1969 1973 1986 1988 1999 2000 2006 2015 2016 2022 2024
Game
Results
Game
Memories
Mets
Statistics
Diamondbacks
Statistics
Braves
Statistics

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF GAMES FROM THE 1999 NL DIVISION SERIES

October 5, 1999 Bank One Ballpark
1999 National League Division Series Game 1
Mets 8, Arizona Diamondbacks 4

Mets2Moon
January 25, 2002
Damned if I was going to let the fact that this game started at 11PM cost me the chance to miss the Mets first playoff game since 88. And they made staying up until 2AM worth it by whipping Johnson and the DBacks. As I had done a few short days ago, I gasped and then cheered and danced as Alfonzo blasted a grand slam just inside the foul pole in the 9th. And the Mets miracle run continued...


Ken Akerman
April 2, 2003

As a Diamondbacks fan, I attended this game at Bank One Ballpark. I was sitting behind the left- field foul pole when Edgardo Alfonzo's grand slam in the ninth inning fell into the stands just below me. I was disappointed by this result and by the fact that Randy Johnson did not pitch a good game.

However, the Diamondbacks finally got their revenge against New York (if not against the Mets - against the bad boys from the Bronx) when they won World Series two years later, coming from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the seventh game on Luis Gonzalez' bases- loaded bloop single.


Lee
September 8, 2004

A lesson is learned from every baseball game. In game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Bob McNamara pulled Roger Clemens after 7 incredible innings for the Red Sox and, as you all know and have seen highlight reels of a million times, the Mets managed to come back and win. YOU DON'T PULL A GOOD PITCHER LIKE ROGER CLEMENS IN A CLOSE, HUGE GAME! The same thing happened on this night in Arizona, Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS. Randy Johnson did not pitch a great game, this is true. But the game was tied at 4 and Buck Showalter decided to hand the game over to his bullpen instead of letting Randy Johnson, the great pitcher that he is, finish what he started. Instead, he gave Bobby Chouinard the ball and, with the bases loaded, Edgardo Alfonzo skied one into the seats in left and put a dagger in the hearts of every Diamondbacks fan (which I'm okay with because, of course, I'm a Met fan). After this game, I had a feeling the Mets had this series.


Joe Lanzisera
February 23, 2009

Obviously this was our first playoff game in a decade (if you don't count the tiebreaker vs. the Reds) and Fonzie put the team on his back. I remember how late it was on the East Coast when this one ended. One general comment about this game, which was true for a lot of 98 and 99 especially was how well Cook and Wendell kept us in it after the Diamondbacks got on a roll in the middle innings. Particularly Wendell - he got more key outs for us in those two seasons than most people seem to remember.


Dave VW
July 9, 2024

I had class early the next morning so there was no way I was going to watch this live, but I did tape it and watch it back the next day, and tried my best to avoid spoilers before I could get a chance to watch it. But it was unavoidable, as my friends couldn't help but inform me of the outcome. I still watched it back from start to finish, though. Knowing Alfonzo's grand slam was coming in the 9th was like waiting all year for presents on Christmas Day.

Fonzie also homered in the 1st for the second straight day, and then Olerud and Piazza singled, so it looked like it might have been a real short outing for Johnson. But he came back to strike out Agbayani and Ventura to get out of the inning. As of 2024, Alfonzo is 1 of 6 in Mets history to hit 2 homers in a playoff game. His 5 RBI are also tied for the Mets playoff record.

In the 3rd, Olerud slugged a 2-run homer to put the Mets up 3-0. It was the first HR Johnson had given up to a left-handed batter all year, and only the 3rd Olerud hit off a LHP. Talk about improbable! The Mets added a 4th run in the 4th when Ventura led off with a double and bunts by Dunston and Ordonez brought him home.

On the mound, Yoshii started solidly for the Mets, earning the Game 1 nod due to holding a 1.74 ERA over his final 9 starts in 1999. But 2nd time through the lineup you could tell the D'Backs were getting much better swings in against him. He gave up a triple to Tony Womack in the 3rd and had him score on a sac fly by Jay Bell, then Erubiel Durazo and Luis Gonzalez homered in the 4th and 6th, respectively, with Gonzalez's homer being a bomb that tied the score at 4-4. Yoshii struck out Matt Williams next but was then taken out for Dennis Cook as Arizona had a couple of lefties due up.

The combination of Cook, Wendell and Benitez pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, with Cook giving up the only hit -- a double by Randy Johnson in the 7th, one of only two career postseason hits by the Big Unit. In a stroke of good luck for the Mets, however, Johnson forgot how many outs there were and got doubled off second base when the following batter, Womack, flew out to LF.

Meanwhile, Johnson was on cruise control at that point, allowing just a walk to Henderson between the 5th and 8th innings. But, eclipsing 130 pitches in the 9th, you could tell he was running out of steam. He gave up singles to Ventura and Ordonez, then walked Melvin Mora on 4 pitches to load the bases with 1 out. Arizona then called on Bobby Chouinard to get out of the jam, and he seemed to be a good candidate for the job as he allowed only 21% of inherited runners to score all year. He looked well on his way to succeeding when Henderson hit a grounder to third that Williams grabbed on a dive, then threw home to nail Ventura at the plate. It was an incredibly clutch play by the third baseman, and one that left it entirely up to Alfonzo to not leave the bases loaded.

