I was 14 at that time, my parents took me to the game. I remember meeting Orlando's Cepeda's parents outside before going into the stadium, because my parents know them from Puerto Rico. We stayed till the 17th inning because we (my sister and I) had school the next day. It's funny that by the time we got home in Brooklyn the game was still on.

I just found this website. I see that my brother Steve posted here about 4 years ago. Unhappily, he passed away last year. That day we took a bus from NJ and met our Dad in his NY office. When it was time to go he wrapped up his day and the three of us drove to the game. As noted in his post, it was Steve's 15th birthday. I was 12. Warren Spann was near the end of his career. Jim Bunning was in his prime. Mostly what I remember is Bunning's home run to right field. I kind of remember it being to right center field but I could be off. As a Met fan I was disappointed but in retrospect seeing those two pitchers duel with Bunning accounting for the only run is a special memory.

These were my first major league games a doubleheader 2 days before my 14th birthday. I was with my dad. I'm from Louisville but was a Mets fan from day 1 of their existence. When the Mets swept my dad made the shhh sign but I walked out with a 10 foot smile.

I was at this game for my brother's 16th birthday. I was 13. I remember the Mets PA guy urging the crowd to cheer as the triple play was completed. I also recall that as they were coming off the field Bud Harrelson did a little jump/skip like he might if they really pulled that play off (a true thespian).

It's a long time ago and maybe I'm wrong but my recollection is that for a moment they said they were going to reshoot it but then decided not to as it was good enough. Why were they going to reshoot it? At the time I noticed they screwed it up (this was the Mets) as the second baseman came off the bag early. The umpire noticed too.

In the movie they barely showed the scene so you really couldn't tell much of anything.

BTW, I remember the movie scene far more than the game itself.

I was 7 years old and my dad, a lifelong Giants fan, would take my brothers and me to the games at Candlestick Park and we would sit in the right field bleachers for 99 cents. My dad with glove on and his boys would stand in the open area in front of the bleachers behind the right field fence when a big hitter like McCovey, Mays, or Clendenon came up in hopes of catching a home run ball. I remember vividly the Clendenon home run going over the fence and the ball coming off my dad’s glove and I scampering after and retrieving it as I excitedly held it up to the crowd. My dad wrote the game score and date on it and home run Donn Clendenon. I still have the ball and a cherished memory of my dad.

Sept 13,1986: Me and my friends drove down to Philadelphia to watch the Mets clinch the division. We asked for the cheapest seats and they put us in the right field bleachers. It was full of Mets fans, it was Saturday night and everybody was rowdy. We were clapping and stomping our feet in unison as Mets nation took over Veterans stadium.

After Lenny Dykstra's lead off homer for the Mets things went downhill from there. As the game wore on are some fans started ripping large pieces of the seats right off of their foundation. Some were carelessly and dangerously throwing them around. That's when me and my friends quietly decided to go sit nearby where it wasn’t so crazy.

It was our best move of the weekend! Next thing you know the Philadelphia Police Department arrived in riot gear, along with the K-9 unit. These guys meant business. Anyone who resisted arrest was beat up by the police.

I saw one guy mouthing off to a cop about their presence in the stadium. That guy never knew what hit him after the cop took his nightstick , cross checked in the midsection and sent him falling backward down several rows of seats.

The Mets wound up Losing the game. We were just happy to escape from Philadelphia in one piece. It was one of the craziest experiences I ever had.

Watched this one recently. HoJo hit a homer off of lefty Zane Smith, a guy the Mets could never hit well. It's hard to say as a fact, but I highly doubt Johnson hit a further homer batting right-handed in his entire career. His shot this night went into the second deck in Three Rivers, he never hit his moon shots from the right side. Even more impressive was that this was a cold and brisk night and the ball generally wasn't traveling well minus that homer. As for the rest of the game, the Mets scored 6 in the 9th to win what people thought was a key early season game against Pittsburgh. By season's end, this was all but forgotten and the Mets would have immense trouble winning in Pittsburgh over these next few years.

You do recall correctly, Shickhaus Franks. Tug actually rode the motorcycle in from the bullpen during the ceremony before gifting it to John.

