Roger Craig gave up the Mets' first run in history on a balk. A guy was on third, and as Craig was going into his motion and then he dropped the ball.

Roger gave up the first run but it didn't happen like that. The Cards had runners on first and third when Stan The Man blooped a single into left and drove in the first run. With runners on on first and second, Craig made a move to first but Hodges wasn't covering the bag. So Craig held on to the ball for a balk. Boyer then grounded out, driving in the second run. I know the myth sounds better but Craig had enough woes with the Mets and doesn't need this added to it. I think the story of the balk came from Breslin's "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game?"

Jeff, the story about the balk is no myth - many of us have recordings of Lindsey Nelson calling the play. He has Roger Craig checking the runner at third, set into his windup and then drop the ball. Lindsey goes on to say, "The New York Mets have given up their first run in history on a balk."

Actually, since my post about Craig's balk, I was corrected by another fan who told me that the recording Joseph refers to was recreated--that is, Lindsey did it in the studio, imagining the play, with fake crowd noise in the background. The recording I have of it comes from the record album produced in 1970 called "The Miracle Mets" by Fleetwood.

Jim, I also have the 1970 "Miracle Mets" album and thought the crowd noise on some play-by-play sounded fake but never imagined the calls themselves were recreated!

Since Bob Murphy opened the broadcast, it would seem logical that he would be the one to have called the first three innings on radio.

The first run of the game was scored on an RBI single by Musial. Craig balked on the next play, but no run scored (although it did enable the Cards to knock in the second run on a groundout).

I had that "Miracle Mets" record when I was a kid and listened to it a lot. I remember that Nelson broadcast about the balk and was confused by it when I found out that it was not the way the run was allowed in this game. But I was wondering something. Could that balk have happened in the first SPRING TRAINING game in Florida that year? I don't know if this was really the case, but I think it's possible.

You can actually listen to the first game via a Podcast. Download Daniel Humprey's Baseball Historian Episode 16. Craig did balk, didn't drop the ball. Hodges didn't cover and Craig couldn't throw.

I guess for the final say... I just listened to this game and the 1st run scored on Musial's hit. THEN Craig balked, advancing runners to 2nd and 3rd.

Yeah, I wonder why the producers of that record decided to play fast and loose with history. And why Lindsey agreed to go along with it!

Jeff, Matt and Michael are dead on. While Craig did balk, he didn't drop the ball, and in any event, the first run had already scored. I believe that the whole "balked-in-first-run" myth started with Jimmy Breslin in "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game," published in 1963. It's incredible that the myth acquired such momentum that the recording fakery took place just seven years later. This is only one of a number of myths which surround the Original Mets.

If you want to really get to grips with sorting out the facts from the myths, might I suggest my newly-published book, A Year In Mudville: An Oral History of Casey Stengel and the Original Mets. This 418-page book is based on interviews with players, reporters and fans (including several who post on Ultimate Mets), and you can get your copy on Createspace.com or amazon.com, or if you want to read it on your iPhone or iPad, you can get it from the iBookstore. Email me for more info.

On Super Bowl Sunday (2-1-15), Legendary New York radio DJ Jonathan Schwartz played Bob Murphy giving out the starting lineup and batting order for the Mets & Cardinals. Schwartz has been doing his annual "SUPER SUNDAY SALUTE TO BASEBALL" for many years and it was treat to hear Murph describe the lineup again. He also played baseball songs (as usual), play-by-play of ordinary games and since he's a Red Sox fan he played Ted Williams last home run in 1960.

I am crushed! I just put on the recording of the first game the Mets played in 1962 and realized the first run given up in Mets history was NOT on a dropped ball by Roger Craig, as per the recording of the "1969 Miracle Mets" album. I was 5 years old in 1968 and fell in love with the Mets, and lived and died with the 1969 team. My Dad bought me that album and I have been telling people for 50 years that the Mets gave up their first run in history on a balk because Lindsey Nelson's broadcast of that on the album. Unbelievable! Why would he even agree to do that? Total crush of credibility! I have been telling people a lie for 50 years! Thanks, Lindsey!

Richard, you're not the first person ever to be misled by that phony Roger Craig balk. Many others have been fooled by it, too. A few years ago, I left my own posting on Lindsey Nelson's page on this site about the exact same thing. It may be unfair to blame Lindsey totally for this since he was just following a script of a re-enactment made for him, but he shouldn't have gone along with it. Nelson just had to know it did not happen since he was there for the actual game.

Just to set things straight, the first run ever scored against the Mets came on Stan Musial's single that drove home Julian Javier. Nelson's broadcast on that record states that Bill White came home on Craig's balk that never occurred. The company that put out the album had no business trying to make anybody believe that Roger had dropped the ball like that when he really didn't.

Another myth of my childhood shattered! If not for the Phillies blowing the game last night with the help of Hector Neris dropping the ball to commit the balk, I would have never recounted the "story" about the Mets first ever run allowed. When the recipient of the story said he had never heard about it, I recounted the Miracle Mets album (which I still own), and google took me to this site. The boxscore on baseball-reference.com confirmed that it was all made up. Does this mean that the 1969 Miracle Mets also didn't happen? Fortunately, I attended many of those games (including the clincher, the NLCS game and WS Game 4....Thanks Mom), so I saw much of it with my own two eyes.

I was 10 years old and it was my first time at the Polo Grounds. I remember putting the names in the scorecard and then Casey Stengel changed half the players about 10 minutes before game time.

The Mets were awful and I remember that Frank Thomas hit home runs in his last two at bats when it was meaningless. It was the only time that I saw Stan Musial play. The Mets were awful but not as bad as the 17-4 loss that I saw against the Giants. (That may have been in 1963.)

I'm pretty sure this was the first Mets game I ever attended (8 yrs old.) I recall it was a close game until Rod Kanehl broke it open with a pinch-hit grand slam off Barney Schultz (the "fireman" for the Cards) sometime in the 7th or 8th inning.

Think about how improbable that was; Hot Rod Kanehl hit only 6 lifetime HR's, and hits a pinch-hit grand slam off a tough pitcher.

I switched from a Yankees fan to a Mets fan at that point and never looked back.

The grand slam by Rod Kanehl that John Mac referred to in his May 2002 post was the first grand slam in Mets history.

I attended this game with my dad and I remember that Gil Hodges hit a home run; I also remember that Ray Sadecki threw a wild pitch on an intentional walk, allowing a run to score.

Hodges hit his last major league homer in this game. It was #370 which moved him into 10th place on the All-Time Homer list as it then stood - ahead of Ralph Kiner who was announcing when Hodges hit the homer!

An interesting question: I was a young kid at the time and recall that one of the nine homers by Hodges as a Met was an inside-the parker at the Polo Grounds. Was this it? Inside-the- parkers were quite frequent in the Polo Grounds on balls hit in the gaps because CF was 480 feet while the Mets played there in 1962-63!

This was the first Met game I ever went to. I was 11 years old and my father got great seats directly behind home plate, slightly to the third base side, a few rows up. I remember expecting the Mets to lose. I had started watching the Yankees a few years earlier and still considered myself a Yankee fan, although the Mets interested me because I could now see players like Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax. I did not realize at the time but my metamorphosis into a Met fan began that night. I remembered that the Mets won big and I remember vividly the grand slam hit by Rod Kaneal as a pinch hitter in the 8th. I remember Ray Sadecki was a young, hard throwing lefty for the Cardinals. I distinctly remember the catcher chasing a ball to the backstop, shouting out curses as he neared the stands. Roger Craig kept the Cards off balance all night. I also remember how much I enjoyed the ambiance before the game, watching batting practice and listening to the music piped in from speakers in center-field. I remember thinking I liked the Polo Grounds better than Yankee Stadium. I remember how much my dad enjoyed being at the game with me.

The Mets hit three home runs on this night, each of which had its own significance. The first was by Gil Hodges in the second inning for (as Ed K points out) the 370th and last of his career to give him one more than Ralph Kiner, who was a Mets broadcaster at the time. In response to Ed K's question, Gil's inside-the-park homer was back on May 16th against the Cubs. It wasn't this one.

Charlie Neal slugged the Mets' second homer in the fifth inning to give the team a 4-0 lead. This proved to be the winning run in their eventual 10-3 victory.

Rod Kanehl provided the third Mets home run in the bottom of the eighth. It came with the bases loaded for the first grand slam in team history. Kanehl had replaced Frank Thomas in left field in the top half of the inning. Two previous posters about this game claimed that Kanehl hit the slam as a pinch-hitter, but he didn't. Rod was in the game already.

The first time my father took me to the Polo Grounds, the Mets split a pair of one-run games with a pretty good Cardinals team. Little did I know that the second-game loss would begin a string of 16 losses in the next 17 games. Ray Daviault earned his only big league victory in the opener, thanks to a pinch-hit HR by “Marvelous Marv” Throneberry. Sammy Taylor caught both games(!) of the doubleheader and homered in each game. He hit only three all year and 33 in his career.

This was the first of two pinch-hit walk-off homers Marv hit in 1962. This one is credited with helping establish him as a fan favorite. The other one (on 8/21) is legendary as he was called on to pinch-hit after coaching at 1B for much of the game!

My father took me to this double header. I was 10 and I distinctly remember sitting in the right field seats (just fair) and having several home runs land near us, including one by Stan Musial. I was very happy to discover this site and see the box score confirm my nice memories of this day. Thanks!

This is the only game I ever saw in the Polo Grounds. Mostly I remember Stan the Man's HR; it was my birthday present! Wonderful to see the box score!

My Dad took me to this double header at The Polo Grounds. I was almost 9 but an ardent fan of baseball in a family with 10 kids. We were all baseball fans and embraced the Mets and the return of NL Baseball to NY. I remember that field so vividly and the imaginations as I peered through binoculars at close ups of so many greats of the game: Musial, Hodges, Woodling.

I was hooked as a Mets fan and went to more than 30 games in '69 and was there when the Mets clinched the pennant. I grabbed chunks of grass and tried in vain to dig out home plate with a bunch of other crazies! What a sweet summer that was. My sister Anne and her boyfriend Willie took me to so many games in my teenage years to Shea! Great memories of Shea- Kiner's Korner-before there was ESPN and good sports highlights!

My first Mets game ever. I attended with as a nine-year old with my Cub Scout pack! We sat someplace DEEP in the left field upper deck. The players were tiny from that vantage point but I'll never forget the thrill and excitement.

My first Met game at age nine. I recall the fans booing the entire Cardinal line-up except for Stan Musial who got cheered. The only game I went to with my grandfather and father before the former passed away the next year. We had box seats on the third base side and almost got a baseball during batting practice when AL Jackson was shagging flies and threw in a ball that rolled near us. And boy did centerfield in the Polo Grounds look like it was forever.

Stan Musial hit three homers in his first three at bats after hitting a home run in his last at bat yesterday.

Stan the Man, age 41, became the oldest player ever to hit three homers in a game. I'm not sure if that record still stands.

This was also MY first Met game. I still have the ticket stub. I was two and half weeks short of my eighth birthday. My dad and I attended the game at the Polo Grounds and I also recall very clearly how vast centerfield seemed. I was very excited.

Twenty Five years later, in 1987 I returned the favor and took my Dad to see the Cardinals play at Shea. He was only 59 years old, but suffering from macular degeneration, a dibilitatiting eye condition that left him with peripheral vision only. I described most of the action on the field to him, and you know? We had a blast!

He passed away suddenly in May 1988, and I am so glad we shared our Met baseball together!

This game would be where to place the remark, that I once read that Musial was ready to retire after 1961, but when he saw the names on the Mets pitching staff he decided to continue. Based on his stats against the Mets you can see why.

I think "Little Al" Jackson (wonder what he thought of that name?) beat Gibson in this game, despite some adventures from Marvelous Marv at first base (anybody have a copy of Breslin's "Can't Anybody Here Play This Game"?) pretty funny stuff.

The 3rd of Al's four shutouts in 1962. All were the during the first game of doubleheader and in each case, the Mets lost the second game!

Also, this was the first 1-0 shutout ever won by a Met pitcher, and it was the first shutout by a Met pitcher in an away game.

This was Stan Musial Night at the Polo Grounds and I was a very lucky 10-year old that got to accompany my father, an Anheuser-Busch executive, to the game, seated in the owners box right next to the visiting Cardinals dugout. The dugout players were five feet away and happy to sign autographs up to game time.

The Cards lost the first game of the day's double-header but came back to win the nightcap 10-0 behind Gibson's complete game, 9k shut-out and a wall-crashing catch from LFer Minnie Minoso. I was mesmerized that night... still am nearly 60 years later.

Stan Musial collects his 3,516th hit in this Met victory. The hit moves him past Tris Speaker into second place overall behind Ty Cobb for most hits in a career.

Musial gets another 114 hits to finish at 3,630 and now sits fourth behind Pete Rose, Ty Cobb, and Henry Aaron.

I was at this game. I really don't remember any thing about the game itself. But I along with 3 other guys cut school to welcome Duke Snider back to New York. The funny thing was we all got caught because our picture was on the front cover of the New York Daily News.

I was at this game with Bruce from Bayside and other friends sitting in the upper left field stands. The first at bat Brock hit a slow roller to Charlie Neal at 3rd, who promptly threw it over the head of the 1st baseman. Brock went to 3rd, the Cardinals scored, and it was wait 'til next year.

I attended the game with some friends (including Bruce from Bayside). We sat in the upper left field stands. The first play Curt Flood hit a slow roller to third. Charlie Neal threw it over the first baseman's head and Flood wound up on 3rd. The Cardinals won and we all knew that '63 would be like '62, but that didn't keep us from rooting for the Mets.

Ed, it was actually Curt Flood who led off this game for the Cards, not Lou Brock. Brock was still with the Cubs. In fact, the man he was traded for--Ernie Broglio--pitched a 2-hit shutout for the Cards in this game!

Larry Burright had both Mets hits, a leadoff single in the bottom of the first, and a leadoff double in the top of the ninth. Broglio allowed just two other baserunners in the game, and from the second until the ninth he retired twenty Mets batters in a row.

This was also the first major league game for Al Moran, and for Don Rowe, a lefty who relieved Roger Craig in the fifth inning. While pitching to his first-ever major league batter--who just happened to be Stan Musial--Rowe committed a balk! Can you blame him?

Rowe wound up getting into 26 games and pitching 52 innings before disappearing off the major league radar in July of 1963.

Duke Snider rips a 3-run homer off Diomedes Olivo in the 9th inning for a walk off victory. I can still hear Lindsey Nelson's call; the game was televised.

Most people likely have seen the clip of Snider's game-winning home run from the "25th Anniversary" video. Not only was I thrilled to see it, but I also was encouraged that it SURVIVED! (BTW, the video also features video game clips of Carlton Willey's grand slam and Gil Hodges' 2000th hit.)

The Cardinals' starting pitcher in this game was future Met Ron Taylor. Ron allowed just two hits and a walk through eight innings and was nursing a 2-0 lead going to the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinal runs had scored on first inning back-to- back doubles by Curt Flood and Dick Groat, and a fourth inning homer by Ken Boyer.

After retirning Jim Hickman (batting for Jimmy Piersall) to lead off the ninth, Taylor gave up a pinch-single to Frank Thomas. Rod Kanehl came in to run for Thomas. Ron Hunt drew a walk, and Cardinal manager Johnny Keane went to the mound, waving in LHP Diomedes Olivo to face Duke Snider. With the Duke up, catcher Gene Oliver allowed a passed ball, moving the tying runs into scoring position. Duke then hit a three-run homer to win the game, 3-2.

Olivo would get into just two more games in his major league career.

This was the first baseball game I ever went to. After Snider's walk off home run, the place went crazy. I wondered if this happened every game. My father said, son, meet the Mets. That was enough for me...a true fan forever.

Duke Snider hit a three-run homer to win this game for the Mets. It came in the bottom of the ninth inning off 44-year-old Diomedes Olivo - a left-hander that Cardinals' manager Johnny Keane had just brought in to relieve starter Ron Taylor. The home run was the 399th for Duke in his career.

As mentioned by Joe Figliolo in his earlier entry, a television broadcast clip of Snider's homer was shown in the Mets' 25th Anniversary video from 1986. However, Joe was incorrect about the documentary also featuring Gil Hodges' 2,000th hit. Hodges had a career hit total of 1,921 and did not reach that mark. It was actually a clip (in color) of Duke's 2,000th that was seen during the video's closing credits.

This was the first game I ever went to. I was eight, and a baseball fanatic! And I loved my Mets! Unfortunately, they didn't "love me back" that day (LOL!!!), as Cardinal pitcher Ernie Broglio shut the Mets out. My Aunt Inez took me, and we had seats about midway between first and right field, maybe in the second deck (?). It was a Saturday afternoon game.

All these years I thought the final was 3-0 (it was 4-0). But all I truly remember was Ernie Broglio, Tim McCarver, Stan Musial and George Altman (then a Cardinal; later a Met), who replaced Hall of Famer Stan Musial in the 7th inning. I remember that because of my aunt making a "big deal" of "Stan the Man," who was a new name to these 8-year old ears in 1963. He may have even hit one out, I'm not sure. Sometime this weekend I'm going to try to pull up the box score to this game on microfilm at the library.

This was the first game I ever attended. I was eight. I remember Jimmy Piersall throwing his bat up in the air (WAY up in the air) when he struck out. (It may have been after a called strike that he did not agree with.) In those days you were allowed on parts of the field at the end of the game, and I and my dad walked on the track right in front of the Cardinals dugout. I saw Ken Boyer (future Met) and Tim McCarver sitting on the bench right in front of us. It was a thrill to see Stan Musial play in his last pro season. What a memory!

I was a senior in high school and traveled from NJ with a friend to see the game. This was my only visit to the Polo Grounds. My only memories were that Ernie Broglio won the game and that Dick Groat was the St Louis shortstop. It was a pretty Saturday afternoon in NY.

This was my first Mets game travelling with the Little League. If I remember correctly, Marv Throneberry hit a home run to win the first game of the doubleheader- also remember Curt Flood hitting one near us in the left field bleachers.

We only stayed for the first game of the double header, but I am always happy to tell people that I saw Stan the Man in person, even if he did only play 7 innings.

Tim McCarver had an inside-the-park grand slam in game two of this doubleheader at the Polo Grounds.

This doubleheader was my first trip to a major league game. I went with my Dad. My first impression was I couldn't believe how green the grass was. Then, I was so happy that the Mets won my first game for me. I also remember that when McCarver hit the inside-the-park grand slam, my father said "c'mon its been a long day" and we headed back to Jersey.

First Met game. Nine years old with my dad.

I was a ten year old attending this twin bill on a June Sunday. I felt the muggy heat seated in the Cards visiting dugout owners box, accompanied by my AB Inc. executive dad. I remember Curt Flood sweating profusely in the on-deck circle, barely ten feet away, early in the first game. I swear he and I exchanged the briefest passing glance as he left for the batter's box. The Cards lost that first game but came back to win the night cap highlighted by Time McCarver's inside-the-park grand slam home run abetted by Met's CFer, Jimmy Piersall, slipping as the ball sailed overhead on its way to the Polo Ground's cavernous center field wall.

My first Mets game. I was 8 years old. Jim Hickman hit for the cycle, Stan Musial pinch hit for the Cardinals and the Mets actually won! My one and only look at the Polo Grounds.

Oh, those were the days when the Mets were pitiful, the lovable, Amazin' Mets. I was 13, and went this day with a summer school group from Westchester. It was the last year in the Polo Grounds; we sat in the left field stands, in special seats set aside for groups. As usual, the stands were empty. Whenever I went myself I sat in the center field bleachers for 75 cents. That was the place to sit.

I remember almost nothing about the game, except the fact that Jim Hickman hit for the cycle. In those days, we remembered every Mets feat. So here was Hickman, a guy we loved, couldn't hit a lick, but we didn't care. And he hit for the cycle.

The bus ride home must have been great. And yes, the Mets even won the game. A Miracle!

Jim Hickman hit for a natural cycle in this game. He had a single, double, triple and home run in that order. Hickman four hits came between the first inning and the sixth. Only Bill Collins of the Boston Doves fifty-three years earlier had ever accomplished such a feat in the National League.

Sometimes a baseball game is, well, just a baseball game. It's a few hours of distraction from from that eternal run down play we call life. But sometimes that routine game takes on a meaning so much greater than anyone had a right to expect. Sometimes that game soars so far above the din of everday existence that it assumes mythic qualities. Such was the game between the Mets and the Cards played on August 8th, 1963.

By August that Mets had proven once again that the basement of the National League was theirs and no team was going to deprive them of that. Now it was the Card's turn to fatten their record. With them HOF Stan "the Man" Musial. This being his retirement year he was of course making one of his last appearances in New York.

I don't remember everyone who played that day. Frank Thomas started in left, Al Jackson was the starting pitcher and Duke Carmel played first. My friends and I sat in the left field bleechers. Musial was signing baseballs and tossing them into the seats near me.

The Mets won the game in dramatic fashion with a home run in the ninth.

The Amazing Mets of 69 were still some years off, but in that one moment this 12-year-old became aware that despite all odds you stay in the run down for as long as you can because sometimes they drop the ball and you're safe. Sometimes you win even though had had no right to. Keep the Faith...Ya gotta believe. Lets Go Mets!

I remember this game very well. In the top of the first inning, Julian Javier drove in the Cards' 2 runs. It stayed that way until the bottom of the ninth when my first baseball hero, Duke Snider, blasted a 3 run homer to the upper deck in right. The Polo Grounds went crazy as Duke hobbled around the bases with a bum leg.

To clear up some confusion on both earlier posts: the Cardinals' two runs came on a single by pitcher Ray Sadecki in the second inning, and a home run by Charlie James leading off the fourth. The Mets tied it in the bottom of the fourth on RBI Singles by Duke Carmel and Al Moran.

Duke Snider walked as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and stayed in the game. But it was the OTHER Duke, Duke Carmel, who homered with two outs in the bottom of the eighth off Bobby Shantz to give the Mets the lead.

With two outs and a runner on in the top of the ninth, Stan Musial came up to pinch-hit for Shantz and he walked. It was Stan the Man's final plate appearance in New York. Jackson then got Curt Flood to ground out to end the game.

I was just nine; went with my parents and younger sister. I remember Stan the MAN making his last appearance; my Dad pointed it out!! I grew up as a left-handed batter and can still see Stan wiggle his bat high over his head. GREAT memories of my one and only game at the Polo Grounds. Ron Hunt was my favorite! Got his autograph next year at Shea. He Signed LEFT handed!! Go figure. Hunt, first Met All-star in 1964 at Shea. I never forgave the front office for that trade!!!

My uncle brought my cousin and me to the game. We had box seats on 3rd base side. I remember being so impressed at how fast and straight and how effortlessly Dick Groat and Julian Javier were throwing during the pregame warmup. I was two weeks shy of my 14th birthday. I still have the ticket stub, field box section 98D seat 2, $3.50. He’s passed but still love my uncle, he was some character, and my cousin.

This was the first time I ever saw a game at Shea. It was also Roy McMillan's first game for the Mets. (I recall he batted second and went one for four). Too bad the Mets lost -- if they'd won this game, and everything else that season stayed the same -- St. Louis, Cincinnati and Philadelphia would have ended the season in a tie.

This is the first baseball game I ever went to. My dad took me of course. I was all of 8 years old. Funny but for some reason I remember Ron Hunt hitting the home run, not Jesse Gonder, but going to Shea for the first time was an experience I never forgot.

This first game of a Mother's Day doubleheader at Shea marked the first appearance of Roger Craig against the Mets. Craig had been traded after the 1963 season to the Cardinals for George Altman and Bill Wakefield.

Roger came into the game with a 2-0 record, and he pitched very well in this game for 7.1 innings, allowing just one run, five hits, and no walks. But in the eighth inning of a 1-1 game Rod Kanehl hit a one-out home run. That turned out to be the game-winning hit, and it was the final home run of Kanehl's career. Ron Hunt followed with a double and Jim Hickman singled him home. Craig left the game for veteran Lew Burdette, and Mets added another run.

Tracy Stallard pitched a complete game for the Mets, allowing one run and five hits while striking out nine. Tim McCarver drove in the only Cardinal run with a single in the seventh inning.

Craig lost another game to the Mets in September and finished his career with a 15-46 record for the Mets and an 0-2 record against the Mets.

This was the opening game of the first doubleheader ever at Shea. The Mets lost this game but won the nightcap to get a split. The second doubleheader at Shea was three weeks later and is a bit more remembered.

The 'Miracle Mets' vinyl-disc record from 1969 features a bunch of pre-1969 highlights before covering the championship season. The ending of this game is one of those highlights. With Joe Christopher on first, Frank Thomas hit a 2-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to win it. Bob Murphy provided a great call.

First walk-off homer at Shea - and just a few weeks before Frank Thomas was traded to the Phils.

The Cards get consecutive homers from Ken Boyer, Bill White, and Tim McCarver in the 8th inning to seal the 15-7 win.

I remember being a thirteen year old kid and being a rabid Met fan. We went into the series with the Cardinals having just taken over first place after the Phillies legendary nosedive. We were actually playing an important game! The Cards needed one win for the pennant. Little Al Jackson, who was always tough and had a big heart went out and shut down Bob Gibson and the Cardinals with a five hitter. It was so cool to be spoilers for the first time. I took a lot of pride in my Mets from that game.

What made it even better was that I am pretty certain that Jackson had been a Cardinal prospect that the Mets had obtained in the expansion draft!

This game was on Friday. the Mets also won on Saturday, but Gibson clinched the pennant on the final day of the season by beating the Mets. The Cardinals finished a game ahead of the Phils and Reds and beat the Yanks in the World Series.

The Mets had been spoilers for two straight games on the previous days but Gibson won this one which was the season finale to clinch the pennant by a game over the folding Phils and the Reds.

This looks like the game that Phil Gagliano collided with Ron Hunt and Hunt separated his shoulder. Hunt was to miss most of the season but bounced back in 1966 before being traded. My rememberance of the play is that with Gagliano on first, Hunt fielded the ball closer to first than second, seeing that he could not get a double play may have been trying to get an obstruction call by aligning himself in Gagliano's path. My friend, who attended the game, remembers that fans of all ages and types were looking for Gagliano after the game. I am not in a position to vouch for that but I can vouch for the fact that Phil Gagliano was booed at Shea for as long as he remained in the league.

This injury was akin to Piazza's groin difficulty because it deflated the entire season for the Mets and their fans. Perhaps more so in that Hunt was even more important to the team than Mike was.

We saw this game on our honeymoon. We had gone to the World's Fair in Flushing NY at same time and I dragged my new bride to a baseball game. I continue to remind her she saw a classic of Spahn vs Gibson. Our marriage continues 41 years later. Seen many Red Sox games since then.

1965 was a time when Mets had many over the hill guys who like Spahn once were the best. Cardinals were a power and Gibson was on the way to being one of the best ever leading to his brilliant 1967 World Series vs my Sox.

This was a memory that came back to me while I was going through the games. I believe the Mets took the lead in the top of the 14th, but Swoboda misjudged a line drive to right with the bases loaded and two out. The ball rolled to the wall, all three runners scored and Cards won.

The Mets' Ron Swoboda took the field with a batting helmet stuck on his foot. Swoboda had kicked the helmet in disgust and, when he wasn't immediately able to extricate it, Casey Stengel ordered him to take the field as he was.

Sounds like "Rocky" the rookie had hisself quite the night!

My first visit to Shea Stadium. I was 7 years old at the time. My Dad and I had great seats, Fat Jack Fisher was on the mound, and the Mets won! Joe Christopher drove in a couple of runs, the Mets' fielding was good, and they beat the defending champs. All in all, a great initiation to live baseball. The stadium wasn't full, and in retrospect, it was probably because the '64-'65 Worlds Fair was winding down next door in Flushing Meadows Park, and visitors were more likely to go to fair than the game. Despite obvious realities, I assumed that Mets would always win when I attended. Unfortunately, my youthful optimism didn't pan out.

A great comeback win for the Mets in the first game of a doubleheader. Darrell Sutherland pitched six shutout innings before the Cardinals scored three runs in the seventh and two more against reliever Gordie Richardson in the eighth. The Mets rallied with five in the bottom of the eighth, capped off by Jim Hickman's three-run homer as a pinch-hitter. Dave Eilers then hurled a scoreless top of the ninth for his first career save.

Earlier today, I was watching an MLB Network special on the infamous John Roseboro-Juan Marichal brawl at Candlestick and they played a radio clip of Bob Murphy breaking the news on the brawl; this was pre-ESPN and pre-24 hour sports radio.

The Mets defeated the Cardinals for a doubleheader sweep on a Sunday afternoon at Shea Stadium. Tug McGraw hurled a complete game (yes, he was once a starting pitcher) for his first major league win. Roy McMillan hit a triple in the bottom of the fifth inning that scored Ron Hunt and put the Mets ahead to stay. In the sixth, Joe Christopher doubled to drive home Ron Swoboda. McGraw then faced the minimum nine batters in shutting down the Redbirds from the seventh to the ninth.