To this day, I still haven't seen a replay that clearly shows Fonzie's drive passing the foul pole on the fair side, but the umpires ruled it fair and that's all that matters. His is the only grand slam in Mets playoff history (if you don't count Ventura's grand slam single). Somehow, all the runs on base were charged to Johnson, even though Chouinard had let Henderson reach on the force out, but the 7 runs were the most Johnson would ever allow over 19 career postseason appearances. He was charged with the loss, making it his 6th straight playoff start in which he took a loss.

How much longer will the magic last??

October 6, 1999 Bank One Ballpark
1999 National League Division Series Game 2
Arizona Diamondbacks 7, Mets 1

Ken Akerman
April 2, 2003
As a Diamondbacks fan, I attended this game at Bank One Ballpark. It was pleasing to me to see the D-Backs bounce back after a disappointing performance the night before. The D-Backs needed to win only one game at Shea Stadium to return the series to Phoenix. However, that was not to be, so we had to wait until the year after next year to earn our championship.


Dave VW
July 9, 2024

There were 3 key plays that I think made the difference in this game.

1. In the bottom of the 3rd with the Mets up 1-0, Rogers retired the first two batters but then loaded the bases, as Jay Bell singled, Luis Gonzalez was hit by a curveball that didn't curve, and Matt Williams reached base on a swinging bunt. Rogers was then very careful pitching to lefty-masher Greg Colbrunn, so much so that he walked him to force in a run. Next, Steve Finley overpowered the lefty vs. lefty matchup and dribbled a single into RF to score 2, giving Arizona its first lead of the series. Replays showed Williams, the trail runner, might have been out at home, as his lead leg bounced over the plate while Piazza applied the tag, but in the age prior to replay, the call stood.

2. The very next inning, the Mets looked poised to rally as Ventura walked to lead off and then Hamilton hit a tailor made double play to Bell that he booted. Instead of 2 out and no one on, the Mets had 1st and 2nd with nobody out, and Cedeno coming up. I don't know if it was a call from the dugout or something Roger wanted to do himself, but he went up there bunting, but instead of giving himself up he tried to drag the bunt for a hit. However, he missed, and Ventura, wandering a little too far from 2nd, was picked off by catcher Kelly Stinnett, snuffing out the rally (though I think replays showed SS Tony Womack missed Ventura with the tag, but Ventura put up absolutely no protest). Cedeno then grounded into a double play to end the inning.

3. In the bottom of the 5th, the Mets yanked Rogers with 1 out and 1 on to bring in Mahomes. Williams greeted him with a single, but Pat struck out Colbrunn (I thought Arizona could have pinch hit with Erubiel Durazo instead) to bring up Finley. With Bernard Gilkey up next and a base open, my thought was Mahomes shouldn't throw anything good to Finley and instead go after the righty Gilkey. And I thought that was the plan after he started Finley with 3 straight balls. Finley swung 3-0 and fouled off a pitch, and then Mahomes threw a meatball right down Broadway that Finley ripped for a 2-run double. Terrible job by Mahomes, and I think that pretty much sealed the fate of the Mets in Game 2, with the way Todd Stottlemyre was throwing.

The Mets did make some amazing defensive plays in the game, most notably Ventura getting Bell in the 1st on grounder that took him into foul territory, and Hamilton making a running grab in the 4th just before sliding into the CF wall. But poor pitching and bad clutch hitting (Mets went 0-for-8 with RISP) doomed them in this game.

Other things to note: Henderson stole 3 bases, which still stands as the Mets postseason record for a single game; Finley had 5 RBI, which also still holds up as the Diamondbacks' postseason record for a single game (though 2 others have tied him); and John Franco made his first ever postseason appearance, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in garbage time.

October 8, 1999 Shea Stadium
1999 National League Division Series Game 3
Mets 9, Arizona Diamondbacks 2

Tom Fehn
November 30, 2001
This was my first ever playoff game and this season I went to many many nailbitters and of course of the way to Shea we hear Ed Coleman say Mike Piazza wont play today because of a injured thumb, the 1st thing that came to my mind was I have the worst luck in the world, that at of all the playoffs games I go to Mike Piazza isn't gonna play, but finnally something went my way and that is the Mets beat the D-Backs 9-2 oh man after all the games I have ever went to and all the years of stressful games it felt so great to watch a playoff game and in the 7th inning just relax and not even worry about a rally or nothing, this was my favorite game ever and also I caught a foul ball hit by Tony Womack so it couldn't get better.


Dan
July 29, 2002

The first home postseason Mets game in 13 years. . .and I was there! This was the first (and so far only) playoff game I attended and my boys didn't disappoint. They played a dominant brand of baseball that night and took hold of this series against a team they struggled with all season long. The 6-run sixth when they batted around was a thing of precision, as they kept getting one well-placed hit after another. When you score nine runs without a home run, you know players brought their hitting shoes with 'em. Just a great night to be at Shea (although probably not as great as the following afternoon). For a lifelong Mets fan (we're talking since 1973), getting to see my boys in person in the playoffs was a great moment.


Anthony
January 15, 2003

This was the first playoff game I attended. My family has a share in season tickets for seats on the field level behind third base. It was my dad and I. I was in my junior year of high school. I remember I got called down to the office at school because my dad was on the phone to verify when we were heading off to Shea. The game was awesome. I would have been happy even if the Mets had gotten knocked out in the first round (I did not expect them to beat Arizona). This game the field level was litterly rockin' with all the fans jumpin'.