Franco wasn't needed in the game as the Mets won pretty easily. Orel Hershiser beat the team he played for the previous year by throwing 6 solid innings, while the offense really put things out of reach in the 7th when Brian McRae connected for the first of 8 grand slams the Mets would hit in 1999 (and that's not counting Edgardo Alfonzo's and Robin Ventura's in the postseason). The Giants had come in to this series with the NL's best record, and the Mets have now beaten them pretty easily twice in a row, so confidence was really at a high point.

That wasn't the case for Bobby Bonilla, though. In his first action since missing 4 games, Bobby popped out on the first pitch pinch-hitting with the bases loaded in the 8th, and the crowd really let him have it. It's a shame such a nostalgic season has to be periodically ruined by the blight of Bonilla.

Also of note, Josias Manzanillo, in one of his final appearances with the Mets, struck out the side in the 7th, then hit for himself in the bottom half of the inning and smacked an opposite field single, his only hit in 12 career ML at-bats.

As classic a win from 1999 as there is. Schilling, who was in the middle of a streak where he rattled off 5 consecutive complete games, was looking destined for a shutout victory, as he entered the 9th up 4-0, had retired 9 in a row, and hadn't allowed an extra-base hit all game (although contrary to Dan's comment, Curt actually allowed 7 hits over the first 8 innings, not 1. The Mets just couldn't get any big hits with runners on).

After Ventura's 2-run blast, I'm sure the thought was, "So what, bottom of the lineup coming up, Phillies will settle for a 4-2 win instead of 4-0." That looked to be the case after Brian McRae grounded out for the first out, but then Matt Franco singled and Luis Lopez got plunked to bring the go-ahead run to the plate. With the pitcher's spot up, the Mets turned to Jermaine Allensworth to pinch hit (over other possibilities like Rickey Henderson and the red-hot Benny Agbayani), and the choice worked as Allensworth clubbed a single to score Franco and get the Mets within 1.

It was officially panic time for Schilling and the Phils, and I'm sure if the team had a competent closer in 1999, they would have made the call to the bullpen. But they decided to sink or swim with Schilling. Cedeno, who had struck out 3 times already vs. Schilling in the game, was up next. On a play that had huge ramifications, Cedeno lined one right back to the pitcher, which Curt got a glove on but dropped. If he catches it, he easily throws to first for a game-ending double play. Instead, he goes to second for the force out, and then the throw goes to third, where Lopez just gets a hand in before the tag as he had almost rounded the base a little too far. Two close calls, but the Mets are still alive.

Now it's Edgardo Alfonzo, who goes down in the count 1-2 but then barely gets nicked on an inside pitch to load the bases. Here's an amazing fact: Schilling hit 2 batters in this inning; over his entire career, he never had another game in which he hit more than 1 batter. Here he hit two over the course of 4 at-bats. Clearly running on fumes, Schilling serves up a first-pitch fastball to Olerud that gets smacked into LF, scoring Lopez and Cedeno to give the Mets one of their most remarkable and improbable wins of the season.

The comeback gave a win to reliever Rigo Beltran, his only win as a Met and his last of his Major League career. This date also marked Mike Piazza's 1-year anniversary on the team.

You're not wrong in the least, straightjacket. This was the Mets 8th straight loss, their longest losing streak since August of 1996 -- during which Bobby Valentine took over managing duties for Dallas Green. This loss also dropped the Mets to under .500 for the first time since Opening Day, and the first time this deep into a season since May 9, 1997.

After the Mets built up a 3-0 lead, it all fell apart as Masato Yoshii allowed 3 runs in the 3rd, 2 more in the 4th, and one in the 5th before the bullpen held the Yankees scoreless the rest of the way. Allen Watson did a fine job in relief in what would be his second-to-last appearance as a Met. He'd get traded to Seattle, released, then signed by the Yankees a month later, and would go on to win the World Series with the Bronx Bombers. Good for him.

The Mets had a golden opportunity in the 7th, putting runners on the corners with no one out. But then John Olerud, Mike Piazza and Bobby Bonilla struck out in succession to completely take the air out of any chance of a comeback. Piazza had a particularly rough day, tying a season high with 3 strikeouts.

El Duque got the win for the Yankees. This was the game he had his famous glove toss to first when the ball got stuck in his glove after fielding a Rey Ordonez comebacker in the 2nd inning. I'm sure we all got sick of seeing those replays. Meanwhile, Yoshii got saddled with the loss. He allowed a season-high 9 hits and recorded a season-low 0 strikeouts.