Jim Hickman became the first Met ever to hit three homers in a game - and he hit them all against future Met pitcher Ray Sadecki.

Jim Hickman became the first Mets player to hit three home runs in a game on this night in St. Louis. The homers drove in four of the Mets' six runs in their win over the Cardinals. Hickman also had a single in the eighth inning for thirteen total bases and a 4-for-4 game.

Hickman's slugging overshadowed the solid relief pitching of Gordie Richardson against his ex-teammates. A member of the Redbirds' championship team a year earlier, Richardson hurled four scoreless and hitless innings with five strikeouts for a well-earned save. This was the third time that a four-inning save was recorded by a Mets pitcher. Gordie was preceded only by Jay Hook (7/15/63) and Willard Hunter (7/1/64) in accomplishing this feat.

Gibby throws a two-hit shutout. Tug McGraw threw 7 innings of one-hit ball but three unearned runs did him in. Gibby runs his stellar record to 17-10.

The first game my father ever took me to. I remember as a six year old being in awe of the "huge" stadium and the nice uniforms. Clearest memory is walking out through the tunnel in the upper deck and looking back where I could still see the scoreboard and being devastated that we could actually lose (my father laughed) A Met fan ever since.

Jack Hamilton pitches a one-hit shutout in this game at St. Louis. The only hit was a two-strike bunt single by Cardinals pitcher (and future Met) Ray Sadecki in the third inning.

Sadecki was the losing pitcher and lone Cardinal to get a hit, if you call that bunt a hit!

Was traded for Orlando Cepeda a few days later. This was the last Met game at Sportsman Park and Sadecki's last game as a Cardinal.

I have great memories of this game. This was a very early season night game on a chilly evening in St. Louis. I remember Bob Murphy commenting that whereas most of the players had a sweatshirt under the uniform, Jack Hamilton wore just the uniform shirt. This was in the days before the obnoxious center field TV camera, and Hamilton's stuff looked fabulous from behind the plate. The fact that it was the Mets' last game in Sportsman Park added to the historic significance.

Jack Hamilton's one-hitter in this game was a gem. He faced 29 batters, retiring the side in order eight times with two Cardinals on base in the third inning. Ray Sadecki's single and Lou Brock's walk were the only things that stood between Hamilton and perfection. For the Mets, the win was the 200th in team history.

This turned out to be Sadecki's last game in a St. Louis uniform before being traded to the San Francisco Giants. His first game as a Giants pitcher would be nine days later against none other than the Mets with Hamilton on the mound.

It's tough to pitch a one-hit game and the only hit is by the opposing pitcher. Had to look up Sadecki's batting record. He wasn't a bad hitter, for a pitcher. He had a .191 lifetime average with 5 HR's and 56 RBIS, and the year he got this hit he batted .341 with 14 hits in 41 at bats and 3 HRs! So at least there's some comfort in that. It would be really tough if the only one who got a hit off you was someone like Dean Chance.

I remember my Dad taking me to this doubleheader. I was deeply under the spell of the Mets in those days. I think this was one of the few trips down from Hartford that wasn't a bus trip. There was a light drizzle throughout the first game. Bob Shaw had just been acquired from the Giants & spun a beauty. Al Jackson pitched for the Cards. Al was traded in the Ken Boyer deal the previous winter. It seemed very odd to see Jackson (the battling little lefthander from Waco Texas) as Bob Murphy used to call him pitch against the Mets.

You could see the Mets were starting to change. Their older players like Boyer still had gas in their tank and you could see the talent in Cleon Jones, Dennis Ribant, Ed Kranepool and Ron Hunt. Defensively they had improved as well and on this weeknight they gave the Cardinals all they could handle; rallying late to take the lead and then holding it. Very un-Metlike!

I remember young Billy Murphy playing well that night and was always surprised that he didn't turn out better.

I also can remember getting a charge out of Dick Stuart. He was at the end of the line but still had that "swagger."

I remember my mom took me and my childhood friend Tony. We were both 8 years old. It was the first game of a twi-nighter and the first doubleheader I ever went to! It was also nearing the end of school with summer vacation about to begin! Great times for sure!

It was a rainy night and with a 5 pm starting time there were very few people in the stands. However, there was this lonely old man sitting behind us and he started to talk to us about the Mets and my mom felt sorry for him and gave him one of the sandwiches she had packed for us.

Hot Saturday afternoon. Bob Friend gets the start and the early exit. Tito Francona rips his only triple of the year, long balls by Smith and Bressoud and Don Dennis gets in for the Cards. Now ask me what I had for diner last night!

My first game at Shea. The weather was warm and sunny. I was hooked, and haven't stopped coming.

Was my first game at Shea. I was 7 years old. Went with my Dad and brother. We only had a black and white TV so I was shocked when I saw the green of the field. I also remember a lot of home runs being hit.

Mets pitcher Jack Hamilton hits a grand slam off former Met Al Jackson, but the Mets still lose the game, 11-9.

Even the usually optimistic and cheerful Bob Murphy sounded like he wanted to cry after this one. Brutal loss. Hamilton gives himself a 4 run lead by hitting a second inning grand slam, and then is gone an inning later when he can't hold that lead. Then the Mets get that big lead back, only to see a variety of relief pitchers blow that, and lose on a couple of 9 inning runs. So they blew a 4-run lead and a 5-run lead in the same game. Anyway, a Don Bosch sighting in this game. He's one of the first Met players I remember. They put him in as a defensive replacement, but he never had a ball hit to him and never got up to bat. A marathon game for those days, over 3 1/2 hours for 9 innings with the teams combining to use 12 pitchers. All three Met announcers commented on this little knowing that in about 40 years this would be standard operating procedure for Major League Baseball.

This game was notable because Jack Lamabe pitched pretty well in a spot start while losing to the Cards in the nightcap of a doubleheader. A couple weeks later Bob Gibson went on the DL and the Cards needed a pitcher to fill the gap for a while. Stan Musial (their GM) called Bing Devine and acquired Jack Lamabe from the Mets in exchange for the Mets getting Al Jackson back. So poor Al missed being around for the Cards winning the 1967 World Series and then the Mets traded him mid-1969 so he missed that World Series as well.

What I remember about this game was that Tim McCarver hit an inside-the-park home run for the Cardinals.

Cards were marching toward the NL crown. Small crowd. Jack Fisher throws 6-hit complete game but Nellie Briles was that much better. Mike Shannon hit a home run. I think Amos Otis was in the game at some point. Wish I kept all those old scorecards.

Feat Fan's post from 2004 is correct, as usual! Amos Otis made his major league debut in this game, coming in as a pinch-runner in the bottom of the ninth after Tommy Davis led off with a walk.

The game was tied 1-1 going to the top of the eighth when the Cards used a single, two errors, and a sac fly to take a 2-1 lead. Mike Shannon homered for an insurance run in the ninth off Jack Fisher, who was making his second-to-last start as a Met.

I wasn't there, but I wanted to share a memory of my Mother, which I discovered in an old book. My dad and her went to the game. Seaver pitched great, but lost the game. Afterwards, my family went to try and find a relative on the team, Danny Frisella. According to the first Met they asked, Danny hadn't made the trip. This Met turned out to be Tom Seaver. My mom realized he was the starting pitcher and asked for his autograph. Tom signed, but having lost was down on himself. My mom wrote in her scrapbook under his signature,"he told me 'what do you want mine for, I'm nobody?'"

Of course, even then he was someone, and my mom knew this, so she saved his autograph.

My second Met game. I was 10 years old. Dad sprung for the field boxes this time. Larry Jaster baffles the Mets for 7 2/3 innings of perfect baseball until either Don Bosch or Greg Goosen broke it up with a hit. I also remember Roger Maris in right field for the Cards.

This game was on a Friday night. My dad and I went with one of his co-workers who was a friend of Cardinal's second baseman, Julian Javier. Before the game, we talked to him and he tossed me a ball (a much bigger deal then, than now). After the game we met him again outside the stadium and I got reliever's Wayne Granger's autograph.

Further to an earlier posting on this game, it was Greg Goosen who broke up Larry Jaster's perfect game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. Goosen's hit was a clean single to left.

Don Bosch had the only other Mets hit this night, and it came with two outs and the bases empty in the bottom of the ninth.

The Cards scored both of their runs of Tom Seaver in the top of the third. Lou Brock led off with a triple and scored on a Curt Flood single. With two outs, Seaver threw a wild pitch and then intentionally walked Tim McCarver. But Mike Shannon singled and the Cards had a 2-0 lead.

Seaver lost the game to fall to 2-5 despite a 1.91 ERA in what would later be known as the "Year of the Pitcher." But Tom won his next five decisions and did not lose again until July 5 on his way to a 16-12 record.

My first game ever. I was seven and taken by my grandparents. I woke them up at 6 am to remind them of the date. Funny how you focus on the little things at that age. I remember how green and large the outfield was, like we all do. I also remember how conveniently the Cardinals were in red and the Mets were in blue. Never have the Redbirds seemed so red since. I was dressed in my Mets uniform and had the adults around me saying they should let me play, I was already suited up. Couldn't do any worse than the Mets that year!

I went to this game with my brother, Tony. I was 18 years old. It was a Sunday doubleheader with the Cardinals. There was a rain delay in both games.

Something interesting occured in the seventh inning stretch of both games. In each game, someone jumped out of the field boxes by the first base dugout and sprinted to the left field wall. They scaled the wall and left the park. (There was no picnic area then). Neither guy in either game was caught.

The Cards swept this Sunday doubleheader at Shea and when it was over they led the Giants by half a game in the NL standings. The Cards stayed in first place for the rest of the season, winning the pennant by nine games over the second place Giants.

My first start in the big leagues. Beaten by an inside the park HR by Bobby Tolan. 110 on the field, Stahl in right field was called up on same day—he and Agee ran to the right center alley and ball rolled back after hitting base of the wall. Just another sacrifice to the Bob Gibson dominance in 1968—fantastic memories.

We used to vacation at a place called the Perry House in New Hampshire every August, it was a Catskills like experience a la the film "A Walk On The Moon" (sans the sexy Diane Lane).

There was an old Philco radio (tube job) on the porch which barely was able to receive the radio broadcast. As the night wore on, the reception improved. I sat there diligently determined to hear every pitch as called by Lindsey Nelson and Bob Murphy. This was the first win ever for hard luck pitcher Jim McAndrew (from Lost Nation Iowa) who lost a bunch of 1-0 games that summer. I can still feel that Canadian breeze on an August night in New England!

Shea was packed, and Seaver was perfect for seven innings before Cepeda got a hit. Art Shamsky smacked a grand slam home run to put the icing on the cake. I attended the game with my girlfriend, to whom I had just become engaged...while that didn't last, my devotion to the Mets remains.

It is a tough month for Mets P Jim McAndrew, as he takes his NL-tying 5th shutout loss. Steve Carlton wins for the Cards 2–0. McAndrew gave up just six runs in the four losses, losing 2–0 to Bob Gibson on July 21, and to the Dodgers and Mike Kekich, 2–0 on August 4. On August 10th and 17th, he narrowed the margin to 1–0 losses, to the Giants and Houston respectively. The four losses are McAndrew's first ML decisions.

We were vacationing in New Hampshire, hoping to catch a bit of the game on a crackling, static filled Philco radio. As the night progressed the reception improved ever so slightly.

One of my friends began to make fun of McAndrew's inability to catch a win. It seems that earlier in the week The Yankees used Rocky Colavito in relief and he managed a win, something that Jim Mac could not, so I was reminded!

My dad took me to this game, my second Met game ever. A sunny and mild Saturday afternoon. When you think of pitchers duels between the Mets and Cards in this era you think of Seaver v. Gibson or Carlton v. Koosman. But Giusti v. Cardwell??? As I recall it was a rather boring game with very little offense, obviously.

I started the game in the nose bleed section of the upper deck in right field.My friend and I snuck down to the seats right behind the aux. scoreboard, also in right field. It was a matchup of Hall-of Famers, Gibson vs. Ryan. Ryan did not go the distance, but won anyway. I was 18 at that time. Lets Go Mets!

I went to see the Mets face the NL Champ cards. (I was 10.) I was sure the Mets would lose, because unfortunately, Bob Gibson was facing the Mets #5 starter, Nolan Ryan. Gibby ran into Tim McCarver under a foul popup in the first, which led to a 3-run rally, and the Mets won. Unbelievably, Gibson was losing in the 7th and batted for himself (and homered) and still trailing by a run was sent up to make the last out in the 9th. That's not how they play now. Anyway, revisionism as it were, I get to tell the world I saw Ryan beat Gibson.

I was 15. My father came home early from work, told me a friend had given him two tickets to see the Mets that night, so on the the spur of the moment we traveled from Albany, N.Y. We sat in the upper deck near the right field foul pole. As I remember it, Gibson made Agee look bad on two pitches in the first, then gave up a ringing double to right center and the Mets were on their way. At the game's conclusion, a man seated behind us said, "Man, I love this team!"

The main things that I remember is that it was banner day, and that Swoboda struck out five times! When he came to the plate the last time, the crowd was cheering the Cardinal pitcher on. Swoboda gave the fans what they wanted!

I am sorry to contradict, but this was NOT banner day. I should know. I was a banner day winner on August 17, 1969.

This doubleheader was my first major league baseball game ever. I was 11 years old, a Cardinals fan making the trip with my Dad on a bus trip from Wilkes-Barre, PA.

While my team lost, it was a watershed event for me... every time I walk up the ramp to see the field at a pro baseball game, I think of that day. That first sight of the inside of Shea Stadium was spectacular. Our seats were in the first row, behind first base. I remember waving my Cardinals pennant... getting Jerry Grote to autograph my yearbook.... my Dad drinking a very tall Shaefer beer... and a really loud shirtless guy with a crewcut and the biggest beer belly I had ever seen.

The Cardinals did very little that day. There was maybe one extra-base hit between both teams in both games. Koosman was great... and I remember the Mets hitting about 5 or 6 singles in a row in one inning, most of them seeming to go to right field in front of us.

And yes, Ron Swoboda striking out 5 times!

For Dan Styklunas: your memory is outstanding! Here is the play-by-play of the bottom of the fourth of game one from retrosheet.org:

Grote singled to right; Weis singled to right [Grote to second]; Gentry forced Grote (pitcher to third) [Weis to second]; Harrelson singled to right [Weis scored, Gentry to third, Harrelson to second (on throw)]; TAYLOR REPLACED CARLTON (PITCHING); Agee singled to right [Gentry scored, Harrelson scored]; Jones singled to right [Agee to third]; Clendenon popped to second; Swoboda struck out; 3 R, 5 H, 0 E, 2 LOB. Cardinals 1, Mets 5.

So that's five singles to right field in that inning!

And in the next day's NY Daily News was a sports page cartoon from famed illustist Bill Gallo stating "Somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout. But there is no joy in New York Metville, mighty Rocky has struck out, and struck out, and struck out..."

This double header happened when I was 10 years old. My dad was getting excited because it seemed like the Mets were getting good. In the second game, I'm not sure, but I think Rod Gaspar threw out Lou Brock at home plate on a single to left field. (He was at third and may have been delayed, thinking he might have to tag up.)

I attended this doubleheader with my two older brothers back in '69. 13 at the time, it remains a great memory from a remarkable season. We were sitting in the upper deck down the left field line, on the fair side of the foul pole. Rod Gaspar's assist throwing out Brock at home plate in the 8th inning is one of the best plays I've seen in person at Shea. Gaspar was out of sight below us, but the ball appeared out of nowhere as a bullet streaking to home plate to nail the speedy Brock.

It was a very warm day in the sun of the upper deck on that Sunday, but a DH sweep is something special, especially against the Cardinals, who won the NL pennant the prior season. Koosman pitched a great game for the shutout! I wish I'd kept my own scorecard of the game.

I remember this game almost like it was yesterday. I was five (I'm 50 now!) and it was the very first professional ball game I had ever seen. My Uncle got 3 tix and took me and my Dad. It was hot and sunny. I remember being impressed with how big and green the field looked to me. Had my first Crackerjacks. Sat on the first base side--pretty good seats. I remember thinking no one would score. Then in the 7th inning (I think) Buddy Harrelson tripled, and the excitement was suddenly electric. When Tommie Agree got his hit and Harrelson scored, we all went bonkers. Lou Brock (My brother's favorite player - a great base stealer) almost scored in the next inning, but was thrown out at the plate. Great Memories! I loved the Mets (still do), even though everyone else in my family are primarily Yankees fans.

Jolene, it was Rod Gaspar who threw out Lou Brock at the plate in the second game of the doubleheader.

I was 14 and an avid Met fan this year, watching every inning of every game. Although this game was relatively early in their miracle year, to me it defined their destiny more than any other game. The Mets were leading late in this game 4- 0 when St. Louis pinch-hitter deluxe Vic Davillio hit a grand slam home run, eventually sending the game to extra innings. From that point on, the Mets escaped jam after jam, with St. Louis having the winning run thrown out at home plate in the bottom of the ninth when Curt Flood attempted to score from first on a double to deep center field, and then St. Louis constantly loading the bases with nobody or one out in the extra innings but unable to score. Finally, the Mets broke through with two runs in the 14th inning and held off another St. Louis rally in the bottom of the inning to win it.

Excellent memory, Steve!

Davalillo's pinch slam came with two outs in the bottom of the 8th off Ron Taylor. Jerry Koosman had started and pitched a shutout through 7 2/3 innings, though he apparently didn't have his best stuff (seven hits and four walks).

After Flood was thrown out at home in the 9th, the Cards loaded the bases with nobody out in the 10th off Tug McGraw. But a force at home, a strikeout and another groundout got Tug out of that jam. The Cards had a runner in the 11th, two runners in the 12th, and two outs and nobody on in the 13th, but each time Tug pitched out of it.

The Mets got two in the 14th after two outs and nobody on when Agee singled, stole second, and scored on a Boswell single. The Mets got an insurance run on a bases loaded walk by Wayne Garrett.

Tug pitched SIX innings for the win. He allowed seven hits and four walks in the six innings! In fact, the Cards had 24 baserunners in the game (15 hits, 8 walks, and one HBP) and they finished with 18 left on base.

Sorry--one correction to my post of September 4 above. I meant to say the Cardinals had the bases loaded with nobody out in the 13th, not that they had two outs and nobody on!

Although I don't remember every detail of the extra innings, your corrected post of September 13 sounds correct because it seemed to me that the Cards had the bases loaded with no one out more than once. If I recall correctly, I believe the Cards also threatened again in the bottom of the 14th. In any event, a truly remarkable and nail-biter game - I have never since seen another game quite like this one.

Steve, of course you're right...the Mets never do anything easily!

In the bottom of the 14th Tug did get the first two batters out but then Bill White doubled and the tying run came to the plate, Lou Brock. But Brock had a rough night: Tug struck him out and Lou was 0-for-7 in a game where Mets pitchers gave up 15 hits and 8 walks.

Stayed up late and listened on the radio. This game will ever be etched in my mind, as Steve Carlton set a then-record 19 strikeouts in a single nine-inning game. And yet, the Mets won 4-3 on two two-run homers by none other than the immortal Ron Swoboda!

I remember watching this game on TV. I remember Swoboda's two home runs, but I also remember him making two running, diving, sliding catches in the outfield; Swoboda single-handedly won that game in the stretch run to the World Series after being swept in Chicago. Am I wrong in my memory of these catches?

Carlton strikes out 19 and the Mets still beat him!!! Remember this as an 8-year-old. The most amazing game in Met history. Only the Amazin' Mets pull that off!

My first Mets game at Shea Stadium. I became hooked for life a few days earlier when Ron Swoboda hit a grand slam to beat the Pirates (September 13); I *had* to go. I don't remember too much about the game itself, except Seaver was terrific and when the game was over the scoreboard flashed, "The Mets Magic number is now 3," with a really huge 3 that filled the entire scoreboard.

This was a bonus home game for the Mets. It was supposed to be played in St. Louis the previous week, but got rained out and rescheduled for Shea Stadium. Tom Seaver pitched a four-hitter and contributed a run-scoring single as he notched his 24th win of the season. Just another thing that fell into place for the Mets en route to the championship.

This game ended with Bud Harrelson hitting a single to drive home Ron Swoboda with the winning run in the 11th inning. On the "Miracle Mets" vinyl disc record that came out after the season, Bob Murphy's voice is heard describing the hit. I don't know if the broadcast was a re-enactment or not, but Bob did not mention Harrelson's name in it. It must have been about five or six years after I heard this record that I found out that Bud was the one who got that single.

I attended this game with my dad and one of his pals. We had great seats field level halfway between third base and left field. The crowd was raucous through out, back in the days when cigar and cigarette smoke filled the air at sporting events. This was the night before the clincher and even though the Mets had been hapless for their entire existence, success seemed inevitable on this night. I would love to see a pitcher pitch eleven innings again. I also had the Miracle Mets Album referenced by quality Met. I haven't heard it in years. There were some highlights that seemed re created based on the crowd noise. This was one of them. I also think that Harrelson's single went through Curt Floods legs which enable Swoboda to score.

Bob, I recently came across both Mets and Cardinals radio broadcasts of Bud Harrelson's winning single from this game. Lindsey Nelson and Harry Caray each called the hit by saying that Curt Flood made a throw to the plate in an attempt for a play on Ron Swoboda, who slid in safely. The ball did not get through Flood's legs.

As for the re-enacted call of Bud's hit on the "Miracle Mets" album, it was badly written. Bob Murphy not only failed to identify Harrelson, but he also said that Swoboda scored the run by standing up instead of sliding as Nelson indicated. The tie-clinching moment from the '69 season was screwed up on that terribly-made record.

The clincher, and on my birthday! I was watching on good old Channel 9 and I can still hear Lindsey Nelson (after Joe Torre grounded into the game-ending DP) "At 9:07, the Mets...." I forget the rest, but he sounded excited, and so was I.

I had my own TV in my room, age 8. It was considered a luxury back then, and my friends were jealous. It was a black and white piece of junk.

Anyway, I put a towel under my door so the light from the TV would not show. I was not supposed to be up at 9:07 on a school night, but I watched the whole game.

Bob Murphy's radio call of this moment is on "The Miracle Mets", a highlight LP I still have. It will send chills down your spine...

"Gentry working hard. The crowd chanting we're number one, we're number one....groundball to short, Harrelson to Weis, there's one, on to first -- double play!! Ohhhhh, the roar going up in this crowd!"

I was there sitting in a loge seat behing 3rd base. As a 17 year old, I was a fan since day one at the Polo Grounds. I still have the program, ticket stub and grass from the outfield that remains in my ex-house in Franklin Square. As for Sports memories, this is and always will be the number one moment in my life. I have the video from channel 9 including the entire wild clubhouse scene.

I was nine years old at the time, and had seen some great games that year, including Tom Terrific's near-perfect game (Jimmy Qualls... I STILL hate you!) Winning the division championship, at 9:07 pm, was magical!

The game I became a Met fan. Loge seats, Fan Appreciation Day, key chain giveaway, the last home game of the season. 13 years old. Oh what a night. Carlton 1/3 of a inning.

For some reason I don't remember much of the game except the last play and Lindsey Nelson saying "at 9:07 on Sept 24th" but a friend brought over a mutt, asked us if we wanted him, we begged our parents until they relented. We needed a name for him. My uncle Buddy who was a my reason becoming a Met fan suggested Champ, and so it was.

My mom took us all. 5 kids. Loge behind 3rd. I distinctly remember before the game it was cloudy but there was a circular opening with a small trace of sunlight coming through it. It was a sign. Singing "good bye Carlton" and watching his butt crawl back to that dugout. Screaming "we’re # 1" for an hour and never leaving. Mad at my mom because she wouldn’t let me run on the field. Just a 10 year old at the time. Lost my keychain. Regretting that into my 60’s now.

I went to the game with my friend Cheo. I recall the key chain given for fan appreciation day. We were glad to be part of the history of watching the NY Mets win their 1st championship. The fans went nuts when Don Clendenon’s 2 homers.

The crazy part about that evening we were both 15 years old and had to go to school the following day. After the last out we both rushed out of the stadium, jumped on the subway back home and missed the celebration, looking back, our biggest regret was missing the celebration!!!!

When I was 8 (in the summer of 1986), I rented the videotape An Amazin' Era, the 25th anniversary video of the Mets. My family had two VCRs so we made a copy (I hope the FBI isn't reading this) and I must have watched An Amazin' Era over 50 times that summer, and over 100 times throughout the '80s. I was with my mom when we rented it; I think she even pointed it out to me. She was a Mets fan, more so than my dad. I remember watching An Amazin' Era with her, and the highlight of the Mets winning this game and clinching came on the TV.

The announcer, Lindsey Nelson, says the date, and right at that moment, my mom said, "That's my birthday. I remember that." The sight of hundreds of fans rushing the field at Shea and tearing up the turf made an impression on me; it was the first time I'd seen it. And now when I watch that clip, I get goosebumps and chills. Even though I wasn't alive in 1969, I still felt like I saw it live that day in 1986 when I saw it with my mom, you know what I mean? Vicariously, through my mom, I have warm memories of the 1969 team, especially this game.

As a postscript, I remember that not long after I had rented and copied An Amazin' Era, I was hungry for more baseball documentaries. My mom and I were at the video store and I found a documentary about the 1961 Yankees. I told my mom I wanted to rent that one, and she said, "No. You're a Mets fan."

The fall of 1969 I was 12 years old . I converted to a Mets fan from my beloved Mickey Mantle when I was 7 because no one from my hood would drive up to the Bronx and the subway ride was too complicated for the adults. Now here I sit full blooded Mets man for five years finally believing I did the right thing.

We were up in nose bleed heaven; cheapest seats in the house. Four boys and the strictest Mom in the neighborhood at the end of the row. We are screaming our heads off the whole game not believing our eyes what was unfolding. We all wanted to run out on that field because that was the buzz going around the stadium. But we knew our beloved chauffeur and school teacher Hood mom would discipline us back to the little blue Corvair and herd us back to city line. But then right at the moment of out three Mrs M. stands up, shouts very sternly down the row that we will all meet at the 410 mark at 11:00 sharp let’s go. I say thank you Jesus and the rest is history.

A childhood dream unfolded and I can’t thank Mrs M enough. God Bless you wherever you are??

I was 7 and it was my dad's 30th birthday. We celebrated with dinner at my abuelita's in the Bronx and she baked a BEAUTIFUL cake for her son. My mom worked a 9 to 5 job and she my two aunts and their husbands sang happy birthday and rushed to the TV set for the early 7 PM start. I remember sitting in the floor and clapping with everyone after the final double play. On a somber note I remember my mom making a federal case about getting home since I had 2nd grade the next day and it was past my bedtime. My dad telling her to knock it off that this was a big deal and he'd wake me up in the AM. Many years later trying to rush me home after Chambliss HR beat the Royals in 76. One of the reasons I do nothing now with her. Justice is MINE!

I was in 6th grade and my dad took me to the game. We sat on the right field side. We drive from Monticello to Shea Stadium. I was a big fan of Lou Brock and Curt Flood. Saw them both. Then the bottom of the first inning could NOT believe what we saw. 55 years ago today we saw the Mets take charge with Donn Clendenon taking over with 2 home runs along with Ed Charles' home run. After the game we saw fans rush on the field. Later on we bought the record LP of the Amazing Miracle Mets. My dad's pic was in the crowd on the LP. I treasure this night with my dad. It was a night to remember. RIP Pop... EMM

Remember my dad going to this matinee with his cop friends and coming home marveling at Dick Allen's strength. Said he was fooled badly, swung with one arm and hit the 410 sign in center on a fly with a double. Said the Cardinals bench went nuts grabbing their heads and slapping fives with each other. Brute strength.

After popping out to lead of the bottom of the first, Tommie Agee hits for the cycle.

Tommie singled in the third, hit a three-run homer in the fourth, had an RBI double in the fifth, and tripled in the seventh. The Mets had 17 hits off five Cardinal pitchers.

I was at this game and here is what I remember - Cards' Mike Torrez was issuing an intentional walk and a teenager behind us yelled "wild pitch" and sure enough the pitch got by the catcher and the Met on 3rd base scored! Also, my favorite, Ron Swoboda, came in the game late and won it in the bottom of the ninth with a bases-loaded walk!! Imagine Rocky waiting out a walk in that situation! Also Al Hrabosky, later of Mad Hungarian fame with the Royals, pitched that night as an unknown rookie, and I remember thinking what an unusual last name.

James, if you're still out there, you might want to know that this wasn't the first time Swoboda had the had the patience to draw a game-winning walk in the bottom of the ninth inning. It's something he had actually done three times before. Ron walked with the bases loaded to give the Mets victories over the Braves in both 1966 and 1967 and against the Giants during the team's 11-game winning streak in 1969. The base-on-balls for the win in this game gave good old Rocky Ron a total of FOUR walk-off walks! No other Mets player has ever had more than one.

This is the first game I ever went to. Sadecki beat Nelson Briles. I recall Ken Singleton hitting a mammoth home run. I also recall Frank Linzy coming in for St. Louis and throwing gas on the fire during a Met rally.

