remember Bob Watson hit a towering popup for the Astros that I was sure was going to hit a plane that was flying overhead at the same time.

This was my first major league game, and I went with my Mom. I was a six year old Yankees fan, but my mom wasn't willing to drive to the South Bronx in 1976 (can't blame her) so we went to Shea. My only vivid memory of the game came from the Old Timers Day ceremony. Joe DiMaggio, in his Yankees uniform walked onto the field through the center field gate. He was accompanied by Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, and Willie Mays (in a Mets uniform).

I don't recall this being an Old Timers Day. I do remember Ceasar Cedeno taking Seaver downtown into the left field loge in the first inning for the game's only run. Andujar threw a complete game shutout for the 'stros.

I went to this game with my parents when I was 15. I do remember it being Old Timers Day. We sat down the 3rd base line in field reserve seats. I actually remember the 1st inning home run hit by Cedeno. Other than that hit, Seaver pitched a gem, but Andujar shut the Mets down. I was so disappointed that the Mets could not muster up a couple of runs to win the game for Seaver.

I remember this game well. It marked the end of an era - the Tom Seaver era. Art Howe made the final out in the Astrodome and there was a sense of sadness surrounding the Mets as they knew Seaver had pitched his final game for New York. Just days later, M. Donald Grant sent Seaver packing to the Reds for players such as Doug Flynn, Pat Zachry and Steve Henderson.

I remember watching Art Howe's fly ball settle in Kingman's glove and thinking "They can't trade Seaver,they can't..." The could and they did; two days later, along with Kingman. Art Howe joined the growing line of notable last Met outs (Joe Torre, Davey Johnson) to come back and manage the Mets. What are Kevin Bass and Marty Barrett up to these days?

I just turned 10 years old and remember John Stearns running out to the mound after the last out hugging Seaver saying "Don't go"

The Day After.....

This one I always remember, it was my first ever Met game at the ripe age of 7. Went with my parents and another couple. 2 things I remember most: The banner saying 'Grant has a fever since we traded Seaver' (the Seaver trade was the day before) and sitting on Willie Mays' lap in the Diamond Club. A Met fan was born on this day..

This game was weird. The Mets played bad, well, that's not unusual. But Manager Joe Torre played in his last game, after he already took over the helm. He pinch-hit late in the game. I was hoping that he would hit a home run, but no, he popped out to center. That would've been so cool if the manager won the game at bat. Apparently his managerial career with the Mets was a lazy fly ball to center as well.

Take a look at the box score of this game. It's very interesting. Three Mets managers all played in the game: Joe Torre, Bobby Valentine and Art Howe!

Mark, thanks for the trivia...and when I looked at the boxscore I also noticed that Lee Mazzilli, a current ML Manager, and Bob Watson, a former ML General Manager, also played in this game!

I had bought tickets for this game because Seaver was supposed to start for the Mets. Then The Midnight Massacre happened two days before. I went anyway but vowed not to return until the team was sold or Seaver was brought back. I did not return until 1981. All I recall about the game was sitting there fuming, totally annoyed at the Mets, Dick Young, the deRoulet family and that stodgy, out-of-touch M. Donald Grant for essentially ruining the team. I do remember Torre's last AB. At that point he was the player/manager but his managerial "genius" would not be displayed with this bunch. No manager could have gotten this team to win.

I was at this game with my dad and a friend-- Seaver was supposed to start, but we got Zachry instead. My friend and I decided to make a "banner"--though we could only find a piece of cardboard on short notice--on which we wrote "M. Donald Grant Sucks." As "cute" as it may have been for two 10 year olds holding up such a sign, I am guessing we didn't make it on to the WOR broadcast that night!

33 years later and my feelings have not changed one bit!

This was my first game, I was seven. Mets had an early lead against Astros' pitcher Mark Lemongello, brother of singer, Peter Lemongello. Astros came back to win 4-3. I believe Ed Kranepool and John Milner hit home runs.

This was the first game I ever went to. I remember Ed Kranepool hitting a home run and the Mets blew a 3-0 lead. I was 8. How about those cool rainbow jerseys?

My church youth group was the guest of Mets owner Linda DeRoulet at this game. She gave us box seats at field level right next to the Mets dugout (basically, right next to her) for a game that was practically sold out. It was all under one condition: that we not ask her why she traded Tom Seaver.

The game itself wasn't all that memorable. We wasted home runs from John Milner (off the scoreboard) and Ed Kranepool. Also, John Stearns got doubled off second base on a line drive to the pitcher to end the game. He had managed to reach second base because he tagged up on a pop up to the catcher by the backstop. A very heads up play only to be followed by an elementary mistake. Such was their way back then.

After the game, Ms. DeRoulet took us through the dugout to her private exit (must be nice to have money) and I can distinctly remember seeing Bud Harrelson from two feet away slumped on the bench as if all the life had been sucked out of him. Then again, all the Mets looked like they had the lives sucked out of them.

I knew then that it was the beginning of a very, very dark era. *sigh*

Leaving the stadium, I remember my dad saying "It'll be a long time before I darken this doorstep again." And for him, it was. Also, it was the last big crowd at Shea for a long long time as the post-Seaver era unfortunately began.

My dad and mom were Brooklyn Dodger fans and will forever keep Walter O'Malley in a dark place in thier hears for moving dem Bums to LA. DeRoulet holds that place in my heart.

I had my 13th birthday party with 7 or 8 friends and my mom at this game. We drove up from New Haven, Ct. I remember more about leaving the game and the fans (including me) surly about the loss of Seaver. It was still a fun party. Question: Was it Bat (or some other promotion) Day?

BTW-I don't know what the Mets record was at this point for games I attended, but I know they lost the first 13 I went to.

We sat right behind home plate for this game - I was 8 and 1977 was the first year I started following baseball. I don't remember much about the game other than the mammoth home run Milner hit off the scoreboard in right-center. I don't think I've ever heard a louder crack of the bat in the over 100 games I've been to.

Wow it amazes me that I was 8 and this was definitely my first game as well. Seems like it was for a few. I vividly remember the banner "Grant has a fever 'cause we traded Seaver" Don't honestly remember much about the game but we had good seats.

I was at this midweek afternoon doubleheader. A rare good day for the Mets as they swept. I remember that the latest incarnation of Lassie entertained between games.

My brother, my cousin, and I were at this double-header. I was 8 years old, and I remember it so vividly, because my brother caught a foul ball hit by the Astros' Terry Puhl. Mets won the 2nd game in their last at bat and I believe Willie Montanez scored from first on a long double.

Remember listening to this doubleheader on the car radio as our family drove to Cape Cod -- until the signal started to wane the further we went east. Earning the sweep gave this 13 year old fan at the time great cause for optimism.

Manager Joe Torre and utilityman Bobby Valentine were both ejected from this game by Joe West in the bottom of the seventh---and Valentine wasn't even playing!

With nobody out and a runner at first, Enos Cabell grounded into a routine 6-4-3 double play (it seemed), but West claimed that Doug Flynn was guilty of the "neighborhood" play and was not on the base, so he called Dave Bergman safe at second.

Torre came out to argue and was tossed out, and I guess Bobby V was holding a conversation from the bench inviting West to Connecticut to open a restaurant with him.

Frank Taveras makes a particularly feeble attempt to field a routine Jeff Leonard grounder, which goes thru his legs to score an unearned run.

I was working for National Airlines and had to take a milk run flight to Houston. Leaving from JFK we had stops in Norfolk, VA, Jacksonville, FL ,and New Orleans LA before arriving. Although the Mets lost the game, it was fun watching a game indoors and enjoying the Astrodome experience. I still have the ticket and scorecard.

I went to this game, but don't remember it. I know I went because I found the ticket stub in my collection, but have no memory of it. Joe Niekro pitched a two-hitter, so I should remember that. Didn't go to too many two-hitters, but this one completely escapes me.

Great finish to this game. Falcone had apparently gotten the last out but time had been called. Kranepool at 1B thinking the game over goes to the clubhouse. Falcone again gets the apparent third out but game is protested on account of the Mets only having 8 men on the field. The league upheld the protest and the Mets had to get the third out the next day. Kobel got the last out and then continued as the starting pitcher for the next game without any stoppage between games.

What a bizarre ending, as Ed pointed out above. The Mets had to get the final out 3 times! Pete Falcone, who was suffering through a miserable season, had just pitched a complete game shutout- -but lo and behold, the ump ruled that some infielder had called time, so he had to do the last pitch over. This time, Pete gave up a single and lost his shutout before retiring the next batter. But because of the protest (I had forgotten about that), they had to it once more the next day. So they ended up getting the shutout, but hard-luck Falcone didn't get credit for the complete game.

Found this on This day in Astro's history - A bizarre ending comes to Pete Falcone's 5-0 shutout of Houston. Jeff Leonard gets three turns at bat. He flies out to right for the final out but an umpire had called time before the pitch. Three pitches later, Leonard singles while Met first baseman Ed Kranepool is sitting in the clubhouse. Finally, with Kranepool back on the field, Leonard flies out again. Houston wins the protest but Jose Cruz finishes it the next day, grounding out with Leonard on first.

This is the only Mets game I have been to. I'm from California but was touring NY with my dad at the time and sitting behind third base. I remember when Mazzilli caught the initial Leonard fly ball, the scoreboard flashed "PETE" in huge letters. Then when play resumed, I was also guilty of not noticing Kranepool's absence. I know there were only three umpires that night, but what about the first base coach, second baseman, right fielder, battery, Torre and all of the coaches and reserves in the Mets dugout on the first base side? If Leonard had noticed, he could have bunted anywhere and reached base. Then Astros' manager Bill Virdon argued long enough to allow Kranepool to return from the clubhouse. I think Virdon even got tossed. I just recently found out about the protest and resumption of the game the following day.

Okay I was there as well that night sitting in the mezzanine box seats behind home plate ($1.50 to get in and $1 to the usher) Here is what actually happened: Leonard flys out to end the game and as was customary when the Mets won that year (which wasnt often) the Mets Owner/President Ms. Lorinda De Roulet was being escorted to the mound to congratulate the winning pitcher (Falcone) when the umpires ruled that time had been called prior to the last pitch. Kranepool had already gone to the clubhouse and I distinctly remember that after order was restored and as Falcone was delivering the pitch Kranepool was on the top step of the dugout trying to get to his position but before time could be called and anyone realized it Leonard had lined a basehit to centerfield. The umpires convened and ruled that the hit did not count because there were only 8 defensive players on the field for the Mets when Leonard hit it. The Astros announced they were protesting the game. Leonard then flied out and the game we thought was over. The league President ruled that night that the protest was upheld and the final out had to be played the next day with Kobel pitching thus costing Falcone the shutout.

Strange day. Kobel first had to get the last out to complete the game from the previous day (see the post for that game). The Mets won the continued game 5-0. Then Kobel continued on as the starting pitcher for the scheduled game - and lost it.

I was at this game with my brother Andrew. We didn't know about the fuss with Kranepool not being on the field the day before, but learned later. How you could play a third of an inning without anyone -- umpires, players, coaches, broadcasters -- noticing there was no first baseman. They ran Kobel out to end the game, and Torre protested having to finish it. After that absurdity, Kobel started the real game and lost anyway. I forgot that John Stearns played third base that day. Day game after a night game, I guess. He didn't do too well there, either. I think Richie Hebner was booed as a pinch-hitter. I remember the Cruz home run.

This was a Friday night contest at Shea that my brother Michael, his then-girlfriend Carol, and my cousin Rosemarie went to. Apart from myself, none of them were big baseball fans. For the time, I guess this was the strangest combination of people that I accompanied to a Mets game in person.

During the match, there was a man of Spanish descent sitting two or three rows behind us in Loge (we were directly behind home plate). All he kept saying was, "Let's go, Astros" in a heavy accent. He just wouldn't shut up. My brother was so annoyed with this fan that he was thinking of actually going up there and beating the hell out of him. But I persuaded him not to, saying that I was here for the game and that I'm not going to get into any embarrassing situations resulting in my missing a Mets victory. My brother decided to give peace a chance and calmed down.

Although the Astros put up a quick four-spot against Pacella, I figured the Mets would still have a chance to win; given that this was the period in 1980 where they went 47-39 and were looking pretty competitive. I was right. Lots of excitement abounded after Steve Henderson hit one of the Mets' 61 homers to lead the Amazin's to the comeback win and shut that Astros fan up for good.

When I recall this game with friends and fellow baseball fans, I refer to it as "Hot August Night at Shea" because of my brother's anger at that fan as well as the Mets' comeback victory.

I went to this game as a kid. Me, my dad, I'm trying to remember if my cousin went too. Definitely up in what were then the basically empty green seats. Great comeback after a tough start.

The things that stick in your mind. The Mets had come from behind the previous two nights to win. On this Sunday afternoon, they fell behind and began to rally. Steve Albert blurted, "it wouldn't be right if the Mets didn't have to come from behind!" In one of the earliest examples of my baseball intuition, I knew that was the wrong thing to say. The Mets lost. They shouldn't have fallen behind. Shut up Steve Albert, wherever you are.

Mookie's homer won it for the Mets in the bottom of the 8th, and as he rounded the bases, a large and obviously drunk guy behind us stood up and started gyrating and singing "Mookie Mookie Mookie Mookie..."

This game has long since been forgotten by most, but for us, it was the night the Mookie Dance was born.

Going to this game (my only Mets game in '81 due to the strike) was the only highlight of a dreadful summer for me because I had to go to summer school and the fact that my relatives NO longer had their house due to a bad fire that happened before Christmas 1980 which meant NO backyard bbq or swimming pool. (They decided NOT to rebuild and they moved into smaller places.) Although I have ticket stubs from every Mets game I have attended from the late 70's on, I don't have the stub from this game. A cloudy afternoon affair which only 17,488 attended and where future Mets skipper Art Howe played 3B for the Astros. The Mets won 3-2.

I can't believe that anyone else has commented on this game! This was the infamous 9th Inning Seat Cushion Toss when Kingman hit a home run and the Mets were down 5-1 at the time and all of a sudden promotional seat cushions were flung from all sections of Shea and onto the field. I remember watching this on Ch. 9 and to this day, I still am amazed of what happened on that Saturday night.

I was at this game! I just got my driver's license and went to the game with my brother and two kids from our neighborhood. My brother is an Astros fan. The game was a typical 1982 Mets game, no pitching and no offense. People are banging their seat cushions hoping Dave Kingman is going to crank one out of the park. Sure enough in the 9th he hits one into the Houston bullpen and seat cushions go flying everywhere, all over the field. I remeber the Astros 1st baseman didn't even move while the cushions landed all around him.

I was also at this game with my friend Murray and also our H.S. Algebra teacher, Mr. Finch. And I do definitely remember everyone tossing the seat cushions onto the field. I held onto mine though, definitely did not want to let go of that freebie. LOL

The Mets lose their fifteenth in a row as Nolan Ryan two-hits them and strikes out nine. At this point the Mets are 50-80 and have gone 16-50 since June 20.

Ryan had a no-hitter for 7 innings until Ron Hodges singled with no one out in the eighth after Hubie Brooks reached on an error. The other Met hit was by Bob Bailor leading off the ninth.