But this was as low as the Mets would sink, as they'd win 15 of their next 18 games to climb out of their slump and back into the playoff picture. I'm very interested to watch the following game to pinpoint what exactly got the Mets turned back around.

They showed a sign in the stands during the ESPN broadcast that read "Valentine's Day Massacre." It was an allusion to the 3 coaches that were fired after the previous day's game, as pitching coach Bob Apodaca was out in favor of Dave Wallace, hitting coach Tom Robson out for Mickey Brantley, and bullpen coach Randy Niemann out for Al Jackson. All 3 who were fired were also good personal friends of Valentine, and the manager claimed to not have been involved in the hiring/firing process at all, which I found really strange (and would serve as a precursor for the growing rift in between himself and GM Steve Phillips).

However, whether it was coincidence or not, you could point to that event and this game as what helped get the Mets right in 1999. They were all over Clemens, giving him his first loss since May 29 of the previous season -- a span of 30 starts. Clemens was far from his usual dominant form during his first couple months with the Yankees, as this was actually already the second time he had allowed 7 runs in a start. He also allowed 7 runs vs. Baltimore in April, but the Yankee offense bailed him out.

Of all people, it was Bobby Bonilla who drew first blood against Roger, smacking a 2-run ground-rule double in the 2nd inning (after nearly striking out on a borderline call the previous pitch). Benny Agbayani followed with a 2-run single (with Bonilla scoring after going through a stop sign at 3rd). The second inning could have been even bigger, too, but Roger Cedeno got doubled off first when he couldn't get back to the base after an Edgardo Alfonzo pop out. If he's back safely, then the 2nd inning continues as the 3rd inning began: John Olerud singles, and Piazza follows with a home run. That really would have been epic.

Somewhat worrisome was that the Mets bats again went quiet after Clemens left, as the combination of Todd Erdos and Dan Naulty held the Mets without a hit for the final 6 innings. Thankfully, Leiter was back to his 1998 form and went 7 solid innings. Armando Benitez came in for the 8th inning and made things interesting, as he allowed an RBI double to Bernie Williams and then walked Chili Davis to bring up Tino Martinez. This was the first time Benitez and Tino faced off since the pitcher, then a member of the Orioles, infamously plunked Martinez after the Yankees had just hit a big home run, which sparked a huge brawl. But this time Benitez threw it over the plate and got Tino to fly out to end the inning.

Dennis Cook pitched the 9th and got Chuck Knoblauch to fly out to center to end the game, which meant Derek Jeter's streak of 57 consecutive games reaching base also came to an end. Jeter would have been up next if Knoblauch got on.

This win broke a streak of three straight shutout losses versus the Braves. There were also plenty of fireworks during the game, as the teams combined for 5 home runs -- 4 by Atlanta, all off Orel Hershiser. That tied the most he ever allowed in a game. Crazy thing is, over his first 15 starts in 1999, he only allowed a total of 2 home runs.

But as Michael mentioned, Alfonzo hit the biggest blast of the game, as his clutch 3-run shot in the 7th put the Mets up to stay. Smoltz was pitching with a sore elbow but was still allowed to eclipse 100 pitches by the time Alfonzo made his way to the plate in the 7th. Instead of going to the bullpen, Bobby Cox stuck with his starter and it bit him right in the butt. Adding injury to insult, Smoltz missed almost 3 weeks on the DL after this start.

This was the first time the Mets won a game in which they allowed at least 4 HRs since 1996, and 1999 marks the only year in which the Mets won 3 times while giving up at least 4 HRs in a game.

Some other things to note: Rickey Henderson recorded his only sacrifice bunt as a Met in this game, dropping one down right before Alfonzo went deep. Also, this was the official christening of Armando Benitez as the team's new closer. John Franco had just landed on the DL with a finger injury, and Benitez inherited the job and ran with it. He closed out this victory, striking out the side in the 9th in dominating fashion.