First game I ever went to also! Singleton not only hit a home run, he nearly whacked my mom with a foul ball in the mezzanine in another at bat.

I was at this game. I remember the Mets scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth. I was hoping they would come back and win.

This was my first Mets game ever. I was 7 yrs. old. I had cut out proof of purchase labels from snack foods and sent them in, and got 2 tickets for me and my Dad. Jim McAndrew pitched a shutout, and I wore my Mets uniform to the game and sat in the upper deck. I would love to find a ticket stub from this glorius day!

This was my first Met game also. Got tickets from Howards Clothes store in Colonie Center mall. Sat in the yellow seats but way past 1st base. I didn't care, it was my first game. In 2003 was able to meet Jerry Reuss's son when he played for the Tri-City Valley Cats in Troy NY. Told him how I saw his dad pitch in the 1st pro game I ever went to.

My dad bribed the usher and we were sitting in various seats near the Cardinals' dugout. During batting practice I was just to right of the Cards dugout, and I was screaming for Kooz to come over and give me a autograph. He made a cutthroat sign and an motioned towards the Mets dugout. As a 9 year old, I did not realize that he was indicating that Hodges would not permit his players to go to the visitor's side of the field.

The Cards' bat rack was almost in reach of me and Joe Torre was putting bats into the bat rack. I asked him for an autograph and he stared me down as he slammed bats into the bat rack. What an SOB!

Lou Brock had a tough day, and when he struck out late in the game, I razzed him with a "What's the matter Lou, ya didn't have your Wheaties". Lou looked up, and I got the biggest smile. He must of thought it was funny too.

Despite Torre, a great day!

The Mets clobbered Bob Gibson on a Monday night in St. Louis.

Gibson allowed seven runs--the most he ever allowed to the Mets--and ten hits, four of them for extra bases, in just 3.2 innings as the Mets coasted to a 12-2 win.

Ed Kranepool, a career .313 hitter against Gibson, had two singles off Bob and four singles all told.

Tom Seaver allowed one run and four hits through eight, then another run and three hits in the ninth.

The very first game I ever went to. I was 7 years old. Could a first game be any better? My favorite player, Jerry Grote, doubles in a run. Two hall of fame pitchers battle it out. Seaver and Gibson. Both pitch complete games. Safe to say that that will never happen again in baseball today.

As always, Dave and I are at the game, this a rainy night. Nolan Ryan takes the hill and must have thrown 175 pitches and dealt with two rain delays. The game was called after 8 but we didn't care.

We both had a crush on this busty girl who was sitting right next to us and quite obliging! Tired of a pair of horny and sex deprived 15 year olds oggling at her, she flashed us before leaving with her oversized boyfriend!

Nolan who?

This is the only time I ever say the recently passed Matty Alou play in person. It was a rainy night, but while traveling home to Long Island from Manhattan, I was able to convince my dad to stop for the game. We sat through one rain delay, but when the 2nd came we were gone. Matty's triple was the big hit of the night as the Cards beat Nolan Ryan.

This game was the last appearance by Nolan Ryan as a Met and the last active former Brooklyn Dodger's last game. (Bob Aspromonte.)

Last game for Ken Singleton. He hit 2 HRs and Seaver struck out 13 for his 20th. Last game Nolan Ryan was with the team as well.

I was sitting in the loge area with my Dad along the 3rd base line. Tom Seaver looked awesome in the final game of the season at a chilly Shea Stadium. It was fan appreciation night. I think they were giving away Mets ski-caps. I still have mine. I remember Tom struck out Joe Torre, who I think was the NL batting champ that year, for the final out of the game. The crowd roared. He got a two minute standing-O. Tom came out of the dugout and tipped his hat to the adoring crowd. What a way to end a season!

Tom Seaver won his 20th in the last game of the season, beating a Cardinal lineup thaty looked like a triple-A team. Lou Brock was the about the only regular who played; Joe Torre (who won the NL batting title that year), Ted Simmons, Jose Cruz, and Ted Sizemore did not play.

Seaver scattered seven hits (three of them by Ted Kubiak, he of the lifetime .231 batting average). Ken Singleton homered leading off the fifth and then hit a three-run homer with two outs in the sixth. He added an eighth inning single in what would be his final at bat as a Met. This was also Julian Javier's final game as a Cardinal after twelve seasons in St. Louis. Javier was a mainstay of the Cardinal teams of the 1960s that played in three seven-game World Series, winning two of them.

Go on YouTube and look up: "NY Mets 1971 Final Game and Season TV Audio Recap". You will be amazed; plus this would be the last game that Gil Hodges would ever manage as he would pass away on that sad Easter Sunday of 1972.

I believe this was also the first time the Mets won the last game of a regular season.

A night to remember: A tale of 2 Hall-of-Famers - but not Tom Seaver, Joe Torre or Lou Brock-(or Gil Hodges, who should be.) Instead, 2 enigmatic young pitchers who would be traded, essentially giveaways. It got me thinking : Could the Mets have offered Ryan to the Cards - not for Joe, which almost happened 3 years earlier, but for Steve Carlton even-up? Ironically, the Mets would’ve rejected the notion, for Steve was every bit the headcase as Nolie. But it was Tom Terrific’s night, clinching a consecutive NL ERA title and setting a new record for Ks by a NL RH pitcher, in addition to 20W and 21CG -all near guarantees for his next CY Award, proving there are no guarantees. (Instead it was another HoFer Fergie Jenkins.)

In one of the worst starts of his Mets career, Tom wasn't so Terrific on this warm Saturday afternoon. Someone named Luis Melendez (I think) slugged a Grand Salami off Seaver, Reggie Clevelend was the winning pitcher, and some guy named Joe Torre, in the midst of his MVP/career season, played 3B for the Cards. As a naive 12-year-old, I actually sat through all 9 innings.

This is the first MLB game I ever saw in person. My dad who was NOT a baseball fan agreed to drive me the 2+ hours it took to get from our home in upstate NY to Shea. Perhaps the most generous thing my dad ever did for me. He hated traffic and didn't care a whit about baseball. I lived and died with Tom Seaver every 5 days. I was sure I was going to see him pitch a gem. He got knocked out of the box in the 5th (?) inning. I continued to live and die with #41 every 5 days, but I didn't see him pitch in person again until Spring Training 1985 - by that time he was at the end of his career with the White Sox.

I saw this game with my Dad. Did that horrible drive from NJ to Shea - the worst 35 miles you can drive in the US.

Lou Brock hit Seaver's first pitch like a rocker past Tom's head and into centerfield. First pitch. You could tell it was going to be a long day.

It was June, so we didn't bring jackets, and it must have been 50 degrees (felt like it) in the upper deck. My Dad LOVES the Mets but never liked going to Shea. He was miserably cold that day and the game was awful.

Fortunately, I probably saw Seaver 10 ten times between 1969 and 1975 and the results were usually much better.

WHN, the radio station that carried the Mets during this time, sponsored a Father-Son contest that featured tickets for this game, as well as a pre-game lunch in the Diamond Club with some old- timers. My father and I were among the winners, and we enjoyed meeting Casey Stengel, Hank Bauer, Johnny Lewis at lunch before Tom Seaver got rocked early on.

To follow up on some earlier posts on this game:

Luis Melendez, pinch-hitting for Bernie Carbo, did hit a grand slam in the fifth inning, but it came off Ray Sadecki, who had just relieved Seaver after Tom had loaded the bases with nobody out.

Tom wound up pitching four innings, allowing seven runs and ten hits. Sadecki gave up the other four runs in 1.2 innings of work. Reggie Cleveland pitched the complete game shutout for the Cards.

I definitely was at this game, but for some reason I remember that this was an Old Timer's Day game. Can anyone confirm that?

Ira,

If you are still reading these boards, I can indeed confirm that it was Old Timer's Day at Shea--and the Mets sure looked like the Old Time Mets!

This was my second game ever and it was a thrill because it was Old Timers Day! As each of the old players was introduced, my Mom would give me a quip about some of her favorites. She was a big baseball fan (Brooklyn Dodgers originally). I do remember seeing Tom Seaver getting shelled. What a rude awakening to realize at a young age that my hero was fallible.

We were enroute from Hawaii to Europe with a stop in NYC. My parents took my twin brother and me to the game. He was a Mets fan, I was a Cardinal fan. Tom Seaver was an icon, as was Bob Gibson. I remember Seaver getting lit up and the Mets going down in flames, and my twin brother in tears. What a game !!!!

The Mets tied this game in the top of the ninth, and then loaded the bases against Bob Gibson, but could not get the winning run in.

Ted Sizemore led off the bottom of the thirteenth with a drive to left, and Cleon Jones tried for a shoestring catch but missed the ball. Sizemore came all the way around for a walk-off inside-the- park home run.

Ken Boswell played the entire game at second base (12 innings plus one batter in the 13th) and did not have a single putout or assist.

Lute Barnes goes 2-3. Raises lifetime average to .750, becomes favorite player on the block. All downhill from there...

First game of a twi-nighter at Shea, and John Milner goes 5-for-5, the only five-hit game of his career.

Milner had a two-run homer, a double, and three singles as the Mets, down 2-1 in the seventh, won the game 8-2. Jon Matlack was the winner despite giving up twelve hits in seven innings.

Milner also homered in the first inning of game two, but the Mets gave up three in the eighth as the Cards tied the game, then the Cards scored five in the thirteenth inning to gain a split of the doubleheader.

This was my first major league ball game, I was eight years old at the time. I think Bob Gibson collapsed on the mound. Does anyone know for sure? I have searched for info and have not been able to find anything.

Greg, I haven't been able to verify that, but if Gibson did collapse he must have stayed in the game because he was removed for a pinch-hitter in the top of the 8th. And he retired 7 of the final 8 batters he faced before coming out. Gibson pitched a fine game..the first two Mets runs scored mainly due to two errors by Lou Brock and the third scored on an infield out.

Gary Gentry had a no-hitter for five innings in this game until future Fenway hero Bernie Carbo led off the sixth with a homer for the Cards' only run.

And here's a bit of trivia for you: Mike Hampton was born on this day!

I just read the story from September 10, 1972 in the New York Times and Bob Gibson did not collapse on the mound in ths game.

I was a young child at this time and just learning about baseball. I remember asking my father about this game where Gibson was scheduled to pitch against Gentry. Since Gibson was one of the greatest pitchers of that era, and Gentry was considered to be a mediocre pitcher, my father said that the Cardinals should win. The Mets did win, however, so I learned that in baseball, any team can defeat any other team on any given day.

First game of a disastrous doubleheader in St. Louis. The Mets came into this game in last place, seven and a half games behind the first palce Cardinals, and nine games under .500.

Bob Gibson pitched a complete game for his eleventh win of the season, and helped himself with a fifth inning grand slam which turned a 6-1 game into a 10-1 game.

The Mets actually led 1-0 in the second inning thanks to a Lou Brock three-base error and an Ed Kranepool sac fly. But the Cards were unstoppable after that.

The Mets also lost game two with the key hit being an eighth inning home run by Joe Torre, and when the evening ended the last place Mets were 42-53, and 9.5 games out of first place.

The Mets went 40-26 the rest of the way--still not a blistering pace--while the Cards went 28-36.

Went to this game with my dad, and got to see the penultimate home run of Willie Mays' career. A very happy memory.

Willie's HR came in the bottom of the seventh, a three run shot off veteran RHP Diego Segui. It turned a 4-3 Met lead into a 7-3 Met lead and that was the final score. Willie would hit his final homer two weeks later.

Jon Matlack pitched a complete game, allowing ten hits and striking out eleven. John Milner had to leave the game in the bottom of the first when he tripled to right field and was hit by the throw to third base.

The win still left the Mets in last place, 8.5 games behind the first place Cardinals.

Felix Millan also collected his 1,000th career hit in this game as well.

I'm from New Jersey and it was my first Mets game. I had just turned nine years old and can vividly remember John Milner taking the throw on the side of the head between second and third. I also remember Willie Mays' 3-run blast.

I think one of the most visual images from that day 32 years ago, was that my step-father was standing on his seat (3rd base side box seats) and a foul ball was lined about 10 feet over his head. (And everyone else's!) I can recall it like it just happened.

I've been a Mets fan ever since and will be seeing them next Friday at Dodger Stadium (I'm in the Air Force and stationed in California). Thanks for the opportunity to share my memory.

I was at this game with my family! I was 8 years old. We had received the 4 tickets to go from our neighbors where we lived at the time in Middle Village, Queens. It was thrilling because I most definitely remember the 3-run home run by Willie Mays!! My family and I sat for this game at Shea Stadium in the mezzanine box seats at 3rd base.

My first Mets game. I was 8. I loved Tom Seaver.

First Game of a double header. I was at this game. One interesting moment: The Mets were down 3-2 in the 8th and the Cards had loaded the bases on Tug McGraw. With 2 out, someone (Joe Torre?) hit what looked to be a HR to left and Cleon Jones made a leaping grab (Endy Chevez like) over the wall to save what I recall would have been a Grand Slam. McGraw then pitched a scoreless ninth. While the Mets did lose the game,I wonder what would have happened if Jones did not catch the ball. After this game, McGraw seemed to find his confidence and was a major factor in the Mets improbable '73 run.

Prior to that at bat, Tug was having a bad year and was totally unreliable out of the pen. I know the Mets lost anyway, but what would have happened to Tug and Yogi's confidence in him if that ball carried an extra 2 feet for a HR?

I went to this doubleheader with 3 of my best friends, I was 15 years old. We sat in the mezzanine level above 1st base, I remember that we were baking in the hot mid day sun. I was so glad that Seaver was pitching hoping for a win but not today. This was the first time we saw, or even heard the name "Bake McBride", we thought that the Shea PA announcer mis- pronounced the poor guy's first name. As I recall, Bake turned out to be a pretty good ball player.

I was at this double header. If you had told me that the Mets would rally and win the NL East and then come 5 outs from winning it all after dropping this pair to the Cards, I would have said you were crazy. Seaver pitched the first game and was his usual excellent self.. All I recall about this game was a John Milner HR and some old lady behind me screaming her head off at this old guy she was with when he came back from buying a beer. "JAHN MIL-nuh hit a home run. Y'all missed it. JAHN MIL-nuh hit a hooome run."

Tom Seaver shuts out the Cards for nine innings, but it's not good enough because the Mets can't score a run despite four hits and seven walks off St Louis starter Reggie Cleveland.

Jose Cruz singles home Lou Brock in the bottom of the tenth for the only run of the game, and the Mets (61-71) will spend the night in last place for the final time this season. The Mets go 21-8 the rest of the way and win the NL East.

The Mets had just gotten out of last place the day before, and this loss put them back in last place for the last time that season. It was pretty devastating and should have effectively ended the season but we all know what happened in September.

Tom Seaver and the Cardinals' Reggie Cleveland hooked up in a solid mound duel with nine scoreless innings each on this night. St. Louis reliever Al Hrabosky pitched a perfect top of the 10th and the Cards got a run against Seaver in the bottom half to end the game. A tough luck loss for Tom.

A few days later, Seaver and Yogi Berra made an appearance on Jerry Lewis's annual Labor Day weekend telethon. They had a brief encounter with comedian Buddy Hackett, who posed a nasty question to Tom about this defeat. Seaver responded by asking Hackett if he wanted a punch in the nose.

This was the game that Felix Milan and Tim McCarver got in a fight that led to a bench clearing brawl.

This is a less-remembered but critical game in the miracle of 1973. The schedule was weird that September as the Mets had won 4 of 5 against the Pirates (two games in Pittsburgh, three at Shea) during Monday through Friday and then had to turn around and play the Cards on Saturday afternoon on the national Game of the Week.

The Friday defeat of the Pirates had put them in 1st place and at .500 but a letdown on Saturday would have knocked them right back down. Fortunately, Jon Matlack was awesome pitching a four-hit shutout and they won 2-0. They stayed in 1st Place the rest of the way. I think Matlack was actually better than Seaver and Koosman that month. The game was a treat for me because I could watch it on television. I was away at college in Philly and following the Mets on he radio.

Fan Appreciation Day. We all got white coffee mugs. The wild pennant race was coming down to the wire. Tommie Agee gave the Cards their only runs with a 2-run homer in the first. Stone was struggling in the opening inning but Joe Torre bailed him out by grounding into a double play. Something Met fans would see a lot of in coming years. The game was too important to allow ineffective pitchers to continue. Stone lasted only 2 innings and Card starter Mike Thompson was pulled after 2 batters and replaced by Rich Folkers. (Wasn't he in every other pack of baseball cards when we were kids?) I remember sitting in the loge and running down the steps to get the out of town scores off the scoreboard. Pirates were sweeping in Jarry Park but the Cubs were losing to the Phils. The Mets rallied and McGraw pitched a scoreless 3 innings to close out the win. Got home and found out that the Raiders had snapped the Dolphins unbeaten streak.

This was the first game I ever went to. My Grandmother brought the tickets in August when the Mets were dead in the water. By game day they were in first place by a game. My dad had worked an overnight, picked up Grandma in Brooklyn, came home and got me and my two brothers. The place was packed and I vividly remember Wayne Garrett hitting an extra base hit up the alley in right center field. We all got a Mets mug, and a little slip of paper to be mailed in to pick our autograph of choice. I picked Garrett.

40 years ago today I was at this game. Thanks Mom and Anthony for taking me and giving me one of my best and longest lasting Met memories.

This was the last game I saw Tommie Agee play. He hit home run off of George Stone in the 1st inning, and I was thinking to myself, "Why did the Mets have to trade him away?" But in hindsight, he was really starting to get out of shape at this point of his career, and his numbers were steadily declining. The Cards dealt him to the Dodgers the following season, but he would never play for them and was released during spring training.

50 years ago today I was at this game. Thank you Mom and Anthony for taking me and providing one of my best and longest lasting Met memories.I am sure the coffee mugs are still somewhere at Mom and Anthony's place.

I went to this game as a 12 year-old and don't remember too many details, except for one bizzare quote from Bob Apodaca which appeared in the next day's New York Times. Apodaca got the save in this game, and I remembered (at least I THOUGHT I remembered, but years later checked microfilms to make sure -- and I wasn't dreaming) that he said something like "shaking Jerry Grote's hand after the game was the greatest feeling in the world, except maybe for sex". I could not believe that the New York Times would print that in 1974. But it's there!

I didn't go to the game, but I remember that quote from the Times as well. I've got to look it up someday.

I remember this game all to well. I was 12 years old and opening game was delayed one day because it had snowed in NYC the day before. Upon arriving at Shea it was still extremely cold. My game day tickets were in the GA section upperdeck above home plate. It was a thrill to watch the unveiling of the 1973 NL pennant on the field. I was proud watching it raised onto the flag pole. Since I had arrived during batting practice, by the second inning I was literally frozen. I drank so much hot chocolate I spent the majority of the game in the restroom. One thing I do know is the Mets won.

Going through an album full of old ticket stubs, I found one from this game, which I attended as a 13-year-old!

I saw this home opener on TV after coming home from school. Jerry Koosman pitched well for eight innings and Jerry Grote drove in two runs with a single and a homer. It was the only time in my life that I saw Grote actually hit a home run. He didn't do it very often.

Second game I ever went to. Quite a comedown from my Sept 1973 debut to MLB attendance. The game was over by the second inning. I remember thinking this was how Torre must've been all season in 1971. I did have a good tasting hot dog though.

My first-ever game, I was 7 years old. Old-Timers Day, and I got to watch my father weep when they opened the gates in center field and Willie, Mickey, Duke and Joe D all walked in.

Better, Jon Matlack threw a 1-hitter, and the only Cardinals hit was by ... John Curtis, the opposing pitcher. I remember my dad telling me I almost watched history and I remember telling him, what's the big deal, we'll see a no-hitter sooner or later. And we're all still waiting ...

My first game too, also 7 years old. Wow, how weird is that. I was there with my Dad, my sister (who lived in Manhattan), and her roommate. I remember one of the old-timers coming out in a horse-drawn carriage (Joe D?) The Curtis single was a clean shot into right field, a no-doubter.

I remember watching this game on TV at my grandparents' house on E 13 St in Brooklyn. I was 8 years old and although Matlack pitched a gem I remember feeling bad because he just missed a no-hitter and to make matters worse it was the opposing pitcher who got the only hit. I thought Curtis' hit was a clean one-hop single to center (not right) but I could be wrong. Little did I know that I'd be seeing one-hitters like this from Mets' pitchers for years to come with no one ever getting that elusive no-no.

Tim and Buzz,

It's funny; if you look the game up on retrosheet.org, it lists the hit by Curtis as "Curtis singled to left."!!!

I was at this game as well, Mezzanine section 22. I kept score, and show Curtis's hit as L7, a line drive to left. One of the most overpowering Met pitching performances I've ever seen.

My first METS game and I was also 7 years old! I am starting to see a trend here! I remember it was Willie Mays's first "game" after retiring. He got caught in a run down between second and third and I remember a fan near me yelling out "Don't you dare tag him!"

I also remember my dad always commenting about how the pitcher, of all people, had gotten the only hit! He kept score, I still have the scorecard!

I have since seen Seaver-1977-versus Cubs (Ontiveros) and Cone-1988-versus the Padres (Gwynn) come close to making Met history.

Finally, I read Mr. Vaccarro's column about Shea in the Post back in '03. It still hangs in my office because of the similar memories it shares with my own past.

Coincidence, coincidence. Like the previous Mets one-hitter where the pitcher got the only hit, this one was broke up by a Cardinals pitcher in the 3rd inning. Funny about Curtis. I remember him on the Red Sox and remembered him as a big, tall pitcher who was something like 6 foot 6, but looking him up he was only 6 foot 1. I guess he looked big on his baseball cards.

It was a Sunday morning, and my Little League team -- Citizens National Bank -- from Tell City, Ind., was heading to a Big League game. It would be my first. Our coach had said earlier it would either be the Dodgers and the Reds, which pretty much everyone wanted to go to (in Tell City, along the Ohio River about an hour west of Louisville, Ky., almost EVERYONE was a Reds fan in the mid-70s), or the Mets at St. Louis. There were about three Cardinals fans on our team, and one Mets fan: me. Tom Seaver was my hero. Even at age 12, I realized I had to be different; I couldn't root for the Reds since everyone else did. I chose the Mets. I was born in 1962; they were born in 1962. It was destiny.

That morning, we gathered at the coach's house and he broke the news: the Reds and Dodgers, in the heat of a pennant race, was sold out. We were going to St. Louis. My prayers were answered.

It was the only time I saw Seaver pitch in person, but what a glorious day. He had a bad year that year, but won that game on a Wayne Garrett home run into the right field corner. Lou Brock stole an important base, can't recall if he tied a record or what. It was the same day Evel Knievel attempted his idiotic rocket jump across Snake River canyon. But my thoughts were only on Seaver, the Mets and the bobble headed Mets guy and the big Mets pennant I bought and the Mets win. I was about the only happy guy on the long 4-hour drive home that day!

Woke up about 3 or 4 in the morning.....they're still playing.....Cards go ahead in the top of the 25th....Bob Murphy says, "Wouldn't it be great if the Mets tied it up.....and we went another 10 or so......."

I went to this game! Was getting ready to head for the exit with the Mets up by two runs - two out in the top of the ninth. Ken Reitz hits a homer and ties it up. We stick it out until about the 15th inning. One long subway ride later - I get home to see it's still on TV! Don't think I made it past the 20th before calling it a night.

I was in college at the time and sat down when the game became tied. I told myself I would watch it until the end. Osteen pitched a great game 9 + innings late in the game. He was near the end of his career. Bake McBride scored all the way from 1st on an overthrown pick off throw to 1st. After the game on Kiner's Corner, he was asked why he kept running around third even though the coach did not signal him to run. He said sonething like we have been here long enough already and I just wanted to go home.

I lived ten minutes from Shea Stadium. In around the 15th inning I called a friend and we headed off to Shea. We walked in to the stadium and grabbed a box seat somewhere behind home plate, on the 1st base side. I was well aware that the longest game ever ended in a 1-1 tie in 26 innings due to darkness in 1920. Here we are sitting in on history, although we missed the first 16 innings.

Bake McBride is on 1st base in the top of the 25th with no one out. He's taking a big lead and the Mets pitcher has him picked off easily, as McBride heads for 2nd. OOPS! He throws the ball down the right field line, and McBride is off to the races. It's like little league where the guy is not going to stop for anything in the world. The 3rd base coach has his arms up pleading for McBride to stop at 3rd with no one out. McBride flies thru the stop sign. The relay from rightfield to the infield to home was on the money, and McBride is going to be out from Flushing to Bayside. Only problem the throw short hops the catcher who can't hang on. The next 3 Cardinals went down in order.

Mets fail to score in the bottom of the 25th. We still got to see 9 innings.

A couple of obscure records were set in this game. The Mets sent 103 batters to the plate, the largest total in major league history...and the only time 100 batters have been up for one team in one game (St. Louis had 99 plate appearances in the game).

Also, a record 45 men were left on base by the two teams.

Thirty-five year old veteran Claude Osteen pitched 9.1 innings in relief, coming into the game in the fourteenth inning, and leaving in the 23rd. Jerry Cram pitched eight innings of shutout relief for the Mets.

It was also the first major league game for Bruce Boisclair, who came on as a pinch-runner for Duffy Dyer in the 23rd inning.

The Mets did not score over the final twenty innings of the game.

Blame Ken Reitz for the late night: it was his two-out home run in the top of the ninth that tied the score and spoiled Jerry Koosman's bid for a complete game four-hitter. Reitz averaged just eight home runs per 162 games in his career.

Joe Torre went 2 for 9. The SS for the Cards was Mike Tyson (NOT the boxer). The Mad Hungarian pitched in this game (When I would play wiffle ball with my friend I would imitate Al H. and his mad as heck pitching stance.) Plus making a brief pinch-hitting appearance was a St. Louis rookie who went 0 for 1. You may have heard of him: Keith Hernandez.

I was in school; the year had just started. My older brother took me to the game. We stayed the whole time. My father yelled at my brother when we got home. I got into big trouble. Talk about being out late on a school night!!

Talked with Jerry Cram in 2009 in Bakersfield at a local game (Bak vs San Jose Giants). Jerry being my cousin answered my question, what do you remember about THAT game, said, "I came in at one o'clock in the morning and was still pitching at three." I did not go to the game. My mom's a Cram.

I went to this game with 3 guys I worked with. I was an avid Cardinal fan. When Reitz hit his HR in the 9th and the Mets failed to score in the bottom of the inning, we were thrilled to get extra innings. The other 3 guys, including my boss, wanted to leave around the 14th inning, but I refused to go. We all had to be at work at 8:00 sharp that morning. We stayed through 23 innings and then gave up and left. I think it was around 3 AM. Then we got lost on the way home, heard the end of the game on the radio, and realized we should have stayed til the end.

The worst part was that I bought 2 tix that night to the next night's game. My buddy came to pick me up the next afternoon and I was so sound asleep that I didn't hear the doorbell. He went to a pay phone and called me and I dragged myself out for another game. Barely stayed awake through that one.

I've always been glad that I was there on Sept 11 to see history but regret that I left after 23 innings.

Of all of the games I've been to, this one will always be one of my top favorite memories, because

#1 - in those days, players who were taken out of the game were not allowed to leave the ballpark until the game ended, but many of the Mets players got bored sitting in the locker room for such a long time, so some of them came and sat in the stands with their families or by themselves to watch the rest of the game. George Theodore sat in the row behind us.

#2 - As the game went on and on and Shea Stadium emptied, it became more and more fun to be one of the overtired faithful few that remained. We stayed until the very end.

#3 - Late in the game, they were calling Ralph Kiner over the PA system, asking him to return to the broadcast booth. Later on, they found him asleep in the Kiner's Korner Studio, where he had gone to prepare for his show in the 18th inning, when it looked like the game would be over soon.

I was 16 years old and a sophomore at Ramapo High School in Franklin Lakes, NJ. My father took me and our neighbor who was a custodian at Ridgewood High School a die-hard Cardinals fan to the game. My dad caught a foul ball and we stayed for the whole game. There wasn't a lot of people left and some were sleeping when the game ended. We got home around 5 am and I made it to school the next day. What a wild game, only to have it end on a error! That was one of the best memories I have of my father and neighbor!

The Mets were just playing out the season.

The Mets and Cardinals played a 25-inning game that was decided by an unearned run. This marathon featured Cleon Jones' 93rd and last career homer, Bruce Boisclair's major league debut in the bottom of the 23rd and Brock Pemberton's first hit in the 25th. Boisclair had entered as a pinch-runner and was left stranded at third base. Jerry Cram, who pitched eight scoreless innings of relief, singled in the 18th for the only hit of his career. The whole thing lasted a total of seven hours and four minutes.

Not that Mets fans would be interested, but I've got to include this. While the Mets and Cards were going on and on and on, the Yankees were playing a twi-night doubleheader in Baltimore. The Orioles won the opener in 17 innings and the Yanks took the nightcap in the regulation nine. The two New York teams combined for 51 innings in three games on one night. That's a lot of baseball!