I was at this game as a kid. Nolan Ryan dominated with a 2-hitter K'ing Mookie 3 times. Mets looked hopeless in a forgettable season. Not many fans at this game but they sure gave it to Kingman and George Foster all night!

I was at this game with the other seemingly couple hundred fans even with Nolan Ryan pitching. Nolie threw a 2-hitter I believe. Mets were horrible during these times. Fans were booing George Foster all game with Dave Kingman a close second. I remember the US Open across the parking lot had small matches going on during this game and saw a little of Wilander vs. Lendl which was more memorable than this Met team.

Ah, the night the Mets snapped a 15-game losing streak. I'll never forget seeing a TV crew's story afterwards. The reporter says: "The mood in the clubhouse could hardly be called a wild celebration..." At which point, Mets reliever Tom Hausman leaped from out of nowhere into the picture, clutching a bottle of champagne and screamed, "Who the (bleep) said this isn't a wild celebration!" Classic moment in an absolutely horrible year. One in which George Foster was brought in and hailed as the savior and ended up being booed at home by June and having fans outside Shea pelt his limo with batteries by July.

I was at Shea for this game, and I remember a skinny kid I had never heard of pinch-hitting for Mike Torrez. Such a clear memory as I watch him (on SNY) coaching for the Cardinals at Citi Field tonight, a mere 39 years later!

my god I had heard about a dwight gooooden I heard he was good my friend steve fratini told me gooden tonight gooden tonight I said great place to start astrodome I remember seeing gooden and I knew he would be a star I remember warner wolf saying the rookie gooooden tonight the idiot couldnt pronounce it right

I had to hide in the bedroom at an aunt's house to see this one during a family gathering. I couldn't miss Gooden's first start - not after all the hype. Still, I don't think anybody knew jsut how good he was going to get. To me anyway, this game was the start of fun ride in the mid '80s.

Instead of "Hit by Pitch: Thon" in the box score, it should read "Cold-Cocked by Mike Torrez: Thon". I can still hear the thud of the ball against Dickie's skull. The start of a very interesting year for the Metsies.

Mets opened the season with nine road games in 1984 as MLB tried starting the season primarily at warm weather sites. After splitting two games in Cincy, they completed a three game sweep at the Astrodome by pulling this game out in the final innings and people started to sit up and take notice that maybe the Mets finally had a good team again!

I'll never forget the sound of the ball hitting Dickie Thon's head. I sat there thinking to myself all these good young pitchers (Gooden, Darling, Terrell) and this guy screws something else up. On the bright side the sweep made me realize that this team was indeed a contender.

I remember watching the game on Ch. 9. It started at 7 pm New York time as the Astros at the time had Sunday night start times way before ESPN got involved with Major League Baseball. As for Dickie Thon's getting hit in the head by Mike Torrez, it was Torrez's second most infamous pitch that he threw in his career. (The first being the 1978 AL East playoff gopher ball he served up to Bucky Dent.)

This was the night that Dickie Thon's promising career was basically ruined. He got hit by a pitch and suffered an eye injury from which he never quite recovered. Thon was just coming off an All-Star season that resulted in a Silver Slugger award and a handful of MVP votes for himself. He still lasted another nine years in the major leagues, but the pitch in the eye likely reduced his production over that time.

An eerie thing about the pitch that struck Thon is that it came on the twentieth anniversary of another tragic event in Houston baseball. Colt .45s pitcher Jim Umbricht died of cancer on the same date in 1964.

Strawberry Sunday! Mets give out free sundays to celebrate 1983 Rookie of the Year Darryl Strawberry. Nolan Ryan gets a double on a sacrifice attempt that splits Doc and the second baseman and rolls into right field. Two runs score against Davey Johnson's famous "wheel play" defense.

My wife and I had just moved into our house and we took this week off. To get away from the constant cleaning and straightening up we decided to go to the game that night. Fortunately, my father knew a guy in the Mets' ticket office back then and I called him and he put aside two "X- seats" for us, right behind the plate under the screen. And so I got my first up close look at Dwight Gooden, from about the eighth row!

Doc didn't disappoint us, he went 8.1 innings, striking out 12, and despite giving up a leadoff triple to Bill Doran in the first inning, Gooden was the winner in this 4-2 Mets victory. Wally Backman had two singles and drove in 3 of the Mets' 4 runs.

Jesse Orosco came in to get the last two outs and struck out Ray Knight, who represented the tying run, to end the game.

I went to this game with my sister. We took advantage of an offer by turning in a pair of Coca-Cola cans and getting field-level seats at a discount. This was a promotion being run that season for Tuesday night games.

It turned out to be a great deal. The Mets beat the Astros, 4-3, pinning the loss on Nolan Ryan. George Foster hit a home run OVER the left field bullpen. It just disappeared into the darkness;a monster blast! Keith Hernandez also hit one out, putting the Mets ahead to stay and making Bruce Berenyi the winning pitcher.

One other memory from this night was that the people in front of us were counting the number of airplanes that flew overhead. By game's end, their tally had reached 50! A noisy night, but still well worth the (reduced) price.

An early season game that aired on SportsChannel, not seen by a lot of fans around NY. But it was a great contrast of pitching styles with Niekro's knuckleball and Gooden's pure power.

Doc ended up getting the best of this night, as he only gave up a 1st inning homer and nothing else.

The next day I found out that a man had fallen to his death from the upper level escalator. Link here: https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/02/sports/shea- spectator-dies-after-fall.html

Watched this one recently on the old tape. Gooden did not have his good stuff in this game. One of the few times during this period where he truly had to rely on battling and working around his lack of command. He did it well enough to win on this night and Danny Heep hit his 1st homer in place of the injured Straw.

Nolan Ryan strikes out Danny Heep leading off the sixth inning. It is strikeout number 4,000 of Ryan's career, making Ryan the first pitcher ever to strike out 4,000 batters.

Ryan finished this game with eleven strikeouts in seven innings but got a no-decision as the Mets got two unearned runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game, 3-3. Bill Doran singled--his fifth hit of the game--off Tom Gorman in the bottom of the twelfth to drive in Dickie Thon with the game-winner as the Mets fell 3.5 games behind the Cardinals.

I remember this date well: There was a block party/rummage sale happening on my block but I also had my trusty radio so I could listen to the famous charity rock concert called Live Aid (my area didn't get cable tv until '87) so we had only VHF and UHF. Later that night on Ch. 9, the Mets romped over the Astros but it would be a costly win as Gary Carter hurt his leg (I think) late in the game and would have to miss the All-Star Game at the Metrodome. Then almost 15 years later it would be deja vu all over again (thanks Yogi for that quote) when Piazza would have to miss the ASG in Atlanta due to the pitching of a very nasty man named Clemens and that happened on a Saturday before the ASG as well.

If Earned Runs decided the game, the Mets lose 4 - 0. The Mets score 16 unearned runs, this must be some kind of a record.

I was living in Houston at the time of this game and remember watching it. I didn't realize that the 'Stros gave up 16 unearned runs. The Houston announcers (including Larry Dierker) were beside themselves -- I thought over the 16 runs. Five errors -- yikes!

I was there. And I kept score and got the unearned total right ... as a 10-year-old!

The 16 unearned runs is 2nd-most.

The Indians scored 18 runs in a 27-3 win over the Red Sox in 1923.

The first meeting between the eventual playoff opponents, though no one knew how good Houston was at the time. Gooden pitched a shutout on a very overcast and drizzly night, only getting into trouble in the 9th inning. He loaded the bases with 1 out, then inducing a ground ball right back to him. A home to first double play to end the game.

I was 19 at the time....I was pretty psyched about going to this game not only because it was fireworks night, but the were playing the NL West leading Astros too....In my mind this game was legendary in the annals of Mets history......The score was tied 4-4 and went into extra innings....In the top of the 10th, Phil Garner hit a solo HR off of Jesse Orosco to put the Astros up 5-4, but in the bottom of the 10th, Darryl Strawberry and Ray Knight hit back to back HR's to win the game 6-5...Shea went ballistic!!!....I'll never forget it....What was funny though was when during the fireworks afterward when they were showing season highlights on the Diamondvision a shot of Jesse Orosco popped up on the screen and he got a resounding boo from the crowd (for giving up the homer to Garner in the top of the tenth earlier).....It was a great night. A sign of things to come.

This is also on my list of memorable Mets games. Darryl and Ray going back to back in the bottom of the 10th to win it. I remember Darryl's either hit or just about hit the flag pole in dead center. Ray's went into the bleechers in left center and they were going crazy! Just another in a long line of memorable victories in '86.

I was watching it on TV, classic McCarver call:

This one's hit to deep left field, way back, this ball IS....OUTTA HERE, THIS BALLGAME IS OVER AND I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!

Watched this at my best friend's house with our mouthiest Yankee fan friend.

He was really on our case in the bottom of the ninth, and then we got on his case. Lots of jumping, shouting, hugging...and the usual good- natured, Mets/Yankees bashing.

This game produced two strong visuals seared in my memory - Darryl's HR going over the CF wall and Ray Knight's over the LF wall.

Oh, not to mention Houston manager Hal Lanier trashing something in the dugout...

One of THE greatest Mets games ever, and what a harbinger of things to come! I remember watching this game with fellow Mets fan Mario in our Fort Washington Ave. apartment, and how nuts we both went when first Strawberry then Knight blasted HR's for the win. Lots of involuntary jumping and yelling. And I think I was not the only Mets fan thinking back to this hot July night during the bottom of the 10th in Game 6, thinking...we've come back from two runs down before...

I was at this game; I remember Knight's home run but the moment I'll never forget was on the PATH train ride home. I was wearing my Mets jersey (no number, though) and this preppie woman who was buzzed on something said to me, "You're a Mets fan? The Red Sox Rule." I told her, "This is the year of the Mets. Period." I get off at my stop and this father and son who had been at the game and had witnessed the chat and the father said "What was up with that?" I told him, "That girl doesn't know a groundball from a groundhog" and had a good laugh.

I was at this game. Great come from behind win, just a taste of what we would see in October. I remember listening to Bob Murphy and him saying how the Mets just refuse to lose a ballgame. Gave me chills up my back. I remember Hal Lanier kicking the water cooler. Very funny moment!

I was in the cheap seats just to the left of home plate. My memory didn't serve me well, as I could swear that George Foster hit one of the home runs, but it turns out it was Knight. Anyway, I remember Darryl's shot going straight out to dead center, and me throwing everything I had in my hands up in the air and going completely crazy. That was a great game.

I was at this game sitting in the Upper Reserve general admission area behind home plate. I made sure I got there early to get a general admission seat behind home plate. General Admission was in the last 8 rows. (1986 would be the last season the Mets had a general admission seating area. All seats became reserved after that.) The reason to get there early was it was a sold out game and it was fireworks night after the game. And boy there were a lot of fireworks to be seen on this night.

This was 7/3/86 the night before 4th of July and NYC being in a buzz for the Statue of Liberty 100th Anniversary Centennial. It was dubbed as Liberty Weekend and I saw many fans at the game wearing Liberty wigs. There was a huge fireworks display and celebration at the Statue of Liberty on the next night on the 4th of July but this game provided a nice appetizer.

The teams traded leads back and forth all game and 5 HR were hit in the game including 4 by the Mets. The game went into the 10th inning and the Astros took the lead on a Phil Garner HR.

The fireworks came in the bottom of the 10th as Strawberry hit a 2-run HR to tie it and then Ray Knight hit the walk-off HR to win it and the crowd and myself went crazy. What a way to come back and win the game on fireworks night! Then after the game the Mets and Garucci put on a great post game display of fireworks. This was a great way to start a historical weekend in NYC.

This would be a preview of things to come against the Astros in October. This game to me was the most exciting game of the regular season in 1986.

I recorded this game on VHS, having a feeling it was going to be a good one. I haven't re-watched it in years, but some parts of this game are unforgettable, It was such a great game.

It was sunny when game started- a holiday atmosphere with the 4th of July the next day. The Astros scored two quick runs off Darling in the first. In the bottom of the 2nd, Ed Hearn, the backup catcher (who was the Mets' catcher of the future at the time) hit a long home run to make it 2-1.

Next thing I remember- bottom of the tenth inning- the Mets are down 5-3. After a walk to Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry (my favorite player) steps to the plate. This, I remember as if it were yesterday- he's up there, and at a certain point, he steps out of the batters box and seems to get lost in thought. Maybe he was clearing his head, but it looked like he was staring off into space for a moment.

In that moment, I thought, he's gonna hit a home run. I just knew it. It was a look of calm determination- extreme confidence maybe- but I could tell from that look. On the next pitch he hit the two-run homer to tie the game.

Then Knight steps to the plate with 2 outs and the score 5-5. He had been 0-4 with 4 strikeouts. He ends the game by hitting a home run into the left field bleachers.

This has to be in the top five best regular-season games from 1986, simply because it was a microcosm of what was to come in the postseason- playing against the Astros, down 5-3 in the bottom of the 10th, coming back to win 6-5 with Ray Knight being the hero. It was an amazing game. I hope I still have the VHS tape somewhere in storage.

What I remember about this game is that Ray Knight struck out four times, but his fifth time up, he hit the walk-off home run to win the game.

Doc v. Ryan. Can't beat it. Preview of the great series that was to come.

This was Doc vs. Ryan, but my memory of this game occurred after it was over. I saw Ray Knight and Nancy Lopez leaving from the bullpen area. That day's Post had on the back page the headline "Whatta Knight!" after Knight's dramatic home run from the previous game. Anyway, Ray and his Mrs. were both nice enough to exchange pleasantries with me and sign my newspaper.

I was at this game with my dad. I remember being so excited after the game the night before. It was Nolan Ryan vs. Dwight Gooden and I remember Hernandez ground ball single up the middle to score Dykstra from 2nd in the first inning. I then remember a long fly ball off the wall in right for a 2B by Dykstra to put the Mets up to stay, 2-1. Ah, the good ol' days. I miss those days, when baseball was played the way it ought to be. I also remember the rumors circulating around Gooden with drugs.

We had seats behind the Mets dugout and I remember seeing Kevin Mitchell looking out into the stands. I asked him what he was up to, and he said, "I'm looking for my boys."

I had drawn a picture of Darryl Strawberry that I brought to the game in hopes of getting him to autograph it. I handed it to Mitchell and he took it to the clubhouse, then returned and said he couldn't find him. At the same time, I felt embarrassed asking Mitchell for his autograph!

Oh well...the memories.

Rode my motorcycle from Cazenovia in Central NY to NYC to visit my college friend Chris for the Holiday weekend. I think it was my first trip to the city and I had no clue how long the ride would be. It was also ridiculously cold for July and I stopped several times trying to keep from freezing to death and turning it into an all-night trip. But seeing the sun rise in front of me and the huge American Flag hung high above as I finally crossed over the George Washington Bridge on a crisp, clear Independence Day morning was a once-in-a-lifetime magical experience that I will forever cherish!

Partied on a Brooklyn rooftop on the 4th with a distant, yet impressive, view of the huge fireworks display for the official unveiling of the Statue of Liberty following some major renovations.

Rode to the game squeezing through traffic between lanes and sometime on the shoulder but we still arrived late and missed the Mets only run on, my hero, Keith Hernandez's 1st-inning homer. Rats!