Steve
August 13, 2003

This was the first Met playoff game I ever attended after being a Met fan for 24 years and the electricity was incredible. We were sitting down the right field line and some people were standing up for most of the game. I remember Darryl Hamilton being a sparkplug this night.


Joe From Jersey
December 11, 2005

It was the 1st Mets playoff game I ever attended. My brother, cousin and his ex-brother-in-law was with me. We sat in the mezzanine (3rd base side). And before the game we tailgated with thousands of other fans in the parking lot. Many of the fans were blasting "LA Woman" from the Doors and many more were listening to the Braves-Astros game that was going on that afternoon. The Mets won in a rout and my best memory was of the 4 of us hopscotching to our seats to avoid the clumps of horse manure that the NYPD horsies had left as a reminder. I always wish to this day that my cousin (who had the tickets to all the playoffs, he had the Sunday games package) had invited me to Game 4 aka Todd Pratt's home run off Matt Mantei. Oh well.


Dave VW
July 9, 2024

I don't think anyone predicted the Mets would win in a laugher with Mike Piazza sidelined due to injury. But the offense picked up the collective slack, combining for 11 hits and 8 walks, and taking advantage of 3 Arizona errors, to get to within a win of the NLCS.

What's most amazing was that they scored 9 runs while only getting 1 extra-base hit: a double by Alfonzo in the 3rd inning. They put the game out of reach in the 6th when 10 batters came to the plate to score 6 runs. That's tied for the most runs in an inning in team playoff history. They also scored 6 in the 6th inning in Game 4 of the 2006 NLCS vs. St. Louis (a game they won, 12-5).

With Piazza out, it was Benny Agbayani getting the start in the cleanup hole. He hadn't received a single AB batting cleanup during the entire 1999 season. Benny went 2-for-2 with a couple of singles before getting pinch-hit for in the 5th.

Rick Reed pitched very well, his only blemish a 2-run homer to pinch-hitter Turner Ward in the 5th. That momentarily cut the Mets lead to 3-2, but a tight contest turned into a rout once the 6th inning was over. Turk Wendell, John Franco and Orel Hershiser threw a scoreless inning each in relief to seal the victory.

It was a great bounceback after a poor Game 2, and one that put the Mets in position to close out the series without seeing Randy Johnson again, and allowed them to nurse Piazza a couple extra days without forcing him into the lineup because the season hung in the balance. And a Leiter vs. Brian Anderson matchup in Game 4 certainly put the Mets in a favorable spot to clinch a berth into the next round.

October 9, 1999 Shea Stadium
1999 National League Division Series Game 4
Mets 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 3

Mike Dolitsky
July 5, 2001
My oldest son had a Little League game that afternoon, so before leaving, I popped in a videotape around the 7th inning and started taping. Turned out to be a great move - my youngest son's all-time favorite videotape moment (which gets rewound and replayed ad infinitum) is watching Steve Finley look in his glove and NOT see the baseball that had just come off of Todd Pratt's bat. The most priceless moment is watching Johnny Franco prance out of the dugout as Pratt rounded the bases and crossed the plate, ensuring that the Mets would meet the Braves in the LCS.


Chris Rosa
October 25, 2001

A very strange game. . .the Mets benefit from Tony Womack's late inning muff of an easy fly ball. . .Cookie Rojas is tossed for arguing a foul-ball call down the 3rd base line (it looked fair to me too Cookie!). . .defensive super-sub Melvin Mora cuts down a runner at the plate in the late innings to keep the Mets in it. . .and then. . .TODD PRATT! Tank manages to turn around Mantei's best fastball and drive it 411 feet to dead center! No one at Shea knows if its gone until the fireworks go off and Finley checks his gloves and slumps dejectedly. What a wierd, wonderful game!!!


Mets2Moon
January 25, 2002

I was at this game, scrambed down from Binghamton that morning, and risked academic ruin as I had a paper due Tuesday, but I had a chance to go and I took it. Not to nitpick with the last comment, but Mantei had thrown 2.2 innings by time Pratt hit his HR, and he's a short man, so I think his fastball was lagging. Pratt would later say he was sitting dead red, especially after Mantei bounced a splitter into the stands on the first pitch. And then it happened, Pratt smoked it out of the ballpark and somehow, I managed to stay composed enough to snap some pictures of the moment while everyone else went berserk. What a fabulous game!


Mr. T
February 19, 2002

Where do I begin...It was an odd game, satisfying but tense. When the game began many seats had remained empty(traffic problems it turns out)and the sky was kind of hazy. I don't think many of us there were very confident since Piazza had the bad hand and could not play. Lots of memories, from the blast down the line that got Rojas canned, to Hamilton's sliding catch in center, to Benny's blast to right center and finally to Pratt's picture perfect punch to center. But what I will never ever forget was how the upper deck vibrated with the jubilent rhythmic stomping of feet. I feared that Shea would fall apart, I really did. Long Live Todd Pratt! Lets Go Mets!


MetMan
June 5, 2003

Sitting behind the plate in Section 1 or 3 of the upper deck, this was the best game I have ever seen in my lifetime. Back and forth battle until the bottom of the 10th. "Mantei sets, the pitch swing and a high fly ball deep CF hit pretty well Finley goes back at the track jumping... and its OUTTA HERE, Pratt hit it over the fence, Finley jumped and he missed it the Mets win the ballgame!" by Cohen, or Berman's call "(crack) hit pretty well, Finley goes back back back...it's over, it's over, Todd Pratt, one of the most unlikely heroes wins it in the 10th."