A crazy afternoon at Busch Stadium. After one inning the Mets were leading 6-4!! The Mets scored five runs after two men were out in the top of the first. The Cards came right back and loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the first off Jerry Koosman and got four runs thanks to a sac fly by Reggie Smith followed by a three-run homer by Ted Simmons. Both starting pitchers were gone by the second inning.

With the Mets up 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth, switch-hitter Ted Simmons homered off rookie RHP Rick Baldwin and became the first NL player to hit homers from both sides of the plate in a game since Pete Rose did it in 1967.

The wackiness continued when St Louis 2B Ted Sizemore made three errors in the top of the sixth, tying a major league record. The Mets scored five runs in that inning, four of them unearned, to take a 12-7 lead, and coasted from there.

Rick Baldwin pitched 5.2 innings of relief for his first major league win. Former Cardinal Jack Heidemann had just one hit but had four RBIs thanks to a bases loaded double and a bases loaded walk. The Mets were helped by the Cards' generous gifts of five errors and nine walks.

my very first baseball game. A 5th grade school field trip. Cards jumped out to a 1-0 lead with the running of Brock and Mcbride. Mets came storming back, Rusty hit a grand slam. I will never forget it. Upper deck just beyond first base absolutely terrifying to a kid. cool and clear. I purchased a little bat for a dollar and some kid ran past me and stole it right out of my hands. Ms Barr bought me another one. Thanks.

My Grandfather & I took the train in from New Jersey to catch this double-header. I was 11 years old and a huge Mets fan. This was my first visit ever to Shea. I was from Florida and staying with my Grandfather for the summer.

I remember it being a huge disappointment to see the Mets drop this double-header, and to be shut out in both games on top of it.

I was at this game. I remember Ted Simmons hitting a grand slam off Jon Matlack for the win.

Interesting...Jon Matlack only made three relief appearances in his entire Mets career and the first two were in his first full season, 1972. I wonder why he came into this game with the bases loaded and one out in the 8th inning of a scoreless game? It wasn't to get a platoon advantage against Ted Simmons because George Stone, also a lefty, had been in the game. Matlack wound up pitching to five batters and gave up three hits including the grand slam to Simmons. He had pitched 8 innings two days earlier and the Mets had not had a streak of high scoring games where the bullpen needed a break. Also, it wasn't the weekend before the all-star game where starters would sometimes come in to get a couple of outs. Very strange.

My granddad took me to this game, we sat first base box seats. Kingman belted a long HR to left field, Koosman pitched great, and my beloved Mets won. I was just a kid, mesmerized by being in Shea Stadium, as my family had moved to Michigan. It was the last game I ever attended with my granddad, an ultimate Mets fan from Flushing, who died not long after. What a treasured memory. I am a Mets fan forever.

I was at this game as well. My first memory of this game was that the Mets had been shut out for 35 innings(!) going into it, but finally broke the spell, as Jesus Alou "drove" in the a run in the first inning. I was only 9 at the time and remember Alou driving in the run, but the box score here shows a three base error by Brock on the play. Query: does anyone recall what Brock did to botch the play?

My other memory is that as we left they put a note on the scoreboard that Koosman had just won his 100th career game.

The funny thing about this "memory" is that this game has always stuck in my mind, so I decided to use this web site to find it. I figured I could narrow the search by only looking for home games Alou drove in a run (how many could there be?). In reviewing the box score, he clearly got no RBI for the play I remember, but did get one later in the game--had that not happened, I would not have found this box score and assumed I dreamt the whole thing!! [before anyone says I easily could have found it by looking up Kooz's 100th win, I didn't realize they were the same game until I saw Koosman got the win and started thinking that would have been around the right time in his career, did the math...and voila--two memories for the price of one. Kudos once again to this excellent web site for helping me relive a small part of my youth.]

I also remember Gene Clines starting and they finally scored in the first inning. It was a rainy day and Wendel Ladner of the Nets had been killed in a plane crash that afternoon coming into I think JFK!

I attended this day game with my family. I was 11 years old at the time. We sat in the bleacher seats down the left field line. I have very little memory of this game except that Tom Seaver was pitching and the Mets won the game. At the time of this writing this is the only time I saw a Mets victory in person.

Yes, I was at this game as a 12 year old. I remember Seaver pitching, munching on a Shickhaus Hot Dog, and enjoying a Met win. Also remember Bruce Boisclair ignoring me and my friend when we were begging him for an autograph.

This was my first Met game!!! I was 11 years old. It was a beautiful summer night. We sat on the 3rd base side in Box seats. I remember Yogi coming out to take Seaver out of the game and me and my friend yelling at him to leave Tom Terrific in. He actually looked up at us!

My first major league game! My dad brought me, a new 8 year old Mets fan, down the Connecticut Turnpike on this beautiful late summer day to the big Shea. We sat in the Mezzanine down the left field line, right in the middle of left field and 3rd base. Dave Kingman was my hero and I was thrilled to see him launch a high fly into the Mets' bullpen. This was during Mike Vail's hitting streak and he also hit a line shot HR into the Mets bullpen.

Some more memories of the game: Tom Seaver pitched great, Lou Brock's stolen base, Ted Simmons thrown out at the plate, Felix Millan choking up. I also remember two kids that ran into the outfield to shake Mike Vail's hand during the game and seeing the cops chase them. One kid jumped over the left field wall and ran away into the parking lot as the cops chased him. I wonder where they are today.

Sadly my Dad passed away last year. We saw many games at Shea together after this, but this was a magical moment in my life and such a treasured memory for me and my Dad.

The reason this game is so special for me is because it was the first Major League game that I attended. Growing up in central Illinois, I was (and still am today) an avid Cubs fan. My aunt and uncle, however, had connections through the Cardinals organization and took my sisters and brothers and I to this Cardinals vs. Mets summer game. The thing that I will never forget about this game was that we no sooner sat down at our seats and the center fielder and leadoff hitter for the Mets, Del Unser, lined a home run over the right-center field fence. The Mets went on to win the game...which for me, being a Cubs' fan, was very satisfying!

This was the best game I ever saw in my life. On Easter vacation from 8th grade this was the Monday night game of the wee., This game went on into three in the morning! Unbelievable plays from both teams kept this game going and going until Del Unser hit a home run in the seventeenth inning. Boy, what a game! It was fun! In fact they started calling it Tuesday morning baseball. The screen they show the score at the end of the inning (on Television) actually was changed in the fourteenth inning to say "Tuesday Morning Baseball" from the normal Monday Night Baseball. I can say one thing even if it wasn't Easter Vacation I would have watched this game and been, you know, "sick" in the morning.

Several times during the telecast they showed Dave Kingman's monster 700 foot shot four days earlier in Chicago that he hit across the street. This game they gave Dave nothing to hit as he went one for seven. Del Unser was hit by a pitch his next at bat by Lynn McGlothen the next day as was NY Met starter Jon Matlack (later that day as it was a Tuesday night game and this game went into Tuesday morning) that resulted in a bench clearing brawl. It was believed to be retaliation for hitting that home run in the seventeenth inning that won the game.

This is my vote for the best played game of all times, great plays and strategy from both teams, not to mention a game that could have dragged out another couple of hours it seemed. Del Unser hero of the day!

I think Del Unser lead off the 17th with that home run. I remember that as he was rounding the bases, the St. Louis fans were booing him fiercely.

My second ballgame ever at Shea, and my 10th birthday, and all the boys could muster up were six lousy singles.

For you movie trivia buffs, this is also the exact day that the film, "Dazed & Confused" took place on. Seems to be the theme for the day, no?

My first Mets game, and I left after nine innings. True, I was only eight years old, but why would I leave before it was over? Years later I found out why. It seems the Mets were up 2-1 in the top of the ninth and the Cardinals had a runner on third with one man out. The next batter hit a high fly ball deep down the left field line but clearly foul (probably near where that triangle-shaped area with flowers is today).

The Mets left fielder at that stage of the game was a man called Leon Brown.

"Now Leon, was in trouble, but he chased that old ball down, and he made the catch but the runner scored, all because of Leon Brown."

"Had he left that ball and turned aside, he might not have been a clown, but he caught it and let the tying run score, yes he did that Leon Brown."

"He was bad, bad, Leon Brown, baddest man in the whole damn town, badder than old Dave Kong, dumber than a junkyard dog."

I remember this game very vividly as it was my first ever baseball game. We went with our little league on a bus and I couldn't wait to see Seaver pitch and Kingman hit; I was 8 years old. I remember Kingman hitting the homer early and I believe he scored the winning run on the Mad Hungarian's wild pitch in the 8th.

I went to this game on my 13th birthday. To have the Mets win by a score of 13-0 was too magical for words. Who says 13 is unlucky?

This was the game when Jerry Koosman FINALLY became a 20-game winner. He struck out H. Cruz to end the game. John Stearns jumped into Koosman's arms. He became the second Met pitcher to win 20 games in a season.

This was the first home opener I ever attended...and the last one that Tom Seaver would start during his Mets' career (not counting his return in 1983).

Tom Terrific did not disappoint in this "farewell" appearance. He not only shut out the Cardinals, but he also singled home two runs in the second inning, helping his own cause. The other runs came on solo homers by John Milner and John Stearns, both hit to right-center field.

As I was keeping score of the game, I got lucky. Milner flied out to center to start the third inning. However, I marked it in the St. Louis fourth for Bake McBride. Using a scorecard pencil, I couldn't erase it. It didn't matter. When McBride came up in the fourth, he, too, flied out to center. It was a day when things worked out perfectly!

I can never forget this game. I was with my father and childhood friend and it was a great day for a 13 year old. Skipping school and Tom Seaver pitched and won the game. Plus it was 90 degrees in April!

The day the King died, Elvis Presley died :'( and I was devastated. So glad the Mets won today :)

Mike, this game was actually played one day before the death of Elvis Presley. The Mets built up a 7-0 lead over the first five innings on this night in St. Louis. John Milner led the scoring attack with a pair of two-run doubles. Craig Swan pitched scoreless ball over seven frames before the Cardinals got to him in the eighth. Bob Apodaca then struck out the side in the ninth to close it out.

I was around nine years old and I believe we were driving home from a family trip to Hershey PA. I recall my father trying to get the game in as we moved homeward towards NJ. I remember being somewhat interested as the Mets were playing well in it and they got something started in a inning when I believe it was either Station Identification or Bob Murphy mentioning the death of Elvis Presley. All I remember is my mother frantically changing the channel looking for news while sobbing. I had just started being a Met fan "what a time aye?" and wanted to hear the Mets rally. And protested in the back seat demanding my mother put the Mets back on. My mother with satan in her eyes looked back and me and told me to SHUT UP about the STUPID METS!!.

It was the only time I can ever remember her yelling at me like that which is why this sticks out so much. I mean who the hell was Elvis to me at the time? Certainly no Lee Mazzilli!!

I remember that Maz bailed out of the game after his first inning double, so he could finish the season with a .250 average! Were we starved in the 70's or what? Nevertheless, Maz was the man, and I used to emulate his "basket catch" as a teen. Of course he got it from Willie Mays who my Dad calls the greatest ever!

First time I saw Keith Hernandez. I thought Pat Zachry was a good pitcher on a bad team.

St Louis RHP Silvio Martinez made his first major league start and threw a one-hitter against the Mets. The only hit was a Steve Henderson leadoff home run in the seventh inning. The Mets got their other run on a walk, infield out, and two wild pitches. George Hendrick had a three-run homer for the Cards.

Martinez pitched two 1-hitters and two 2-hitters in 1978, but finished the year with just a 9-8 record. In 1980 he went 15-8 for the Cardinals, but was out of baseball after the 1981 season due mainly to elbow problems.

Yep, I remember this one very well. I was 13 and about to graduate from the 8th grade. My friend's father treated us by taking us out to see the Mets play the Cardinals at Shea. We had great seats, field level behind third base. Little did we know that we would nearly witness a no-hitter by a pitcher making his major league debut, which really would have been something. The very late '70s were a dark, dark time for the Mets.

My memory of watching this game was that the Mets announcers weren't sure if it was his major league debut or not! As the game progressed they found out that it was his first start, but he had pitched in relief prior; at which point they started to wonder who had thrown a no-hitter closest to his major league debut, which led to a discussion of Bobo Holloman. Can you imagine in this day and age, announcers not having info on every pitch thrown by a pitcher in his career, let alone whether or not he had pitched in the majors yet?! And, by the fifth inning a graphic would be up on the screen of all the no-hitters thrown by rookie pitchers and in which start they did it!

I remember being at this game on a Saturday afternoon. 10 -yrs old at the time. John Denny only gave up 1 hit and it was an infield hit by John Stearns on what from what I can recall was a questionable call. It wasn't late in the game so it didn't stand out as ruining a no hitter but it turns out being the only hit the Mets got that day.

Howie, You're right. Stearns' single came leading off the seventh on a grounder toward second base. Mike Tyson fielded it and threw to first baseman Roger Freed but first base umpire Paul Pryor said Freed took his foot off the bag. The play was ruled a single, the first Mets hit of the game. But they had aleady scored a run: in the fourth inning the Mets put together a walk, groundout, and an error by Garry Templeton (AKA a vintage 1978 Mets rally) for their only run of the game. So that might also be why the single didn't stand out as ruining the no- hitter. Had the Cardinals' Gold Glove first baseman--Keith Hernandez--started the game, this may have been a no-hitter for John Denny!

And speaking of "vintage 1978," a whopping 8,658 fans attended this Saturday afternoon game.

I remember this game well. I was 13 and some friends and I got together to go to the game before the end of the year. The Mets were about to complete the second year of the 1977-1983 Dark Era and people were staying away from Shea in droves, especially considering that the Yankees had been to the Series in '76, won the Series in '77 and were about to win another in '78. We were able to get amazing seats behind the first base dugout. I had never sat in that section before. Unfortunately, Silvio Martinez was amazing for the Cardinals (it was his ML debut IIRC) and the Mets scratched out two infield hits for the whole game. Things were bad for us Mets fans then.

I went to this game with my brother on the train from Long Island. It was a Saturday afternoon game, and it rained. I remember after watching the Mets lose in extra innings, we went home and watched the NY Rangers lose to Montreal 4-3 in overtime in Game 4 of the 1979 Stanley Cup to go down 3-1 in the series, so it was a double loss of a day to have both of your favorite teams lose.

If I remember correctly, Hebner hit a game winning walk off home run. Listened to it on the radio. Great call by Murph!

Richie Hebner hit a big home run in the bottom of the 10th inning of this game. It was a 3-run bomb into the Mets' bullpen in right field that retied the game after the Cardinals had scored three in the top of the inning. The Mets then scored in the 11th and won.

My sister and I were watching and she switched channels after the Cards scored their three runs. I continued to watch in another room. When Hebner came up with two runners on, I told my sister and she switched back to the game. We saw the homer and the game-winning run without any more channel changing!

This game is a good example of Yogi Berra's quote "It's not over until it's over."

My first baseball game! I was seven years old.

It was supposed to be a double header, but the first game was rained out in the top of the 7th. I went with my Dad, my maternal grandfather and my uncle, who got the tickets to New York Telephone's box seat -- a great vantage point from which to watch Lee Mazzilli in the on-deck circle. It was my only glimpse of Shea before Fred and Nelson bathed the place in blue paint (and took down the panels); and a decent crowd to see a woeful team. (My father, a die-hard Yankee fan coming off two titles, took one for the team here).

My main memory of the game was watching my grandfather stand and cheer every time Dave Kingman got up to bat. It wasn't until years later I understood that it was just a form of protest as to what had gone on just three years prior...

-- Mike D.

A weak two hit effort from the anemic 79 Mets. My lasting memory of this game was Willie Monnnntannnezz trying to nonchalantly snatch a ground ball and having it bounce off his glove into RF. The next week Willie was off to Texas for a pair of socks and a water cooler. I don't think the Mets would have even been able to get Rich Chiles for Willie at that point.

Remember comparing Willie to the Cardinals' Hernandez and wonder why the Mets never seem to get real ballplayers.

This game was Keith Hernandez' favorite Shea Stadium memory, according to the 5/10/2008 broadcast, because this was the day he effectively clinched the 1979 batting title over Pete Rose.

Um, Keith? Division? Pennant? Championship? In a Met uniform?

With one out in the top of the fifth inning of this game, Lou Brock walked. He then stole second base and came all the way around to score when John Stearns' throw went into the outfield.

The stolen base was the 928th of Brock's career. At that point he broke Billy Hamilton's record for most career steals. Hamilton had played mainly in the 1890s. Of course, years later Rickey Henderson passed Brock and Rickey is still going as of this writing!

The Cards won the game 7-4 in ten innings. Mets pitchers allowed just five hits in the game but they walked 11 batters, threw a wild pitch and committed a balk..and the fielders pitched in with 3 errors. Aaah, the late seventies at Shea!

I do know that after this mind-numbing loss, their record over the last 48 games was, I believe, 9-39. An absolute low point in Mets history during this time. In a few short months, Wilpon, Doubleday and Cashen came into the picture to begin salvaging this wreck of a franchise.

This was the end of the worst homestand in Mets history as they went 0-9 including four doubleheaders swept in less than a week.

The sad part was that the pitching wasn't all that bad (35 runs given up in 9 games) but the offense was anemic as they could only score 15 runs.

I don't recall the exact attendance number for the 5 playing dates but I doubt it was more than 30,000 combined.

Well this home game for the Mets would be not just their last of the 1979 season, but it would also be the last home game for that club under the Payson family ownership as well as the last one for the late Mrs. Jane Jarvis as its Shea Stadium home game organ player. This would be the late Mrs. Jarvis' swan song Met Shea Stadium home game as its organ player where in the hundreds and hundreds and of Met Shea Stadium home games prior, dating back to that club's first season in Shea, 1964 with the hundreds and hundreds of playings of the Mexican Hat Dance music during the 7th Inning Stretch along with her hundreds of playings of the "Star-Spangled Banner" (the U.S. National Anthem) at the outsets of Met Shea Stadium regular season home games, particularly during the 1970s in A Major. She (the late Mrs. Jarvis) would be terminated from her organ-playing duties with the Mets during the 1979/1980 off-season period when the Payson family sold that franchise to the Doubleday/Wilpon team. But for many seasons after that her recording of "Charge!" was played at Shea Stadium home games.

A victory for the Mets to start a twi-night doubleheader in St. Louis. Juan Berenger recorded the first win of his career that would last fifteen seasons. Also, Jeff Reardon notched the first of his 367 career saves.

A wild doubleheader nightcap in which the Mets kept battling and came away with a win in extra innings. In the top of the 11th, Gil Flores hit a triple on which an error by the Cardinals' first baseman (some guy named Keith Hernandez) allowed him to score and put the Mets ahead to stay. The victory gave the Mets a sweep of the doubleheader.

Ed Kranepool pinch hit and got a base hit. It was his last at bat for the Mets!

It was also the last game in Mets' history that they were not owned (at least in part) by the Wilpon family. And despite how miserable the season was, they managed to avoid 100 losses with this win.

I remember being at this game. It was Lou Brock's last game and Richie Hebner's last game as a Met. Hebner grounded out in the 8th inning I believe, and we booed him mercilessly. He had stated earlier in the week that he could not wait to get out of NY, so we were letting him know how we felt. On his way back to the dugout after grounding out, and us booing him, he gave us the finger. I will never forget that SOB as long as I live.

This was the very first MLB game I ever attended. Have been a die hard Mets fan from this date forward.

I played centerfield on the NY Playboy Bunnies team at half time against the Bayside Federal Savings Bank for a charity fund raiser. I met Lee Mazzilli that day and after he saw me he hit 2 home runs! Whatta man!

One hot summer day and early evening! I do remember before the start of this the second game of the double header that the Playmate bunnies came on the field for their softball game in a hot air balloon! Leon "Bull" Durham creaming a pitch over the rightfield wall and into what I believe was the Mets players parking lot. Looking into the WOR-TV booth and seeing Ralph Kiner. Later that night I watched the news as I was staying with my cousins in Avenel, N.J. and they said that a fan had jumped off the mezzanine earlier that morning and commited suicide. What a tragedy as that still sticks in my head almost 26 years later. Overall a great day for two Met games as they won both!

I remember being at these games, being pretty young I honestly can't remember the Playmates or the balloon which is sad. Maybe I got up between games and was too busy running around to notice. I do remember Durham's HR which someone here mentioned went into the players' parking lot, as I recall, it actually broke Alex Trevino's windshield. Maybe the longest HR I ever saw at Shea.

I too remember being at these games. Bomback pitching a complete game and Durham's bomb stand out the most. After the games my friends and I stuck around and finally made our way out onto the field. Shocked that no one chased us off we explored both dugouts, my buddy scoring a cracked Bobby Bonds bat from the Cards dugout and I got a broken Jerry Morales bat from the Mets dugout. Leaning against the 410 sign in center field and looking back towards home plate was a cool site. As I recall this was the last day of the home stand and the outfield fence was painted, changing from green to blue, before the Mets returned from their road trip.

I was at that DH too. And yes Charlie, the Durham homer was one of the longest homers I ever saw hit at Shea. I also remember a crazy play that must have happened in game 1. The Mets had a runner on 3rd, the Cards pitcher threw a wild pitch but instead of caroming away, it bounced right back to the Card catcher and he tagged the Met runner out.

For most of the summer, the Daily News ran a box in the sports section called "Mets vs. Maris" as the team struggled to hit 61 home runs for the season. Hubie Brooks' first big league tater, in this game, allowed the Amazin's to tie Roger's then-single season mark.

I thought Hubie hit number 61 in the final game of the year. Guess I was wrong.

Thought of an interesting situation: What if the Mets had brought up Hubie, Mookie, Wally, and Ed Lynch in July when they were competing as opposed to September? Obviously, a pennant would have been unlikely, but I think if those guys were there, then the Phillies don't sweep them in that five-game set in August. Plus, I think they would have been in the 73-win range. I think they were more ready for the bigs than what was originally thought.

The home opener. It was frigid in the shadows that day. What I remember was, before the game, the fella in front of my dad and me remarked to his friend, "This is going to be one of those 5-3 ball games." Translation: There isn't going to be much excitement in this one. And he was dead-on.

My first Mets game. Got me two days off of school because home opener was originally rained out. Remember my aunt taking a wrong turn at the Interboro (aka Jackie Robinson Parkway) GCP split. Remember how empty Shea was. Just looked it up; attendance was 15,205. Remember sitting in Mezzanine Box down the first base line. Mookie 2-5 with a triple and 2 rbi and Flynn 2-4 with 2 runs scored and 2 rbi.

Take another look at this Mets line-up as it is a classic one. It had one foot planted in futility, while the other was pointed towards fame. All these fellows remain vital in my collective Mets Heart!

As a 20-year-old, I was able to persuade my boss to take the office for an outing to Shea to see a struggling team. Despite his worries on the venture, he was not disappointed.

16 of us piled into 2 cars and a rented van and made the 50 mile trek to that hallowed ground at Flushing Meadows.

Stuck in traffic on the Van Wyck, many vehicles were flashing Met paraphernalia to each other while also passing brewskies back and forth to (mostly) non-driving fans.

They were dangerous days but festive.

The Stadium was electric as Pat Zach threw an excellent game and the offense exploded in run scoring spurts. A rarity for that team.

A splendid time was had by all that night and it stays as a reminder that even during lean times, hope is always just over the horizon.

Great story, Prindy, but I find something wrong with it. This five-hitter pitched by Pat Zachry in which the Mets scored runs in spurts was played in St. Louis and not the "hallowed ground at Flushing Meadows." Are you sure that you have the right game?

On this night, Joel Youngblood had a double and a two-run triple to bring his batting average to .359 for the season. He would be at this mark at the time of the players' strike three weeks later. When play resumed in August, Youngblood took part in the only All-Star Game of his career.

This was my first game that I ever attended. Mazzilli broke my heart.

Jesse Orosco pitched three scoreless innings for his first major league save in this game. Orosco would go on to become the first ever to break the 100-save mark as a Met, totaling 107 with the team.

I remember this game occurred on the day that Simon and Garfunkel had their reunion concert in Central Park! Kingman and Brooks both homered. Kingman's just made the fence. Brooks nailed a shot that went to the back of the bullpen's fence. BTW, I was at the game and chickened out going to the concert...wish I did!

My dad brought me to this game on my birthday. Mets were just starting to put together a decent team with guys like Mookie and Hubie. Mets were winning 5-4 in the top of the 9th when Mookie ran down a long fly ball, seemed to catch it, then dropped it as he crashed into the wall. Cards took the lead 6-5. In the bottom of the 9th, Frank Taveras got on with a walk or single, then stole second base (maybe moved over by the pitcher). Then Mookie came up with 2 outs and hit a home run almost over my head in the right field boxes and just over the right field wall by the pole. My dad wanted to leave early and convinced me to at least stand near the exit. That's why I NEVER leave a game before it's over. All the way back on the train, the fans were buzzing about the Mets actually contending for the division that late in the season.

This was one of the best games I ever went to. Mets trailed 5-0, finally tied it up, and then Tito Landrum hit a triple and scored on an error by Mookie Wilson on the same play in the top of the 9th inning. Then in the bottom of the ninth, Mookie hit a 2-run home run off of Bruce Sutter to win the game 7-6.

The guy david who wrote on 2/6/02 was wrong about several aspects of this game. Mets did not lead 5-4 and blow lead in 9th. Look at linescore of game. They trailed 5-0 in 3rd, then tied up game, then Landrum hit the triple that Mookie made the error on in 9th to give Cards the go-ahead run. Tavares hit a double in the 9th with 2 out and no one on, barely making it safe to give Mookie his at-bat, which he then hit the 2-run home run off Sutter for the win.

The Mets had TWENTY-TWO hits in this game! They went down 1-2-3 in the first inning, then they had at least two hits in each remaining inning, including 6 hits in the 7th inning, when they tied it 5-5.

Mookie and Hubie each had 4 hits and John Stearns had 3.

I attended this game and still remember Ron Hodges catching Mookie's homer in the Mets' bullpen. The stands were pretty well empty by that point. Actually, they were probably pretty well empty when the game started too. This was also one of the first few games that Garry Templeton played for the Cards after flipping off the St. Louis fans (remember Whitey yanking Templeton down into the dugout?) Shea booed him mercilessly every at-bat. That was probably the best thing he ever did for St. Louis as they traded him for Ozzie Smith shortly after that.

The thing I remember most about this game is Mookie pumping his fist as he rounded 1st base and everyone that was left in the stands was absolutely delirious. People were hugging people they didn't even know, the team mobbed Mookie at home and the celebration lasted a good 5 or 10 minutes on the field. It was one of those few times in the early 80's that you felt like they were beginning to turn it around. There was hope and Shea was beginning to come back to life.

I found it. I always remember a game with Mookie hitting a game winning HR off Sutter. Wasn't at Shea though. I was 10, sitting at home watching on WOR-TV. Vividly remember the closeups of Sutter then Mookie back to Sutter then Mook crushing it

My dad was a Cardinal fan, and as a youngster I rooted for them too. In 1981 I was working at NY Life in the pension plan department, and my boss assigned me a plan for a travel agency called Cardinal Travel. Dal Maxvill was one of the owners, and when I first spoke with him, I began the conversation by telling him that I remembered his triple in Game 7 of the 1967 World Series in Fenway against the Red Sox. So he left me 4 tickets for this game. Drinking beer, falling behind 5-0, and sitting with Cardinal fans, I stood up and hollered "The Mets are going to win this game!" People laughed at me. Now it's bottom of the 9th, 2 outs, and people are leaving, so I stand up and holler "Hey, where are you going? The Mets are going to win this game!" Same reaction from the people around me. After Taveras gets on and Mookie atones for his error by hitting his 2-run homer, I felt vindicated. But I never heard from Maxvill again.

This was my first ever baseball game. I was six years old, and I was actually a Cardinals fan at the time, because that was the name of my first Little League team.

I don't remember much of anything about the game, except for getting an autograph from a random Cardinals player (I think it may have been backup catcher Orlando Sanchez, although sadly, that autograph is lost to the ages)... that, and that the Mets actually won that day. Shea was rocking that night, because the Mets didn't win too many games that year, especially not against the best team in the NL. But I was miserable, on the verge of tears, because my Cardinals lost. Ah, youth. (A few seasons later, I was on the Twins, but couldn't bring myself to root for a team in the American League. And so a Mets fan was born.)

Chris D'Orso, I hope you're still checking this website!

You said you don't remember much about the game. Here's what happened:

In the bottom of the third, the Mets scored five runs off RHP Steve Mura. Mura was probably best known as the guy who accompanied Ozzie Smith from San Diego to St. Louis in exchange for Garry Templeton and Sixto Lezcano.

George Foster and Dave Kingman had RBI singles and then Mike Jorgensen hit a 3-run homer.

Ron Hodges homered in the bottom of the 4th to make it 6-0, and the Cards got RBI singles by Lonnie Smith and Dane Iorg as the game went on for their two runs. Craig Swan improved to 5-1 with the win, and the Mets were 30-28 after the victory.