Great seats on the first base side but a frustrating game with little offense or energy. Still, it was my first big league game and a great, if foggy, memory. The highlight for me was watching Hernandez play 1st base. I clearly remember him laying out to his right to steal a base hit and I think he made at least one more stellar play in the game. Sure do wish we'd gotten our hung-over butts to the game on time so I could have seen that home run.... Let's Go Mets!!!

After being a Mets fan my whole life (26 years) this was my first ever Mets game to see. It was right after the All Star break in Houston. I saw all four games of the series. I haven't seen another Mets game since, but I have tickets for two games when the Mets come to Kansas City in June of 2004!

The Mets won this game, the first of a four game series at the Astrodome, right after the All-Star Break. Bob Ojeda and Nolan Ryan both pitched brilliantly for six innings, with the Astros having a 1-0 lead on a first inning unearned run.

But in the seventh, the Mets exploded for seven runs, all after there were two outs and nobody on. Nolan walked the next three batters and then Dykstra singled to give the Mets a 2-1 lead. LHP Frank DiPino came on in relief and Wally Backman greeted him with a rare righthanded hit to make it 4-1. The Mets then re-loaded the bases and Darryl Strawberry cleared them all with a double.

The Mets added three more runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth for the 13-2 win. Ojeda got the win to improve his record to 11-2.

The Astros got some revenge by taking the next three games of this series, two of them in their last at bat.

Mike Scott outpitched Dwight Gooden in this game but both came away without a decision.

The Astros led 4-0 going to the top of the ninth. Scott had allowed just two hits and a walk through eight.

Len Dykstra led off the ninth with a homer. After Scott got Wally Backman out, Keith Hernandez singled and Gary Carter drove him in with a double. Then the closer I always loved to see came in for Houston---DAVE SMITH!! My worries were over!! Darryl Strawberry promptly homered to tie the game, and in fact, the Mets got two more runners on off Smith but didn't score again.

Roger McDowell got the first two batters in the bottom of the ninth, but then Craig Reynolds, who finished his career with one home run every 113 plate appearances, hit one over the wall for a dramatic Astros win.

The last of a four game series...and another wild one that would be a preview of the 1986 NLCS!!

After seven innings, the Astros had a 4-2 lead. But in the eighth, back-to-back homers by Kevin Mitchell and Keith Hernandez tied it off Aurelio Lopez, and then Ray Knight gave the Mets a 5-4 lead on an infield out.

The Astros jumped right back in front in the bottom of the eighth as Doug Sisk gave up four straight hits to start the inning, and Jesse Orosco came in and allowed two more runs to score. The Astros led 8-5 going to the ninth.

In came Dave Smith again, just like yesterday (YAY!). Smith gave up a walk, an infield out, an RBI single and hit a batter, and the Mets had the tying runs on base. Frank DiPino came in to pitch and struck out Darryl Strawberry, but unlikely heroes Rafael Santana and Ed Hearn each singled to drive in runs and the game was tied, 8-8.

Both bullpens pitched well after that. Bob Knepper, who had thrown a three-hit shutout at the Mets two nights earlier, came in to pitch in the fifteenth inning and wound up the winning pitcher as Houston loaded the bases off Roger McDowell in the bottom of the fifteenth and got the winning run in on a fielder's choice.

The Astros got blown out in game one of this four game series and came back to win the next three. The next meeting of the two teams would be in the NLCS in October.

I spent the morning in a Queens hospital having surgery in a place that no man ever wants to ! Hours later, quite high on pain meds and dreading the need to urinate, I turned on the TV .

Ex-Met Mike Scott outduels Dwight Gooden for a 1- 0 victory at the Astrodome in Game One of the N.L.C.S. Scott fans 14 Mets on his way to a complete game shutout. Glenn Davis supplies all the offense with a second-inning home run. New York complains about Scott scuffing the ball but the umpires find nothing wrong.

At 11:39 pm, I screamed! I peed! We lost!

I was a freshman in college in PA and was feeling a little homesick because I felt like I was missing all the excitement at home with the Mets making it into postseason. I had been a loyal fan since 1975 and had known nothing but mostly losing during all that time. When the Mets took the field to be introduced I kept thinking about all those Mets teams from the late 70's and all the suffering and my eyes began to tear up. I was just thankful I was alone because I couldn't believe how emotional I was. I can just imagine how Red Sox fans must have felt in 2004.

Met fans most often remember Ojeda for winning the critical 3rd game of the 1986 World Series at Fenway after the Mets had lost the first two games. However, his win in this game was almost as critical since the Mets would otherise have left the Astrodome down two games in the NLCS. He scattered nine singles and a double, pitching a complete game while the Mets got to Nolan Ryan in the middle innings.

I was only 8 years old, but I still remember that game vividly. I had only become a big Mets fan about two years earlier when my dad took me to my first game against the Expos in September. After that I was hooked. Game Three of the National League Playoffs was the first post season game I ever went to. I remember sitting in the Upper Deck, about 5 rows from the back, on the first base line. Lenny Dykstra was my favorite player on the Mets because he was lefty (so am I) and because of the way he played. I remember jumping and down like a maniac when he hit the home run into the Mets bullpen to win the game. I remember trying to see what was going on, but I couldn't see over all the people in front. It was probably the most exciting game I've ever been to.

This game represented the first postseason baseball experience for me and my brother Gian. We sat in the wheelchair-accessible seats just inside the left-field foul pole beneath the "NY Newsday" sign. I remember Dykstra taking a big rip at next-to-last pitch of the game; enraged that he was deluded into thinking he could reach the seats against a sinkerballer, I screamed, "Who ever told him he was a home run hitter?!!!". Lenny then lofted Dave Smith's next offering deep to right. I watched Kevin Bass drift back to the rightfield wall. When he looked up, I knew it was gone! Bedlam at Shea! Amid the bedlam, I received a knowing look from the older woman seated next to me, which chastized me for ever having doubted Lenny. As we descended the ramps, I watched as complete strangers hugged each other. One stuck a souvenir pennant in my hand which I keep as a momento of that incredible win.

What a finish. Wally drops a drag bunt and barely beats it out. Lenny steps in and hits a blast to right off of Smith (I never liked him). I can still hear Keith Jackson's call on ABC ("...deep to right...she is gone"). I couldn't remember why Dykstra was hitting after Backman that day until looking at the box score above and realizing that neither of them started the game.

I also remember that we lost power in our area for an hour during start of the game on that Saturday afternoon. By the time it came back on we were down 4-0 courtesy of Doran's homer. Darryl also took the lefty - Bob Knepper - deep for a 3-run shot to get us back in it. I think he took it the other way to left-center if I remember correctly. I always confuse this one with the one he hit off of Nolan Ryan later in the series. What a post-season.

Joe, I'm pretty sure Strawberry's homer was a line drive right down the RF line. I was sitting in the upper deck just past first base and I remember thinking that the ball was going to go foul. But he hit it too hard for it to have enough time to go foul!

Strawberry's homer in this game, his first of the series, was a bomb into the lodge level off of Knepper. His screaming line drive, just down the foul line was off of Nolan Ryan at Shea, game 5.

Gone are the days of the passion and the drive that the Mets showed in those great games in the 80's. You could see it in all of the players eyes.

Like the 1st poster, I was only 8 years old when the Mets won it all in 1986, and this is the very first game I remember watching. It turned me into a Mets fan for life, and Lenny Dykstra has been my favorite athlete of all time since that day.

There once was a time when Lenny Dykstra wasn't on the juice and didn't have more muscle in his arms than most people Patrick Ewing's size. That time was 1986. Lenny Dykstra was by no means a home run hitter, but he will always be remembered for one specific home run, which came in this game. Strawberry had to hit a laser- beam bomb to get them back in it, and then Dykstra lifted it down the line and everyone was jumping around and the Mets had managed to surprise us again!

I remember sitting on the 1st base line mezzanine with my future wife freezing our tails off. After falling behind early, Darryl got us back in it with a line shot homer to right. Down 1 in the ninth, the last thing I was thinking with Lenny up was a homer (pre-steriod days). I was hoping for a double to tie it up. I couldn't believe it when I saw the ball keep carrying until it left the park. I must of high fived and hugged everyone in our row! With all the screaming and cheering, I couldn't speak clearly for days afterwards. I just saw an autographed picture of Lenny running around the bases after the homer...it will soon be on my wall.

On the morning of this game, I did not have a ticket but after dreaming of seeing the Mets in the playoffs since I became a fan back in 1975, I so wanted to experience the atmosphere at Shea. Since I was without a ticket my plan was to simply get a good view on the train platform so I could at least see half the field. I left my house at 8 am and got there around 9:30. When I got there I was surprised to hear that tickets were on sale. I excitedly got on line and debated whether to find a phone and call my friends but if I did that I would lose my place in line and lose out on the chance to see a playoff game at Shea. So I stayed and bought the ticket.

I remember sitting there in the mezzanine and just looking out and I could not believe I was at the NLCS and of course the way the game turned out with Strawberry's dramatic sixth inning blast to tie it and Dykstra's game winner just put the cap on a happily memorable day at Shea.

WHAT A GAME!! My only post season game so far. Bought a ticket in the Upper Level Boxes down the left field line behind the foul pole with my brother off a scalper for 75 bucks each. I remember 2 Astro fans sitting in front of us. They were a pain in the butt. Shea went absolutely bonkers after Lenny's home run. Those Astro fans mysteriously disappeared after that (HA HA)!!

My friend got us seats in the back of the Loge. You almost knew Strawberry was going to hit it out. That ball got out in a hurry. I swear I'm still hoarse from screaming "LENNY!! LENNY!!" after the game. This game is #2 on my list of thrilling games I saw at Shea (I was at Game 6 of the Series).

I remember this as being my very first Mets' play-off game thanks to the mom of a guy at my college who got students tickets for that weekend's games. I lucked out in getting that ticket to one of the great games that weekend. I sat in the RF loge watching Straw's HR land a few rows ahead of me. When Lenny hit his HR, I remember the fans cheering and waiting for an 1986 curtain call. Dykstra had said that he hadn't hit a HR like that since when he beat his brother in Strat-O-Matic. Ironically, Dykstra's quote was on the Shea scoreboard's Who Said It? Friday night and I didn't have to even think about it. Seeing the quote tonight made me rush home to type this entry. To this very day, I still have my ticket stub and 1986 NLCS program.

My first postseason game, section 23 upper deck. The best memory: LENNY, LENNY, LENNY chant from everyone on the ramps leaving the stadium.

This was my very first NLCS game I attended. Sitting in the Upper Deck Section all I can say is WOW!! Mets down 4-0 till bottom of the 6th. Strawberry hitting a homer to tie the game. Mets down by a run bottom of the ninth. And then came Lenny (Nails) Dykstra hitting a two run homer to win the game. All I can say is WOW!!

Dykstra's home run was TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. It wasn't even within the realm of possible outcomes. It's hard to explain this to today's fan, but, in the mid-80s, a game winning walk-off home run from Lenny was the last thing on my mind. I remember praying for a single to tie it.

Watched this game with a bunch of friends. Was 16 at the time. First a look of complete surprise, then total jubilation. Really a special moment from a magical year.

I rushed home from school and turned on the TV just in time to see Wally Backman's drag bunt. When Dave Smith threw the pickoff throw away I knew the Mets were going to win. Lenny's home run had me jumping and screaming around the TV room.

The next day my uncle (who lived in Flushing) told me that he was on the 7 train during the 9th inning and someone was playing the game on the radio. He said the moment Lenny hit the home run the people on the train went so crazy that the train had to stop. I can't verify if that's true, but it has become mythological in my mind. Every time I watch the home run on YouTube, I can't help imagining the 7 train having to stop from all the jumping and shaking as Lenny is being mobbed at home plate.

A few minutes after I submitted my post about this game last night, I realized that I mixed up elements of Game 5 with this game, namely, the pickoff throw in the 9th inning, which happened in game 5, not in this game.

Also, this game was played on a Saturday, so I barely made it home in time to see the ending for game 5, which was played on a Tuesday.

I actually watched this whole game in my TV room, wearing my home Mets jersey (no number) with my Mets batting helmet and little league bat when they were hitting, and a mesh, snapback Mets hat and glove when they were in the field. I watched every playoff game in uniform.

So another element of game 5 that always gets mixed up with this game is Strawberry's home run. Before I watched both of Strawberry's home runs, I only remembered the game 5 home run off Nolan Ryan (even though it happened when I was still at school).

The difference is Straw's home run in game 3 off Knepper had a higher trajectory, almost like a punt with a 3+ second hang time before landing about ten rows behind the Newsday sign in the Loge level.

The game 5 home run off Nolan Ryan was a screaming line drive that took less than two seconds to get out and just barely cleared the wall in the right field corner.

By the way, I also watched the 6th inning again and Craig Reynolds made an error on a double-play ball hit by Carter. The ball rolled under his glove, allowing Mitchell to score from second, making the score 4-1 with two men on and no one out, instead of 4-0 with two outs and one man on base.

With the score now 4-1, Straw hits the 3 run homer and the camera shot cuts to the sign guy (just like 1969) holding up a professional-looking sign that says: STRAW BURIED. Classic.

Moving ahead to the ninth, Backman gets on base J.C Martin style, then Danny Heep bats next. On an 0-1 pitch, Dave Smith throws a wild pitch that goes to the backstop, and THAT's how Wally gets to second base.

Heep takes the count full but eventually hits a routine fly to center on a high fastball, not far enough for Backman to tag up.

Then Lenny comes to the plate. The way ABC cover this at bat is worthy of an Emmy. Just before the home run pitch, Keith Jackson sets the defense:

"Walling on the grass at third, Davis just off the grass at first, (camera cuts to Terry Dykstra) everybody's on the dirt..." and then with the shot still holding on Lenny's wife with a look of determination on her face, Tim McCarver says, "Or the edge of their seats." Classic.

On the next pitch, an 0-1 offering, bang.

"Hit to right. Bass goin' back. Goin' back. Iiiiiiiit's gone!"

Pandemonium. "Celebration" by Kool and the Gang starts playing over the PA. They cut to a shaky overhead shot of Shea, with the "Baseball like it oughta be" banner visible on the side on the stadium, and at that moment the LENNY! chant can be heard. This whole time, Keith Jackson is quiet, letting the pictures and the crowd noise tell the story. Just before he starts his recap of the home run, a guy holds up a sign that says: WELCOME TO THE ASTRO DOOM

Classic.

Correcting an earlier post, the Strawberry home run? in the 6th inning landed about 4 rows back in the right field Loge level behind the Newsday sign, not 10 rows back. Also, I used a stopwatch to time the exact hang time of his home run off Knepper, and it was in the air for 5.77 seconds.

The attendance at this game was 55,052, the highest of any game played in that year's NLCS (home or away). Surprisingly, more people attended this game than Game 7 of the World Series, which was played on a Monday night.? It was the Mets' first home playoff game in 13 years, and watching it again, you can feel the electricity from the crowd, especially after Mitchell scores to make it 4-1 with two men on and Straw at the plate.

