Ultimate Mets Database: Game of August 12, 1998

Mike A.
June 1, 2008
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!!

Dave VW
February 4, 2024
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.

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