After taking 3 out of 4 from the Cards the next weekend in St. Louis, the Mets were 34-30 and just 3 games out of first place.But thanks to five- and seven- game losing streaks, the Mets were 40-47 at the all star break and they went just 25-50 after the break to finish last, 27 games behind the World Champion Cards.

Dave Kingman hit a home run in this game, but it wasn't a typical Kingman blast. This one was the inside-the-park kind. It was quite a thing to watch!

In the eighth inning, Dave lifted a very high shallow fly down the right field line. George Hendrick ran slowly for it, not appearing to give it much effort (perhaps he couldn't find it.) The ball landed just inside the line, bounced very high on the artificial turf and went to the right field corner. As Hendrick ran after it, Dave ran around the bases. By the time the ball got to the infield, he had circled the diamond - without a play being made on him.

This hit provided the margin of victory over a team that was headed for a division title and eventual World Championship. It also helped Dave to become the first Met ever to win a National League home run title, though this was not the usual way he hit them.

This was Game 2 of a double-header with the Cardinals, who less than a week before traded us Keith Hernandez. They won game 1, but Mex hit a homer off John Stupor in the second game, his first as a Met I think. What I remember most was hearing about the trade on the radio a few days earlier and thinking: Wow, the Mets just might become a good team again.

I was at this game. How sweet for Keith Hernandez to crack his first Mets HR against his old team and get a curtain call from the Shea fans in front of his tormentor, Whitey herzog.

This was Neil Allen's return to Shea. After getting the Mets 1-2-3 in the top of the first, which ended when Allen struck out Keith Hernandez, Darrel Porter went toward the mound and made sure that Allen didn't go to the Mets dugout by directing him to the visitor's dugout.

A five inning save for Doug Sisk. We may never see that again. Well, we certainly won't see it again from Doug Sisk.

I went to this game. Thursday afternoon game. Long, beautiful late June day. I had literally just graduated high school that week. I got my first personal look at newly acquired Keith Hernandez and rookie phenom Darryl Strawberry, who had just been brought up in May. Things were starting to look up, after 6 straight bad seasons.

Before seeing the box score of this game, I thought that the maximum a relief pitcher could go in order to get credit for a save was four innings. My theory was based on the rule of a starter having to pitch a minimum of five innings to qualify for the win. But as Doctor Worm stated, Doug Sisk pitched five innings for the save here. The win went to fellow reliever Carlos Diaz, who got through the top of the fourth before Junior Ortiz's RBI single and Hubie Brooks' three-run homer put the Mets ahead to stay in the bottom half. Sisk then entered and did something that no Met pitcher had ever achieved over the team's first twenty-one seasons. A five-inning save is a rarity.

I remember this game well. Went to Shea to see Tom Seaver pitch and was taking a chance on seeing Dave Kingman play, these 2 guys being my favorite Mets ever. In those days you could drive up to Shea a half hour before the game and get tickets. Ended up sitting right behind the Mets dugout 2 rows back. Got Brian Giles to sign a baseball card of mine. I would bring cards of different players to different games. Of course I brought Kingman's and Seaver's but they didn't come on the field before gametime.

Seaver pitched a pretty good game, but when Darryl Porter hit the home run you sensed the game was over. I remember Tom Seaver fouling off about 6 piches with one being inches from the left field foul pole, nearly missing a home run. Next pitch he hits fly ball to deep center field and with that the small crowd at Shea gave him a standing ovation, appreciating a tough at bat.

I remember Dave Kingman being put in as a pinch hitter late in game. I yelled for Dave. I said, "Heeeeey Daaaaaaaaaaaave" real loud. I heard my voice echoing in the outfield, he looks over at me with a surly look. Hey I would too if I wasn't playing. Not with Keith Hernandez around. Kingman never got to hit; Whitey Herzog put in a right hander to face Kingman and Frank howard countered with putting in Rusty Staub who grounded to 2nd base on the first pitch.

Hubie Brooks either tied or broke the (at the time) record for longest hitting streak by a Met. I believe it was his 23rd or 24th straight game with a hit.

I remember in the ninth, they were mounting a rally. Had runners on first and third. Staub then struck out. Then Backman hit a grounder to second. The 2bman threw to the SS for one out, but Oquendo slid hard into the guy and Backman beat out the throw. Then the umpire called Backman out due to Oq's interference. The crowd was furious and the game ended.

At the time, it was my first Mets game in three years. My friend from HS and his dad brought me and the seats were on 3b-line about 14 rows up.

I remember the night my favorite Mets player Hubie Brooks' 24-game hitting streak against St Louis and Joaquin Andujar. What a year Hubie had in 1984, the same year I graduated from elementary school.

two trivial facts about this game: Hubie Brooks' Mets record hitting streak was snapped at 24 games and the promotional items given away that night were pairs of "flip-flops" many of which were thrown on the field at Shea as Hubie's streak died.

I was 12 years old then and was at this game with my Dad sitting in Mezz. Reserved between 3rd and LF. This was my last game at Shea until September before I went away to sleepaway camp in upstate NY. Yes, the two things I also remember of this game was the Hubie Brooks hitting streak ending and the flip-flops giveaway that were thrown onto the field. I was not one of those that threw them on the field as I took my flip-flops with me to summer camp. My Dad would have grounded me if I threw the flip-flops onto the field. My sister got his pair.

The Mets begin a four-game weekend series in St. Louis with a 6-0 win over the Cardinals. Ron Darling improves to 6-3 and pitches his first major league shutout. He would throw a total of thirteen shutouts in his career.

All the scoring in this game came in the top of the sixth. Keith Hernandez, Hubie Brooks, and Jose Oquendo each had two-RBI doubles in the inning. Darling made the first and second outs of the inning. Eight consecutive Mets reached base in between Darling's two outs.

This game was the first time I thought the Mets were for real in the 80's. Keith Hernandez hit the game-winning single off Neil Allen (who was traded for Keith) after a long long at bat. The fans streaming down the ramps at Shea were yelling "We're Number One" for the first time in a long time.

Sorry Ken, but Wally Backman hit the game-winning single in extra innings. It was my first game (the first one I remembered) at age 7. I was so tired, I kept asking my Dad when it was going to be over. He kept lying to me, saying they would call the game after 3 hours. Wally won it in the 12th! So exciting! The fans streaming down the ramps were yelling, but not "We're Number One". "Wally!! Wally!! Wally!" All the way to the parking lot! Amazing!!

I was there. Kepshire had the Mets in his back pocket and enjoying a three-run lead until Straw-man came up in the bottom of the fourth with two men on. A lazy swing stroked a fly ball that just made it over the fence to tie the game. Remember, this was when Darryl was synonymous with youth and anticipation, before he was the feared slugger (as well as for his darker side). It was almost the feeling that no matter what, he was going to tie the game; that the universe had willed it to be that way. Kepshire was quoted after the game as saying "the ball shouldn't have gone out."

Such was the excitement in the early days of Mookie, Wally, Hubie, Darryl and Keith.

This was the game that convinced me the Mets were for real. I was there in the 3rd base box seats, broiling in the sun. The Mets are behind 3-0 and I'm conditioned to feel that this is going to be another lost afternoon at Shea. Then Strawberry hit it out and they go on to win. I bought a Mets painter's hat that day that I continued to wear to every Mets game I went to and they won over 75% of the time. I even wore it to (bow your heads) Game 6 of the '86 Series.

This was a dismal loss for the Mets in St. Louis that dropped them out of first place in the National League East Division. The Cubs (who beat the Phillies) took over the top spot and stayed there until the end. It was also Rusty Staub's last game in which he was in the starting lineup.

Probably the coldest Mets game I have ever attended. My scorecard from that game looks like chicken scratch because my fingers were frozen. But of course it ended with one of the most memorable home runs in Mets history -- Gary Carter's game-winning blast off Neil Allen in the tenth inning of his first game as a Met. Then rose the most enormous roar I had ever heard from the Shea faithful, and all the way down the ramps the delirious fans were screaming GARY!! GARY!! GARY!! You just knew it was the beginning of something special.

I'll never forget this game for a couple of reasons. 1) it was opening day of what we were all hoping was to be a new era with the leagues stud catcher Gary Carter behind the plate. 2) I was thrown out of the game with two of my friends when one of them who was bombed out of his head got into a fight with the guy in front of him who was trying to enjoy the game with his young son. He had told us a couple of times to watch our language as we were quite loud and obnoxious. In about the 4th inning he got up to take his son to the bathroom and my friend said " Oh you're leaving, good!" The man got upset said something back and fists were flying. I tries to break it up but very quickly cops came and kicked out my friend, who deserved it, my other friend who joined in the fight, he deserved it too, and me who actually tried to break it up, I swear. So we walked around the stadium, slipped an usher a 5 and he let us back in. We ended up with much better seat, on the field and were there for Carter's memorable homer off of Neil Allen. I'll never forget that home run and I'm glad I talked my two friends into going back in. We were 22 years old and stupid but I will never forget that day. Luckily we drove home safely. And as a father of three I can relate to the poor guy in front of us that day.

The first game I can honestly remember. Tho I had been going since I was 3, which was 1982, making me 6 in '85. Not knowing too much what was going on, I focused on drinking hot chocolate and staying warm. It was real cold that day and I couldnt understand why my dad took me somewhere I would freeze to death. Carter comes up in extra innings and my dad told me to get up and cheer, going along with directions I did so, and it was as if my father magically willed Gary to knock that Neil Allen slider into the cards bullpen. At six, it was hard to follow baseball as it was when I was older, but I knew that I would love going to games after this!

my god it was about 32 degrees I was frozen sat in cheap seats 6 rows behind us 7 of my highschool teachers are there we walked down in bottom of 10th to box seats and when carter hit the ball I yelled and I said yes but when I saw lonnie smith I thought the bastard caught it but everybody got up and walked out so I knew and the gary gary chants down the ramps outside the stadium I had never seen anything like it I had not been to Shea stadium since 1980 5 years I had so much fun

Ditto on the cold. I have experienced 19 degrees below in January and I'm telling you that April afternoon at Shea felt worse! I seriously thought I was going to get frostbite. And I remember the first inning took about 45 or 50 minutes to play and my fingers and toes were going numb by the third inning. Left after the regulation nine and missed Carter's home run!

Yeah, it was cold.

Add to the picture my usual upper deck seats and my usual beer buzz, and this was a tough ten innings.

We were moving toward left field to catch the sliver of sun left in the stadium when Carter's HR cleared the wall. The picture is quite vivid still.

What a great day. We all knew this team was going in the right direction and NYC was a Met town all the way. The Yankees were nowhere!

I remember an article in the Daily News about how cold it was at Shea that day. One fan commented that Doc shoulda NOT pitched that day. The tag line "Where's Jay Hook when you needed him?" I wasn't at the game, thank god, I watched on Ch. 9 (So glad the game wasn't on cable; didn't get it until '87) and saw Carter's walk-off HR. They didn't call it a walk-off back then. Welcome to New York, Kid!

2nd coldest game I have attended. The first was in 2003 Home opener. Will never forget how Shea was shaking when Gary Carter hit that home run off of Neil Allen. Would love SNY to put this on as a Mets CLASSIC!

A typical windy, frigid April day at Shea. Why is it always ten degrees colder inside Shea than outside? The Kid becomes a Met and gives Whitey Herzog agita by homering off Neil Allen, who the Cards got for Hernandez. In my top ten of game thrills I've seen at Shea.

Also, HoJo's first game as a Met. he had a single and an RBI that made Gary carter's 10th inning heroics possible.

Hard to believe it's now 25 years since this game! Remember watching the game on TV and Gary Carter's game winning HR made it a memorable 18th birthday! It's also nice to see the bat Gary used for that game winning HR as one of the items in Citi Field's new Mets Hall of Fame and Museum.

My first game as a vendor, I was trying to sell Coke to the upper deck in that cold. It was also my last game as a vendor.

My first ever Opening Day at Shea and oh how cold it was! We sat in the top row of the Upper Deck (behind home plate) and witnessed Gary Carter's first game as a Met. Mets seemed to have game in hand until the Cards came back late to tie (believe off Doug Sisk). Then Gary sent everyone home happy with his dramatic walk-off HR. Welcome to New York, Gary!

An odd game to remember so clearly, but I was there and at field level no less. This was the game after Carter's GWHR in his debut game. It was exciting to see him in a Mets Uniform although he didn't do much this day.

I remember that ex-Met Neil Allen walked Danny Heep with the bases loaded in the 11th inning to end the game. A walk off Base on Balls. I never liked Neil Allen.

Joe, this was a wonderful game. I sat up in the mezz, just to the left of home plate and brother it was COLD that day! 50 if that and windy. Darling had awful control to start, throwing 14 balls among his first 20 pitches. But somehow he survived. The Mets scratched out a run on a fielder's choice by HoJo to tie it and then it became a struggle to score another run. I remember during Heep's at-bat the place was screaming trying to rattle Allen and he never came close to the plate.

I was at this one. It was the second game of the season and it was a overcast day and it looked like it might get rained out.

Because the Mets had sold out opening day, they advertised this as opening day 2 and Rodney Dangerfield threw out the first ball.

I think this game set the tone for the Cardinal/Mets rivalry that was to continue for the next few years. John Tudor was almost unhittible that day and also almost unheard of before the season, having come over from Pittsburgh in the winter. Neil Allen, who the Mets had traded to the Cardinals for Keith Hernandez, came in and threw 4 straight balls with the bases loaded and Roger McDowell got the win in his Mets debut.

This game was Roger McDowell's debut. This was also the game when the wave effectively died for me. During the 1984 season the wave had been a big thing and I enjoyed it, On this day I also got injured doing the wave (nothing major) but I banged my knee on the rail in front of my seat. (The wave was never the same again!)

One of 2 wins that Calvin Schiraldi had as a Met,though he really didn't pitch well in this one.

This early season game against the Cards would be one of the last games against St Louis that didn't have any kind of rivalry feel to it. As these two teams would play some of the more intense and memorable regular season games in Mets history over the next few years.

Gruesome collision between Danny Heep and Terry Blocker. Awful to watch.

The 3rd game in a 3 week span against the Cards that the Mets would lose in the 9th or extras, essentially the difference between winning the pennant and not by season's end. This was pretty much the low point of the year for the Mets.

I was at this game, a HUGE one for a lot of reasons...

This was Hernandez's first game back after the Pittsburgh drug trials. We give him a standing O and he whacks a base hit on the first pitch...

Bottom of the first, 2 on, 1 out, George Foster gets hit in the butt and makes a move out to the mound. Both benches empty, the usual pushing & shoving, yaddayaddayadda...

So, now, bases loaded, no out, HoJo comes up and hits a rocket over the right field scoreboard. YEAH BABY!

The the f-ing Cards start a comeback...then it starts to rain.

During the rain delay, they put the Reds-Padres game up on the Diamond Vision and I got to see Pete Rose break Ty Cobb's all-time hits record, sitting on the aisle steps in the right field mezzanine, between the raindrops.

Fantastic night!

I remember this one like yesterday. Foster gets plunked in the 1st inning. Hojo steps in and launches a bomb off of Cox way out to right. I can still hear Ralph's call "...it's going, going and it's gone goodbye! A grand slam home run for Howard Johnson!"

A real heartbreaker, but a great game. I remember buying tickets for this one in April, knowing it would memorable. Tudor and Gooden were locked up for nine innings; Cesar Cedeno's home run off Orosco won it in the tenth. The most disappointing regular season loss until the Pendleton game.

Cesar Cedeno, at the end of his career, takes Orosco deep in the 10th to win it for the Cards. This was the night after Hojo's grand slam and the day before Keith's single through the whole. God the '85 season just drives me crazy with what ifs - what if the Mets win this game, what if Foster comes through with the bases loaded in the first inning in game three of the final series at Busch. Well it wasn't meant to be!

I had Tix to see Dire Straits at Radio City Music Hall this night. I was bummed about not being able to see the game, but hell, it was Dire Staits at Radio City. Anyway, we knew the game was starting and you could hear a buzz in the crowd. I went into the lobby and it was packed with people listening to portable radios. I quickly reported back to my brother at our seats, Mets had the Bases Loaded in the first inning. Our hopes were high. It was a crushing loss.

This was a great pitcher's duel between Tudor and Gooden. I went to this game with my brother and oh boy did we hate Tudor, but he pitched a 10-inning shutout. Gooden pitched great. Cedeno's HR down the left field line into the Mezzanine was one of the hardest hit balls I've ever seen in person. It's so funny that Mets fans never give Cedeno any credit in the Cardinals winning the NL East in 1985. He was the difference. Sure there was the Pendleton HR, but Cedeno's contribution as a late season addition to this team was huge.

Second year law school - Moot Court competition the same night - I have tix to this game - what to do - I pass on the game! Now, 20 some odd years of practicing law, I shoulda gone to the game!

This was the reason the Mets never caught the Redbirds, Cesar Cedeno: Traded by the Cincinnati Reds to the St. Louis Cardinals for Mark Jackson (minors) August 29, 1985. Cedeno Hit .434 in the last 37 games.

Picking up Cedeno was a major factor in St. Louis holding off the Mets. He hit 6 HR, 19 RBI, .434 for Cards, after being picked up from the Reds on Aug 29th 1985.

This is one of those Met highlight reel classics. Tie game in the bottom of the 9th. A game the Mets absolutely need to stay in the race. Mookie leads off the 9th with a single. Wally bunts him to second and then Keith goes the other way and punches one past Ozzie into left field. Wilson barely beats the throw to the plate. What a game!

I have bittersweet memories of this game. It was the day the Yankees were also playing the Toronto Blue Jays at home, trying to win their division. My brother Andrew had tickets to the Yankee game.

I covered the Met game for Inside Pitch. But that morning, I went to my interview with the magazine's new editors from No'th Ca'lina, and that was just a formality. They gave me the axe. But I still had my press pass for this game, and I didn't want to miss it. My favorite Mets, Ed Lynch, and Keith Hernandez starred, the good guys won in thrilling fashion, and I said my good-byes to my colleagues.

They drove me across town to Yankee Stadium for the second half of "Baseball Thursday," and dropped me in the press parking area. A few handshakes, some backslaps, and my days as an editor of Mets Inside Pitch were over. Then I pulled out my ticket, walked through the turnstiles, up to the upper deck, where Andrew waited, and I was an ordinary fan again.

It really hurt.

This was my first ever baseball game. My grandfather wanted to leave, but I whined and fussed so he stayed, and I'm glad he did. From that game Keith Hernandez became my favorite player and I became a Mets fan for life.

My Dad and I made the trip to Shea from Connecticut to see a great game in the thick of a pennant race. We saw a classic mid 80's Mets game. I'll never forget the sinking feeling and dead silence when McGee hit that HR in the top of the 9th to tie the game. Keith Hernandez's single through the hole between short and third is still one of my most vivid memories of Mets thrills. I'll never forget seeing Mookie round third base in full sprint in his white Mets uniform as the winning run. Nobody ran like Mookie, he had a certain style I've never seen. Hernandez was such a clutch hitter. I miss those days!

I was in college with some of my frat buddies sitting in bar in PA watching this game after a class. I was so pumped by Darling's performance..gutsy was putting in lightly! I think he was up against John Tudor, who was one of the Card's best that year. I remember jumping out of my chair when Straw hit the homer..One of my all time greatest games to watch! A great game no matter who won it..

I remember this game vividly. I was a freshman at the University of Michigan and the only way we could get the game was to pick up the St. Louis radio station in a friend's dorm room. We barely got any reception, it was in and out the entire game, sometimes based only where people were standing in the room. When Staw hit the home run, the entire room full of New Yorkers went nuts...A great pitchers duel filled with tension in every pitch.

Darryl Strawberry stopped the clock with his 10th inning homer.

I remember sitting in the dark in the living room late at night watching this one play out. It was a desperate must-win for the Mets - actually all three games of this series were and we only got 2 of them! I remember the matchup was set Darling-Gooden-Aguilera vs. Tudor- Andujar-Cox. I was always a big Darling fan and he did an awesome job in this one. He matched Tudor, pitch-for-pitch. Anyway, Darryl hit the ball from Dayley high off the scoreboard in right. I remember McCarver said for years that it was the second longest shot he had ever seen hit in Busch Stadium. I think second to Willie McCovey. What a win!

Yes a must win game. The Mets #2 starter up against the ace of the first place cards with five games left to play (three against St. L) and two games behind the Cards.

This game is memorable not only because of how crucial it was for the Mets 1985 season but because it was the most intense pitching matchup I have ever seen.

Darling matched Tudor pitch for pitch. Through nine innings Darling gave up three scattered hits and Tudor gave up four. I was on the edge of my seat with every pitch. I knew that one mistake would blow the game. After nine full innings, there were no mistakes from the mound and no score.

The two starters pitched until the tenth and then both were taken out for pinch hitters. It was a letdown for me that the two starters did not finish the game though they both pitched with excellence. If the game were in the sixties, they likely would have been kept in the game.

The Mets won in the eleventh but the Cards won the pennant. I can not remember a single game that was as strongly pitched from both sides as this game was and it is vividly and permanently in my memory as one great ballgame for the pitchers.

Strawberry's biggest regular season HR as a Met!

Anyone out there live on Long Island in 1985? This game was played on the day after Hurricane Gloria hit and we had no electricity. Saw it on my friend's battery-powered Sony Watchman, which was state of the art at that time. That clock shot by Strawberry in the wee hours of the morning . . . major excitement, albeit in the dark. I'll never forget that game. Nail-biter from start to finish.

Darling pitched the game of his life.

I remember Johnson getting a lot of heat from the NY press for not matching up Gooden (on 3 days rest) against Tudor who was almost as unbeatable as Gooden down the stretch (Tudor had a 1.97 era and a unthinkable 10 shutouts in '85. Almost half of his wins were shutouts!).

Herzog, switched Tudor's place with Andujar in his rotation, but Johnson didn't take the bait and keeped Darling in his turn. I never knew what the controversy was all about. The Mets need all three games to have a chance at the division so why mess up the rotation. (If the Cardinals had loss all three games you know the White Rat would have gotten a lot criticism for messing his rotation!)

For young Met fans (I was 17) '84 is remembered as the year we all felt what a pennant race was, but it was really '85 and these three games that really showed us the heat of the race and gave a glimpse of what was to become in '86.

I remember the whole city was up watching these games. The lead story on all the local news, etc.

Strawberry's homer (still one of the biggest in Met history) was truly amazing! Van Slyke didn't move an inch when the ball sailed into the St. Louis night. Of note, Dayley’s curveball that night was unhittable. In the 11th he fanned Hernandez (with the hometown Cradnial fans going crazy every time Hernandez made an out) then again Carter, before he threw one to many curves that Straw (keeping his shoulder in) tagged.

Lastly, everyone remembers Darling's big game, Straw's homer but what about the bottom of the 11th? It started with Mookie dropping a fly ball and Orosco doing his Houdini routine to get out of trouble! As the game ended all I thought about was having Gooden fresh the next day...with his 23-4 record in tow...and how Johnson now looked like a genius.

The Mets cruised through eight innings behind the Doctor in this critical game - the night after Darryl's shot won it in the 11th. If my memory isn't fading me, the Cards put on quite a rally in the 9th. In fact, I'm pretty sure that Tommy Herr was at bat with two outs in the 9th as the tying run and lined out to second base. This was the high water mark of the season, as the Mets came up short the next night against Danny Cox.

It's hard to believe there is only one posting on this game!

Joe Lanzisera is correct--the Cards struck fear into the hearts of us who were watching this game. The Mets had a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth with Doc on the mound--money in the bank. In fact, Doc retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth and it didn't seem to matter that the Mets had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the ninth but did not add to their lead.

But Gooden walked Ozzie, and then he walked pinch- hitter Curt Ford. Vince Coleman singled in a run and Willie McGee singled to load the bases, meaning that the tying runs were on base and Tom Herr represented the winning run. Herr already had two singles and a walk off Doc that night, but this time he lined it to second baseman Wally Backman and the Mets were just one game out of first with four games left.

I was born right after the Mets won. Darryl's home run came around 11. I was born 12:09. My grandmother still holds me responsible for making her miss "the Mets" and most of the doctors were more interested in this game then me. But my dad and mom's favorite team won and they became parents. That's a pretty good day.

Doc set a record in this game for Mets pitchers by driving in a run for his 4th straight game.

As I remember it, if the Mets had won this game they would have tied the Cardinals for first place with three games to go in Montreal (please note that the Expos played so exceptionally well during the last three games that winning the East would have been tough anyway). After winning the first two games,the Cardinals came back and finally won one, leaving the Mets two games behind.

Cardinals manager out-managed Davey Johnson. One fine move by The Rat was placing injured, but active, Jack Clark on the on-deck circle forcing Johson to make a pre-mature pitching change.

I had the strange, but exciting privilege of "watching" this game (and series) from Paris, through the boxscores in the International Herald Tribune, which were printed on the second day after the game. Everyone stateside knew the result by the time I rushed down to the newstand, still hoping that the Mets had swept and tied for first place. To hell with the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Did the Mets win? It was not to be.

The Mets came in on a roll after winning the first two of the series to move within a game of first place. It had been an uphill battle all the way and now first place was just a win away. I remember the Mets loaded the bases in the 1st inning with two outs. George Foster grounded out and the Cardinals dodged a bullet and the Mets just could not get anything going the rest of the night against Cox. The final series against Montreal was very anti-climatic.

I was keeping score of this game at home and was so upbeat. Disappointed with the finish in 1984, I felt this was the year!! This was also pre-ESPN media info days and you had to wait until the lineup was shown by Channel 9 for any info or news.

All I can remember is cursing Davey Johnson for putting in George Foster instead of LH Danny Heap against RH Danny Cox in the lineup-why!?!? Sure enough, George did what he did best for us- grounded into a fielder's choice when a hit would have sealed a sweep and who knows, maybe the division.

It made me realize that Johnson was not a bright manager, but rather one that had a good team for a couple of years and wasn't able to ride it to the finish line in 85, 87 and the NLCS in 88. Its a shame because we should have been in the WS more than that one time and this game was proof of his inadequacy as a manager. Thank goodness for Buckner, otherwise we may not have won at all!!

Bitter end to a memorable series. Gary Carter popped out to end game; he swung at Lahti's 1st and only pitch of the game. If Mets hadn't won it all in '86, I probably still wouldn't have forgiven this poor AB in a hall of fame career.

A.J. give me a break, The game was tied when Buckner made his error. As for this game - two words - George Foster. What a disaster. How about my man Keith going 5 for 5 when it mattered - as always! We should have swept this series and gone on. But it wasn't to be.

I turned down a chance to go see the then WWF (now WWE) have their Saturday Night's Main Event taping at the then-Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, NJ (now Izod Center) to watch this pivotal game. After the Mets lost, I cried for days and cursing the rotten Cardinals (which I would wind up doing again in 2006). But I watched the Main Event that Saturday on CH. 4 at 11:30 watching Uncle Elmer get married and an all-out brawl featuring Paul Orndorff and Rowdy Roddy Piper. AT LEAST THE AMAZINS WON IT ALL THE NEXT YEAR!!!!

Mark, your man Keith may have gone 5 for 5 in this game but 1985 was not his finest moment. His slump in late August plus his mediocre September helped give the Cards the lead in the standings that made this game a must and the Mets did not get it.

Gary Carter practically carried the 1985 Mets on his back to even keep them in contention during the 1985 pennant race. Keith is remembered much more for 1984 and 1986 than for 1985.

Remember this game well. A big disappointment after winning the first two and potentially being tied for the lead with three left to play. It wasn’t meant to be. Keith Hernandez had his third 5 hit game within a 2 month span, which confuses me as to why Ed K mentions a “late August slump and mediocre September.” On August 15 he was hitting .294 and finished the year at .309. Seems more like he was peaking at just the right time. He will always be the Mets General.

I remember watching the Mets home opener on Ch. 9 and HoJo's error cost us the game to the Cardinals in extra frames and then word came from the White House that the U.S. Military was bombing Libya. A surreal day if there was ever one.

When the Mets lost on this date in 1986, their record was 2-3. A lot of people forget that the Mets got off to a slow start in 1986.

This was my first Mets game ever!

Richard Nixon was in the crowd and stood up and waved. That's my lasting memory of the game.

This was probably the most important game of the early '86 season. The Mets needed to make a statement to the Cardinals and they did it in the late innings. I remember HoJo turned around a Todd Worrell fastball (not the only one of Todd's he turned around) for a big home run late and the Mets went on to sweep the series. After the series, Whitey basically conceded the division to the Mets.

The generally forgotten game in the famous 4 game sweep in St Louis. Though this was close fought game into the 8th inning before the Mets blew it open.

Gooden was in complete command and Ray Knight was the hottest hitter in baseball, hitting 2 more homers and continuing to save his career in the early part of the season. He was supposed to be a part time player in 86, but he forced HoJo into the bench role with his unbelievable play in the first half of the year.