On October 11, 1986, I watched the ABC telecast, but whenever I replay Lenny Dykstra's home run back in my mind, I can only hear Bob Murphy's call. The reason is that they used Murph's call on the 1986 Mets highlight video, so I've heard Murph's call hundreds of times, whereas I only heard Keith Jackson's call once, at least before the game was added to YouTube.

Bob Murphy's call of Lenny's home run still gives me chills. As Lenny wiggles his fingers in the batter's box, Murph says: "Lenny Dykstra, the man they call "Nails" on the Mets ballclub is waiting. Now the pitch... and a high fly ball, hit to right field; it is fairly deep; it's way back; it's by the wall; HE DID IT! IT'S A HOME RUN! A HOME RUN! THE METS WIN THE BALLGAME! DYKSTRA HITS A HOME RUN! LEN DYKSTRA HIT A HOME RUN! THIS BALLGAME IS OVER!" At this moment, the highlight video shows Lenny screaming as he's being mobbed at home plate and I swear I can hear Lenny scream louder than everyone else in the stadium.

Wrapping up my (third) summary of this classic game, I know I've already related my uncle's story: that he was on the 7 train the moment Lenny hit the home run, and because all the Mets fans on the train went nuts, the train stopped in its tracks.

What I failed to mention in my previous post is that when he told me this, my first thought was, "Why the hell were you on the 7 train and not at home watching the game?"

However, all I said was, "Wow."

I was lucky enough to be at Game 3, which was delirious, and then this one a few nights later, which stunk. Cold night, and Scott absoultely dominated us. Not even a hint of a rally. I recall my brother and I (we were 12 and 14) going home and poking holes in one of Mike Scott's baseball cards with a thumb tack after the game.

Only thing I remember about this game is that on top of the 2nd, Alan Ashby flied to foul territoty to the third base side, which would have been an out, if there had been no extra seats created specially for the playoffs, so no play. Saved from fouled out with a runner on, Ashby promptly hit a two-run homer in the same at-bat. The Mets promptly drop the game by two, and after the game I grew worried about the momentum of the Series, how a little thing like this can sway it. On well, little did I know about its outcome, 4 days later...

My sister and I were at this game, still the only postseason game I ever saw live. Worst seats at Shea: Mezzanine Reserved, last row. I can personally vouch for them being the worst as a result of being there 10/12/86. The Upper Deck hanging over you make it impossible to see anything hit in the air. Upper Deck Reserved, despite being nosebleed territory, wasn't nearly as bad. The game, of course, matched our seats: awful.

Oh boy, where do I start ?

First of all, I had just graduated college in May and I was unemployed and living at home. My friend Ed had two tickets to this afternoon game which he would sell me for $ 40. I bought both tickets but had no one to go to the game with.

It was a rainy afternoon, but I went out to Shea and tried to unload the extra ticket. No luck, there were very few people there at game time and I didn't want to miss a pitch. I can remember sitting through the first 4 innings praying for rain, so that I wouldn't end up eating the extra ticket.

Well, the sun came out, more and more people began to arrive at the stadium. Although, I don't believe that Shea was anything close to being full (maybe 40 - 45,000 ??), the crowd that afternoon was frantic. It was NOT that corporate crowd that you get nowadays for the big games.

I think that I stood for the last 4 innings and by the 12th, I was exhausted. Thank you Charlie Kerfeld !!

I took a lot of crap from my mom for spending $ 40 for TWO tickets when I should have been out looking for a job. Too bad.

More than anything, I remember Fred Brocklander calling Craig Reynolds out at 1B on a double-play when Reynolds was clearly safe. Everyone saw it when it happened and then again on the replay but Brocklander stayed in denial about it after the game.

That blown call kept a runner from scoring from third base, and the Astros went on to lose in extra innings.

Brocklander also failed to ring up Ray Knight on a strike three right down the middle of the plate in the 9th inning of Game 6. Knight then hit a sac fly to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

The true NLCS MVP was not Mike Scott, but Fred Brocklander.

The main thing I remember is that I wondered how Fred Brocklander could have been considered to even be a little league umpire much less an umpire during a major league playoff series. I'm an Astros fan who still hasn't forgiven Brocklander for giving New York the pennant in 1986. Everybody who watched the NL series knows it should have been Houston and Boston in the World Series that year. Major League baseball ultimately got rid of Brocklander, but by that time it was too late. New York had already been given the NL pennant by the worst excuse I've ever seen for a major league umpire.

It's been 17 years and I still can't forget how the sorriest umpire ever left baseball without admitting that he robbed the Astros of a World Series. I only hope that when he's gone, if he's not already, his epitaph will read "I should have had the balls to say I blew the call".

I was only 3 years old, but apparently I was on my dad's lap at the game. After watching video highlights years later, I don't know how I kept my ability to use my young ears for hearing again. The one thing I know for sure: Dwight Gooden is my favorite athlete of all time. Bar None.

I hate the NY Mets and I hate Fred Brocklander even more. What a crummy call he made. He wouldn't even admit that he made the wrong call. Calling a base runner safe or out is not like calling balls and strikes. There's no "maybe" about it. Craig Reynolds was either safe or out. And he was definitely safe. He screwed the Astros out of a run. As Nolan Ryan said after his great pitching "If he made the right call, we would have won that game in 9 innings." I hope this S.O.B. (Fred Brocklander) is dead by now. I really do. The 1986 Mets were the luckiest team ever to win the World Series. The Astros should have won this series in 5 games. The only game that the Mets won outright was game 2. I was glad when the Mets lost to L.A. in 1988, then Atlanta in 1999, and finally St. Louis in 2006. I hope the Mets never win a World Series ever again.

Dear Astros Fans, If Fred Brocklander and his fellow men in blue had been better umpires, Mike Scuff would have been ejected in Game One and/or suspended for the series for doctoring the ball. Chalk it up to baseball karma.

Brocklander is the worst excuse for an umpire. I was only 13 at the time but I will never, ever forgive that man for robbing us from the World Series.

David Mo- no evidence against Scott was ever found so get over the "scuff" routine. Plenty of evidence to show Brocklander blew that call.

To David Mo...We got Mike Scott from the New York Mutts. If in fact he was cheating he probably learned it in the big rotten apple. When it comes to that gutless pig Brocklander, I remember other Astros fans hanging him in effigy at the Dome. Believe me, a lot of us wanted to see him hanging for real. And I've always wondered if Brocklander was a NY Mets fan just wanting his team to win or if he was being paid under the table to make sure the big market Mutts made it to the World Series instead of our team here in Dixie, of if he was just a piss poor excuse of an umpire that somehow or other lucked into the job at the major league level.

Wow... Hey Astros fans... why do you NEVER bring up the fact that you LUCKED into having home field advantage for this series? There was an Oiler game and the first two games had to be played at the Astrodome....so while it was actually supposed to be the Mets home field advantage (due to alternating east and west coast teams during that time I believe...and the west coast Dodgers had home field in 85) you completely lucked into it. And as any player who ever played in that dome can say, that's a HUGE advantage in that place.

On to the game... I remember the fans chanting "Gary, Gary" when he walked up to the plate. Fantastic finish.

Some things I remember from this game:

Nolan Ryan was virtually unhittable. The Mets, I believe, had a grand total of three baserunners in the first 11 innings.

Darryl Strawberry's game-tying home run was an unusual home run -- a bolt, that barely disappeared over the home run line about two seconds after it hit the bat.

I remember Charlie Kerfeld's behind-the-back snag of Gary Carter's grounder in the eighth inning. He pointed to Carter before throwing to first. I thought it was pretty funny, even though I was rooting for the Mets to win.

Brocklander's call did cost the Astros the game. But I think some Houston fans may need to get a grip . . .

To summarize:

1) Astros should not have had home field advantage; 2) Scott's "scuffball" was suspicious, but nothing was ever proven; 3) Video DID prove that Fred Brocklander directly cost the Astros at least one game, and possibly the pennant; 4) Fred Brocklander should die a long and agonizing death from testicular cancer, since he never had the balls to own up to his poo umpiring; 5) May the Mets never win another World Series. Amen

Was at this game but was not supposed to be. The game was scheduled for Monday of Columbus day afternoon. It was also Yom Kippur that day, so I gave the tickets to a family friend. Then the game was rained out and the friend could not go that next day, so they gave me back the tickets. Since Yom Kippur was over I was now able to go because of the rain out that day.

And what a duel it was between Gooden and Ryan matching pitch for pitch. Then Carter finally broke out of his slump and drive in the winning run to give the Mets the 3-2 series lead. We might have maybe got a gift from Brocklander but not so sure on that. It could have gone either way. When its a teams year to win, they get calls to go their way and 1986 was ours.

I've hated the New York Mets ever since this series took place 25 years ago. There's no denying the pennant was stolen from the Astros by a pathetic scab of an umpire named Fred Brocklander. In fact he gave two games to New York. First there was the blown call against Craig Reynolds that gave New York a 1-run win. And then there was the game where Ray Knight was obviously struck out, but Brocklander called the pitch a ball. The pennant was given to New York and stolen from the Astros and their fans. On top of that Brocklander was such an arrogant prick that he refused to admit he had cheated in favor of New York, though it was as obvious as day is light and night is dark.

Michael, You say you "might" have gotten a gift from Brocklander? Try being honest and admitting you got TWO gifts and the N.L. pennant thanks to that no good pile of sh*t Brocklander. He will never be forgiven for stealing the pennant from us in 1986.

I attended Game 5 of the 86 NLCS. I had a great box seat in the front row of the right field loge next to the foul pole. My cousin Debbie and I traveled out to Shea from Rockland County that Monday only to have the game rained out. I skipped work the next day to come back (I paid $75 each for those seats and I wasn't about to miss out.) By far, this was the greatest baseball game I ever attended. Nolan Ryan was on fire retiring 2 of 3 Met hitters by strikeout in the first 3 innings. He pitched that game with a broken bone in his landing foot. Dwight Gooden pitched 10 innings that day and got a no-decision. Darryl Strawberry's home run virtually landed at my feet as it cleared the wall at the base of the foul pole. On the super slo-mo replay during the broadcast I can see myself jump out of my seat as he hit the ball and follow its trajectory over the wall. Each inning was tension-filled which grew with each passing inning. The errant pickoff from Kerfeld which allowed Wally Backman to advance to 2nd in the 12th inning was the breakthough. It was like two heavyweight fighters gong at it. One of the best days of my life.

I wonder what all the Astros fans think now about a post-season series being “stolen“ in light of the revelations that have become known in the past six months. As for Astros fans’ hatred of the Mets, at least the Mets did not cheat. At most, the Mets were beneficiaries of some poor umpiring.

I was sitting in the dentist's chair during that incredible 9th inning rally. He had the game on the radio on the old WHN(usually he would be playing that awful dentist music!). He did get me nervous a few times when he would try to cheer while working on my mouth- especially when he was drilling when the Mets tied the game! He did finish in time for me to rush home to catch the eventful extra innings!

The greatest baseball game ever played. Astros leading 3-0 in the ninth. Mets tie it with 3 in ninth. Mets take the lead in the 15th, Astros tie it same inning. Mets had to win that game to win series, because if there would have been a game 7, Mets would've faced that year's Cy Young winner Mike Scott, who dominated Mets all year. I wanted to be a play-by-play broadcaster so I brought my tape recorder to the Astrodome and did my own "radio" version of the game. Actually, I had been "broadcasting" dozens of games into my tape recorder for the last ten years. I have never felt so emotionally exhausted after a game as I was after this one.

I've been a baseball fan and a Mets fan for nearly 25 years, and this is still my favorite game of all time. I was a freshman in college, and with the Mets losing 3-0 and not hitting a lick off Bob Knepper, I decided to attend calculus class. Fortunately, one of my classmates had a walkman, and when the Mets rallied to tie it in the 9th, he was giving everyone pitch-by- pitch updates. I can still feel the tension, especially when Danny Heep was fouling off 3-2 pitches with the bases loaded. We made it back to the dorm to watch from about the 12th inning on. I vividly remember the Hatcher home run, the Strawberry bloop double, and the Astros rally in the bottom of the 16th (the rest is a blur of orange and yellow just like those Astros uniforms). About ten of us celebrated wildly afterwards - we all knew how important it was to win this game and avoid Mike Scott and a game seven.

Every true Houston fan holds this game deep in their heart.

If only we could have pulled it out, we could have put Mike Scott on the mound the next day. The Mets couldn't touch Scotty, and the 'Stros would have faced the Bosox.

Bruce Hurst vs. Scott for game 1. Roger Clemens vs. Nolan Ryan for game 2. This Astros fan weeps at possibilities lost...

1986 was the Alamo to Astros fans.

Best game in Mets, if not, baseball history! BAR NONE! I worked at a liquor store in Bloomfield, New Jersey at the time. Unfortunately, my shift continued through the tenth inning. But on the radio in the store I listened to the remarkable! Bob Knepper pitching the game of his career. Having only given up 2 hits through 8, needed only 3 outs with a three-run lead to get to Mike Scott for Game 7 who would have, without a doubt, sealed it. After the remarkable had happened and Keith came across with the tying run, one inning later my shift ended. I race home, then to pick up Dad at the train station. We're listening on the radio coming home from the station as the Mets are up 4-3 and about to clinch. Hatcher hits the homer to tie it and we both nearly cry. We get inside to see the Mets blow it open 7-4, only to let 2 more come across in the bottom of the 15th. Then, Orosco throwing only curves to Kevin Bass, gets him swinging on strike 3. Dad and I were jumping in each others arms. Best clutch inning in Mets history, the top of the 9th. Knepper was pitching a helluva ballgame and the Mets knew they faced Scott the next day.

Skipped Hebrew school to watch the game (not realizing that everyone watched it at Hebrew School that night!!!!!) Stayed in my basement throwing a rubber ball against a cement wall all night watchning the game on an old black and white TV knowing that if we lost we'd have to face Scott tomorrow and our chances of making it to the series were as good as done. I kept turning the TV off and on and off and on thinking that it would somehow affect the Mets chances. When they won I just remember feeling exhausted .. Maybe it's because the game took place in Houston, but I don't remember the celebration. My mind was set for Boston .....

I distinctly remember this game because I literally thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest in the later innings.The ominous spectre of Mike Scott was looming and when Hernandez tripled off of Bob Knepper in the 9th I felt like I just got off of Death Row at San Quentin. I knew that we were destined after winning 108 games but Houston was doing their best to send me into the Psych Ward. I remember questioning Orosco's ancestry when he surrendered the homer to Billy Hatcher and exploding with sheer ecstasy when he struck out the same infernal rascal to mercifully end it. It's been 17 years and my chest still hurts every time I think of that game.

I worked in an investment bank at the time and it was hard to get time away, so I had to watch this on work on a one-inch portable TV.

Quitting time coincided with all the good stuff starting to happen, so I didn't want to walk to a bar because it would have taken 20 minutes or so and I didn't want to miss anything. (BTW, I worked in the World Financial Center, next to the WTC. In those days, the area had not been built up, so it took forever to walk to shopping, bars, etc.)

So, long story short, I watched the entire 4+ hours or whatever it was on a 1-inch TV. Come to find out, American Express had their big corporate theater tuned to the game just a few floors above me -- so, I could have watched it in a movie theater. Insteady, I nearly went blind watching on a tiny portable.

Who cares!! One of the greatest wins ever!!!!