Lee
October 20, 2004

I was at this game and what a classic it was! It was Game 4 of the NLDS, where the Mets had the chance to clinch with a 2-1 series lead. I had my regular seats (behind home plate on the third base side). It stayed close but the D- Backs threatened in the eighth but a great throw by Agbayani and an even better job by Todd Pratt of blocking the plate saved the Mets from having Jay Bell, a future Met, score the go-ahead run.

In the bottom half of the inning, a Met (who I think was Darryl Hamilton) hit a ball down the line that would have brought home a run if it were fair. Everyone stood up and I couldn't see but it was called foul and the fans groaned but then Cookie Rojas started arguing the call and he got ejected, suspended, and fined.

I think in the same inning, Shawon Dunston had the most incredible at-bat I've ever seen, fouling off EVERY SINGLE PITCH before finally hitting one up the middle.

Then, in the tenth, Todd Pratt stepped up against Matt Mantei and hit a shot with that helicopter swing of his and it was back to the wall and I was scared because I knew Steve Finley was an incredible center fielder (which was where the ball was) and it was BACK BACK BACK! and Steve Finley jumped and came down and I thought he had the ball but he looked down at his glove and the ball wasn't there and that's when I knew the Mets were going to the NLCS and I watched John Franco (who had gotten the win) coming jumping and hopping out of the dugout and it was the greatest Mets moment I had ever experienced and then I was on eyewitness news screaming "Let's Go Mets!" so that was cool too.


Bob
April 8, 2005

I was sitting in the third to last row in the upper deck way down the right field line. Lousy seats but it gave me a perfect view of Todd Pratt's homer, which was hit to the right of the 410 sign. What most people at Shea and everyone on TV didn't see was that the ball actually GRAZED THE TOP OF STEVE FINLEY'S GLOVE as it went over the fence. The ball clearly changed trajectory (flattened out) as Finley leaped for it. Everyone remembers those few agonizing seconds when they didn't know whether to cheer or cry, but few people realize how close Finley actually came to pulling it back into the park. What a game!


Mets2Moon
September 6, 2006

As is becoming a habit of mine, I go back to posts I have made and feeling as though I was a bit too terse in leaving my memories of a particular game. This is no different. Looking back 7 years later, and having attended many games over time, this was by far the best game I have ever attended, and my memories of this game, aided by videotape and by pictures I took are far more vivid than most other games.

I remember...

...Driving down from Binghamton the previous night, a Friday, and listening to game 3 on the radio, knowing Piazza was out and then arriving home around the 6th inning and seeing the Mets slowly put the game out of reach and knowing that I would be there for game 4 and a potential clincher.

...Being so amped up for the game that I left my house around 9AM and arrived at the stadium around 10:30. The gates had just opened and I was outside waiting for my friend until 11:30. Noted the banners outside that read "ARE YOU READY FOR THE POST-SEASON."

...Finally going into the stadium and up to my seat in the Mezzanine, section 12. Watching the Dbacks take batting practice, snapping some pictures and watching as the crowds coming off the train got larger and larger as game time approached.

...Keith and Mookie throwing out the first pitches to more ovations and more anticipation. The stadium was electric. I noted that after so many years of bad Mets teams the stadium would look so large when it was empty and how it seemed so much smaller now that it was full.

...The Mets taking the field at 1:07 PM charging out to the field not to the intro to Pink Floyd’s "Time" as they had during the season but the outro to The Beatles "A Day In The Life." Everything seemed different about this game.

...Fonzie homering into the LF bleachers in the 4th and the crowd going bonkers.

...Leiter taking a no-hitter into the 5th before Colbrunn homered to break it up and tie the game.

...Henderson fouling off every deuce from Anderson before blooping a single to right. Agbayani doubled to right center to score Rickey and giving the Mets a 2-1 lead.

...Leiter making it through 7.2 innings before allowing a walk to Turner Ward and a questionable infield single to Womack which Fonzie booted before throwing to first just late. Leiter would then exit to one of the largest and loudest standing ovations I have ever bore witness to.

...Benitez giving up the double to Jay Bell scoring Ward and Womack and feeling like I was just suckerpunched. I felt like crying.

...Williams drilling a single to Left shortly after Bell rounding third to score but Melvin Mora throwing a perfect strike home and Pratt diving to tag out Bell to end the Dbacks threat.

...The bottom of the 8th being the longest inning I have ever sat through. Mind you, nobody in the stadium is sitting at this point, as Greg Olson walks Fonzie to lead off, then is removed for Greg Swindell to pitch to Olerud. And Olerud putting forth an incredible at bat, working the count to 2-2, fouling off pitch after pitch before finally lofting a fly ball to right, and seeing Womack drift back, thinking it’s going to be caught, but it keeps drifting and drifting...suddenly Womack is on the warning track...lines it up...and drops it. He dropped the ball and Fonzie scampers all the way to third, and Olerud to second. Cedeno then lofting a fly to center, Finley cutting in front of Womack to make the catch, Fonzie scoring easily to re-tie the game. Ventura then walked, and Showalter then made a peculiar move. He double switched Matt Williams, his best hitter and fielder out of the game, for Mantei. Mantei would get Pratt to hit a comebacker, and Olerud was tagged out at 3rd. 2 out. Darryl Hamilton, on 3-2, hit a slicing liner down the left field line which bounced on the chalk...And the crowd went nuts because to just about everyone it looked fair. Everyone except Charlie Williams, the LF Umpire. Cookie Rojas and Williams then engaged in a legendary argument. Bobby V. had to come out and restrain Rojas, Rojas then shoved Williams in the chest and finally had to be pulled away by Valentine, Mookie and Ventura. Bobby V. would end up coaching third after everything settled and spent the rest of the inning glaring directly at Mantei. Mantei walked Hamilton on the next pitch to load the bases. Then Ordonez struck out...I then had to take a deep breath and make sure I hadn’t died during the inning.