This was a great series when we sent a message to the Cards that this would be our year. It was the game of the week on NBC-4 NY. I recall Whitey Herzog chewing out Vince Coleman and the game ended with the Mets turning a great double play. While the weather in NYC was chilly; it was about 90 degrees in St. Louis.

After a tough 1st inning, Sid Fernandez was almost literally unhittable against St Louis on this afternoon. I'm not even sure that the Cards hit a ball mildly hard off of him until the 9th. It was an amazing outing. He eventually gave way to McDowell, who had a rare off day and almost gave up the lead. Luckily, the ball Jack Clark hit went for only a long single, just an inch or two from being a game tying homer. Sometimes you need a little luck to get by.

It's over! The Mets have clinched the division. OK not quite but this final game in a sweep in St. Louis buried the Cardinals and the Mets never looked back. Too early in the season to be crucial but let's face it, the Mets never sweated after this series!!!!

This was a rainy Sunday at Shea and we stayed for the whole twinbill. Remember when they played real doubleheaders - not day/night? The first game was a barn-burnder. The Cards tied it in the 9th off of Jesse and then the Mets turned around and won it in the bottom of the frame. The second game was a snoozer.

In the early innings of this game, Ozzie Smith caught a fly ball in center field. Willie McGee lost the ball in Shea's twlight and Ozzie raced back and camped under it for the out. To this day, I have never seen a SS catch a ball as deep in center field as Ozzie was on this day. Incredible.

Kevin Mitchell was almost the entirety of the Mets offense, hitting a homer and driving in the winning run with a single. This game was the start of a 6 game series (due to April rainouts). I'm sure back in April after the rain, there were a lot of people who pointed to this long series and figured it would decide the division. But obviously this series meant nothing by this point and the race as long over.

Despite the loss on this Saturday afternoon NBC Game of the Week, Lee Mazzilli hit a game tying homer in one of his first at bats since returning to the team. A fun moment for him, and he'd have a few more once October came around.

Clint Hurdle beaned by Gooden? I have a picture of me comforting Clint at home plate after he was hit in the head by Gooden.

Photo: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 17, 1986

This was the first game that I ever went to! Although it was too bad that it was a loss for the Mets, there's nothing like having your first day at a ballpark be a doubleheader, and they won the tail end. Even before I looked at your boxscore, I remembered that it was John Tudor vs. Rick Aguilera, and our starter in the second game was Randy Niemann, and there was a big buzz when HoJo went up to pinch-hit. You always remember your first! I was 7 years old and my uncle and I hopped on the old red #7 from Sunnyside. I wanted to stay for all of both games, but we left in the middle of the second one. You guys have done a great job with this site! Your attention to detail by putting up the box scores has helped me to recapture an important part of my youth.

This was the day the the crowd shots for the 'Lets Go Mets Go' video were filmed.

Between games, we were asked to scream Lets Go Mets Go and do a wave!

The Mets rebounded from a 4 game losing streak to the Cards,all from the same weekend due to a few doubleheaders. Randy Niemann made his only ever start as a Met and threw 6 good innings and the offense finally broke out after a slump to salvage a 2-4 record in a very rare 6 game series. I don't have the info in front of me, but I can't imagine the Mets have played another 6 game series since this one.

Michael, this doubleheader closer was the finale of the second six-game series that the Mets and Cardinals had with each other in regular season play. The two teams won three games each in a series in August of 1973, the Mets' last previous pennant-winning year. Like this series, the one from thirteen years earlier was increased from four to six games due to a pair of rainouts.

Randy Niemann, in his only start as a Met, retired the first twelve St. Louis batters and earned his second win of the season. Niemann served as a stopper for the team after their four straight defeats to the Cards in the series. It was Randy's finest game of the year.

Niemann's catcher for the game was John Gibbons, who had been recalled from the minor leagues after an injury to Gary Carter. Gibbons contributed the Mets' offensive surge with a walk, a double and two runs scored.

This was the game when Cards 1st baseman Mike Laga hit a ball clear out of Busch Stadium, alebit on a foul ball. He got a standing ovation as no one had ever seen that happen before. A fun footnote during the last few weeks of a memorable season.

I didn’t know which game it was until I read Michael’s post, but I remember that Laga foul ball. I saw that game on WWOR. Probably his career highlight.

I lived in the Midwest in 1986 and always went to Cincinnati, St. Louis or Chicago when my beloved Mets came to town. On this night, the Mets had a chance to wrap up the division title if the Phillies lost and I was excited that I might get to see it live. From the game, about all I remember is that Rick Aguilera pitched and won. I wore my Mets hat to the game at Busch Stadium and was the victim of cat-calls and harrassment. Several Cardinals fans wore T-shirts that said: "The Mets are pondscum." As the Mets were on the verge of winning the game, it came over the scoreboard that the Phillies also had won. The scoreboard next flashed "There will be no clinching here tonight." The crowd stood and cheered. That was the Mets-Cards rivalry of the 1980s. After the game, I remember walking out of the stadium with my friends and laughing at the frustrated Cardinals fans. I think they were something like 30 games out at the time. I didn't get to see the Mets clinch a division title, but I get to see them clinch no worse than a tie. What a night!

The thing I remember clearly about this game is Bob Murphy's call when Wally Backman hit his home run. It would be his only home run of the '86 season, and it happened on his birthday, and I remember the Murph saying something like, "Wally Backman is just so happy! He just hit a home run on his birthday!" I wish I could hear it again.

I was really happy for him, because my birthday was two days earlier. Another perfect moment for a perfect season.

The last meeting of the season between the Mets and Cards, a weekday afternoon at Shea. This one was over early as the Mets hit 3 homers and got their 99th win of the year.

Tommy Herr won it for the Cardinals in the bottom of the 9th with a walk-off grand slam. The Mets had led this game 5-0 at one time, but blew it. I think at that moment I began to realize 1987 was not going to be like 1986.

You got that right! They blew a 5 run lead as well as one run leads in the bottom of the 9th and 10th innings - the Herr grand slam just put them out of their misery that night. This was the first of what was to be many nights like this in 1987 - climaxed by the infamous "Terry Pendleton game".

As a Cardinals fan, I attended this game and sat in the right field bleachers that night. It was (by far) the most exciting game I ever attended at Busch Stadium. For the small-ball, low-scoring Cards to come back three times in a single game was nearly unheard of. And to close the game with a walk-off grand slam was icing on the cake. That night also happened to be "Seat Cushion Night" at the ballpark, and the fans rained down seat cushions onto the field with each comeback (prompting numerous delays). Busch Stadium has not had another seat cushion promotion since that night. I am probably one of only a few fans who still possesses his coveted seat cushion from that fateful night.

This is the game where Barry Lyons crashed into John Tudor in the Cards dugout, breaking Tudor's leg. Tudor missed three and a half months but the Cards still won the division.

One of Sid's best games as a Met as he went the distance in a tense, one-run win. Unfortunately, this would be the only win the Mets would have in their first 7 meetings against the Cards in 1987, a major reason for not repeating.

The Pendleton game gets all the memory but this game hurt in the standings just the same. The Mets took a 7-3 lead into the 7th inning, only to watch the Cards chip away against McDowell and Orosco, losing eventually in extras in a game that would really come back to bite them at season's end.

About as "must win" as a late June game can get as the Mets couldn't afford to fall further behind the Cards. Gooden went all the way and HoJo won it in the bottom of the 9th on a single.

First Mets game I ever went to. My Sister got the tickets from some guy she worked with and the game was that night. We sat in the field seats on the 3rd base line. The rivalry was intense and so was the game. Gary Carter went yard twice!!! It was amazing!!!

Very historic game! The first Mets game to be on the newly christened WFAN 1050 which had switched formats from country music earlier in the day!

At the time, a truly key series for the Mets as they were getting back in the pennant race. HoJo hit the game winning homer in the 10th inning as he continued his first great season for the team.

The Mets completed the sweep of the Cards, a much needed one at this point in the season. HoJo hit another homer, and this game got his bat checked by Whitey Herzog (something that would happen a few times to Johnson in 1987)

The Pendleton homer. Mets up, 4-3, two outs in the 9th, McDowell pitching. Mets one game behind the Cards in this first game of a crucial three-game series. Pendleton had two strikes on him, and 55,000 people starting singing, "Na-na-na, hey-hey, goodbye..." Even my friends and I in the upper deck felt confident enough to start singing along. Then, Pendleton unloaded a line-drive home run to straight away center field. You never heard 55,000 people get so quiet so fast. It was sickeningly quiet the next inning when Jesse Fiasco gave up the go-ahead home run to Tommy Herr. Everybody knew this was a mortal blow. The Mets never recovered that season.

I remember this game. Darling and Meyers had a combined one-hitter going to the ninth, the Mets were up 4-1. Then with 2 out McDowell gave up a run scoring hit and then a 2-run homer to Pendleton. They lost in the 10th and lost a chance to go only .5 games out. Instead they were 2.5 out and were done.

Oh yeah - I forgot to mention in my 8/31 posting that I was actually at the game. I was sitting way up with a bunch of friends and I remember a fight breaking out a few rows in front of us during the Cards' rally. I still remember someone saying in a very sad voice - "See you guys starting fighting and the Mets started falling apart!!"

This is one of the top 5 worst Met losses of all time in my book. Up 4-1 in the 9th - Shea rocking and rolling. The Mets ready to close to within .5 games with Gooden and Cone going in the rest of the series. We were thinking World Series repeat until Pendleton unloads in the 9th. Once he hit it, you knew we were done, you didn't even have to watch the tenth. It was just like Scoscia's blast in the '88 NLCS off of Doc - same empty feeling inside. And it was on 9/11 to boot!

I was at Pizzeria Uno with a group of my friends on a Friday night. I wasn't old enough to drive so my pop had to pick me up. While he was on his way, Pendleton stroked one to center and ruined me that night. My dad, to this day, calls me a jinx for getting him out of the house to come get me. And of course, he wasn't the biggest Orosco fan, and I was. This game has scarred me for life.

I was at this game as well. I was 12 years old. It broke my heart. I'll never forget sitting in the upper deck and seeing a furious fight between Cards and Mets fans. When Whitey came out of the dugout to talk to his pitcher all the Mets fans BOOOOOOOOOOOOed! And I'll never forget a guy sitting next to me with a Cards hat on saying, "If the Mets fans keep booing the Cards might just win." As a 12 year old who was a big Back to the Future fan I later wondered if he was actually a time traveler who already knew the outcome of the game because nobody saw it coming. We had it won. I still say Davey should have stuck with Randy Myers who was pitching great instead of bringing in McDowell who was off and on that year.

This is without a doubt the worst game in Mets history. I was an usher in a wedding that night. The groom and ushers were all die-hard Met fans so we kept running to the bar to watch. The score was 4-1 Mets the entire game. McDowell had two strikes on Willie McGee with two outs in the ninth. He singles up the middle to score a run. Then Pendleton. It was the most empty feeling I've ever had as a fan. I agree with all those who've said we knew the season was over right then. Yeah, it happened on 9/11, and all these years later we still ride our friend that he got married on the worst night in Mets history. Johnson was an absolute fool to take out Myers, whom the Cardinals couldn't touch.

I was at this game - I never saw Shea go from complete elation to absolute silence so quickly. I can still see that Pendleton shot (and it WAS a shot) sailing over Mookie's head and over the centerfield wall.

Ugh.

Anyone remember that McReynolds almost tied it in the bottom of the 10th - line drive caught at the top of the right field wall.

Was in a bar on the upper East Side watching this with my brother and a embittered Pirates fan (imagine what he is like now!). We were feeling so good about our Mets until the stunning shot by Pendleton. No one in the place could believe it. My Pirates friend was ecstatic (surprised we didn't kill him).

As others mentioned you had a sense that the Mets were done. Was such a tough season and to lose like this was brutal - and a harbinger of bad times to come (i.e. the Scioscia in '88)

Yeah, I was there - 1st base mezz. I have been to hundreds of games including the Endy Chavez catch game in 2006 ironically also against the Cards. But there was no game that ever compared to this one in going from total elation to complete devastation in the blink of an eye when Pendleton hit that tracer to center. I mean it got out so fast - I remember looking at the scoreboard in disbelief to see the game tied 4-4 and saying what just happened!? Shea got so quiet you could hear a pin drop. It was like 55,000 people got punched in the stomach.

The game started off so well...I remember HoJo stealing 2nd earlier in the game to make the 30-30 club and Shea was absolutely electric. Darling was cruising with a no-hitter until that fateful drag bunt by Coleman in the 6th. Darling broke his thumb on that play diving for the ball and that was when I had the first inkling that the fun was over.

Darling said later that when he left to go home in the 9th his car was actually parked behind the fence in center and Pendleton's HR ball almost hit his car...talk about insult to injury!

Then the #7 train ride back to GCT after the game... it was soooo quiet... everyone in stunned silence. Yep - this was the worst Mets game ever - hands down.

Just watched this one on the old tape. I had forgotten that Terry Pendleton appeared on Kiner's Korner after the game as Ralph's guest. I cannot imagine any Mets fan saw that interview, as nobody would have stayed up to watch it after the disaster of the 9th and 10th innings. Pendleton was cordial and admitted that when he went to the plate, he was thinking of a homer.

@The Motts...The Mets were down by two runs when McReynolds came up with nobody on. A home run would not have tied it.

Everyone remembers the game from the night before...Pendleton's crushing homer in the ninth and the extra inning loss...but the Mets had a chance to rebound about 14 hours later and Doc let them down.

After Vince Coleman struck out to start the game, here's what the Cards did off Gooden: double, walk, walk, walk, sac fly, single, stolen base, single, fly out. Coming off the backbreaker of the night before, the Mets are down 5-0 before Mookie steps to the plate. If it wasn't over the night before, it sure is over now. The Cards got another run the the top of the second and Doc was gone by the third. His line was 2 innings, 6 runs, 5 hits, 3 walks.

And one more thing I didn't remember: the loss in this game dropped the Mets into THIRD place, half a game behind Montreal. The Mets did finish the season one game ahead of the Expos.

Considering the magnitude of the game, probably the worst regular season start of Doc's career in this NBC game of the week. As Bob said, the Cards basically small balled him to death in the first 2 innings, putting the game out of reach early, as the Mets could do little against Greg Matthews.

The Mets would rebound to win the next 4 in a row, but the first 2 games of this big series, coupled with 2 incredibly frustrating one run losses to the Pirates later in the month, really did the Mets in big time during this pennant race.

Cone's 1st of many big game perfomances of his career. In miserable conditions, game delayed 2+ hours at start due to rain, Cone kept Mets NL East hopes alive and averted a potential sweep by the eventual NL Champion Cards.

Knowing the Cards weren't coming back to Shea, the umpires and the Mets waited all day to play this game on a very rainy Sunday.

Cone pitched very well and Randy Myers pitched the final few innings, completely dominated in getting the save, establishing himself as the lefty stopper for the Mets and making Jesse Orosco expendable after the year was over.

This game just goes to show just how much the Mets and Cardinals hated each other during this era. With the division title already clinched and this game meaningless, Whitey Herzog has his pitcher intentionally walk HoJo in the 9th inning with a runner on base; this way HoJo doesn't have a chance at his 100th RBI of the season. He didn't get it the next day either, as he finished with 99 on the season.

Forgotten now, but the big news before this game was that Davey Johnson submitted to the Mets and the media that the following season in 1988 would be his last season managing the Mets, as he would then move upstairs into a front office role. Frank Cashen gave an interview stating that he hoped the next man for the job would also come from one of the farm clubs in the system but he would look outside the organization as well.

As we know now, none of that ever happened, Davey ended up staying the manager until he was fired in late May 1990, but still an interesting footnote in Mets history on this day as the Mets and Cards were playing the final days of the season.

Definitely one of the most depressing games in team history, despite the final score.

It's funny, the 87 Mets may have arguably been the most talented of the late 80's Mets teams in theory. (The 86 team didn't have McReynolds, or a better Straw and HoJo, and the 88 team really didn't have Hernandez and Carter in their prime good years.) But because of decimating pitching injuries and just general inconsistent play (and Doc's suspension), the team just couldn't rebound from its poor first half.

An early season NBC Game of the Week. Gary Carter continued his hot start and hit a go ahead homer off Todd Worrell to put the Mets ahead in the 8th, followed by HoJo homering as well,something he seemed to do reguarly against Worrell. It all led to an important April win against a team that most figured would be their main competition, even though it didnt turn out that way.

This was the second Mets game I attended. A sun-soaked Sunday afternoon, Calendar Day, the Cardinals in town and a raucous, sellout crowd on hand.

Ron Darling started for the Mets in this game, and for the most part, it was a neat pitchers duel between him and Jose DeLeon.

Terry Pendleton (he always seems to do it to us) and Jim Lindeman hit back to back HRs in the 4th inning, though, and the Mets still trailed 2-0 into the 8th.

But DeLeon tired in the 8th, and the Mets broke through. Backman walked and Hernandez singled him over to 3rd. Strawberry drove home Backman with a single. Worrell came in and gave up the tying hit to McReynolds and the game was even.

For some reason, Herzog then pinch-hit for Worrell in the 9th, and ran Steve Peters out for the bottom of the inning. He gave up a single to Mookie and threw away a pickoff to get Mookie to second.

With 2 outs, Kevin Elster, who had not yet established himself as a starter, lined a single to left to score Mookie and get himself his first GW hit (and GWRBI, in the era that it was an official stat). I remember the team mobbing him at first base afterwards.

Fine afternoon and a nice, tight comeback win as the Mets continued their hot start in 88.

I went to this game in St. Louis. Great game! But, just when I thought the Cardinals were able to control Howard Johnson for one game, he hit a HR off Danny Cox, knocking him out of the game!

Cone pitched into the 10th inning in this one, and still didn't get the win. Lee Mazzilli won it in the 12th with a line drive down the 3rd base line, as the Mets ended their 5 game losing streak (which started when they lost Keith Hernandez to a hamstring injury).

The summer of '88 was blistering hot, this day was no exception with temps near 95 degrees. It was my son's 11th birthday and we spent the day together.

The morning highlight was a Len Dykstra autograph signing at the Queens Center, the first signed ball that my son ever received.

The night found us at Shea as the Cards rolled in, I think Luis Alicea made his debut that night and Ojeda tossed a neat cg sho.

My kid got to see his name on the scoreboard as I had arranged for that earlier and the best part, if memory serves me well, his hero, Lenny drilled a triple or a home run, I'm not sure.

It was hot, that I'll tell ya!

FeatFan, according to retrosheet.org, Alicea's first game was 4/23/88. He did have two hits this night off Ojeda. Bobby O scattered nine hits and a walk, and the Cards left eleven runners on base.

Dykstra had three hits: a single to lead off the bottom of the first, a double to drive in two runs in the second, and a leadoff triple in the seventh. Ojeda also had a single and a double and drove in a run.

David West's only win as a Met before the highly touted prospect was sent to the Twins in the trade for Frank Viola at the 1989 trading deadline.

This was also the famous "hamburger" game. One of the Cardinals (I forget who, may have been Brunansky) put a hamburger on the 3rd base bag for Umpire Eric Gregg before the game as a joke. It made "This Week In Baseball" that next week. A nice memory from a fun last week of that season.

Cone won his 20th game of the season, a complete game. As he walked into the dugout, he was greeted by former President Richard Nixon (a known Mets fan). Considering that David didn't even enter the rotation until early May, winning 20 games was an excellent accomplishment.

Funny thing looking back. After this game Channel 9 showed a "Remember 88" season highlight film. At one point Bob Klapisch is shown talking about the great season Oakland had and he makes a comment, "I can't wait to see this Canseco guy; I'm convinced he's on steroids."

And this was back in 1988!

A Great opening day. Doc walks the bases loaded in the first but gains command as the game goes on. Hojo blasts a bomb off his favorite pitcher Todd Worrell and the Mets have an easy victory over the hated Cards.

I'll never forget this game, it was the first Opening Day game I had ever been to. Hojo was my favorite Met at the time and to see him hit one over the right field fence is something I'll never forget.

Just watched this one on the old tape. A note about this game is that it's the first time in Keith Hernandez's Mets career that he batted anywhere other than 3rd in the starting lineup.

An interesting thing about this game is that it was the 1,989th regular season victory in Mets history. It was the only time ever that the team's all-time win total and the year were exactly the same.

An early season NBC Game of the Week. Strawberry hit his first homer of the year after an early season slump but the Mets still lose a tough one in extras as Don Aase gave up a rocket to Pedro Guerrero to win it. The Mets really struggled early in the year, starting off 3-7.

I remember being concerned early. Ten games in and already 5 games out of first. The Cubs were hot. The Mets had a respectable year but never played with passion. A 3-7 start is not the end of the world, but you could see the lack of guts on this team.

In my book, this was the saddest 11-0 win in Mets history, because on this day the Mets traded Mookie Wilson to the Blue Jays for LHP Jeff Musselman.

Sid Fernandez pitched a complete game 4-hit shutout and had some odd numbers: just one strikeout and two walks allowed. Kevin McReynolds drove in six runs and hit for the cycle with a double in the second, a 2-run homer in the sixth, an RBI single in the eighth, and a bases-clearing triple in the ninth.

Frank Viola's first start as a Met. He pitched very well and ultimately got the win. The Mets rallied in the 9th for 3 runs with 2 outs as McReynolds got the big hit, with help from Juan Samuel.

This was the beginning of what would be the best stretch of baseball the team would play all season. Getting red hot from early August for about 3 weeks.

Due to all the rain that New York was getting during this period of time, Shea's outfield was beyond wet. And this was the game where Strawberry decided to wear plastic bags in his shoes to try and attempt to keep his feet dry. It was funny watching him leg out his triple with the bags in his cleats. Mid-August was definitely the high point of the 89 season, as the Mets were playing their best baseball and looked primed to catch the Cubs. Didn't quite work out that way.

Just watched the old tape of this one. Gregg Jefferies delivered one of the most impressive offensive games in Mets history. He went 4-5 with 2 homers. In the 1st inning he hit a rocket off the top of the wall for a double. In the 3rd he hit a line drive home run. In the 4th, he hit a rocket for double. In the 5th he hit another home run. And in the 7th he hit a ball to the warning track.

He was as locked in as any hitter I've seen for a single game.

This game marked the end of an era: it was the final time Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter appeared in the starting lineup in the same game.

Sid Fernandez hit his only major league homer in this game. It came off the late Dan Quisenberry in the 8th or 9th inning.

Todd Zeile was catching for the Cardinals in this one. He talked about it with Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez on SNY's telecast of tonight's game, in which like El Sid, Zack Wheeler has also homered and struck out 10+ batters vs. the Phillies.

The Mets were the hottest team in baseball at this point, winners of 10 of their last 13. This win was also the second of a season-long 11-game winning streak. Cone spent most of the first two months of 1990 with an ERA over 6.00 but got it back down to 4.95 with this shutout. Pitching on 9 days rest he was absolutely brilliant, perfect until a fourth inning walk to Ozzie Smith and had a no-hitter intact until Milt Thompson doubled in the fifth. Tim McCarver obviously supplied the jinx as just the batter before he ribbed Kiner and told him in so many words, "I'll say what you're too afraid to say: David Cone has a no-hitter going!" A couple minutes later, that no-no was no-mo.

The FIRST time the Mets ever threw out Vince Coleman trying to steal happened in this game. Mackey Sasser got him.

If you want to know how rare that Coleman caught stealing was, he stole 64 bases during his career against the Mets and was caught just 3 times.

Keith Miller deserves plenty of credit in this win. Spot starting at 2B for Gregg Jefferies (stomach flu), he saved the game with a spectacular catch running into the RF foul-line fence on a pop up by Coleman with the bases loaded in the 9th inning. He then scored the go-ahead run on Hojo’s 2-out double in the 11th. Also, Kevin Elster’s home run was of the inside-the-park variety, the last for the Mets until Tim Bogar in 1993.

This was the Mets’ third longest game of the year at 4 hours and 19 minutes, and was their 8th win in a row, a streak that would reach 11 before they lost to Cincinnati on June 30.

This was the first game I ever went to as a kid. I was seven years old and went with my family. I was a Mets fan back then and had a blast. Then two years later I found out about the Astros and became an Astros fan. I think I made the right choice. In fact, I know I did.

Facing a Cardinals starting lineup that combined to hit a paltry 26 home runs in all of 1990, Doc Gooden cruised through 7 shutout innings to win for the 8th time in his last 9 starts.

Mackey Sasser also hit the only grand slam of his career in the 5th to turn this into a rout.

At the time,a huge win with a 9th inning comeback for the Mets, especially off of Lee Smith.They scored 3 times in the 9th, including a go ahead sac fly by Alex Trevino, who had been reaquired before the game.

The Mets stayed in 1st place by a game over Pittsburgh, and the 2 teams would continue to go back and forth until the Pirates took control in mid September.

Here was the turning point of the 1990 season. The Mets had been red hot the past couple of months, going 40-15. Also, they had two 9th- inning comebacks on the road this past week.

The turning point came in the sixth inning. The Cardinals have 1st and 3rd, one out, and Todd Zeile at the plate. The Mets are hoping for a double play, and Todd Zeile chops one right back to Gooden. But Gooden chooses instead to throw to 3rd and try to catch Willie McGee off base. He got back safely. Now the bases are loaded with one out, and the next batter Terry Pendleton promptly clears the bases with a 3-run double. Even the Mets radio announcers did not understand why Gooden did that.

From this game on, the Mets would be a mediocre 30-30 and would miss the playoffs once again.

Terry Pendleton was a huge nemesis to the Mets on several occasions.

I certainly felt like Gooden's bizarre throw to third was the turning point of the game, and it's hard to argue against it being the turning point of the season. Even so, the Mets didn't go down without a fight, as Teufel and Hojo hit back-to-back homers in the ninth to tighten it up. Magadan walked after that and I thought the comeback was inevitable, especially with the Cardinals giving overworked closer Lee Smith the day off. But Jefferies just got under one and popped up to short, and Strawberry hit a screaming liner to right that was caught for the last out.

Gooden had won 8 straight decisions prior to taking the L here. Also, I found it amazing Mackey Sasser raised his average to .353 for the year by going 3-for-3 (and was later pinch-hit for with the weak hitting Alex Trevino in another head scratcher). Unfortunately, it was all downhill from here for Mackey. He hit .200 over the rest of 1990 and .240 the rest of his career. Real shame he couldn't keep it up.

Certainly the high point of the 2nd half of the season for the Mets. Their 7th win in a row on a Labor Day afternoon,. The Mets were in first place by half a game over Pittsburgh. Sadly this would be the last day that was the case. The offense completely went to sleep over the next 5 games,scoring 3 runs combined and falling into 2nd place. A position they would stay in for the rest of the year.

I remember watching this game on Channel 9 and as Strawberry came up to bat in the 9th with the score tied 8-8 and I told my mom that he's ending it with a home run. On the next pitch, he took Lee Smith downtown. Good Night. The next day I went to my friend's beauty salon and I bragged that I called Strawberry's home run; her husband said to me that he called it as well. Talk about kharma!!!

Recently watched this one on the old tape and I can honestly say that I'm not sure I've ever seen Strawberry hit a ball harder than this homer off Lee Smith. It was out of the ballpark in the blink of an eye. Incredible power and one of the last great moments that we'd get from Straw, as he was in the final weeks of his Mets career.

During this period of his career, Strawberry made it feel like he could hit a home run anytime he was up. This one couldn't have come at a better time, as St. Louis kept battling back and the Mets were set to open a huge series vs. Pittsburgh the next night with the NL East on the line. Despite giving up the walk-off homer, Lee Smith was one of that season's best closers, and in fact gave up only 3 longballs all year across 83 innings.

John Franco was actually trying to set the Mets' single-season saves record here, too. He would notch his 32nd save two nights later to top Jesse Orosco's 31 saves from 1984.

Also, hat tip to Charlie O'Brien, who had four productive plate appearances, including a two-run double, and also threw out both runners who tried to steal against him. One of his few bright spots while playing in Flushing.

This was the day that Gregg Jefferies famously wrote his "letter to the fans", read on WFAN earlier in the day. Gregg attempted to defend himself when talking about the issues he had with his teammates.

As for the game, Gregg wasn't in the lineup but Cone was fantastic for an easy 6-2 win.

I just watched this game back and it's interesting there wasn't a mention of Jefferies' letter on the WWOR broadcast by either Ralph Kiner or Don Criqui. They were either completely ignorant or operating on a gag order.

Jefferies' absence in the lineup was explained away by a "sore rib." Keith Miller got the start at 2B instead and had a game, collecting an RBI double in the 3rd and a solo homer in the 5th. It was his first home run since April 22, 1990.

Cone actually had an inauspicious start to this one, dancing out of trouble in the 2nd before the Cardinals tagged him for 2 runs on 4 hits in the 3rd, only getting bailed out when Pedro Guerrero got tagged out at home. But he finished strong, retiring 11 in a row at one point and totaling 12 strikeouts.