May be my Dad's all-time favorite Met game, and he is the ultimate Met fan - he has seen all the good and the bad.

Forgot to mention in a previous post...

After the game, my best friend and I kept calling Cooter's in Houston, TX and shouting "Let's Go Mets" into the phone.

Astute Met fans will recall that Cooters was the Houston bar where Teufel, Darling, et al were arrested in the summer of '86.

I may have the name of the bar wrong...whatever it was called, we gave them a very hard time and they ended up taking the phone off the hook after five or six calls.

All things considered I think this has to be the most thrilling game in Mets history. Even better then Game Six of the 1968 World Series or Game Five of the 1999 NLCS. I remember I skipped two college classes to watch it. It went on all afternoon and into the evening. The tension was unbelievable. We HAD to win because Mike Scott was going the next day and we just weren't going to beat him.

What can you say about this one. Dykstra pinch- hits vs. the lefty in the 9th and gets a huge triple to leadoff. Mookie's liner goes off of the SS glove and we are in business. Hatcher's homer was a killer, especially because he hit one just inches foul on the previous pitch.

This is also supposedly the game where Hernandez came to the mound in the 16th and told Orosco not to throw another fastball. Jesse threw curve after curve and finally struck out Bass swinging to end it.

The day NYC stood still. I remember seeing the news that night where people all over the city stood in little groups wherever there were TV's, afraid to get on the train or subway lest they miss the events to come. I played hookey that day (I had a GREAT boss), so I suffered in the comfort of my own living room, but the wife had to go to work.

She had a radio for most of the game, and came home as soon as she could. She tells the story of being on the Riverdale bus when Hatcher hit the tying HR. The radio crapped out soon after. She missed an inning or two, and came bursting into our apartment completely out of breath, not knowing if the game was over or not. In any event, she did get to see the 16th inning.

There was a great story told by Keith Hernandez during that winter's hot stove league dinner on LI. Someone from the audience posed the question about what he told Orosco and Carter when he came to the mound with Bass at bat in the 16th. He said he told Carter that if he called for fastball, that they would have a fight right there. Then he did a great imitiation of Carter saying "No kidding!" to illustrate the reply.

Later that night, it sunk in that the World Series tickets that we had were valid. A great game, a great night, a great time to be a Mets fan.

The best Mets game ever. Period. End of discussion. I had a real dilemma that day - skip my college class and watch the game in its entirety, or have my conscience nag at me and, I thought, bring bad luck to the Mets. I raced across campus after class and caught the game in the 6th with a group of friends. The sweetest reward ever. Period. End of discussion.

Probably the greatest Mets game ever. I was in college and I watched the entire game on my black and white tv in my dorm room. The game started in the afternoon. I remember missing a class and dinner, may have missed lunch too, wasn't going to leave that set. I remember my dad telling me he went to bar after work and no one leaving until game ended; the entire city was like that. I was home for weekend before that; luckily set VCR up to tape game where Lenny Dykstra wins it, and have last 2 innings of this game.

God I remember this game like it was yesterday. The Mets were down 3-0 in the 9th and I sat on the couch with my sister all quiet until my late mom came home from work and told us to wake up the Mets and boy, did it ever. Lenny started it with the triple and we were on one heck of a roller coaster ride. I still remember Hatcher's homer hitting the foul pole and the now-famous "Throw another fastball and we'll fight" meeting and it all ended when Orosco threw the good pitch to strikeout Kevin Bass and I still have Bob Murphy's WHN call on tape all these years later "SWING AND A MISS! SWING AND A MISS! STRUCK HIM OUT! STRUCK HIM OUT! THE METS WIN IT! THE METS HAVE WON IT! THEY'LL BE IN THE WORLD SERIES SATURDAY NIGHT AT SHEA". This woulda been the best Mets game ever in my eyes except for a game that was played 10 days later.

Both the Mets and Astros fans knew that this game was going to be a clincher for either team, considering if there were the Game 7, the invincible Scott would be on the hill for the 'Stros. Not many people may remember, but the Mets were on the verge of going ahead in that inning, except Danny Heep swung ball four from Dave Smith with 2 outs with based loaded. So after those hours and inning afterwards, I was cursing to myself why Heep swung that stinking pitch. We know what happened from there, with the Mets going ahead, but the Astros would rally back - exchanging blows until Orosco finally shut them down. The Game 6 of the 1986 WS was the "most improbable" game ever played, while this one was the "most nerve racking" game ever played. While anxious moments in the Game 6 of the WS lasted for some 10-20 minutes or so, this one lasted for a couple of hours, however, eons to many fans witnessing. This makes it the most exciting game I have ever watched, including the game played 10 days later.

I'm a life long Red Sox fan but this game is the GREATEST game I've ever seen. I love Bobby Ojeda crediting himself with making the greatest play in the history of baseball when he made a diving tag of Kevin Bass in the top of the first inning to limit the damage to 3. This was essentially game 7 as there was no way anyone was beating Mike Scott in the Astrodome that year. Between games 3, 5 and 6 of the NLCS, games 4 and 5 of the ALCS and game 6 of the WS this was probably the best playoffs from the division (1969-1993) era. Dave Smith somehow flies under the radar whenever anyone talks about the greatest chokes ever. Between the Dykstra walk off home run in game 3 and the 3 run BS in game 6, this was worse than anything Schiraldi ever did.

I was 10 years old and remember getting in the car after school and listening to this game on the car radio until I was able to get to our tv at home. I watched the 8th inning on....my eyes start to water up every time I see Billy Hatcher hit that home run in the 14th. I just know in my heart if we would have won that game, there was no way the Mets would have beat Mike Scott.

I have been a die-hard Astros fan all my life. As an adult, I am a season ticket holder at Minute Maid Park. Very passionate about the game of baseball. I still remember the 1986 season vividly. The Astrodome was a special place for us to watch baseball. I love the old rainbow orange uniforms, Astroturf, and the Home Run Spectacular scoreboard.

It still hurts thinking about it...the Astros should have won the series. They had the Mets and just couldn't finish them off.

I laugh to myself when I hear talk about the Cubs, Red Sox, and Indians fans having suffered serious heartbreak....try being an Astros fan....or better yet, a Houston sports fan (Astros, Rockets, Oilers, and Cougars). Then, you will know what heartbreak is.

One moment I recall from this pennant clincher was Lenny Dykstra's triple in the ninth inning that started the three-run rally. Tim McCarver was asking on television how Lenny was able to hit the ball so deep into the pull alley on an outside breaking pitch. He told his partner Keith Jackson that it showed how strong Dykstra was. I wonder if it ever occurred to Tim or anybody else that Lenny might have been experimenting with steroids at that time.

We show up at the game, park the car, walk towards Gate C and guess what? No tickets, my friend had left them at home. Fortunately, home was right off Kissena Blvd, just 10 minutes from Shea so we walked back to the lot, jumped back into the car, drove home (at accelerated speeds) and returned just in time for the start of the game.

Young David Cone took the start for the Mets, his first after a handful of mop up innings. It wasn't pretty. Glenn Davis popped two longballs and Cone was tattered for ten runs on a rainy night that was not worth the effort taken to get there. We left in the sixth trailing 10-0 and never left home without tickets again!

It was David Cone's first start for the Mets. I was home listening to the radio, he was getting hammered... but Davey Johnson just didn't take him out, I couldn't believe he just let him pitch.

Very hot, sticky day at Shea. As an Astros fan, it was fun watching my team grab a win in the middle of a disappointing season. And it still didn't make up for 1986. Remember Kevin McReynolds hitting a three-run homer in the first to tie the game. More fun watching Glenn Davis homer in the fifth.

I'm surprised that this game has not been commented on, or the next series. The following week would be really big.

This day was unusual in that even though the Mets lost, they gained ground on the Cardinals, who lost 2 to San Francisco, as they pulled a shocking 4-game sweep on the red-hot Cardinals.

This was a tough loss, as Houston got 4 in the 9th. But it seemed to fire the Mets up. They would win 10 of their next 11, with their only loss being on a day where they were not very well rested. This included a 3-game sweep in St. Louis.

As an 11 year-old, my very first Mets game. It was Rally Cap day. Still have it, 21 years later!

I was at this game and I do remember it well. Mets had the lead going into the 9th and Orosco got unraveled as he gave up 4 runs including a 3 run homer by Billy Hatcher. I thought maybe this game would have been a crushing blow to the season after this loss but the Mets rebounded and got hot to get back in the race all the way until the final week of the season. Perhaps this game gave the team a wake-up call to get their act together before they fell too far back before August even came.

Also it was rally cap day as they gave a cap with a velcro baseball to all fans who attended. The rally cap was a popular thing with the players back then, so the team turned this into a giveaway promotion. 20+ years later I still have the rally cap with my Mets collection.

Rally Cap Day! I was at Shea with 43,000+ for the 1986 NLCS rematch where on a hot, humid overcast day with the threat of rainstorms (it never rained anyway); History repeated itself where Billy Hatcher hit another HR off Jesse Fiasco (my friend Kathy's funny last name instead of Orosco) just like Game 6 NLCS but unlike the previous season, there would be no comeback. I don't have the Rally Cap anymore but maybe someone will donate one for the upcoming 50th anniversary to the Mets Museum and HOF.

I was at this game. I was 8 years old and on a field trip with my local little league. I don’t remember what happened in the game but I do remember my brother sold his Velcro’s ball to another kid for $2. It is now 2023, I am 44 years old and I still have this rally cap in mint condition, with the ball - I didn’t sell mine.

The Mets were down, 8-5, going to the top of the ninth at the Astrodome. Luckily, Dave Smith came on to pitch for Houston.

The Mets loaded the bases with one out, and then Tim Teufel hit a line drive that cleared the fence in left center for an apparent grand slam to put the Mets ahead. However, it struck the concrete outer wall and came back on the field. The umpires incorrectly ruled it a three-run double, which tied the game and sent it into extra innings.

The Mets wound up winning in the tenth on a single by Kevin McReynolds. Doc Gooden and Mike Scott combined to give up twelve runs in this game!

I was sitting in the right field Loge section looking at baseball cards during the entire game. Even before Opening Day, I had June 30th, 1988 marked on my calendar because it was Kahn's Beef Baseball Card Night that night. Being the baseball card freak that I was in 1988, nothing was going to stop me from getting a rare team set of the Mets.

Although Strawberry hit a homer and the Mets won 12-6, I don't remember any of that. I was too busy looking at my new baseball cards. My investigation of each card was only interrupted when the Mets did something good. When that happened, I cheered for a moment and went back to looking at the cards. I still remember the Mackey Sasser one in particular. Simple in design with a blue border, the cards included minor league stats which was required reading.

Looking the box score, guess who started in left field for the Astros in this one? Steve Henderson. And guess who replaced him in the late innings? Alex Trevino. Talk about a time warp. Never noticed that until now, yet another time warp.

This was second game of a twi-night double header. Remember those? This was a loooong night! The first game was a close affair Mets pulled it out but dropped the second, my girl was tired but hung in there til the end of a 13 ininng game #2. We had to park in one of the grass "lots" and not our usual spot behind left field lot. When we came out to the car it had been hit with a baseball bat as had some others and one guy's car was stolen. We had to go back into the bowels of Shea and make a police report. Which was pretty cool. I remember wanting to walk around and look for some Tommie Agee heirlooms. My wife has never let me forget that night; it was her new Red 1988 Ford Tempo with a huge dent becuse of the METS 6 hour plus double header.

I remember feeling bad for Gene Walter in this game.

In the 13th, with Billy Hatcher on first, he alertly threw to first while Hatcher was stealing, and had him picked off. But Keith Hernandez dropped the easy throw, and Hatcher made second easily. Unfortunately, by rule, Hatcher just got a stolen base. There was no error, Gene Walter got an earned run, and took the loss after Hatcher scored on a single.

I remember going to this game on a warm, sunny Sunday. From the upper deck along the right field line, I watched Sid Fernandez throw a two-hit shutout against the Astros. There was only one clean hit, which was a Glenn Davis single to left. The other hit could have been scored an error, but wasn't.

Sid also got two hits of his own, both solidly hit into the outfield, matching the total he allowed.

I also recall that it was Family Day. The players' families were on hand. Mookie Wilson's son Preston, a teenager at the time, was among them.

After the game, I went to visit my uncle, who lived only a few miles from Shea. I stayed with him for about an hour. This turned out to be the last time I would see him alive. He died suddenly the following December.

My first MLB game ever! I was 5, sat upper deck left field, and fondly remember the last out when Shea went nuts for El Sid throwing a complete game and beating the Express!

Cone went all the way in this one on a sunny Saturday and HoJo drove in the only 2 runs of the game for the Mets. Despite not really playing all that well to this point, the Mets moved into 1st place after this win, a position they'd hold off and on at various points in the 89 season before fading badly down the stretch.

This was the first baseball game my daughter attended. She was a little more than 2 months old at the time. My wife, daughter, and I were attending the game with another couple who also brought their infant son. We had seats very close to the field, up the first-base line at Shea. In the second inning, someone hit a wicked foul ball that just missed us by a few rows. Needless to say, it put a fright into us concerning the safety of our kids.

As far as the game itself, Jim Deshaies was masterful for the Astros, while Dwight Gooden looked mortal. He had his strikeout pitch (the "rising" fastball) working, but his control wasn't stellar, and Kevin Bass (the Mets' nemesis in the '86 playoffs) got to him. We had been hoping to tell our daughter as she grew older that her first game was pitched (and won) by a Hall-of-Famer, but it was not to be.

I remember this game 20 years ago today. Bob Ojeda was hit very hard in the 1st inning. It was a day game played at the Astrodome.

As a die-hard Astros fan, I always liked beating the Mets back in the day.

I also remember Mike Scott pitching great baseball. Too bad we never got to see Scott pitch in Game 7 vs the Mets. I know we would have won the series (sigh).

Gary Cohen made some sort of cryptic comment just now about how this was a significant date and Keith Hernandez immediately recognized this. I don't remember anything about this game, but from looking at the box score I see Keith didn't play. My general memory is that the Mets at the time were not getting their act together and the egos were colliding in the clubhouse (ultimately they got back in the race but fell short). Did Keith throw a tantrum and refuse to play in this game? Was Davey Johnson ticked at him and benched him? I'm drawing a total blank. Early signs of senility, I guess.:)

This was the Mets’ only 1-0 win during the 1990 season. Mark Carreon supplied all the runs the Mets would need with a leadoff home run in the fourth inning. Viola was limited to 5 innings due to back tightness but allowed just a pair of bunt singles to Eric Yelding and faced only one over the minimum. In fact, Mets pitching allowed only 4 base runners all game, helping the team win its fifth in a row.

One of the rare games in Mets history in which the Mets hit 4 homers to an opponents zero, and still lose. Both Gooden and Mike Scott were pretty terrible in this one, the difference was the bullpens. Jeff Musselman helped blow this one and the Mets drop one on a very overcast day at Shea,complete with early in the game.

This game was one I did not have a chance to see live on TV. My family was flying back to New York from my sister's college graduation in Michigan. We were flying into La Guardia, so I got to see some of the game as the plane was circling the area for landing. It was a great view from the plane to see Shea Stadium while a game was being played.