...Benitez getting through the 9th 1-2-3.

...Fonzie batting in the last of the 9th with Matt Franco on 2nd and being sure he would drive in the winning run...He didn’t.

...John Franco coming in for the 10th and making a great play on a Lenny Harris chopper.

...4:33PM...Pratt smoking a drive to deep center on the 1-0 pitch...and Finley going back...and I’m reaching for my camera...And Finley at the wall...And jumps...and comes down...and slumps down...And Pratt is jumping around the bases, and Ordonez and Luis Lopez come streaking across the infield, and everyone is going crazy...And the whole time I remember thinking to myself "Did I just see that? Did Pratt just do that? What in the world!?"...And fireworks are going off, and "LA Woman" is blasting.

...And the scoreboard reads in giant letters "CONGRATULATIONS NEW YORK METS ON ADVANCING TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!!!"

...And nobody wanting to leave the stadium just yet...and walking down the ramps and hearing mock tomahawk chops and varied chants of "LARRY" and "ROCKER SUCKS" and knowing that the Blood feud was about to begin.

And you look back on a game like this and think about how many times the Mets had high hopes and tanked or never had hopes at all, and you wonder why you stick with a team. This is why. It’s all for games like this. But they’re fleeting, and time passes, you come to appreciate games like this more and more because they don’t happen very often.


Dave VW
July 15, 2024

I'm not sure if he's still an active participant here, but I want to thank Mets2Moon for his contribution. What a great read, and I agree wholeheartedly with your final paragraph.

Much has already been said about this game, so I won't rehash what's already been stated. My memories from this game are that I have none. That's because, on this Saturday afternoon, I took a bus trip with a few college friends of mine to watch my school's football team, Rowan University, play at Montclair State. It took the full day and, though Rowan won, I kicked myself when I got back to my dorm room because I forgot to set my VCR to record Game 4. So when I learned of the Mets victory, and how it unfolded, it was all very bittersweet: I was elated they won, but wanted to bash my head against the wall for missing it.

Thank God everything happened just perfectly in this game too, from Mora's throw (which was his first OF assist in the majors), to Womack's drop, to Pratt's homer, and everything in between, because a loss meant going back to Arizona to face Randy Johnson again, a task I don't think the Mets could have succeeded at. The Braves had also already wrapped up their series with the Astros, so they would have been afforded with a lot more rest time if Game 5 was going to be necessary.

Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Colbrunn's home run was a bit of foreshadowing, as Henderson just missed it as it sailed over the LF fence. Pratt would give Finley and the Snakes some of their own medicine just a few innings later.

Pratt was 0-for-7 in the series before his home run, and in this game alone made the final out in the 4th with a runner on 2nd, made the final out again in the 6th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, and then hit a comebacker right back to the pitcher in the 8th with runners on 1st and 3rd, during which Olerud got tagged out at 3rd. He also hadn't hit a home run since April! So it was very sweet he was the player the baseball gods decided to be worthy of such a moment, and almost as sweet that it was long-time sufferer John Franco who came away with the win.

And I may get some grief for saying this, but I thought umpire Charlie Williams got the call right on Hamilton's foul ball. It was super close, but I didn't see a single replay that made it appear that any chalk was disturbed when the ball landed. I legit thought Cookie Rojas was going to punch him right in the face though. For a guy named Cookie, he sure had some anger issues.

By the way, was there an MVP named for this series? My vote would have gone to Alfonzo, as he played a big part in all 3 wins.


METaphor
July 17, 2024

Dave, there have never been MVP awards given for the Division Series. Maybe there will be someday, but who knows?

The last part of this game that I saw live was Jay Bell's two-run double that put the Diamondbacks ahead in the top of the eighth inning. At that point, I had to leave for a church mass at which I was serving. My prayers were for the Mets in their quest for victory. When I got home, I turned on the TV and found out about Todd Pratt's home run in the tenth by reading ESPN's bottom line. I thanked God Almighty for the pleasant result!

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF GAMES FROM THE 1999 NLCS

October 12, 1999 Turner Field
1999 National League Championship Series Game 1
Atlanta Braves 4, Mets 2

Dave VW
July 17, 2024
25 years later and no comments on this game, and it's easy to see why. The Mets laid an egg in game 1 of the NLCS, tamed by Greg Maddux and beaten mostly by scrubs Eddie Perez and Walt Weiss, who combined to go 5-for-7 hitting out of the 7th and 8th spot in the Atlanta lineup.

Masato Yoshii, who hadn't lost since mid-August and pitched well vs. the Braves in his last start of the regular season, unfortunately picked a bad time to regress back to the mean, failing to make it out of the 5th inning. He had an inauspicious start, giving up a run after facing just 2 batters. He did manage to limit the damage and retire 9 in a row at one point, but he got beat up in the 5th, allowing a leadoff double to Weiss, and then appeared to roll his ankle when fielding Maddux's sac bunt. Gerald Williams followed with an RBI single and took 2nd on a Rickey Henderson error, and then Roger Cedeno made a sparkling defensive play, catching a Bret Boone liner on a full-extension dive to save a run. The Mets then elected to intentionally walk Chipper and go to the bullpen, and Pat Mahomes retired Brian Jordan to escape the inning.