And thus ends perhaps one of the most beloved and unique Mets season of all time. Had they made the comeback against Atlanta, and then beaten the Yankees, this team would have won the heart of Mets fans probably over 1969 and 1986

I always found it fascinating how the vast majority to this day blame Kenny Rogers for this loss. Most of the blame should go to Franco and Benitez for not holding onto the lead late in the game in the bottom of the 8th and then again in the bottom of the 10th, that would have forced the game 7

I don’t blame Leiter that much, since Leiter was great in that game 163, and in game 4 against Arizona, and even in game 3 against Atlanta. And Leiter was pitching on 3-days-rest this game 6.

I really wanted the Mets to face the Yankees in 1999 since both teams were just so elite; I actually did not want to face the Yankees in 2000 since both teams just weren't as strong in 2000 like they were in 1999. I really wanted the Mets to face the Mariners in the World Series in 2000

The game that changed the whole NLCS and gave the Cardinals confidence that they can win it.

Mets were beating up the Cards ace (Carpenter), Mets offense was redhot and ready to go up 2-0 in this NLCS, and win the NL Pennant in St. Louis in 4-5 games. But then Maine and the bullpen just couldn’t hold on.

What many tend to forget is that not only did Wagner give up that solo home run to Taguchi, but it was also that he allowed also a couple of more insurance runs, thus denying the Mets a realistic chance in the bottom of the 9th inning.

When Mets lost this game 2, Mets kinda knew that they were gonna be in trouble in game 3, since Trachsel in 2006 had nothing left.

And of course, who can forget that Mota inning, when he was up 0-2 on the Cardinals Spiezio, and twice Lo Duca called for a pitch away (maybe up) to make Spiezio chase, but both times Mota either threw a down and in pitch fastball to Spiezio (which he hit hard for foul ball) and then on the second pitch he threw a fastball right down the middle that Spiezio almost hit a go-ahead-home-run, but Shawn Green was able to pull it back.

I also know many Mets fans that feel like Shawn Green should have caught that ball.

Rough loss.

Never would I have imagined that the Mets offense would get shut-out by Suppan, who was having a rough 2006 season.

Also, Suppan hit a home run off Trachsel in this game

Suppan in his career has two career home runs, both against the Mets, both in St. Louis, both against Steve Trachsel (September 2005, October 2006 NLCS game 3)

Darren Oliver actually pitched very nicely out of the bullpen in this game 3, that he was considered to start game 7 instead of Trachsel (but the Mets went with Oliver Perez)

Im surprise that there are no comments in this game 5

After the Mets offense put on a show in game 4, after getting shutout in game 3 by Suppan, I remembered that me and many Mets fans were feeling very confident in this game 5 with Glavine starting (who pitched great in game 1 against the Cards and pitched great in game 1 against the Dodgers), and we were facing a vulnerable Weaver (whom the Mets offense barely hit thanks to a Beltran late inning home run in game 1).

But Weaver once again pitched nicely in this game 5, like he did in game 1.

Mets get Glavine a two-run-lead in the top of the fourth inning. But then Glavine gives those two runs right back in the bottom of the 4th inning. And then the Cards took the lead again in the 5th inning and never looked back.

What I remembered about this game 5 also was that the Cardinals had ANOTHER TRIPLE in this NLCS. I mean, triples is one of the Mets specialties, not the slow-running-Cards.

In game 2, the Cards Spiezio hit a triple off Mota (im sure we all remember that at-bat).

In game 3, Spiezio had another triple.

In game 4, Juan Encarnacion had a triple.

In game 5, Aaron Miles had a triple.

Thats just unreal, for the slow-running-Cards to hit a triple in four consecutive postseason games.

The Mets then were making a rally in the 8th inning, as they were down by 2 runs with one out and runners on second and third, but then Shawn Green hit a fly ball out that wasnt deep enough, and then Wainwright came in to face Valentin with two outs and Wainwright struck out Valentin looking on a curveball to end the inning and the rally (signs of things to come in game 7)

What I remembered about this game was how Wagner got hit around in the 9th inning, reminding me of game 2.

I think this is one of the reasons why Wagner was not put in game 7 in the 9th inning of a tie-game at home, since you always send the closer in the 9th inning of a tie game if you're the home team, since there are no save situations anymore.

I think the Mets just lost confidence in Wagner.

Suppan once again pitches a gem against the Mets offense.

Mets offense in this NLCS made Weaver and Suppan look like Smoltz and Maddux.

That bottom of the 6th inning was just brutal, with Valentin striking out with a runner on third and one out.