While the plane was circling the stadium area for landing I remember the pilot announcing the Knicks winning the 5th game against the Celtics in Boston after they were down 2-0 in the series to win it. It was the first time Patrick Ewing beat the Celtics in a game in Boston Garden since his career started. The crowd on the plane cheered real loud.

Definitely one of the more memorable wins from the 1990 season as in extra innings, John Franco balked in the go-ahead run. He was furious. But the Mets tied it in the bottom of the inning and then Kevin McReynolds hit the walk off homer to win it, with Franco leading the charge to the plate celebration.

To sportsfan8690's point, McCarver and Kiner updated the audience on the Knicks/Celtics score multiple times during the telecast and the crowd cheered when they flashed the final score on the scoreboard. Beating the Celtics during this era was definitely a big deal.

And to echo Michael, Franco was indeed furious, and perhaps rightfully so. The "balk" was incredibly borderline, called by home plate ump Doug Harvey. He even called two balls on Houston starter Jim Deshaies because the pitcher licked his hand. Quite the stickler for the rules!

Deshaies actually had a no-hitter going until the sixth, when the Mets broke through for 3 runs to tie it up. Obviously McReynolds played the hero in this one but can't sleep on Tim Teufel's big day. Hitting just .136 coming into the game, Teufel broke out by going 3-for-4 with the game-tying 3-run homer in the sixth and another game-tying RBI double in the 11th.

The nightcap of the doubleheader this day was almost as exciting as Game 1. After cranking a walk-off homer earlier in the day, Kevin McReynolds played hero again, going deep in the eighth inning to provide the go-ahead run in the Mets' 7-6 win. Interestingly enough, his longball came off southpaw reliever Dan Schatzeder, who the Mets actually acquired from Houston later on during the 1990 season.

Also of note, Gregg Jefferies just missed hitting a home run down the right field line in the third inning, only then to connect for one over the wall in right-center on the very next pitch. Daryl Boston also collected his first hit with New York with a double during the Mets' four-run sixth inning. For Houston, second baseman Ken Oberkfell hit a three-run homer in the fourth -- his only round-tripper of the year and the last of 29 during his 16-year career.

I was at this game. Xavier Hernandez came on in relief for Houston and Strawberry hit a bomb off the right field scoreboard. Two batters later Daryl Boston hit a bomb off the scoreboard that went even farther than Strawberry's. I think that was the longest home run I've ever seen hit at Shea.

Probably the most impressive win of the season. As Frank Viola pitched a complete game shutout and Straw and Darryl Boston both hit absolute bombs. 2 of the furthest homers hit at Shea. The Mets were the hottest team in baseball at the time and this game was the pinnacle of that type of play.

This game was over pretty much right when it started, as the two teams were quickly headed in very opposite directions. The 12-0 win was the Mets' most lopsided shutout win since beating the Cardinals 13-0 in 1976. Their biggest shutout win in franchise history currently stands at 17-0, which they did against the Phillies in late September of 2016.

Strawberry almost hit a third home run in the 6th inning but it died just short of the warning track. This was Straw's last of 22 multi-homer games he had with the Mets, still the franchise record. David Wright is second with 21. Although it's worth mentioning Pete Alonso already has 14 (as of this writing), so a new champ may not be far off. This was also Viola's last of 4 shutouts he pitched for the Mets. I also found it interesting that Mark Portugal, despite playing only one full season in the NL East (with the Phillies in 1998), gave up more home runs (18) to the Mets than any other team during his 15-year career.

I remember watching this one on TV as a kid in between running in and out of the house also watching the neighborhood fireworks. The Mets were on one of their best hot streaks in team history and Strawberry hit another homer as he was probably the hottest hitter in baseball at that point.

To get a feel for how hot Strawberry was, his first-inning homer was his 5th in six games and his third in his last four at-bats! Hojo also homered in the pivotal 8th inning, one of only two longballs reliever Larry Andersen gave up over 73.2 innings all year. Andersen was traded to Boston later in the season for Jeff Bagwell in one of Houston's best trades in franchise history.

Gooden won his fifth straight start, a streak he would extend to seven. He went 8 innings despite dealing with a blister on his pitching hand, which seemed to start to affect him by the 6th inning when he allowed three runs on four hits, including a home run to Franklin Stubbs, and a sac fly but was helped out of the inning when Sasser threw out Biggio trying to steal. Houston tied it up in the 7th, but the Mets rallied in the 8th for the win. Interestingly in that 8th inning, with runners on the corners and 1 out, Buddy pinch hit for Gooden with Mike Marshall, and Houston countered by taking out lefty Juan Agosto and inserting the righty Andersen. Even with lefty Tom O'Malley on the bench, Buddy stuck with Marshall, who delivered his last Met RBI with a sac fly. Next up was Hojo, who hit his 2-run shot to put the icing on the cake.

A couple last notes on McCarver and Kiner, who were in a particularly upbeat and jovial mood tonight. McCarver was already talking no-hitter in the third, and as soon as he mentioned it Rich Gedman doubled off Gooden. The jinx effect is real, my friends. Also, here's a convo the two had during the 2nd inning after McCarver said Bill Doran has a "broken big left toe": McCarver, correcting himself, "You don't have a big left toe." Kiner, "Yeah you do, you have a left big toe and a left little toe." McCarver, "But that would imply you only have two toes on your left foot." Kiner, "Yeah but a lot of people run around life with two left feet." The two giggle for a while before moving on. Even the antagonistic McCarver knew when it was best just to drop a subject with Kiner.

Jeff Innis was interviewed pre game before the Mets-Astros game and did a completely spot on impersonation of Frank Cashen. Apparently Jeff could do a few guys on the team too, but his Cashen was incredibly accurate.

As for the game, Gooden got his 10th win, and HoJo and Elster both homered for an easy win at the Astrodome.

I remember attending this game, it was the first and only time I ever got to see Doc Gooden in person. He baffled the Astros on a beautiful summer night in June.

A gem from David Cone who took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before Benny DiStefano beat out a 17-foot full-swing bunt for an infield hit. Ken Caminiti later lined a shot off the 3rd base bag for another scratch hit in the 9th, and that was all the offense for the Astros all night.

Benny DiStefano's pinch single came with one out in the top of the eighth inning for the first hit of the game off David Cone.

Jeff Bagwell led off the ninth with a single and Coney had to settle for a two-hit shutout. He walked four and struck out eleven.

Eddie Murray had a single and a double and drove in all four Mets runs.

While Cone was still working on his no-hit bid in the late innings, Bobby Bonilla made a fantastic catch in right field. Laying out to catch a line drive and preserve it, for the time. He got a huge standing ovation, as the fans knew he was not known as a defensive presence.

Bob P gets a hat tip from me for cleaning up Andy's post. Bob is correct: the no-hitter came to an end in the top of the 8th, not 7th, and it was Bagwell, not Caminiti (who was on the DL at the time) who had the other hit off the 3B bag in the 9th. And I concur with Michael -- Bonilla's catch in the 7th to preserve the no-no was quite spectacular (considering the defender) and likely spared him additional boos when he popped out in the bottom of the frame.

Bonilla hit just .214 with 5 HRs at Shea in 1992, opposed to .277 with 14 HRs on the road. No wonder he always heard it from the crowd. He was also apparently battling the flu in this game was sleeping up until 45 minutes before game start. I guess if not for Murray this might have been another 0-0 tie headed for extras. Thankfully, Cone got enough run support for the win. This was his 4th and final performance with the Mets in which he threw a shutout and allowed 2 hits or less. He also collected the 1,000th strikeout of his career when he fanned Ed Taubensee looking to end the 2nd inning. Little did he know at the time he'd end the year winning a World Series with the Blue Jays.

Astros starter Butch Henry was making just his 4th career start in this game. He had actually just shutout the Padres over 9 innings his last time out, and in July would fair much better against the Mets in a 3-1 Houston win.

I also enjoyed how McCarver and Kiner were so astounded by a guy in the crowd talking on what they called a "portable phone." They couldn't believe that type of technology existed. In my mind, 1992 really wasn't that long ago, but look how far we've come since then.

A sad footnote to this game.

Poor Terrel Hansen sat on the bench because the Mets did not need a pinch hitter. While several players over the years made brief appearances on Mets rosters without ever getting into a game as a Met (Jerry Moses in 1975, Mac Suzuki in 1999, Justin Spier in 2001), the others all played in the majors elsewhere at some point. Terrel was in the minors from 1987-1999 and April 29-30, 1992 was his only stint on a major league roster but the Mets did not get him in a game while he was up. Thus you do not see him on the Ultimate Mets Database roster, but he is listed at MBTN.com for wearing #21.

My wife had given birth about six weeks earlier, and this was our first night out of the house without the baby. I caught my first and (still) only foul ball when Dich Schofield hit a foul pop-up down the right field line off Mark Portugal. The inscribed ball still sits in my (now) 12 year old son's room.

I was living in Houston this summer and attended the game at the Astrodome. The girl I was dating was a cocktail waitress at the JW Marriott in Houston and waited on Bob Klapisch, who was a Mets beat reporter for either the Bergen Record or Daily News that year, the night before. Klapisch invited her up to the press-box for the next night's game and told her she could bring "a friend". So about the 4th inning we BS some elevator operator to take us up to the box and then get a security guard to summon Klapisch. He was all smiles coming around the corner until he saw me, then he made up some excuse not to honor the invitation.

We had good seats, about 10 rows behind the Mets dugout, and were surrounded by a large group of friends and family of Anthony Young, a Houston native.

Eddie Murray had a good game including what proved to be the game winning RBI. After the Mets secured the W and as they were coming off the field a bunch of us extended our hands over the dugout to congratulate Murray. Mine was the only white hand and also the only hand that he did not shake.

I remember thinking that the Mets could gain the lead in the NL East with a win that night. If only I knew what was in store for them that year.

The first time the Mets ever played on Good Friday at Shea and this was one of their many losses in a horrible season.

This game showed what Darryl Kile was about.

They just showed this game on ESPN Classic last night because it was Darryl Kile's no-hitter. I had forgotten how horrible the Mets were back then. Joe Orsulak batting cleanup? Are you kidding me?

The Mets run should not have counted. It came with Jeff McKnight on first with a walk and Orsulak up. Kile threw a sharp breaking ball that hit Orsulak in the foot and bounded away toward the Astros dugout (Orsulak even hopped and limped around for a few seconds). But for some reason plate umpire Ed Montague missed it and said it was in play. Scott Servais didn't chase the ball and McKnight kept running around second, to third, when Jeff Bagwell ran the ball down and threw wildly to third, allowing McKnight to come all the way around.

I was in my college dorm room studying and had the ESPN weeknight game on. I think the game was Braves vs Giants in the NL West race. The game was not on Channel 9 that night, was on Sports Channel which I did not get in college. Just as ESPN always does when a no-hitter is happening in the 9th if they are not televising the game, they took the audience to the game and showed the inning and the no-hitter take place. Great pitching by Darryl Kile as the Mets line-up was not something in 1993 to write home about. Not when Joe Orsulak is batting clean up.

A lot of dubious feats happened in 1993. This was the first time since 1975 the Mets were no-hit against as well as their first last-place finish since 1983 and first 100-loss season since 1967. Only fitting they get no-hit in this real disastrous season of 1993.

Darryl Kile throws a no-hitter against the Mets in their most agonizing year ever. The team was on its way to 103 losses for the season, during which a few of their players got into acts that hurt the club's reputation off the field. The constant losing and bad moral character made the Mets the butt of many one-liners by Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. When mentioning this game in one of his opening monologues, Leno cracked a joke that Kile's no-hitter shouldn't really count because he was pitching against a team so terrible. Such was life for the Mets in 1993.

I enjoyed reading these comments, especially considering some were written over 20 years ago! Meanwhile, the 30-year anniversary of this legendary band of losers will be this year. To be fair, Orsulak was only hitting cleanup because guys like Howard Johnson and Bobby Bonilla were hurt... Bonilla was actually injured just the game prior to this one, separating his shoulder. He had played every game of the season up until this night. His injury led to Butch Huskey's first big league callup. Debuting in this game, he went 0-for-3 with 3 strikeouts and committed an error at 3B. "Never forget it," he said after the game. I bet. His poor dad drove 9 hours from his home in Oklahoma to be in attendance to watch this debacle. It's also noted on baseball-reference that Huskey became just the third player in history to make his debut on the losing end of a no-hitter.

I agree with Bob that the Mets' run was bogus. Orsulak definitely got hit on the foot and so the wild pitch should not have counted. Still, give credit to McKnight for taking advantage of the call. Don't see many runners score from first on a wild pitch. Orsulak was later ejected from the game during a wild 7th inning. The Mets really didn't come close to getting a hit (save for a Hundley flyball that was caught at the warning track in the 6th) until the 7th, when Murray drilled a 1-out liner to Caminiti at third. Though Murray was called out on the fly, replays should the ball was actually trapped. Caminiti, not taking any chances, threw to first anyway and got Murray by a hair. Orsulak followed and, on the very next pitch, hit one between SS and 3B. Andujar Cedeno, who I remember as quite the Met-killer and had doubled and homered earlier in the game, flagged down the grounder and got off a desperation heave to 1B. Bagwell picked the ball out of the dirt to just barely get Orsulak out -- and replays showed the call was correct. Orsulak argued anyway and was tossed. After the game, Orsulak said, "I was safe, and you know what the umpire told me? That the play wasn't even close and how can I argue. Then he gave me a smirk. [...] I hope he didn't call me out just because he was throwing a no-hitter. That, to me, is an insult." Orsulak was definitely wrong thinking he was safe, but he has a point with the rest of what he had to say.

The Mets announcers tried to jinx the no-hitter as they were already talking about it by the third inning. But Kile was just too good. He dispatched the Mets on 85 pitches (though B-R says 83, they're definitely wrong) and would have had a perfect game if not for the walk to McKnight. His dad had died during spring training in 1993 so it was a great story for Darryl to have thrown a no-hitter during the season. As sportsfan8690 mentioned, it was the first time the Mets were no-hit since 1975 when Ed Halicki of the Giants did it during the second game of a doubleheader. It was also the final of three no-hitters thrown in 1993, and came just 4 days after Jim Abbott threw one for the Yankees vs. Cleveland.

The only other Mets batter who came close to getting a hit was Kent, who scalded a liner to third in the 8th that Caminiti caught about a foot off the ground. If he was a step to his left or right the ball was getting by him. Meanwhile, Josias Manzanillo was in the midst of a very nice outing until the Mets defense fell apart in the 8th, allowing 3 unearned runs to score. Then, on a single by Luis Gonzalez, Manzanillo said he felt a pop in his knee and had to be helped off the field. Like countless Mets players before him in 1993, he was done for the year. This also marked the last time during the season the two teams played each other. The Mets had to be happy the series was over -- they went 1-11 vs. Houston in 1993. That's the worst record they ever had against the Astros while the teams were both a part of the NL.

No one knew it at at time, but this turned out to be Gooden's last win as a Met at Shea. He pitched great on this overcast afternoon in front of a very small crowd. Doc would be the last member of the 1986 champs to leave the team.