After Piazza drove in a run with a groundout in the 4th, the Mets offense did little else. Alfonzo was stranded on 2nd after a 1-out double in the 6th, and Maddux made a miraculous behind-the-back catch on an Ordonez line drive in the 7th to end the inning with a runner on. A leadoff walk by Mora in the 8th went for nothing, and a 2-out rally in the 9th brought the tying run to the plate but Ordonez grounded out to end the game.

The Mets also had a great chance for a big inning in the 3rd when Cedeno led off with a double and took 3rd on an error, but then Ordonez hit a swinging bunt that barely stayed fair and was thrown out when he failed to run to 1st. Then Yoshii was asked to lay down a bunt on a suicide squeeze attempt, but he flat out missed the ball and Cedeno was a dead duck running down the line. Yoshii then grounded out and that, folks, is how you lose postseason games to the Braves. Failed execution and bad luck.

October 13, 1999 Turner Field
1999 National League Championship Series Game 2
Atlanta Braves 4, Mets 3

Professor G
July 5, 2005
I can't believe how stupid I was. If I routinely tape games to watch later (I live on the West Coast) then how could I not have taped this one??? I was STUPID enough to do three things: 1) actually go to work, knowing this game was on at 1 pm our time; 2) actually go into yet another agonizingly boring staff meeting led by an even more agonzingly boring manager - a guy whose milquetoast personality makes even Art Howe look like The Rock - while the game was going on. I was more pissed at myself than Kenny Rogers - who Bobby V should've saved for a Game 3 home start - for allowing Eddie Perez to take him deep.


Dave VW
July 23, 2024

Despite putting at least one batter on each inning and struggling with his control, Rogers somehow found himself on the good side of a 2-0 lead through 5 innings. Luck appeared to be on the Mets side, as Rogers had picked off a pair of baserunners and benefited from a pair of double plays, one that he deflected right to Ordonez on a ball that otherwise was headed to CF for a single.

The Mets scored once in the 2nd, despite starting the inning with a walk and 2 singles. Ordonez tried to put down a bunt to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd but instead bunted too hard and lined out to the firstbaseman. Rogers followed with his own sacrifice, but now with 2 outs it left it up to the under-the-weather Henderson, who did hit one in the hole between 1st and 2nd but Bret Boone flagged down the grounder and threw in time to Millwood covering for the 3rd out. If Henderson is feeling better, that should go as an infield hit.

Rickey then gets removed in the bottom of the 2nd for Mora, who, in his first AB of the game, takes Millwood deep for his first ML home run!

In between all that, Cedeno almost hit his own home run but hooked it foul by inches down the RF line. And that would loom very large, as the Braves finally broke through against Rogers in the 6th, hitting a pair of 2-run homers to take a 4-2 lead. Brian Jordan clubbed the first that hit into the netting on the RF foul pole, and then when Andruw Jones lined a single into LF, I thought the day was done for Rogers. But Bobby V left him out there for one more batter, and Eddie Perez drilled the first pitch he saw into the LF seats for his 2nd HR in as many games. Valentine was caught throwing and kicking his hat afterwards, as he knew he made the wrong decision.

The Mets did get one back in the 8th, with Mora reaching on a 1-out error and Alfonzo driving him in with a double. But then the Braves summoned John Rocker, and he struck out both Olerud and Ventura (bookending a Piazza intentional pass) to end the inning. His ownership of the Mets' two middle-of-the-order lefties has arguably been the key to the Braves holding a 2-0 series lead thus far.

I thought Bobby Cox might have been overmanaging when he then turned to John Smoltz to lock down the save in the 9th, considering it was Smoltz's first ever big league relief appearance and gave the Mets a better chance at tying the game with a HR with Cedeno and Bonilla than with Agbayani and Ordonez. But alas, Smoltz set the Mets down in order, with Bonilla taking a pitch 5 inches outside for strike 3 to end the game.

It sucks being down 2-0, but it's not like the Mets are getting blown out, despite getting seriously outpitched thus far. With Leiter going in Game 3 and the series shifting to Shea, I remember feeling dejected but hopeful that the Mets weren't about to go down without a fight.

October 15, 1999 Shea Stadium
1999 National League Championship Series Game 3
Atlanta Braves 1, Mets 0

tvdude
February 6, 2002
this was a rough one. the Mets made like no errors the whole year, and their best offensive player's error cost the Mets a biggie. Leiter was superb, but had nothing to show for it.


jimmy "sweet" pea
October 22, 2003

The first playoff game at Shea stadium in many, many years. Friend of mine got tickets and four of us made the drive down from Albany. Met other friends at Shea, but the friend with the tickets hadn't shown yet. Jimmy Cadillac talked with a cop, expalined the situation and the cop let us into a pre-game party going on in the left field bullpen. Incredible. Ice sculptures, live music, open bars, sushi, BBQ. Wilpon was working the crowd, as was former Senator Al D'Amato, who was stuffing his face with the free food. Great seats and an incredible game with several plays at the plate. Braves scored only once -- in the first inning, but the Mets couldn't put a run across and lost. Tough ride home. Ventura's grand-slam single two games later would lift our spirits, but Kenny Rogers walking in the game and series winner was a killer.