The Mets offense tallied 16 hits to tie the 1991 season high. Cone himself had 2, including a 2-run single in the 4th that gave the Mets the lead. It was his first hit after starting the season 0-for-15. Vince Coleman also went 2-for-5 in his first time facing his former team, although he was caught stealing in the 1st inning.

I attended this game with my family and our best friends. I remember Hojo's homer. This was actually the first loss I ever attended lol. Sadly not the last loss. We went to get Vince Coleman's autograph at Pergament department store after the game.

I have very vague memories of this game. I was in the car with my father and mother. We were going on some long trip for Memorial Day weekend. My father flipped on the radio for the score, and I heard all kinds of things that no 7-year-old probably should hear.

14 to F'IN 4!! JESUS H CHRIST!!! Stop snorting coke Gooden, damn you!!! 5 years ago seems like an eternity!!! 14-4!! Son of a....

Then my mom yelled at my father for his potty mouth! Ahhh childhood...

Now I'm 22, and my father yells at me to calm down when Looper blows a save or when Randolph makes some idiotic double switch or leaves Dae- Sung Koo or Danny Graves in for 2 more innings then he should. My mother yells at both of us to shut up now. The circle of life is complete!

I have very vague recollections of this game. I was 8 years old, and my family was on a long drive for a Memorial Day weekend vacation. My father flips on the radio and hears the score. He starts muttering all kinds of stuff that 8 year olds probably shouldn't hear. "Fourteen to eff'n 4! Jesus H Christ! What the hell's wrong with you, Gooden??!" My mom yelled at my father to cut it out, but she just didn't understand! It was my first true taste of how much a labor of love it would forever be to root for the Mets! But when you get seasons like this year, it's ultimately worth it!

Watched this one recently. One of the crazier endings of a Mets game, as in the 10th inning with 2 outs, Milt Thompson hits a routine ground ball to Magadan at 1st base, but unfortunately, the bat broke and was also coming toward Mags at the exact same time as the ball. There was nothing he could do but duck from the bat hurdling toward his head, and the ball ended up hitting him in the leg on the ground, rolling away as the winning run scored.

This was an extremely hard loss for the Mets. They had already lost 5 in a row, and it looked like they would end that streak today.

They had a 4-2 lead in the top of the 8th, and a chance to put the game away with the bases loaded, nobody out. But they couldn't score a single run. In the bottom of the 8th, the Cardinals scored 3 runs, and held on to beat the Mets 5-4. The pitcher that got the Mets out in the 8th was coincidentally named Cris Carpenter, not the same guy as the Cardinals' current star pitcher.

This one really hurt. After this, they would lose 5 more in a row for an 11-game losing streak.

I think this was one of the most devastating losses ever for the Mets. While there was no longer any hope of them making the playoffs, now they couldn't even win a game.

El Sid finally ended the Mets 11 game losing streak on the back end of this doubleheader. An 8-0 shutout with homers by Elster, McReynolds and Mark Carreon.

In my opinion, at least with decades of hindsight now, August and September 1991 was the true low point for the franchise in modern times. They literally went from one of the best teams in the NL and competing for a playoff spot in July (on pace for 90 wins in mid-July)....to being one of the worst teams in the sport overnight. No gradual decline to see it coming. Just flat fell off a cliff.

Gooden weirdly walked 5 in his 5 innings on this night, and he was checked multiple times by trainer Steve Garland during the game for shoulder issues. He kept attempting to stretch out or adjust his shoulder all night until the Mets and Doc decided to pull him after 5.

As it turned out, Gooden would not pitch again in the 1991 season.

The only one-hit game (out of twenty-seven) by Met pitchers that they lost. In the bottom of the fifth, Cone gave up two walks, got two outs, then gave up a two-run single to Lankford. A run scoring double by McReynolds in the ninth was not enough and the Mets lost 2-1. A typically frustrating game in the 1991 season.

I was at this game and remember it clearly. After Cone walked two, he threw a wild pitch prior to Lankford's single. Also, Lankford threw out the tying run at the plate with 2 out in the 9th to end the game. Fitting for the person that had the only hit for the Cardinals.

The third one-hitter thrown by Met pitchers in eleven days! Schourek had thrown one on September 10th, and Cone had started and lost one on September 14th. Both that day and this day. the Mets only got one run, but this time, Cone made it stand up with a shutout.

As stated by Ed K, this was the third Mets one-hitter over an 11-day period. The only Cardinal hit was a double by Felix Jose leading off the eighth inning. Cone pitched - and won - this one in a complete game after combining with Jeff Innis six days earlier in a loss at St. Louis. These three games were also the only one-hitters the Mets had for the entire 1990s.

It was Cleon Jones Day on this afternoon at Shea, as the Mets inducted him into the team HOF. As for the game, HoJo continued his fantastic finish to the season with a line drive homer to right field, eventually winning Player of the Month honors for September.

I remember this game. I was 12 years old, and I stayed up late and Bobby Bonilla had two home runs. My family and I really thought that these guys were gonna do something. They didn't. This really was the worst Mets team I've ever seen. I can't even fathom now, looking back on it, how people could have thought they would have been great. In short, this was a deceiving win, in a horrid, ugly season.

Ozzie Smith performed his last back flip routine as he came on the field, to the joy of the opening day crowd at Busch Stadium. Smith performed his last feat at the age of 37.

"I believe the story is just beginning." Direct quote from Bobby Bonilla after this game, one that did not age well at all. But who could blame him for riding high after this win? Two homers, including the go-ahead shot in the 10th. I dunno about Paul's comment, but I definitely saw potential in this club. New Yorker Bonilla and HOFer Murray joining 30/30 man Howard Johnson, with a healthy Coleman, and Randolph coming off a season he hit .325 with Milwaukee. Plus a solid rotation and bullpen that saw Franco, Innis and Burke all put up really good numbers the prior year, and youngsters like Whitehurst, Schourek and Young looking like big-time contributors. I saw what they were going for, but injuries and off-the-field problems just killed them.

Since 1985, the Mets are 6-0 against the Cardinals on Opening Day. This was Cone's first career Opening Day start, probably his reward for striking out 19 in the 1991 finale. He also beat St. Louis 11 times in his career, the most of any NL opponent. This also was the third time the Mets had played an extra-inning game on Opening Day, also doing so in 1970 and 1985. They won those games, too. As for Bonilla, he's one of 5 to homer twice in an Opening Day game for the Mets. The others are Cleon Jones (1973), Kevin McReynolds (1988), Darryl Strawberry (also 1988), and Robin Ventura (2001).

After Lee Smith led the majors with 47 saves in 1991, he blew the very first game of the season in '92. Mets were all over him, as he gave up 5 hits and only got 4 outs. Something else of note: Jeff Innis got a win in the first game of the year after going all of 1991 without one. He was actually the first pitcher in history to have failed to get a win or a save while pitching in at least 60 games in '91, which made his win here even more remarkable. He remains the only Mets pitcher to go an entire season pitching at least 60 games without a win or a save.

Poor Jose Oquendo, top of the second he dives for a Howard Johnson hit and appears to injure his shoulder, which costs him 2 months of action and his starting second baseman job, which Luis Alicea takes and runs with. Also, you can tell Kevin Elster wasn't right. He had no mustard behind his swings and it was only a few days later he'd go on the DL due to lingering shoulder problems. He'd undergo surgery and miss most of 4 seasons until reemerging with an out-of-nowhere 24 home runs with Texas in 1996 (can you say steroids?). But while he was on the outs, Todd Worrell was coming back. He missed all of 1990 and 1991 with elbow and rotator cuff surgeries, but looked strong as ever here, striking out two in a 1-2-3 8th inning. It really was quite the eventful Opening Day game...one that had plenty of promise and potential but unfortunately only served to raise our hopes up for nothing.

On the first pitch of this game, Vince Coleman beats out a bunt but pulls a hamstring in the process. St. Louis rookie Donovan Osborne sprains his ankle on the play, which was his first major league pitch. Both have to leave the game.

Coleman plays just 71 games for the 1992 Mets with a career-low 24 steals.

The Mets had some very intelligent baserunning in this game, to the point where Tim McCarver was praising the "new look Mets" and predicted how much that would help them win more this season. Sadly, not quite Tim. But a nice early season win, with Anthony Young being in complete control.

This was my third Mets game ever. I was 9. I remember it was a foggy night and the field was covered for a few innings. Then Eddie Murray hit that game winning homer, a walk off, and not knowing I asked my father, "Do they have to keep playing?" "No," he said. "The game is over."

A midweek afternoon game that ended with Boston getting HBP'd with the bases loaded by catching a ball in his uni. It's one of those games that tells you this could be a special year. It's one of those games that tells you not to believe everything the game tells you.

In the 11th inning of this game, Jeff Innis got into a based loaded, no out jam, but he got out of it. Then of course the Mets won it in the 13th.

Brett Saberhagen was absolutely fantastic in this afternoon game. When he was in control, few pitchers could ever paint the black with a fastball like he could. He didn't get the win on this day though. Darryl Boston won it with a hit by pitch (one of only 2 games in team history with an ending like that, the other coming in 2013).

Michael's post needs a bit of an update. Boston had the first HBP walk-off in Mets history, Justin Turner had the second vs. Oakland in 2013, and Michael Conforto added a third vs. Miami in 2021.

What I found most amazing about this game is that the Mets had a different player at every position than they had in their game exactly one year prior. Even though HoJo and Magadan played in both games, they were at different positions (HoJo from 3B to CF, and Magadan from 1B to 3B). This team just changed so much so quickly, it's no wonder they were in store for so many struggles.

Saberhagen inexplicably entered this game with a 13.15 ERA over his first 3 starts as a Met. How is that possible? This guy had great stuff (when healthy), and was clearly at 100% in this game. And he threw a shutout in his very next game against the Astros as well. He retired 9 in a row twice in this game, the second time only having it end when Junior Noboa lost a popfly in the sun that went as a double. Speaking of Noboa, he had 2 of his 7 ... yes, 7 ... hits as a Met in this game. He hit 7-for-47 in New York, but somehow remained on the roster all the way through July.

Getting a load of some of these newcomers: Dave Gallagher looks just like Jeff Kent (the two could pass as twins when Kent would be acquired from Toronto later in the year), and Paul Gibson looks more like the tax man at my local H&R Block than a major league pitcher. When they brought him in in relief of Saberhagen in the 10th, all I could think was, "The Mets really don't have anyone better to bring in to a scoreless tie in the 10th inning than a guy with a 10.80 ERA?"

The boo birds were also already out for Bonilla, who fouled out with the bases loaded in the 3rd and got the NY treatment again when he struck out looking in the 9th. Get used to that, Bobby Boo. I also got a chuckle when Tim McCarver complained that Don Imus had called him a doofus. Then he proved his doofus status by being unable to spell the word doofus. What a doofus.

Howard Johnson homered in the second inning of this game for his seventh dinger of the year. It would turn out to be his last home run of 1992, despite playing regularly till the end of July when he hurt his wrist and missed the rest of the season.

In 1991, HoJo led the league with 38 homers and 117 RBI, and in his previous five years as a Mets regular he had averaged 31 homers and 95 RBI.

Howard hit just 24 home runs the remaining three years of his career, two of which were spent at Coors and Wrigley.

I was at this game and although I don't remember it (I happened across the program) I did find it interesting that I was on hand for one of DJ Dozier's 2 rbi's as a Met. Well ok I guess it isn't that interesting but those Mets of the early/mid 90's didn't have much else going for them.

Todd Hundley grounded into a triple play 4-6-3-6 in the fifth inning in this Met loss.

This was the game in which Anthony Young broke the record for most consecutive losses without a win. I sat in section 33 of the Loge, right next to the Mets bullpen.

In addition to Anthony Young's record breaking loss, this was also the "low water" mark for the 1993 Mets in winning percentage. After this game, they were on pace for 116 losses, and having a season not to be dreamt of in anyone's worst nightmare.

After this game, the team would still be terrible, but they did play some resemblence of major league quality every once in a rare while, finishing with "only" 103 losses, and needed to win their last 6 in a row to even do that. Yikes.

Vince Coleman made his first appearance since the firecracker incident in this game As a pinch runner late in the game. Later he went to bat in what was supposed to be a bunting situation and the third base coach went over to Vince to discuss the strategy and in the background someone yelled out, "THROW A FIRECRACKER AT HIM!" Why the Mets didn't dump his butt after that incident is beyond me.

The infamous firecracker incident happened after this game.

Well, Jon's comment has survived for nearly 17 years without getting corrected, but the streak ends here. Based on Coleman's baseball reference game log, it may appear as though the firecracker incident happened after this game -- as this was indeed Coleman's last in a Mets uniform. However, that infamous event actually happened on July 24 after a Dodgers game in Los Angeles, and Coleman was allowed to play in three more games with the Mets before the team told him to get lost.

Coleman didn't start in this game but did pinch hit in the 8th inning, reaching on a single and scoring on an Eddie Murray groundout. Staying in the game for defense, he also reached on a wild pitch while striking out in the 9th, prolonging a Mets rally that got the team to within a run. But Ryan Thompson popped out to the catcher a batter later to end the game. With that, Coleman's career in New York was over. Thank goodness.

Dallas Green probably left starter Eric Hillman in the game one batter too long, as the lefty was holding his own until a 2-out rally in the 7th when Bernard Gilkey and Ozzie Smith hit back-to-back singles. Met-killer Brian Jordan was up next, and Jeff Innis was ready in the bullpen for the righty-on-righty matchup. But Green stuck with Hillman, and Jordan lined a single to right to put St. Louis up 4-1. Innis then came on to get Todd Zeile to pop out to end the frame. More poor bullpen management by Dallas, which I'm noticing is becoming a trend.

Speaking of poor, Bobby Bo fanned three times in the game, twice looking. The final time ended the top half of the 8th and occurred on a pitch that was a good 6 inches off the plate outside. Bobby had enough and went after home plate umpire Phil Cuzzi, leading to his ejection. Bonilla did get a favorable call earlier in the game, however, when he completely missed tagging Jordan on a steal attempt of third in the 5th, but he got the call due to how far in advance O'Brien's throw made it to the base.

I've also started noticing how adept the Mets were at pinch hitting in 1993. Sure enough, they hit .277 pinch hitting during the year, which led the NL. Jeff McKnight, who had a PH single in this game, collected 19 pinch hits to lead the team. The Mets record, however, is 24 set by Rusty Staub in 1983.

Both Ralph Kiner and Tim McCarver were away from the team at the time, so Bob Carpenter and Bob Murphy filled in on the WWOR telecast. What a welcome change that was! The game was delayed at the start for over 2 hours due to rain, as this was during the time of "The Great Flood of 1993" that affected the areas around the Mississippi River. The guys talked about how bad all the flooding was and how the rain just would not let up. I was only 12 at the time but I remember this being a big story on the news and how costly the weather event was, both in terms of money and lives.

Watched this one recently. Probably Ryan Thompson's best day as a Met. 4 hits, a homer and 2 fantastic catches in center field. One of which left him with rug burns on a truly hot day on the astroturf. He probably needed a lot of ice after the game.

Thompson also had a key OF assist when he nailed Ray Lankford trying to go 1st to 3rd on a bloop single by Todd Zeile in the 6th. The 4 hits tied his career high.

Kevin Baez also had a career day, tying his career high with 3 hits and collecting a career-best 3 RBI. If this game existed in a vacuum, you'd never know the Mets were 32 games below .500 at the time with the way they knocked around Cardinal pitching.

In reality, this was just the Mets' 36th win of the season, and somehow Dwight Gooden had 11 of them. This was actually his last career start at St. Louis.

On the flip side, Joe Magrane was brought in by the Cardinals for mop-up duty in the 9th, his first relief appearance since 1989. He was pummeled for 3 runs on 4 hits in his one inning of work and would make one more appearance for the Redbirds before getting released. He had spent his entire career with the organization since getting selected in the 1st round in the 1985 draft.

Kenny Greer's only Met appearance and he was the winning pitcher!

Ed, not only was it Greer's only Met appearance, but it was his major league debut. He pitched the top of the seventeenth and got the win as the Mets scored the only run of the game in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Jeff Kent.

Greer had been acquired by the Mets from the Yankees a year earlier in exchange for Frank Tanana.

This 17-inning game--in the last week of the season between two teams going nowhere--was finished in four hours and 21 minutes. The two teams combined for twelve hits.

This stood as the most innings in a Met game from the period 9-29-93 until 7-7-07 when they beat the Astros in 17 innings as well.

Greer won the only game he ever pitched in for the Mets in this looooong game.

I'd LOVE to see this game on tape if anyone has it...maybe SNY has a copy in their vault, but sadly I sincerely doubt it.

Of COURSE I'm the first to post "memories" of this game. ("Nightmares" is a better term to describe any remembrance of the 1993 season.) I was the only person there!!!

Cold as hell night at Shea. About 5 people in the stands. Actually, about 2,300, but what's the difference?

Mets management would not let us move down to the box seats. Imagine that - 45 degrees out, last game of the year, team lost 103 games, and we couldn't catch a couple innings in better seats.

Anyway, Eddie Murray hit a nice bomb to dead center, the beer lines couldn't have been shorter, and getting out of the parking lot was easy.

See, and you thought the 1993 Mets were all bad news!

LenDog, according to retrosheet.org; the "announced" attendance for this game was 17,567. Btw, 1993 was a real low point for this franchise, more so than the late 1970's.

An update on the 20th anniversary of this night....

Yes, retrosheet cites 17k in attendance.

I should have specified that there were approx 2,500 people left in the 8th inning.

Also, I don't remember if MLB used turnstile data (actual attendees) or tickets sold in 1993. I doubt that 17k sat in seats at any time that night.

Anyway, it was dead at the old Shea but I can still see Eddie Murray's impressive HR going out in dead center.

Franco blew another one. This time, Gregg Jefferies came up as a pinch hitter and tied the game with a double. The Cardinals scored again in the 9th to go up by a run. The game ended on a strike 'em out, throw 'em out double play.

One of the ABC "Baseball Night in America" broadcasts from that season, as Gary Thorne was paired with Cards announcer Al Hrobasky. A pretty ho hum game, as Saberhagen was in total control all night, as he often was that season. Rico Brogna had 5 hits, as he was red hot at the time and was putting himself firmly in the Mets future plans, which unfortunately didn't bode well for David Segui as it ended up.

John Franco almost blew another game but he hung on. Rico Brogna's 2-run homer in the top of the 11th inning off Gary Buckels won the game.

The Mets had a tangible feel of a team headed in the right direction at this time, and that feeling certainly helped produce this 10-9 win. Indeed, the Mets finished July with a .615 winning percentage, which was their highest in a month since June of 1990, when they went 21-7 (.750). Juan Castillo made his major league debut in this game (and 1 of only 2 ML appearances his entire career), holding his own for the most part until Todd Zeile zapped a 3-run homer off him in the fifth. Still, he left the game with a 6-5 lead and in line for a win. The lead even grew to 8-5 before the Cardinals rallied to tie the game against the Mets bullpen.

Mike Remlinger, making his only relief appearance in 1994, gave up a run on a pinch-hit single by ex-Met Gregg Jefferies in the 7th. Roger Mason took over after that and got out of the inning, and Josias Manzanillo came on in the 8th. But he only lasted one batter, as he gave up a triple to Geronimo Pena and came out due to injury. The diagnosis wound up being a bone spur in his right shoulder that cost him the rest of the season, and cost the Mets arguably their best reliever of 1994. Mauro Gozzo came in next and allowed an RBI sac fly and a pinch-hit home run to Luis Alicea that knotted the score at 8-8.

After a scoreless 9th and 10th, Jeff Kent hit a 1-out double in the 11th, and was followed by Brogna crushing a home run to dead center off Buckels, who was pitching for the fourth straight day. Franco was summoned in the bottom of the inning but, as Stephen alluded to, almost blew another one. After getting the first two outs, John gave up singles to Zeile, Mark Whiten and Pena, allowing St. Louis to get within a run. But he struck out Tom Pagnozzi to secure the save.

Future Mets Zeile and Bernard Gilkey both had really good games, combining to go 5-for-9 and score 6 of the Cardinals' 9 runs. Zeile also just missed a walk-off homer in the 9th, as he blasted a 3-0 get-me-over pitch by Eric Gunderson high off the wall for a double, but he'd be stranded on base to force extra innings. Both teams would leave 11 runners on base.

One last thing to mention: In the 11th inning, after Brogna's home run, Ryan Thompson walked and stole second base. On his steal, as almost every runner has been apt to do in recent baseball history, he slid head-first into second base. For some reason, Tim McCarver decided to rip into Thompson for the slide, and argued the Mets and the players union should fine Thompson to encourage him and others from ceasing the head-first slide. Yet, earlier in the game, Gilkey also stole second base and also slid head first, and McCarver said absolutely nothing. I understand the head-first slide carries a higher potential for injury than a feet-first slide, but the head-first slide also allows a runner more options for getting to the base safely, like swimming around a tag or grabbing onto the base to prevent an overslide. The fact McCarver took a jubilant inning and decided that was the time to get on a soapbox really irked me -- not to mention he sounded completely out-of-touch with the game's evolution. His rant gets added to the growing litany of things he did over the course of his broadcasting career that really made me wish he'd just shut up and go away.

The Mets had the look of a good team in 1994, but the June Swoon and the strike ended it all. Oh well!

The Mets were behind 4-2 entering the 8th inning, but Tim Bogar and Bobby Bonilla hit 2-run homers to win the game.

The only opener I've been to was the Mets home opener after the strike. This was the one where the three guys ran on the field with shirts that said "Greed", threw dollar bills at the players, and then stood at second base to cheers from the crowd.

After that it was a parade of people running on the field. There were at least three others in seperate incidents, and each of them ran to the outfield to try to jump over the wall. One of them, a fat redheaded guy, ran on right after security pulled another guy off, so he was out there for at least five minutes before they came back to get him. He tried to jump the fence, but could barely even touch the top. After he realized he wasn't making it over the wall, he took pictures of the left fielder, I forget who, and Brett Butler in center. Butler took off his hat and posed for him, holding his hat in the crook of his arm, logo forward.

All in all, a fun day.

I remember this game vividly. As I recall there were only 26,000 of us there but it was the most raucous, rowdy crowd I have ever been in. There must have been at least 10 delays of fans running on the field. The classic was the heavy guy taking Brett Butlers picture in CF, then trying to climb over the fence, to no avail. The game was marred by numerous fights un the stands. I saw MSG analyst Dave Simms after the game, and he said in all his years he has never seem such a wild stadium. Todd Hundley came through with a big bases loaded hit, and this Met fan and his bussies went home happy after a long strike.

This was the Mets' only home opener at Shea Stadium that was ever played at night. It wasn't scheduled that way originally, but the delay in starting the season caused by the strike of '94 forced this 7:00PM starting game to serve as the home debut for '95. Every other Shea opener between 1964 and 2008 was played during the daytime.

It's kinda sad the big story of this game wasn't the Mets comeback from 5 runs down but instead the 5 times (at least that's how many delays I counted while watching the broadcast) fans ran on the field. It was a real sign of disrespect, not only for the game and players, but also for law enforcement. It takes a special kind of person to know a few seconds of hamming it up on the field will lead to their inevitable arrest. I was also going to post about the anecdote that Jimrat shared -- this was the Mets first ever home opener played at night.

As far as the actual game was concerned, it wasn't a good one if you enjoy good pitching and defense. Bret Saberhagen got tagged for 7 runs, the most he gave up in 16 starts with the Mets in 1995. I think the Mets also could have easily been charged with two errors in the 4th inning, when David Segui came up way short on a dive attempt in left field and had the ball kick off his glove, allowing opposing pitcher Allen Watson (who hit .417 in 1995!) to get a double. The next batter, Bernard Gilkey, hit a sharp grounder to 1B that Rico Brogna had lined up but let the ball bounce over his glove for an RBI single. But no errors were charged all inning, nor against the Mets all game.

The same couldn't be said for the Cardinals, as Ozzie Smith and Scott Cooper committed errors in the 8th that allowed the Mets to score their final run of the game. By the way, both baseball-reference and this website have the order of the errors incorrect for some reason. It was Ozzie who booted Jose Vizcaino's grounder to lead off the inning, and Cooper who had the throwing error on Jeff Kent's grounder. Whoops!

Newcomer Carl Everett hit a home run on the very first pitch he ever saw as a home player at Shea Stadium, going deep to lead off the bottom of the 3rd. He also had a huge OF assist to end the top of the 7th, which helped keep the Mets down by just 2. Brogna led off the bottom of the 7th with a homer, and then the Mets loaded the bases with 1 out after St. Louis opted to intentionally walk Everett to face Todd Hundley in the hopes of coaxing a double play. Instead, Todd slammed one to the fence in left-center field, scoring a pair to give the Mets their first lead of the contest.

There were some other things I noticed that were new in 1995. I believe this is the first year the Mets installed the scrolling ad banner behind home plate. They also starting using Tag Team's "Whoomp There it is" as the home run song. And John Franco sported a different look from year's passed, going with the goatee instead of the mustache and growing out a bit of a mullet. It was nice to see him strike out the side and look like a true closer after quite a few years of giving fans heart palpitations every time he took the mound.

I attended this game with my dad, mom, and my late greatgrandmother (died in spring of '98) who was a big Mets' fan. I was 12. There were over 44,000 people at the game; my dad made a joke that during the seventh inning stretch everyone was standing for my greatgrandmother. Pete Harnisch made his Mets' debut and threw six good innings. Jerry Dipoto came in and blew a 4-1 lead in the seventh. However, the Mets would go on to win 5-4 in the eleventh. I remember there was a front office person from the Cardinals sitting next to us; when the Mets won, I said "HAHA" to him.

I have nothing but negative memories of Pete Harnisch as a Met, but all things considered he began his time in the uniform with a really nice start here. After giving up back-to-back doubles in the first to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead, Pete allowed only 1 more hit through 6 innings while striking out 6. He left after just 73 pitches, more than likely attributed to there being no spring training for pitchers to build up their arm strength, and because he was coming back from an injury to his pitching arm in 1994. If this were a game in June instead of April, no doubt he would have gone longer.

He left with the Mets leading 4-1 but, in an odd choice, Dallas Green opted to bring in Jerry DiPoto in the 7th. It was odd not only because DiPoto had worked the previous night, but also because the Cardinals had 3 left-hand hitters due up. It seemed like a more logical move to have brought in the southpaw Eric Gunderson instead, who could then bridge the gap to Josias Manzanillo in the 8th and John Franco in the 9th. Unsurprisingly, DiPoto coughed up 3 runs and Harnisch's chances for a win in his Mets debut disappeared. I put the blame more on Dallas than DiPoto, to be honest.

From there, both bullpens pitched very well -- with lots of help from home plate umpire Sy Ryberg. If you don't recognize the name, it's because he was a replacement ump, as the official umps had been locked out due to a pay dispute and wouldn't be back until early May. Ryberg's strike zone was all over the place, and it seemed like as long as the pitcher threw the ball to the catcher's mitt -- even if it was 6 inches off the plate -- he'd call it a strike. The teams combined for 23 strikeouts -- 11 times looking, mainly on pitches well off the plate. The Mets didn't manage a baserunner after Rico Brogna's 1-out double in the 6th until Bobby Bonilla walked with 1 out in the 11th. Tim Bogar then singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd, and, after an intentional walk to Brogna, Joe Orsulak hit an 0-2 pitch to deep center for the walkoff victory. Dave Mlicki, who made his Mets debut pitching a scoreless top of the 11th, got the win.

After the previous night's game was interrupted nearly half a dozen times because of fans getting on the field, this game wasn't interrupted at all -- which is really saying something considering it was $1 day at Shea, meaning tickets were available for $1. Perhaps that was only for the upper deck (kinda hard to sneak onto the field from up there). Still, either security stepped up its presence, or the fans got it all out of their system in the home opener.

Carl Everett continued to really settle in as the new everyday RF, picking up another OF assist, hitting another home run and coming within a triple of hitting for the cycle. Some tough luck for Todd Hundley, though, who missed a home run that went foul by a few feet in the 6th, and then just got under one in the 9th that was caught shy of the warning track. I thought for sure that one was going out. It wouldn't be long, however, before Todd started hitting everything out of the park.

I kept the ticket stub to this game because it will be THE only time I ever pay $1 to attend a sporting event. The strike had ended, the seasson got off to a late start, and the Mets were so desperate for fans that they charged $1 for field level box seats to this game. I was treated to a miserable display of baseball (Kevin Lomon pitched for the Mets -- 'nuff said) and to top it off it rained for most of the game. The highlight was Joe Torre getting ejected from the game for arguing a running inside the baseline call on Jose Oquendo. It was just a year before the Yankees began their nauseating World Series run so it's easy to forget that Torre was in St. Louis and that Buck Showalter was managing in the Bronx.

Brett Butler had three singles and a home run in this Mets loss. Starting three games ago and ending tonight, Butler had 15 hits over four games, one shy of the record of 16 set by Brooklyn's Milt Stock in 1925. Stock was an infielder who played in the teens and early-mid 1920s.