A triple by Brett Butler to lead off the game sets the tone as the Mets break out of an offensive rut with a lopsided win, resulting in their first series win at Houston since 1989. Butler's triple was his first of three to lead off a game while on the Mets, and the 11th of 13 times in his career. Vince Coleman was the last to achieve the feat for the Mets in July of 1993.

The Mets wound up scoring 4 times in the first, with the big hit coming from Jeff Kent. With the bases loaded and 2 out, Kent went first-pitch hitting and lined a ground-rule double to right to score 2. Coming into that at-bat, he was just 1-for-27 with runners in scoring position. The Astros looked like they were going to battle right back in the bottom of the inning and I thought got the benefit of a bad call when 2B umpire Larry Vanover (who is one of my least favorite umps of all-time) called Kent off the base when he received a throw from Bobby Bo on a force play. Even with the "neighborhood play" in full effect during this era, Vanover called the runner safe despite Kent being off the base by mere inches as he attempted to turn the around-the-horn double play. And of course this prompted Tim McCarver to chime in, saying Kent was "nowhere near the bag" ... even though replays obviously showed the opposite. Despite the controversy, Dave Mlicki battled back to get Luis Gonzalez and Scott Servais to ground out to end the inning, allowing the Astros to score just once.

It wound up being another superb outing from Mlicki, who improved to 2-0 and saw his ERA dip to 1.40. It really seemed like the Mets had regained the starting pitching that made them so dominant in the late 1980s, what with Bret Saberhagen, Bobby Jones and Pete Harnisch all throwing well at the time, too. Gee, I wonder if it holds up...

Ralph also had a few Kinerisms in this one. First, after Tim had just got done announcing the Astros lineup and pronounced all the names correctly, Kiner then called James Mouton "James Morton." And later in the game, the guys were having some fun at the expense of "General Admission," a character dressed up in Civil War garb who shot off a cannon whenever the Astros hit a home run. McCarver said he looked like someone from a Dave Letterman skit, to which Ralph replied, "I think he looks like a loser." I couldn't help but laugh but, damn, that was harsh!

The last time a Mets pitcher went 10 full innings was on this day, as Bobby Jones did it. A crazy game, as both teams traded runs in the 12th and 15th innings before the Astros finally put the game away with 2 in the 16th inning.

Nobody remembers the 95 season? Surely it wasn't the best of times for the Mets, although they improved markedly in the second half. On this day, however, I sojurned to Queens for the Major League Debut of Mr. Bill Pulsipher. I remember him warming up to Nirvana's "Come as you are," and I thought it fitting for this fellow who was viewed as a savior. Then he sailed his first pitch to the backstop. He gave up 5 runs in the first, but he certainly was not helped by Brett Butler, who bungled two fly balls, which prolonged the inning longer than it needed to be. To add insult, he wasn't charged with an error either time. Ended up a blowout loss for the Mets, and the start of a rocky road for Pulse.

It was the first Mets game I went to since the end of the 1994 cancellation strike. I remember Pulse pitching and the lineup consisted of Bobby Crybaby, Jeff "The Cable Guy" Kent; Brett Butler and Ryan Thompson, who at times showed 5-tool skills and at other no-tool skills. It was a Saturday Afternoon and Shea was NOT exactly packed to the rafters.

The highlight of the day was the softball game before the Mets game, Phil Niekro's silver bullets I think was the name of them. I should mention, I thought Pulse reminded me of Jon Matlack. Too bad he didn't have the stuff to make it.

The first of Generation K to make it to the big leagues, Bill Pulsipher made his debut in this one. He was pretty terrible (though was also the victim of terrible defense, to be fair). Although the hype for the Puls, Izzy and Paul Wilson was huge at the time, the crowd for this one was pretty empty, especially for a Saturday afternoon.

Pulsipher would have better days (though not many of them), but he also had the worst career of the trio known as Generation K.

Ya really gotta feel for Pulsipher. Just 21 years old, pegged with turning a slumping team around, told to cut your hair and ditch your earrings by your manager if you wanted to play on his team, and his first game is against the team with the reigning NL MVP (Jeff Bagwell). Clearly letting the butterflies get the better of him, he walked 3 in the first inning, including the first batter he faced, and didn't escape until expending 44 pitches and until all 9 batters reached the plate -- and only did so after he allowed an RBI single to opposing pitcher Doug Drabek and LF Bobby Bonilla bailed him out by throwing out a second runner trying to score. On a Mets team that struggled for offense, a 5-run first inning was all but a guaranteed loss.

But credit Pulse for going 6 more innings and allowing just 2 additional runs -- even though he wound up walking a career-high 6. I thought he probably would have been best served getting pinch-hit for when he led off the bottom of the 5th, as he had already racked up 99 pitches at that point. But perhaps because the Mets and Astros had just played 16 innings the previous night, Dallas Green stuck with his rookie for two more frames, allowing him to tally 133 pitches. Oh, and his first career strikeout was against that aforementioned reigning MVP (who he actually wound up striking out twice), which must have been a nice feather in his cap.

Regardless, frustrations were reaching a boiling point with yet another disheartening performance. When the usually mild-mannered Brett Butler struck out in the 3rd, he heard a spattering of boos on his way back to the dugout. He responded by removing his helmet and tipping it to the crowd, and when the boos got louder, he tipped it again. Not exactly the sort of behavior you'd want from one of your veterans. When Butler made a nice diving catch to rob Drabek of another hit in the 4th, the crowd cheered, but he waved his glove at them as if to say, "I don't want your applause. Screw you." I got the impression the California transplant was not acclimating well to the New York culture. In the 8th inning, Bonilla came up with 2 on and 1 out with a chance to get the Mets back in the game. First-pitch swinging against reliever Dave Veres, who had just entered the game, Bobby just got under one and flew out to RF. On his way back to the bench, he fired his helmet against the side wall by the photo box, then got in the dugout and threw all the Gatorade coolers down the clubhouse steps. This loss definitely made it feel like it was becoming 1993 all over again.

I was so angry about the baseball strike; this was the only I game attended all year long. I wanted to keep my streak alive of going to at least one game per year since 1963!

1997 will be remembered as the season where the Mets, after years of misery and embarassment in the 1990s, finally turned it around and against all odds became contenders again.

I will always remember this game as the one where I finally believed that this team was going to do something.

The Mets had come home after a relatively successful road trip, and were hovering about .500, not great but perhaps getting better. In were the Astros, also a team on the rise.

Coming into the stadium this evening, I noticed, despite a relatively empty stadium on a cool, damp evening, there were two banners, one hanging in the left field corner, the other in the right field corner. The banners read simply:

NOW IT BEGINS!

I wondered what it meant.

Armando Reynoso started this game, pitched fairly well, and even hit a HR. He folded in the 7th, however, giving up a game-tying HR to Sean Berry, who was hitting a mighty .188 at the time.

In the bottom of the 7th, I saw one of the most gratifying Met HRs of my life.

(And I was at the Todd Pratt game, and the Mike Piazza game right after 9/11)

Butch Huskey, enjoying his finest season period, launched one of the longest and highest HRs I have ever seen, way off into the night, over the LF bullpen, giving the Mets a 4-3 lead, which they would hold on to, despite Franco pitching into a jam in the 9th.

The Mets would go on to win games like this one all season long, eventually driving into their first pennant race in nearly 10 seasons.

If one game was going to symbolize the Mets resurgence in 97 to greatness in the late 90s, it would have to be this one. NOW IT BEGINS held as a very apropos phrase for that evening and the 97 season.

This game is a more significant memory than many other games I have been to. I went to this game with my dad, cousin Dan, and my friend Tim. It was the summer before my freshmen year of high school. On the way there, my dad turned on the radio to WFAN and whoever was talking was talking badly about a trade. My dad was like, "uh-oh" and the guy announced that they had traded Lance Johnson, Mark Clark, and Manny Alexander for Brian McRae, Mel "Smell" Rojas, and Turk Wendell. Whoever was talking said something about hoping he gave enough time to "spit out your drink" in shock or something of the sort. How could then new GM Steve Phillips do this when they had been playing good baseball the way they were assembled?

The game was awesome. I remember in the first inning, James Mouton was up for the Astros and was batting like below .200 and my cousin made a comment about how he sucks and then BANG! He hit the ball out for a home run. My cousin should learn to keep his mouth shut, LOL! The next half of the inning, Brian McRae (he arrived that day) got on base leading off with a single and got picked off. These fans started yelling, "We want Lance!"

But the Mets went on to win 6-1 behind a good starting effort from Brian Bohanon and some good offense knocking Shane Reynolds out in the fourth inning. He was a Met killer back then. Brian McRae did go 3 for 4, but did not do much the rest of that season (he only had like a couple good months in 1998 when he had some big hits). I had a lot of fun this night excluding the news of that trade. Lance Johnson was one of my favorites.

Darryl Kile picks up his ninth straight win despite two homers by John Olerud. The win improved Kile's record to 16-3, and he finished the year 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA (the league average ERA in 1997 was 4.00).

In his career, Kile was 13-4 in 22 starts against the Mets.

Jim Tatum was brought in for the 98 season for his big power off the bench, and made the team based on a great spring training. Expecations for his bench production were high after this night, a game winning 3 run homer off former Met Doug Henry. Unfortunately, this was the lone highlight of Jim's Mets career, as he ended up doing nothing after this game and was released within 2 months.

WOW! Did the Mets really use 25 players in this game? I guess this could only happen in September after the rosters are expanded.

Using 25 players set a Met record later tied on 9-19-00 against the Braves in Atlanta.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Absolutely the great regular season series in our history. I ran across the house when Piazza went deep.

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.

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.

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.

The Mets won their 6th in a row, tying their longest streak of the season. Rick Reed came back from the disabled list and held a good Astros offense mainly in check through 6 innings to get the win. Spotted to a 4-0 lead in the 1st inning, Reed gave up an RBI single to the pitcher in the 2nd but settled in after that, retiring 11 in a row. A 2-run homer by future Met Richard Hidalgo in the 6th tightened the lead to just 1 run, but the Mets added an insurance run in the bottom of the 6th and coasted from there as Turk Wendell and John Franco faced just 1 over the minimum over the remaining 3 innings.

This is the first time I noticed two new things about the 1999 season: 1) The Mets aren't wearing their names on the back of their home jerseys (a look I did not like), and 2) Shea got a bit of a facelift behind home plate, as the seating now completely envelops the area, whereas previously there was a windowed area where I believe the grounds crew would assemble.

This was my first Mets game. I went to it on a class trip to the city. My seat were so high up, I could see anything going on. I remember guys sitting behind my class throwing chicken bones at us. The Mets lost, unfortunately, due to the home run Benitez gave up (a rare thing). Anyways, I'm glad I went.

Correction: I COULDN'T see anything that was going on.

This was a good game. I remember that Carl Everett hit a HR for the 'stros (BOO!), Benitez coming in to get the last out of the top of the 9th, and Matt Franco getting a pinch hit to bring in somebody (Hamilton maybe?). Little blooper up the 3rd base line out of reach of the SS and 3B.

Weather was perfect. Late August, clear sky, temp. in the 60s, little bit of a breeze. Sat on the 1st base side near the Mets bullpen. My wife's first trip to Mecca (Shea). Good times.

Great game. A day after Fonzie got the walk-off hit for the Mets, it was Matt Franco's turn with Darryl Hamilton on third (yes it was Darryl Hamilton). He blooped it into shallow left field and Tim Bogar and I think Ken Caminiti went chasing after it and Bogar dove and he couldn't get and Hamilton trotted home with the winning run. As I watched this happen, I jumped off my couch and the bowl of popcorn that I had been eating fell over.

I remember walking into Shea on the evening of this game and stopping for a minute as I came to my seat. The air of excitement, something that had been missing for so many years was back. The crowd was abuzz all evening. I had to pause and let it all sink in. After so many years, it finally felt like the Mets would do something special in 1999, and the fans were feeling it as well. I remember the crowd really going crazy when Franco's parachute fell in with the winning run.

I'll always remember this one. There was a real playoff atmosphere all night.

Ahh, the summer of '99. A very special summer for me. A good part of that was because of the Mets. I was going into junior year of high school. I attended this game with my then good friend Tim, and my parents. We were treated to a pitcher's duel. Masato Yoshii threw what was one of many good games during that stretch run. Mike Hampton, who was a real Met-killer then, pitched just as well. Mike Piazza tied it at 1-1 off Hampton late in the game. It went into extra innings. We could not stay that long. As we were in the car, Dennis Cook came in and got bombed. I believe it was Jeff Bagwell who hit a bomb. Mets lose, 5-1. Otherwise, a very awesome night for all of us.

As a life long Mets fan from Connecticut, this was my first Met game, at the age of 19. Took a bus trip with my then girlfriend's mother's work. I remember Piazza tying the game with the home run and then almost hitting a game winner in the 9th inning that made it to the warning track in center. Then in the 10th (I think) Bagwell hit a home run just inside the right field foul pole.

I was at this game with some family members and we sat in the Pepsi Picnic Area in left field at the old Shea. Everyone joked that night we would be getting a lot of baseballs headed our way with Yoshii pitching but he was very effective that night. The game was 1-1 going to extra innings when, if memory serves me right, Tony Eusabio of all people hit a double and knocked in the go-ahead run then Bagwell hit a 3-run shot right after.

The thing that I remember most about this game though was there was a little kid sitting next to me who would scream at the top of his lungs between innings "Hi Rickey Henderson" loud enough for the whole stadium to hear. Rickey was playing left field that night by the way. And Rickey being the warm guy he was didn't even acknowledge or look at the youngster once the whole time!

Perhaps Kenny Rogers' lone bright spot in his brief Mets career. I was at this game and it was at this point in the season I noticed the stadium was finally filling up and the fans were coming back to Shea, believing the Mets were seriously putting something together. The "MVP!" chants for Robin Ventura started on this night. Rogers pitched brilliantly. The future held great promise. It was a good time to be a Mets fan.

Fonzie goes 6 for 6 with 3 HRs and a double. Becomes the first Met in history to have 6 hits in a game. What else can you say!

No one has had a game like this since Ty Cobb. The Mets were playing the Astros at the Astrodome and Alfonzo just went insane! 6 for 6, 3 hrs, 16 total bases, 6 rbis. The Mets win 17-1. Victory is so sweet.

Edgardo Alfonzo had six hits and the Houston Astros had five hits.

Alfonzo had the greatest game ever as a Met hitter.

I'm an old acquaintance of Wayne Franklin, who pitched in relief for the Astros in this game. Bad day for him. He served up a gigantic 3-run homer to Piazza then hit the next batter, Ventura with a pitch. I caught up to him at Shea a few weeks later and he told me yes, he indeed threw at Ventura on purpose! He said he and catcher Tony Eusubio were frustrated over having walked Alfonzo on a borderline ball 4 before Piazza took him deep.

Earlier in that game Jose Lima threw a hissy fit in the dugout when he got yanked in the top of the 4th inning having given up 7 runs. Overall, this was an old-fashioned woodshed beating.

One of the few times (if not only time) a Met pitcher came into a game as a pinch hitter and stayed in the game to pitch relief. But Pat Mahomes was probably the best hitter ever to be a member of the Met bullpen.

