Ultimate Mets Database: Game of April 8, 1986

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Previous Game:
October 6, 1985
Expos 2, Mets 1 1986 Regular Season Game 1
April 8, 1986
Mets 4, Pirates 2 Next Game:
April 11, 1986
Mets 9, Phillies 7

Click to view scorecard

National League Standings, April 8, 1986

Box Score Game Memories Scorecard Mets Stats
Thru This Game

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE APRIL 8, 1986 GAME:

Brad Kurtzberg
June 29, 2001
I drove to this game from Ann Arbor, Michigan with 2 friends of mine who were also big Mets fans. I think we were the only Mets fans at Three Rivers that day and the Pirates fans gave us hell. Gooden got in and out of a lot of jams in this game and it was the first indication that Gooden would no longer be a dominant pitcher after 1985. I remember that the Pirates had the tying runs on base in either the 8th and/or 9th innings, but they didn't tie it up. It was a fun trip and a fun win--and a long drive back from Pittsburgh to Ann Arbor.

Peter
August 6, 2002
I vividly remember sitting down to watch this game on tv. I remember feeling so full of hope for this season after the bitter disappointment of the '85 campaign. I can recall prior to the game they had a retrospective of that year with Springsteen's "Glory Days" as the soundtrack! I knew, however, that this was going to be our year. And the rest is history!

DannyBoy
May 25, 2005
RJ Reynolds led off the Pirates 1st with a HR off the Doc. It was a hint that perhaps Doc can get cut once in a while. Gooden settled down and got the win. In hindsight, Doc was presumably on the start of his drug-induced downfall from dominance. True, he never was near duplicating that '85 performance. But what modern day pitcher has ever duplicated such a performance?

Scoey
June 22, 2023
Dwight Gooden didn't appear to be as dominant in this game and he was so often the previous year. But he did pitch a complete game six-hitter for the win to start the 1986 season. The Mets took the lead for good in the first inning when Keith Hernandez doubled to drive home Lenny Dykstra and then scored on Gary Carter's sacrifice fly. The team would record 107 more victories and later conquer their second World Championship.

The Mets had three doubles in the top of the sixth inning, the last of which had a funny twist. Howard Johnson hit a grounder inside the first base foul line that was fielded by the Pirates' right field ball girl. She didn't seem to realize it was a fair ball that Johnson hit.

Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:

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The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
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The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
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