According to baseballlibrary.com, Stock is probably best remembered by old-time Dodger fans not for this feat, but for the fact that he was the Dodgers' third base coach in 1950. On the last day of the 1950 season, the Dodgers, one game out of first, blew a chance for the pennant when Brooklyn's Cal Abrams was thrown out at the plate by Phillies outfielder Richie Ashburn in the ninth inning of a tie game. Stock was the coach who waved Abrams home. He was fired several days later and never again coached in the majors.

The last game the Mets would ever play against the Cardinals on astroturf. Starting in the 1996 season, Busch Stadium went to grass and the Cards have played on it since, no matter what park. Also the last game that Bonilla would play for the Mets before being traded to the Orioles for Alex Ochoa (and before returning in 1999).

The 96 season was a waste, but anyone who remembers this game knows that, at least on this day, the Mets seemed invincible. In a steady rain, the Mets rallied from a 6-0 deficit to win 7-6. The Mets fell behind on HRs by immortals such as John Mabry and a 41-year-old Willie McGee off of Bobby Jones, and when he departed after 3.2 unmemorable innings, the score was 6-0. Then the bullpen took over. Hundley homered in the 4th, a 2-run shot, and the first of many. Gilkey homered in the 6th, in his Mets debut against the team that dealt him away. The Cards threatened in the 7th, but that rally was stifled when Rey Ordonez, in his Major League Debut, gunned out Royce Clayton from LF...ON HIS KNEES!!! Rey then promptly whacked his first ML hit in the bottom of the 7th, which keyed a 4-run rally which put the Mets ahead to stay. And anyone who sat through all 9 stormy and wet innings felt, at least that day, like champions.

Me and my friends Marie and Danny went to this game. We sat over the Mets bullpen. It was a rainy day and we got soaked. I remember the Mets were losing the game when we had to leave early. Bernard Gilkey hit a homer to make it 6-3. I said on the way home I know the Mets will come back to win and they did.

I remember watching this one on TV, not envying the rain-soaked fans in the stadium, and watching an incredible relay throw by a rookie shortshop on his knees down the left-field line to nail a runner at the plate. "Wow, this kid gonna be something," I thought. *Sigh* Rey, if you could only learn how to hit.

I remember this one well. I was 13, and in seventh grade. I got to skip a day of school (something I have done a lot for Mets baseball), as did my older sister, to go to this with my dad. This season started with a lot of high hopes. For the first 3 1/2 innings, it looked like it was going to be an awful game to go along with the miserable rainy & cold day as Bobby Jones fell behind 6-0. But, Todd Hundley started off the scoring by hitting a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth. It was his first of 41 record breaking homers by a catcher in a single season. The Mets continued to come back later in the game, including a home run by then newcomer Benard Gilkey. They would go on to win 7-6. But, the famous from the knees play by then rookie Rey Ordonez is what stands out most in memories of this game. Royce Clayton tried to score, but was gunned down by a kneeling Rey Ordonez throw from left field. What an awesome play! I went to the first, and last game of this season. Too bad it merely ended to be the Mets' sixth straight season of finishing under the 500 mark.

I remember being at work and had my trusty radio on that crappy day and while the Mets game was going on; they had announced that Umpire Big John McSherry had died on the field in Cincinnati. A sad day for baseball!

This is one of my first, and to this day favorite memories from any Met game I've ever attended. I was a 10-year-old youth, getting to skip school for my first opening day at Shea, and boy was I pumped. I remember the excitement I had for the '96 season, leading up to 4/1/96, and while '96 was a rough one, this one game was a great one.

The rain was coming down from the early morning and I was praying for it to hold off, and luckily it was dry enough to get this one in. Bobby Jones threw a disappointing 3.2 innings and we were down 6-0. It looked as though my dad and I, who were enduring the rain in the loge section, might not be around for all 9. But Todd Hundley came up and cut the lead by 33%, making it 6-2 with a blast into the right field bullpen.

New Met Bernard "Innocent until proven" Gilkey came up a few innings later and reduced the lead even more to 6-3.

Somewhere in there rookie Rey Ordonez made one of the best plays I've ever seen, an incredible throw from his knees to gun down a runner at the plate, from left field.

The Mets would go on top in the 7th in an inning sparked by hits from Ordonez and one of my favorite Met pinch hitters ever, Chris Jones. 7-6 after 7 an a brutal day turned to terrific, as this no name bullpen was able to hold the Cards for 4.1 innings, something they couldn't do much of after this game. However this one is gonna be locked in the memory bank for a while, friend.

Watched this one recently on the old tape and it's probably my favorite opening day ever. It's generally forgotten now, but people had real hope for the 1996 Mets. Even during the pregame show before this game, a lot of analysts and interviewed fans were truly expecting the team to compete for the wild card, especially after how they finished the 1995 season so hot with all those young players.

As for the game, the Mets came from a 6-0 deficit to win a truly memorable opener. Homers from Hundley and Gilkey, both about to have the best season of their careers. And oh yea, that guy Rey Ordonez certainly knows how to make an introduction to NY.

These comments were all thoroughly enjoyable to read. Though I didn't watch this game live -- as it was a day game on a Monday and I was still a sophomore in high school at the time -- I vividly remember watching all the highlights when I got home revolving around Ordonez's fantastic play from his knees to gun down Royce Clayton trying to score from first on a double down the LF line by Ray Lankford in the 7th inning. Clayton's reaction is iconic, leaning back with his arms in the air after getting punched out and then looking around as if to say, "how in the world did he make that throw?" And Howie Rose had such a great call on Sportschannel: "Ordonez -- throwing from his knees! AND THEY GOT HIM!" Truly one of the most memorable Opening Day moments in Mets history.

It wasn't Ordonez's only defensive gem of the day, either. In the 3rd, he threw out Clayton again when Clayton tried turning a double into a triple. He also made some other really nifty plays on grounders up the middle, and fittingly ended the game by throwing out Willie McGee on a groundout. His brilliant play in the 7th seemed to serve as the turning point too, as in the bottom of the inning the Mets collected 5 straight singles, including one by Ordonez himself for his first career hit.

While Bobby Jones was awful, recording the third-shortest Opening Day start in Mets history (behind Mike Torrez's 1.1 innings in 1984 and Roger Craig's 3 innings in 1962), the bullpen was fantastic, with Jerry DiPoto getting the win, Doug Henry a hold, and John Franco the save. Credit goes to the fans who stuck around for the whole game, and those who did made plenty of noise as the Mets celebrated their first win from 6 runs down since June 14, 1980 (according to the broadcast). It spoiled Tony LaRussa's managerial debut with the Cardinals and gave the Mets their 4th straight Opening Day win over St. Louis (a streak that now sits at 6).

Ozzie Smith was announced to start the game but was scratched because of the weather. That was significant as he'd retire after the season, meaning he ended his career with 17 Opening Day starts as a shortstop. That puts him 1 off from tying for the all-time record, held by Luis Aparicio and Omar Vizquel.

The broadcast also showed the replays of John McSherry collapsing from his heart attack during the Reds/Expos game. What a sad sight that was, but his passing I think served as the catalyst for umpires to start getting in better shape. Nowadays, it's pretty rare to find umpires as obese as they were 30 years ago.

Tony LaRussa wins his first game as Cardinals manager as the Mets can't repeat their Opening Day comeback heroics. A 2-run homer and RBI sac fly by Ron Gant staked St. Louis to a 3-0 lead until the 6th inning, when Bernard Gilkey walloped his second home run in as many games, this time a 3-run shot to knot the score (and invoking many memories of Gilkey rounding the bases while Snap's "I've Got the Power" blared over the speakers). But the bullpen and some shoddy defense gave the lead right back to the Cards in the 7th. Robert Person, on in relief of Jason Isringhausen, retired the first two batters, but then pitcher Todd Stottlemyre dunked a single into LF, and Willie McGee followed by reaching on an error by Jose Vizcaino, now playing 2B with Rey Ordonez taking over SS. Royce Clayton then roped a single to RF to score Stottlemyre before Bob MacDonald came on in relief to strike out Ray Lankford and retire the side.

After Jerry DiPoto gave up another run in the 8th, the Mets tried staging a rally, putting two on with 2 out in both the 8th and 9th innings, but couldn't come through. And I questioned Dallas Green's moves quite a bit in those two innings. In the 8th, LaRussa summoned Dennis Eckersley to face Butch Huskey with runners on 1st and 2nd. Eck was pummeled by left-hand hitters the previous year (.344), so I thought it would have been academic to pinch-hit for Huskey with the switch-hitting Carl Everett -- who, by the way, hit .286 from the left side in 1995. Instead, Dallas used Everett as a pinch-runner at 1st for Rico Brogna, and stuck with Huskey. In all fairness, Huskey drilled what might have been a home run, but the ball was caught by a leaping Lankford at the wall for the final out of the inning. Still, if playing by the numbers, I'm not quite sure what Dallas' thinking was here.

Then, in the 9th, Eck got the first 2 hitters out before Vizcaino and new Met Kevin Roberson followed with singles, getting the winning run to the plate. Edgardo Alfonzo was due up, and at the time was a ripe candidate to be pinch-hit for by uber pinch-hitter Chris Jones. But again, Dallas stuck with his youngster, and Fonzie went down swinging and that was the ball game. Some better late-game management really could have been the difference in this one.

The loss broke a streak of 8 straight games the Mets won when Isringhausen started. The Mets also learned Bill Pulsipher was likely done for the season the day prior due to a torn elbow ligament -- one that led to eventual Tommy John surgery and would prevent Pulsipher from pitching for the Mets again until 1998.

This was also the game Ralph Kiner had his infamous "This will go down in history as the game where the pitchers have the most initials" comment. Not only a classic Kinerism, but also factually incorrect; that distinction, as noted later on in the telecast, went to a game between the Phillies and Pirates in 1944 when Ken Raffensberger faced Fritz Ostermueller. Try saying that three times fast.

I am the only man to run onto the field and get away with it at Shea Stadium. I will strike again. This historic day will live in infamy! Out of the five people who ran onto the field that day.. I am the soul survivor .

The Shea Stadium "Spider"

Wow, that was you, huh, Spider? 9th inning? Right after Franco had completed the Mets blowing a 7-3 lead in the Major League Debut of one Mr. Paul Wilson? Impressive. Not quite as impressive, however, as the 7 IP tossed by the last of the three "greats" to make their ML Debut, and we all know what happened after that... As for the game, which I was at (but not running on the field), yes, Wilson was staked to a 7-3 lead, which was blown by usual suspects Henry & DiPoto, but the Mets tied the game in the last of the 9th when a grounder that would have ended the game snuck through the legs of aging 3B Gary Gaetti, and then Brent Mayne, in one of his few shining moments of glory with the Mets, smacked a single to bring home the winner.

Wow! I was ten years old when I was at that game. During the later innings (Huskey was at 1st) some old guy ran up and gave him a hug, and then right after that a few more people ran out. Then yes I remember that one guy went running into the outfield, dove over the wall and the cops never got to him. You my friend are my hero!

I was at this great game with my father and I have a baseball from this game. It was a hard hit foul ball off the bat of Ron Gant. Everyone ducked and my father caught it. I remember his hand was black and blue. He wrote on the ball GANT 4-4-96. The Mets were winning 8-3 and the Cardinals came back late to take a 9-8 lead. The Mets won 10-9 when they scored two runs in the 9th off Dennis Eckersley. My father passed away and I keep this baseball next to a picture of us together.

Jose Vizcaino got his ninth consecutive hit (a Met record) in this game before the streak was stopped in his last at-bat.

As best as I can tell, Vizcaino's 9 straight hits still stands as the Mets record. He's a guy I've learned to develop a new respect for after re-watching these mid-90s games: He was a soft-spoken professional, moved from SS to 2B to accommodate Rey Ordonez, but didn't let the position change affect him at the plate, nor was he bothered by losing occasional playing time to Edgardo Alfonzo.

Vizcaino also played a part in the Mets' 8-run 7th inning during this game, which was their highest-scoring inning of the season (and, according to the WWOR broadcast, the highest-scoring 7th inning in the team's history to that point). The Mets first 8 batters reached base during the inning, highlighted by home runs from Brent Mayne (his only as a Met), Lance Johnson (his first as a Met) and Butch Huskey (his first of the season). It was Vizcaino's triple that represented his 9th straight hit and chased starter Alan Benes from the game, who prior to the 7th had only given up 3 hits -- all to Vizcaino.

Now staked to a 9-3 lead, Mark Clark was allowed to go the distance, notching the first of 10 complete games Mets pitching would record in 1996. It was his first win as a Met, even though he had pitched well during his first 3 starts but ran into some bad luck. The Mets narrowly avoided further misfortune in the 8th inning when Rey Ordonez, while making a fancy diving catch on a pop fly by Gary Gaetti, accidentally shinned Bernard Gilkey in the face. Somehow, despite the collision looking pretty nasty, no one got hurt.

I remember my parents took me to this game for my 14th birthday. The only things I remember was Gilkey having a great game (he had many of those in 96) and it was fireworks night and ash got all over our car. I can't believe that was 12 years ago already.

l went to this game thinking it will be the last time l'll see Ozzie Smith play. But no, that jerk Tony LaRussa not only screwed over Ozzie like he did all season long, but screwed us fans out from seeing Ozzie play one last time at Shea. More on that jerk LaRussa later.

Although in between innings they did put Ozzie on the Diamond Vision and the fans gave him a standing ovation. Oh yeah, LaRussa. After Espinoza made an error that cost the Mets the game, the Cards were facing the weak part of the order in the bottom of the 9th and even I could've gotten them out l-2-3. But no, LaRussa had to bring in 3 different relievers culminating with his pet Eckersley to throw 2 pitches so he can get a save. This set the game back an extra half hour and I missed my train back to Jersey by 2 minutes. So I had to wait another hour for the next train, thus getting home almost 8 at night. All because Tony LaRussa had to give his boy Eckersely a save.

On a lighter note, Hundley homered in the upper deck that echoed throught the stadium. Other than that the afternoon was a waste.

I think there literally might have been only 2,500 people in the park for this game...it rained all morning and I guess people thought the game would be canceled. I remember they gave out some promotion honoring Hundley, Franco, Gilkey, and Lance Johnson.

With the Mets down 4-3 in the top of the ninth, pinch-hitter Carl Everett hits a two-run homer off Dennis Eckersley, and Butch Huskey follows with another pinch-homer as the Mets pull one out in St. Louis.

This come-from-behind Mets victory was a special Mothers Day treat for Met fans. After the Mets had gotten off the season with a horrible 3-9 start, they had been playing good baseball in Bobby Valentine's first full season as their manager, and this victory finally put them over .500 with a 19-18 record. There was a sense that they had finally turned things around after years in the wilderness and were contending (at least for the wild card) for the first time since 1990.

Edgardo Alfonzo's first career grand slam propels the Mets to victory, helping the team finish 9-2 against the Cardinals in 1997 -- the highest winning percentage they've ever recorded against St. Louis in a season.

Of course, this wasn't Alfonzo's only grand slam as a Met, as he'd notoriously hit one in the 9th inning of Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS vs. Arizona. His other 3 grand slams all came as a member of the Giants, however.

The other thing of note during this game was a stolen base by Cardinals starting pitcher Donovan Osborne, which came out of nowhere in the bottom of the 5th inning with his team trailing 5-0. It was the only SB of his career, and the first by a pitcher against the Mets since Scott Sanders did it with the Padres in June 1995. Oddly enough, that was also with Bobby Jones pitching.

Mark McGwire's 2-run homer (his 13th of the year) in the third inning is the 400th of his career.

McGwire became the 27th player to hit 400 homers and he did it in fewer at bats (4,726) than anyone else.

Brian McRae's three run homer in the fourth gave the Mets the lead and they coasted the rest of the way behind Rick Reed.

Todd Hundley hit his first home run since rejoining the Mets from the disabled list, a 2-run moonshot in the 3rd inning that landed in the luxury suites in between the lower and upper decks of Busch Stadium. The Mets were shut down from there but Al Leiter, Dennis Cook, Turk Wendell and John Franco held the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way as well to secure the win.

Mark McGwire just missed bashing his 47 homer of the season when he turned on an inside fastball in the first inning, yanking it foul down the LF line by about 6 feet. He walked during that at-bat, then struck out three times in a row, including against Wendell when he represented the tying run with a man on base in the 8th. Leiter also saved a run in the 7th when he blindly caught a screaming liner off the bat of Fernando Tatis with a runner on 2nd and no one out. You could see him mouthing the words "I didn't even see it" after he made the catch. He then struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam.

Speaking of Tatis, he made his first appearance as a pro at shortstop in this game. Also, this was Tom Pagnozzi's last career start. He had been with the Cardinals since 1987 and would be released in 6 days. Meanwhile, the Mets acquired Jermaine Allensworth from the Royals for cash on this day. Seemed like a nice under-the-radar move to shore up what had become a lefty-heavy OF since Butch Huskey went down with injury.

Weird that this loss sticks out so vividly in my mind watching it on TV.

Probably because Mike Piazza hit a mammoth HR that almost went into the upper deck of Busch Stadium, almost rivaled many of McGwire's moonshots that year.

Also one of the last games of the year (...and ten seasons since then!!) that the Mets wore their blue caps on the road.

Please, Omar Minaya and/or Charlie Samuels...ditch the black and bring back the BLUE!!

With the Mets down to their last out in the 9th inning, Carlos Baerga hit his third straight single in an attempt to spark a rally. Up next was Jorge Fabregas, who was making his first start as a Met, and though pinch-hitting extraordinaire Lenny Harris was available, Bobby V stuck with Fabregas, and the catcher delivered with his only home run as a Met to make the score 4-3. Now representing the tying run, Mike Piazza pinch hit for Rey Ordonez and, after nearly striking out, cranked one over the center field wall to tie the game. Easily his biggest hit thus far as a Met, and he rode the momentum from this blast the rest of 1998. From here until season's end, he hit .371 with 11 HR and 41 RBI in 41 games, convincing the Mets he was worth mega-star money, and convincing Piazza he could thrive in New York.

Unfortunately, though, this story doesn't have a happy ending, as the Mets were shutout over the next 5 innings, allowing the Cardinals to walk off in the bottom of the 14th. John Franco, who lost for the 6th time over his last 15 appearances, had put runners on first and second with 1 out and Ray Lankford coming up. He got out of a previous jam by inducing a double play out of Lankford, and naturally was hoping for the same outcome here. In the middle of the at-bat, Lankford lifted a fly ball down the LF line that Tony Phillips dropped entering foul territory. That would have been the second out and brought up the weak-hitting Tom Lampkin, but instead it gave Lankford another chance, and he eventually lined a single up the middle to score Brian Jordan and give St. Louis the win.

This was the first time Valentine went with a starting lineup that didn't include either John Olerud or Piazza since the two became teammates, so it's no big surprise the Mets had trouble scoring runs in this one. This was also the longest game for the Mets in 1998 at 4 hours and 42 minutes, and tied for the longest in length at 14 innings.

The Home Run Chase brings a sellout crowd (myself included) to Shea. McGwire is cheered when he comes to bat, cheered when he strikes out, and cheered when he hits a solo HR in the 7th off Willie Blair. A towering blast into the LF bleachers. That HR happened to be his 50th on the season, on his way to what may very well be the former record of 70.

Brian Jordan and McGwire go yard back-to-back to lead off the 7th inning, giving Donovan Osborne all the run support he'd need as the Mets are shut out for the first time since June 7.

Willie Blair, in his first start as a Met, was pitching a gem up to that point, too, holding St. Louis to just 1 hit over the first 6 innings. He retired 15 in a row until Jordan clubbed a 2-0 meatball over the LF wall. After that, as Mets2Moon mentioned, McGwire hit #50, making him the first in MLB history to hit 50 HRs in 3 consecutive seasons. He'd make it a 4th in 1999, a record that has only been tied by Sammy Sosa. It's really something that, for as much credit as McGwire and Sosa get for making baseball popular again in 1998, that neither one has even come close to going into the Hall of Fame. I understand why that is, but it seems a bit ironic that they've been shunned for doing what helped save the sport.

The Mets offense looked lethargic, perhaps a byproduct of all the doubleheaders they've been playing. They didn't get their first hit until the 6th, and none of their 4 hits were for extra bases. It didn't help that Valentine benched John Olerud and Brian McRae, two of the team's hottest hitters, for Game 1. Olerud had a big chance to come through as a pinch-hitter in the 7th, batting with 2 on and 2 out. But he grounded out to first to end the threat, and the Mets went 6 up and 6 down after that.

This game and double header is one that I will never forget so long as I live. I was 18 years old and my parents got me tickets to see the game because I wanted so badly to see Mark McGwire on his quest to break Maris' record.

They got me field level seats on the first base side and boy was I in for a treat. McGwire hit numbers 50 and 51 and I can still see him rounding first base after he hit number 50, pumping his right fist in the air as he ran by. He knew (at the time) that he was the first player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs in 3 consecutive seasons.

When I meet fellow Mets fans who say they were at this game though, there is always something that they seem to forget. Mike Piazza gave McGwire a moment for pause as if to say, ya, well I can hit 'em out too. Piazza had a MONSTER shot in the second game of the double header past the visitor's bullpen in left field that went over the trees behind the dugout. I can't remember if it left the stadium, but it was certainly the closest I've ever seen anyone do it at Shea Stadium. I remember thinking to myself, "Ya, eat some humble pie Mark, you're not quite there yet."

I traded in a ticket from a previous rain-out to see this double header. The Mets and Cards were playing back-to-back double headers on Thursday and Friday. Most will remember Game 1 as McGwire hit his 50th and Willie Blair had his best game as a Met.

However, I remember Game 2 more clearly for 2 reasons:
1. After a horrendous start to the game, including serving up a monster blast to McGwire right down the left-field line, Rick Reed battled the Cards and refused to lose. He gave the Mets offense a chance to get the win instead of collapsing, which he easily could have done. Reed was a warrior that day.

2. Piazza's monster of a home run over the bleachers in left. It was one of the most majestic shots I've ever seen (only his shot off of Mike Hampton at Shea which hit the top of the TV camera stand in center sticks in my mind as a more beautiful home run).

Thanks to David and murphy for sharing those stories. Indeed, Reed looked like he was headed for an early exit, allowing 4 runs -- including 2 homers -- over the first 3 innings. The 2nd inning was particularly painful, as the Cardinals had runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out and pitcher Darren Oliver at the plate in a bunting situation. On a failed bunt attempt, Piazza caught Fernando Tatis trying to steal home, but for some reason chose to chase him all the way back to 3B instead of throwing to Alfonzo covering. Tatis was safe, and the runner on 1st moved up to 2nd on the play. Then, after Oliver struck out, Placido Polanco hit a sinking liner to LF that Tony Phillips appeared to catch, but Angel Hernandez, umpiring at third, called it a trap and 2 runs scored. To my shock, replays showed Angel got the call right. I guess even a blind mouse finds a piece of cheese from time to time.

Piazza brought the Mets to within a run with the aforementioned monstrous 2-run home run in the 4th that cleared the visitors' bullpen. He was booed pretty noticeably after grounding out in his first at-bat, so I'm sure he put some extra mustard on the swing to try to silence the critics in the crowd. I have to say, the fans were very fickle towards Mike around this time, booing him after every out but going bonkers when he got a hit or came to the plate in a big spot. Unfortunately, that's the type of treatment reserved only for those who can meet the greatest of expectations.

Outside of a walk to McGwire in the 5th, Reed retired the final 15 batters he faced. Then a Rey Ordonez RBI double and a Phillips RBI groundout gave the Mets the lead in the 7th. Turk Wendell retired all 6 batters he faced across the 8th and 9th innings to pick up his second save of the year.

As a sidenote, McGwire's HR in this game was also the 400th of his career. And he also stole his only base of the season in this game too.

McGwire Fever! Poor sports, my pal and I booed him while everyone else cheered. Nothing against Big Mac, we were just concerned that our team, the home team, won and hung in in the very sweaty wild card race. A really drunk, really large guy sitting in front of us, wearing a McGwire batting practice jersey (haven't seen any of them lately, surprising considering it wasn't all that long ago and they must be pretty expensive) cursed us out. "Who do the Mets have?" he demanded. "Rusty Staub?" The great moment of this game was Turk striking out McGwire with runners on. The Wild Card dream would torture us right to the end of this mixed bag season, but at least we won this battle.

I'm at this game against the Cardinals in 1998 and every time McGwire gets up these kids who are wearing Cardinal McGwire 25 shirts who wouldn't know who holds the record for most HRs in a rookie season (hint, its Mark McGwire) all cheering and going nuts for McGwire and I'm muttering to myself "I'd really would love to flip these kids a double bird and tell them to **** off." Well when Reynoso struck him out I muttered, "I think Reynoso did it for me!"

I remember sitting in the last row of the upper deck. This is what baseball is all about, 1-0 game, any swing can win or tie the game. Unfortunately half the fans missed the end because they all left after McGwire's last at bat.

The last game in the stretch were the Mets played an insane 3 doubleheaders in 4 days, due to early season rainouts. I remember well, going into these games, the talk was that this stretch would make or break the team. They ended up going 5-2 in the 7 games and truly solidified themselves as a one of the best teams in the NL.

As for the game, Alfonzo's 1st inning homer held up in the 1-0 win. Armando Reynoso (a pretty underrated pitcher in team history) was fantastic for 7 shutout innings.

Greg may be confusing this game for another, because all 3 of McGwire's strikeouts in this game came against Reynoso. Wendell never faced him.

This was a nice bounceback win for the Mets, who got doubled up in Game 1, 10-5. Reynoso got outs when they mattered but I thought he was far from dominant, despite 7 strikeouts. He tied a career high with 6 walks, which included John Mabry twice. That deserves attention because he was batting second ahead of McGwire, so twice Reynoso put a man on base with Big Mac representing the go-ahead run. Luckily for Armando, he owned McGwire throughout his career, striking him out 4 times over 6 ABs while not allowing a hit.

Reynoso also snuck out of a 2nd and 3rd, 1 out jam on the 6th, when Tom Lampkin hit one right back at him, causing the runner at third to get tagged out in a rundown. After a walk to Willie McGee, he then got Placido Polanco (in a spot where I thought the Cardinals should have used Brian Jordan as a pinch hitter) to ground out to end the threat. At 108 pitches, Reynoso's spot in the order came up in the bottom of the 6th with runners on 1st and 3rd and 2 out, and I thought for sure we'd see Matt Franco pinch hit. But Reynoso stayed in, perhaps because Bobby V was conserving his bullpen, and he grounded out.

The Mets also loaded the bases with nobody out in the 8th, only to fail to score again. It was always precarious to give John Franco a 1-run lead to protect in the 9th, by Johnny mowed the Cardinals down 1-2-3 to give the Mets their 3rd of four 1-0 wins of the season.

On a cold and rainy day at Shea, the Mets' bats and bullpen stayed hot to force another first-place tie in the NL East with the Braves.

Kenny Rogers, making his 5th start for New York, didn't have it and was removed after 3 ineffective innings due to "back spasms." However, he'd be fine and would actually make his next start on short rest. After his removal, the combination of Pat Mahomes, Turk Wendell and Armando Benitez fired 6 shutout innings, only allowing 1 hit while striking out 11. Pure dominance.

Mike Piazza had staked Rogers to a 3-2 lead in the 1st inning with a 3-run homer, his 6th longball in his last 7 games. Shawon Dunston tied the score at 4-4 in the 3rd on an RBI groundout, and Rickey Henderson (who reached base in all 5 of his plate appearances), plated the go-ahead run with a timely 2-out RBI single in the 6th. The Mets tacked on 2 more in the 7th for insurance.

Rey Ordonez made one of his more spectacular plays of the season in the 1st inning. With 2 runs already in and runners on 1st and 2nd, Craig Paquette hit one up the middle destined for center field, but Ordonez dove, gloved the ball and scooped it to Edgardo Alfonzo, who then relayed to 1st for an inning-ending double play.

Benitez struck out the side in the 9th to get the save, and in doing so reached 100 strikeouts for the season. He became just the third to tally 100 Ks while pitching exclusively in relief in Mets history, following Skip Lockwood in 1976 and Jeff Reardon in 1980. Benitez is the only pitcher (as of 2024) to do it twice, however. Since, Seth Lugo (2019) and Edwin Diaz (2022) have also joined the club.

For the Cardinals, Adam Kennedy made his Major League debut starting at 2B and went 0-for-4. This was also Kent Mercker's last appearance for St. Louis, as he'd be traded a few days later to the Red Sox.

The Mets were down 6-1 in the eighth and it was seemingly over but then the Mets rallied and loaded the bases for John Olerud who, with that smooth swing of his, hit one over the fence for a grand slam and it was 6-5! Then Mike Piazza steps up and, one pitch after Oleruds homer, powers one into center and J.D. Drew leaps over the fence but he can't get it and the game is tied. Then the Cards score a run in the ninth, making it 7-6 but the Mets come back again in the bottom of the ninth and then Alfonzo steps up and grounds one through the hole between shortstop and third to drive in the winning run and the Mets won 8-7!