I remember being convinced that the Mets were going to hold onto first place after this. I was 15 that summer and thought that there was nothing better in the world than to see the Mets put an end to the Braves' streak. That still would be a dream-come-true, but at this point, I'd settle for anything better than what we've seen in recent years.

The Mets rally to win Dicky Gonzalez's debut game with a five-run 7th keyed by a Ventura grand slam and a pinch-hit triple by Lenny Harris.

This was the first game I took my kids to. They were 5 and 7. They loved Mike Piazza, and left the game as Robin Ventura fans for life. Saw Piazza HR and Ventura Grand Slam in the same game. Great memories.

Last Wednesday I was at Shea to see Appier's best game as a Met. He went 6 2/3 giving up 1 run, 3 hits, 4 BBs and 4 K's. Not dominant, but very good major league performance. Then the bullpen melted down. Turk gave up a bomb to Biggio over the picnic area. He then gave up a bigger bomb to Alou to dead center. Dennis Cook got into the act and gave up a shot to Daryle Ward. Three solo HR's in the 8th to tie the game at 4. Benitez survives a shaky 9th, but gives up back to back solo shots to Lance Berkman and Alou. 6- 4 Astros after FIVE solo HRs in three innings. Mets load the bases with nobody out against Billy Wagner but can only score one run. 6-5 Astros. Wasted performance by Appier. Disgusting.

I witnessed this game from the best Shea seats I've ever had. Seven HRs at Shea - how often does that happen?

I viewed this game as close cousin to the Mike Scosia playoff home run against Gooden in 1988, but on a much smaller scale.

I.e., it was a turing point for the worse. The bullpen, esp. Benitez, was terrible. The way the team destructed in the late innings was a real kick in the throat. This one really hurt.

I also recall that jose lima, a cowardly headunter in the tradition of pedro martinez and redneck clemens (I refuse to capitalize their names) hit Jay Payton in the head.

Of course this was yet another time when Bobby Valentine, the most hated man in baseball, sat back and just took it - no retaliation by the Mets at all.

Think of Jay Payton getting beaned by dave whats his name from the Cardinals in the last game of the 2000 playoffs. Nothing happened after that; same with clemens/Piazza. We had the lame attempt by Shawn Estes to scare clemens, but the real opportunity (like to drill Jeter take him out at 2nd base hard) was missed.

So, this game was a microcosm of why the post- 2000 Mets were a real drag. Late-game meltdowns, other teams throwing at our heads, and no response at all. Not just boring, but boring wimps.

Thank God the 2004 Mets are fun to watch, almost as much as the 1999 version. The 2001 - 2003 versions were horrible, and this night against Houston demonstrated why.

Edgardo Alfonso hits a three run homer in the top of the tenth, and the Mets score six runs in the tenth to beat Houston, 8-2. It is the most runs the Mets have ever scored in the tenth inning.

We were standing in a long line in the hot afternoon sun waiting to get into Shea when a fan with a radio stated that he just heard that Jay Payton was traded to the Rockies. Quite a few fans standing on line were happy with the trade, commenting rather harshly on his recent blunders in the field and on the bases. I was kinda sad. I hoped that the Mets would cheer me up and win big. Boy, did I get more than I bargained for! On this one night the forlorn 2002 NY Mets looked like a team bound for the post-season. Estes pitched one of his finest games as a Met, solid thru 7 innings giving up 3 walks but only 2 hits. Jeromy Burnitz was patient at the plate and had 2 or 3 excellent at- bats, homering to deep center once. Rey had two doubles and was flawless in the field Even Roger Cedeno had a couple hits and didn't make any errors! I remember leaving the stadium elated in the belief that the Mets had really turned things around. How mistaken I was! The Mets were about to embark on one of their worst losing streaks of their history, losing 15 out of their next 18 games. When I look back on the humiliating 2002 season, I'm glad I was at Shea for one of the few happy moments. I believe that this was Estes's last game as a Met.

I was at this game, which turned out to be the final start of David Cone's career (2 IP, 3 Hits, 3 walks, 2 runs). Tim Redding, who'd eventually become one of the most pointless players in Mets history, started and won for the Astros.

I had to leave the room tonight when I saw Benitez come in to pitch the 9th with a 2 run lead. I checked the score after the game was over and saw it was the same as when I left. I think I missed a rare miracle, although I'm sure the big baby didn't get a 1-2-3 inning.

Floyd returns, and hits a granny off of Oswalt as the Mets continue to roll another great start from Trax who has become an elite starter.

The man the myth the legend James Baldwin gets another start, and yet again stinks it up barely getting out of the 4th. The Mets make a valiant comeback as Phillips had a couple of doubles, but the Astros got a couple tack on runs against Moreno and Stanton.

Matt Ginter gets his first start, and pitches 5 and two thirds of impressive baseball as he keeps the Mets in the game while Clemens dominates the Mets. Ginter actually got the first hit for the Mets. The ump blows a call in the 6th as Ensberg was off the bag by a huge margain. Looper came into the ninth loaded the bases, but brilliantly got out of the jam. Valent doubled to start the ninth , and Piazza hit a bomb off of Dotel to tie it up. The Mets bullpen did a great job in , and in the 13th Phillips hits the game winning homer.

I was at this game. It was miserable. Rained steadily throughout most of the game. I don't know what the announced attendance was for this one, but I can tell you there looked to be about 143 people in attendance. The only good thing that happened was the Mets offered free tickets to anyone who actually came to the game, and the free tickets I ended up with turned out to be Kris Benson's shutout of the Braves.

This game will be forever remembered as the "batting eye" game, in which the rotating centerfield batting eye got stuck for almost 15 minutes in the "ad" position. It gave everyone in the nosebleed upper deck a chance to get on the Mets' case from the fact that they were 1 and 5 to the not so funny fact that Shea was really falling apart. But then Pedro's charm and clutch "little ball" by Kaz and Jose R. made us forget all that. A very nice 8-4 win sent everyone home happy and dreaming of meaningful games in October.

AH, Opening Day at Shea and I'm there for the first time since 1997...when Opening Day got rained out.

But they played today, and it was indeed a fine and rollicking afternoon at our Grand Old Shea.

On the field, the Mets scraped and clawed, fell behind early, Glavine was erratic, but some key hits by Wright, Victor Diaz, a beautiful squeeze by Matsui, and in the end, an old friend John Franco gave the game back to us, along with a bungled popup by Jason Lane, leading to a 5-run 8th and an 8-4 victory. A great start to the Mets home season!

Off the field was a different story.

Given that the Shea Stadium staff has about 6 months (October - April) to prepare for Opening Day, you would think that they would take care of certain things beforehand. I bought a hamburger before the game from a grill stand, and I asked for cheese on it. The woman told me "We can't melt the cheese for you. We can't tell you why." Meanwhile, another gent at the stand is picking away at a gigantic block of cheese. I took the cheese anyway.

Around the 3rd inning, in the Upper Deck, RF side, some fans around me were calling for the Hot Dog man. He was coming around.

"Hey, Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" they called.

The hot dog man looks at them as if they all had ten heads.

"What!?" He yells back, and keeps walking.

Those fans, by the 6th inning, were still waiting for Hot Dogs.

Of course, there was the batters eye fiasco, which was glossed over by the Great Pedro Martinez sideshow. There were replacement black curtains which were made to slide down should the sign get stuck. Which it did. While one guy is standing on top of the batters eye unwrapping these curtains, we see water that was surely months old come spilling out. He's tugging at a rope holding the curtain rolled up. He's tugging...it's coming...It's open!

...And it keeps on unravelling, off the pole, all the way to the ground. Whoops.

He goes to the next curtain. Again, it opens...and it falls as well.

Finally, as if it were mocking this gentleman, the sign works again, except for 3 or 4 bars which he had to close by hand. And finally, back to the game.

The beers were flowing heartily throughout. Early on, one beer vendor was walking around yelling, "Who's Drinkin'!?" One of the more entertaining fistfights broke out in UR section 23, resulting in 20 security guards, 8 cops and 3 men with walkie talkies rushing to the scene and ejecting about half the section.

However, despite all the mystery, mayhem and tomfoolery, the Mets did emerge victorious, and a sellout crowd was sent home happy on a sublime opener to the 2005 home season.

We went to this game, the home opener. Everyone cheered when Franco came in for the Astros, like "We need runs! Bring on Franco!"

I loved when the 'Great Pedro Slideshow' came up. They tried to cover it but dropped the cover. We were waiting like 15 minutes. And Pedro was there laughing in the dugout the whole time.

Carlos Beltran made a nice throw to Piazza to cut off a run from scoring. I never saw a pitcher hit a triple until this game. I couldn't help but wonder as I sat there freezing with my two sons how many more people would attend a game in a stadium with a roof? The new HDTV screen in left field is awesome, though.

We all thought he had a no-hitter. But at least he got a two-hitter out of it. It's amazing how Pedro draws so many fans. I can't blame them cause he's so good!

This was the second game I attended in five days with the same two people. Pedro started both games and threw two awesome games, especially tonight. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Of all people, Chris Burke broke it up with his first career home run. Of course, what matters most is that Pedro ended up pitching a complete game two-hitter in a 3-1 win.

Went to this game with a couple of friends (the same two I have gone with a few other times this year). We got there late so we did not see the sprinkler thing. But, we got to see Pedro pitch an awesome game, almost a no-hitter. I could see why Cliff Floyd got so mad when Roy Oswalt drilled him considering how he has hit him in the past.

This game sucked. Plain and simple. I had the poor fortune of attending this game. Never mind the fact that it was 95 degrees out, humid and absolutely miserable all evening. The Astros basically did everything they could to hand this game over to the Mets, and the Mets just refused. Backe started for the Astros and walked 6. 6 WALKS! And the Mets squandered each and every opportunity. Bases loaded in the 2nd. Men on in the 3rd. More in the 4th and 5th. 2 on in the 8th. And so it went. One run in the first. Lots of men left stranded over the rest of the game.

Zambrano did his best, it was 1-1 into the 6th, he got a key DP, looked like he was going to get out of it...And then he turned back into Victor Zambrano and gave up an RBI single to Ensberg, followed by a long RBI 2B by Lane, and that was it. He didn't get the key out, and it turned into another one of those Victor Zambrano Innings that we all have come to know and love.

My friend thought we might have a chance in the 9th. Then they announced Lidge into the game. He turned to me and said, "Oh, right. I forgot. The Astros have a real closer."

1-2-3 and an end to a perfectly miserable game.

I was at this game. Maine was totally unreal. He was sharp and I considered this game the turning point in his career. Floyd robbed a home run, a great throw by Beltran to home and Valentin added a grand slam in the Mets 7-0 rout.

The X-man strikes again! Nady hits a 3-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to give El Duque just enough run support to win. Orlando Hernandez was shaky in the first giving up 2 home runs but settled down over the next six scattering just 2 hits over those last six innings. Want to see what is going to happen in the series finale. Roy Oswalt is scheduled to start and want to see if he hits Cliff Floyd once again. He hit Floyd last year at Shea and in the post game interviews Floyd said that "every dog gets his day." We shall see!

I watched this game from a sports bar in Bergen County because the lights went out at my sister's house due to a ill-timed Labor Day weekend tropical system. (By the way, they came back on late Sunday morning.)

I was so psyched when Beltran made that great catch on the hill! My dad was so freaked out and so was I.

Looking to win 3 out of 4 what does Willie Randolph do? He puts a lineup on the field that doesn't score much runs. We are in a serious pennant race and this lineup is put on the field? This team has struggled all year. Come on Mets fans let's be realistic this team is not the team we saw from 2006! One positive I am getting in the last week is Carlos Delgado. He seems to have found his stroke. If he has he will carry this team through August. I think this team needs another BIG BAT in the lineup considering what has transpired over the last 3 months. Let's see if they can find their playoff form in the 2nd half of the season. I sure hope so!

I was at this game. Little did I know that this was Tom Glavine's last win in a Mets uniform. Also this was my last Mets game of '07. My record there was 4 and 5. Now I know I should've gone to more games.

This was my wife's first ever game to Shea. What better game for your first than a Pedro/Oswalt pitcher's dual?! This was Pedro's first start back from his injury the previous season. He only went 5 innings, but he held his own.

The Mets won, and after this game was done, I think they were 6.5 or 7 games up on the Philthies... on complete cruise control... about to make Jimmy Rollins look every bit of the overrated mouthy jerkwad he really is. I remember talking about the MLB playoff format and how things would shake out for the Mets on the walk back to the subway.

I think I'm gonna be sick now!

Murphy's first MLB game. He singled his first time at-bat.

My buddy Simon gave me 3 tickets the day before and I went by myself. (I was hoping to give away the 2 other seats, NO SUCH LUCK THOUGH.) It was windy and cold at Citi and I was fighting a cold but I stayed throughout the game and enjoyed a nice Mets victory on what SHOULD have been a tune-up for post season play but stuff happens. I enjoyed my 7th and final visit to Citi for 2009. Better times await for 2010!

First things first, I sat in section 129 courtesy of the New York Daily News contest on a clear, cold and windy "November" evening. Terry Collins gets ejected. (I was hoping he would kick dirt like Earl Weaver used to.) Jason Bay came back from his DL stint to start at LF. David Wright went yard, so did Mike Nickeas for his first MLB dinger. (I love it when I see a Mets player hit his first HR.) And Ike Davis...

Me and my buddy Billy sat next to a guy wearing a West Virginia University cap and I said to him that the weather was much suited for the annual WVU-Pitt "Backyard Brawl" football game than for the summer game and he agreed 100%.

On the way to the 7 train, there were a few morons from the Bronx praising Satan aka the Yankees and I shot back with the usual "YANKEES STINK" but I didn't say STINK and I added some very funny and very not-so-PC comments about Jeter and A-Bum as well.

By the way, Whenever I'm asked why I root for the Mets, I give them these 2 answers: I've been a Mets fan since I started watching baseball in the mid 1970's and my late mother who was very religious told me to NEVER, EVER WORSHIP SATAN....CASE CLOSED!!!

Jason Pridie stole home in this game - the most recent Met to do it to date.

I hadn't been to Citi Field since before the All- Star break and I didn't want to be stuck inside on a beautiful late August afternoon so I headed to the game and I did something I usually don't do: I bought a 300 section seat from a scalper for $40 and I breathed a sigh of relief when the ticket turned out to be legit!!! It was the Ike Davis show as he hit 2 dingers including the walk off in the 9th as the Astros played their last game vs the Mets as a NL member (Houston is moving to the tough AL West next year).

This squad (can't really call them a 'team') really reminds me of the disappointing 2004 Mets that finished 71-91.

Instead of Leiter and Glavine (and Anna Benson), this team has Scherzer and Verlander (and Kate Upton), with Leiter and Glavine outclassing their 2023 counterparts (for the most part).

Also Kate Upton may be more beautiful, but Anna Benson had more personality and spontaneity.

After 73 games, the 2023 Mets are 34-39.

After 73 games, the 2004 Mets were 36-37.

Maybe they can turn things around by inducing a reverse wormhole and signing Scott Kazmir, but it's probably too late.

Either way, BRING BACK SCOTT KAZMIR!

@Hot Foot: Check your facts. There was no connection between Tom Glavine and Anna Benson. And why do want to bring back a player from almost 20 years ago?

Your post doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.