Shickhaus Franks
April 11, 2011

I was at this game. A tight one to nothing loss with Leiter pitching his guts out but the highlight was me yelling to John Rocker "RUN, FORREST, RUN" as he entered the game in the 9th and that was 2 months before he almost ruined Christmas and Y2K with his ignorant comments about New Yorkers and the 7 train.


Dave VW
July 25, 2024

What a gross loss. Out-hit the Braves 7-3 but can't score against Tom Glavine, who looks like he's throwing batting practice but no one can ever get a good swing against him.

First inning really took the wind out of the sails, too. Leadoff walk, error by Leiter just trying to throw a meatball over to 1st base, then Piazza airmails one into CF on a Braves double steal, allowing them to score the only run of the game. Only get out of the inning when Brian Jordan hits what should be an RBI sac fly, but Melvin Mora, in his first playoff start and only 2nd start for the Mets in CF, guns down Bret Boone at the plate for his second OF assist of the postseason. Piazza got pulverized by Boone, somehow holding on to the ball, but got diagnosed with a slight concussion in between innings. Add that to his balky knee, bad back and sore thumb. And yet he stayed in the game, which is something I bet would never happen in today's game.

Rickey Henderson of all people also threw out a pair of Braves trying to stretch singles into doubles, despite not having an OF assist during the entire regular season! After he nailed Eddie Perez to lead off the 5th, the Braves actually didn't get another hit the rest of the game. But alas, despite putting at least 1 runner on base in every inning but the 8th, the Mets just couldn't score. Valentine tried to counter the Braves' deployment of John Rocker by reordering his lineup to further separate Olerud and Ventura, putting Olerud 2nd, Alfonzo 3rd and Ventura 6th. Neither Olerud or Alfonzo hit in those positions all season. Though Olerud reached base twice, Alfonzo and Ventura combined to go 0-for-7 with 4 strikeouts. Thanks guys.

But of course, the Mets had to tease us in the 9th when Agbayani reached base on an error to lead off. I thought, with Ventura up next, they could have asked Robin to bunt Agbayani into scoring position, as he was hopeless swinging the bat against Rocker. But instead Valentine pinch-hit with Pratt, who struck out on 3 pitches. Mora then flew out to CF and Ordonez bounced out to short and that was that. Glavine tied his career playoff high with 8 Ks and the Mets were shutout for the first time in the postseason since losing Game 7 of the 1988 NLCS to the Dodgers, 6-0.

And since no team at this point had ever come back from a 3-0 series hole, I remember losing all hope. Smoltz would probably throw a no-hitter in Game 4, and the Yankees would never lose a game again. It was nothing but bad feelings following this one.

October 16, 1999 Shea Stadium
1999 National League Championship Series Game 4
Mets 3, Atlanta Braves 2

Perry
October 20, 2000
It was crazy. I went to this game certain the Mets were going to lose. I mean, the braves had 3 games and the Mets none. I went in with a negative attitude, and came out of the stadium with a feeling of triumph! I felt like the entire crowd, young and old, came together that night. The entire stadium echoed "ASSHOLE" periodically through the night and occational "LARRY"'s. everyone, old men and little girls were all screaming it at the top of their lungs. thats what I love about being a Mets fan. such a diverse crowd that comes together regardless of any diffrences. I had so much fun and the Mets rocked, but it was overshadowed by the fact that after the game, I had the luck of meeting Gary CArter in the parking lot. he was my alltime favorite met and my childhood idol. the whole night was one to remember, even though I dont remember the specific detail of the game.


tom g
May 27, 2002

This was the first Met playoff game I had ever been to, although I have been a fan for nearly 25 years. I was sitting right next to the Braves bullpen in the picnic area. I remember all the police who had been there to protect John Rocker, and you should have heard the abuse he took from all the Met fans. In the bottom of the eighth inning, he came in to pitch and John Olerud hit a 2-run single off Rocker to score the tying and eventual winning runs. Benitez got the save in the 9th, and the Mets were still alive. I will never forget how crazy the subway ride home from Shea was that night.


Anthony
January 15, 2003

This was my second playoff game I ever attended (and second of 1999 for that matter) and it was awesome. It was my cousin Dan, my uncle Dave, my sister Julie and myself. My cousin and I took the upper deck tickets and my sister and uncle took the field level tickets. The upper deck was awesome though. The game was quiet for the first six innings.

I remember when John Olerud came up, I pulled my Rosary out of my pocket and all of a sudden, BANG! Olerud hit a solo shot. It looked like Rick Reed was in control, then suddenly, Brian Jordan (this guy always seems to get big hits against them) and Ryan Klesko hit back-to-back homers to give the Braves a 2-1 lead. Rick Reed looked sooo down was he was pulled out. He still pitched an awesome game.

Then, Mets have runners on second and third (Roger Cedeno and Melvin Mora did a double steal) with Olerud coming up. In came John Rocker and along with him, the roaring "a**hole* chants. It was sooo intense, Olerud had two strikes and then lo and behold, he gets what I believe was his first hit off Rocker and at the perfect time. My cousin and I screamed at each other in excitment. Then, Armando Benitez came in and closed out an awesome game.


