Jon
February 21, 2002
At the Vet, Kim Batiste hits a walk-off grand slam off Anthony Young to win this exercise in humiliatiation.

BobHerpen
April 12, 2002
Let's see... 15 years old... I was in Center City Philadelphia that night with a group of kids at an Easter trip reunion. Game was on at this restaurant where we ate. Kept looking backwards from my seat to see Phils winning, then losing, thinking the Mets had it sown up in the 8th, when we all left to cruise around to kill time. Knew the game was over soon after, but couldn't find a store window with a TV tuned to ESPN to get final score. Finally got home around midnight and caught the late Sportscenter with highlights of the Mets' and Anthony Young's meltdown...then heard Harry Kalas' emotional call on Batiste's grand slam, and went to bed laughing and smiling. That was the game I finally knew the Phils had the "team of destiny" tag, and that Dallas Green was no antidote for a truly awful Mets squad.

Jared K
May 5, 2002
I was 10 years old and my family had scored free tickets to this game because my sister's gymnastics team participated in this little event between a few innings. The seats sucked, way upper deck, first base side, and I was the only Mets fan surrounded by a bunch of rabid Phillies fan hell bent on a championship caliber year. Bobby Bonilla's two HRs that day was pretty much all the offense the Mets could muster in the game. Gooden started the game. He had okay stuff, kept the game tied at 5. In the 9th, still tied at 5, Anthony Young was brought in from the pen. Kim Batiste drills an opposite field walk off Grand Slam HR. It was the most devastating Mets loss I remember, even though the team lost 103 games that year. To lose it in a style like that, it was heartbreaking. Those were the truly dark days of Mets baseball.

Dave VW
February 1, 2023
Somehow I keep watching these games in reverse chronological order. Even though I knew what the outcome of this game would be, I still found it fascinating to see how it got there.

First, I hate to constantly be that guy, but not all of what Jared wrote is accurate. Tanana started this game, not Gooden. He pitched fairly well, only giving up a 3-run homer to Wes Chamberlain in the 2nd inning. The game wasn't actually tied until the 9th when Kevin Baez had the final out in his glove but threw wildly to Dave Gallagher at first (maybe a player more suited to the position makes the play?) for an error that scored Kruk. And Batiste's homer actually wasn't to the opposite field but a line drive no-doubter to left.

A heartbreaking loss to be sure. It seemed like some good fortune was finally headed our way in the top of the 8th when the Mets put together a 2-out rally. Murray singled and was pinch-run for by Ced Landrum, and Bonilla followed with a walk on a borderline ball call, bringing up Gallagher. The Phils could have brought in the newly acquired Bobby Thigpen here to face the righty, but they knew the Mets would have countered with Orsulak, and Gallagher had gone 0-3 vs. Mulholland in the game, so they stuck with their starter. However, Gallagher came through, roping a single to right. Landrum scored easily and Jim Eisenreich's throw was cut off by Kruk, who threw to third to try and nail Bonilla. But the throw was up the line, allowing both Bobby Bo and Gallagher to score. So a bleak 3-2 deficit turned into a 5-3 lead just like that.

Mike Maddux, who had pitched the bottom of the 7th, stayed in for the 8th. Kevin Stocker led off with a double and consecutive groundouts scored him to cut the lead to 5-4. The Mets went down 1-2-3 in the 9th, setting the stage for the Phillies' comeback. With John Franco hurt and Kruk, the pitcher's spot and Daulton due up, the Mets brought in Pete Schourek to take advantage of the lefty-on-lefty matchups. It was so odd the Phillies chose to put Thigpen 4th in the lineup when they brought him in for the top of the 9th, knowing he'd have to bat. But, living up to their "team of destiny" nickname, the move still worked out. Schourek didn't do himself any favors by walking Kruk, but pinch-hitter Mickey Morandini failed in bunting him over and instead flew out to right, and then Daulton struck out looking. One out away from victory, Dallas Green took out Schourek and went to Anthony Young in a move that I agreed with, as Pete Incaviglia was up next and he loved hitting off lefties. But, like Schourek ahead of him, Young lost Incaviglia to a walk on 8 pitches, now putting a runner in scoring position for Eisenreich. He hit a grounder far to Baez's right but the shortstop gloved it. Unfortunately, he rushed the throw to first and bounced it in the dirt, which Gallagher got leather on but it skipped past him anyway. Kruk scored, and the runners moved up to 2nd and 3rd. With the switch-hitting Stocker due up and Batiste on deck, the Mets chose to intentionally load the bases to get the righty-vs.-righty matchup. Whereas any normal manager would have had Batiste hitting 4th in the lineup instead of 9th, it all worked out in the end for Philly as Batiste smacks Young's second offering over the wall for a walkoff grand slam. Young drops to 1-14 and the Phillies score 5 runs in the inning despite getting just 1 hit. The turn of events sums up the Mets/Phillies rivalry in 1993 perfectly.

This was Thigpen's Phillies debut and he walked away with the win. He was 3 years removed from setting the single-season save record of 57 at the time but had lost his closing job to Roberto Hernandez with the White Sox. He looked good in this game but continued to struggle with Philly for the rest of 1993. Meanwhile, Young's struggles continued as well. In retrospect, the Mets should have gone with anyone but AY vs. the Phillies in 1993. During the year, he went 0-3 with 2 blown saves and a 6.23 ERA vs. Philly. And then there was Batiste, who turned into Sammy Sosa against the Mets. He hit .476 vs. NY with 2 homers and 11 RBI in just 21 at-bats.

In parting, here are some quotes I found from after this game. Batiste: "That's the first grand slam I've ever hit, anywhere. I didn't even have one when I was five in pee wee ball. Man!" Dallas Green: "The Phillies never quit. I hope some of our people can learn from a game like that."