And Wainwright once again uses his curveball to get out of jams by striking out hitters looking, like he did against Valentin in the top of the 8th inning in game 5, and now against both Floyd and Beltran in the bottom of the 9th inning in game 7.

Mets offense and bullpen was their strongest point in this 2006 NLCS, and both their offense and bullpen was the reason why they lost this NLCS

Game 1 = Mets scored 2 runs (but they won thanks to Glavine) on the Beltran home run-lead against Weaver

Game 3 = Mets scored zero runs against Suppan

Game 5 = Mets scored two runs against Weaver

Game 7 = Mets scored one run against Suppan

I mean, I can understand getting shutdown by Carpenter, but Suppan and Weaver??!!!!! TWICE AT THAT EACH TIME BY BOTH PITCHERS, WOW

Mets were on their way to another brutal loss in this series against the Marlins like in the first game of their series, due to another bullpen blown save today like in the first game (this time by Wagner today), but Mets win it in the end. This would have been a BRUTAL LOSS had the Mets lost the game.

Wagner blew the save when he allowed a game-tying-home-run in the bottom of the 9th inning to Uggla, reminding you of the first game of this 4-game-series when the Mets bullpen blew that game as well against the Marlins.

Delgado also had a late clutch home run in this game. Delgado actually was hitting a lot of home runs starting in late August till this game here, that he was turning his 2007 season around.

And to make it better for the Mets, the Phillies and Padres both lost on September 23, to increase their lead on the NL East over the Phillies and increase their lead over the NL Wild Card leading Padres.

After this victory to the Marlins on September 23, the Mets have now won 3 consecutive games, and the Mets have won four of their last five games overall. It was starting to look like they wont collapse after all with just one week left.

And with the way the Mets avoided losing to the Marlins on this game September 23, one can make the argument that the Mets collapse has been reversed. I mean, just look at how the Mets lost the games against the Phillies and Nationals and Marlins starting on September 14.

So with one week left in the season, the Mets were winning lately, only had 7 games left, and they are 3 games up in the loss column over the Phillies in the NL East division. Mets were also 2 games up in the loss column over the NL Wild Card leading Padres.

And the Mets final 7 games are at Shea Stadium, and the games are against teams who will finish the season with a losing record, including 3 games against the Nationals, who had the worst offense in all of baseball in 2007. All the Mets have to do is win 3 games of these final 7 games, and postseason again.

But nightmare was what awaited the Mets in that 7-game-homestand to finish the 2007 season....

After the Marlins scored 7 runs in the top of the first, the Mets actually had many chances in the first 3 innings with many base runners to hopefully tie the game. But it was just that kind of season.

Ramon Castro almost had a grand slam in the first inning, but nope.

Mets had two runners on in the second inning, but did not score

Mets had the bases loaded in the third inning, but did not score.

Also, Glavine was not only horrible in this game against the Marlins, but Glavine was also horrible in his previous start against the Nationals on September 25. I remembered not feeling confident with Glavine starting this game 162

What many tend to forget is that had the Mets won this game 162, then the Mets-Phillies-Rockies-Brewers would have all finished tied, and they would all be involved in a mini-tournament to decide both the NL East and the NL Wild Card. But with the Mets losing, that didn’t happen, as the Phillies won the NL East after game 162, and the Rockies beat the Padres for the NL Wild Card in a game 163

If there is one thing about the Mets “era” of 2006-2007-2008 is that they ended their season on three brutal home losses

2006 = game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals

2007 = Game 162 against the Marlins

2008 = Game 162 against the Marlins

What was also very frustrating is that how in those 3 games above, the Mets offense just disappeared in those elimination games.

2006 NLCS game 7 = Mets scored one run

2007 game 162 = Mets scored one run

2008 game 162 = Mets scored two runs (Beltran two-run-home-run)

A few Mets players stood out in this game. David Wright and Fernando Tatis had three singles each and Cory Sullivan connected for a pair of triples, one of which drove in a run. Coming off the bench, Luis Castillo hit a tie-breaking single to put the Mets ahead to stay.

It was a rough day for the Diamondbacks' pitching and defense. The Snakes committed two errors, threw three wild pitches and even had a passed ball during the game. On each one of these six miscues, Wright either reached first or advanced to another base. This may have been the most amazing experience for David in his entire career!