Lee
July 4, 2004

I was really upset because the Braves were up in the NLCS 3-0 and were one game away from making the World Series and I knew I had tickets to Game 5 so if the Mets could just win this game I could get to see them play one more time this year. In the eighth inning, it was 2-1 Braves and things didn't look good and John Rocker was on the mound and everyone was booing him but the Mets got Mevlin Mora and Roger Cedeno on second and third for John Olerud and John Olerud hit a bouncing ball up the middle that went off Ozzie Guillen's glove and both runs scored and the Mets took the lead! Then Armando Benitez came in to save it and I was going to see them tomorrow.


Dave VW
August 9, 2024

What an unbelievable comeback. Rick Reed was absolutely brilliant, just as good as when he shut out the Pirates a couple weeks earlier to keep the Mets playoff hopes alive. For those not in attendance watching the game on TV, we went into the top of the 8th inning with a 1-0 lead feeling pretty good, Reed in complete control. Then NBC comes back from the commercial break late, the game already back in progress, and we're greeted with Darryl Hamilton on a dead sprint going back to the wall and Bob Costas yelling, "Jordan hits one deep and it's off the wall, and the umpires are calling it a home run!"

Whoa, WTF just happened?!?! Is this real? And before any of it could sink in, there's Ryan Klesko bashing another one over the RF wall. It all happened so fast, and it seemed like you could hear a pin drop at Shea, aside from the Braves dugout hooting and hollering. Reed goes from hero to zero in the matter of 3 pitches, and it seems like, with how the Mets offense has been this series, the sweep is inevitable.

But then the miraculous happened in the bottom of the 8th. Cedeno, clearly the Mets hottest hitter at the time, lines a leadoff single to center. However, hope was dashed a little when Ordonez, for the second time in the series, popped up a sac bunt attempt and was out. Matt Franco comes up to pinch hit, and the Braves counter by bringing in Remlinger for Smoltz. Smoltz was every bit as good as Reed, even after it looked like he suffered an arm injury in the middle innings when he yelped and had to shake out his arm following a pitch. The Mets brought Franco back and had Agbayani take the pinch-hitting AB, but he struck out. Not looking good.

Mora, who had come into the game for defense when the Mets had the lead, then worked out a walk, continuing to impress with his clutch ability. That's when Rocker came in to face Olerud, who he's already struck out twice in the series. Mora and Cedeno pull off a double steal without a throw, and then Olerud taps one to SS, where Ozzie Guillen had just come in to play as part of a double switch. He took a weird angle to get to the ball, and hence had it ricochet off his glove and into short right-center field, allowing both runners to score and put the Mets in front! Mora and Cedeno jump into each others arms at the plate, and Shea goes bananas.

Benitez got a scare from Guillen in the 9th, as he missed a HR down the RF line by about 10 feet, before flying out. But he then got Gerald Williams and Keith Lockhart without incident and the Mets survive to see another day.

How much longer the Mets can last with the middle of the order -- Alfonzo, Piazza and Ventura -- unable to buy a hit, and now with Henderson sulking because he's upset Valentine is taking him out for defense, is anybody's guess. With the pitching matchup for Game 5 Maddux vs. Yoshii, the Braves are undoubtedly heavy favorites.

October 17, 1999 Shea Stadium
1999 National League Championship Series Game 5
Mets 4, Atlanta Braves 3

Tess
October 20, 2000
I have been a Mets fan since I was 6, but I have never been to or even seen a game as exciting as this one. It was game 5 of the NLCS and it was the 15th inning. I remember the roar of the fans screaming down at John Rocker and then it came: the forever to be remembered Grand slam single by Robin Ventura! The crowd went wild, we were all hugging each other and jumping around and kissing stangers and going crazy. there was no feeling at all like that one, and I will always remember how loud that crowd was when Ventura got that hit, and how we all came together with one common goal; to get to the World Series. It didnt matter that the next day the braves went on to clinch the pennet, it didnt matter that I lost my voice the day before a big presentation , and it didn't matter that I had broke my toe jumping up an down like crazy, the only thing that mattered was that we won! and that rocker sucked! I am so privledged to have been part of this game, this history in the making.


Lou C.
August 14, 2001

Sat in the upper boxes in right field with my 8 year old son. We got pretty wet. When it went extra innings, I told the people around us that to be a true Met miracle they would have to be losing before they won. My son wanted to move down, because people were leaving. We went down to the loge by first base. It was getting cold and late and I told my son, against my better Met fan judgement, that we would leave if noone scored in the next inning. The rest is history. I'll always remember the Dunston atbat. And the Ventura blast. When it was in the air, the game was over. When it cleared the fence, all hell broke loose. I was at Game 7 in 86, the divisional clincher in 88, and the pennant winner in 2000. This was the most fun. people in the parking lot were telling my son that he would never forget that night. LA Woman, cold rain, my son, and alive for another day. It doesnt get better than that.


Milz
February 22, 2002

I remember I had to go to a very, very important family "get together" on this evening, unfortunately at a restaurant with no tv. Being die hard Mets fans, me and my brother had to finish it. The game kept on going, and dammit, I was going to sit till the end of it. I listened to the play-by-play on 660. Got to the point that my uncle came out in the parking lot twice to tell us to come in -- I wasn't budging. It was raining pretty hard that evening.

Then, bases loaded. Ventura comes to the plate. And you know what happened then.

Seeing it on television that night when I got home was awesome too. Robin didn't even make it to second! Remember: Grand Slam Single!! What bs. Me and my brother almost lost our voices that night.


Mike94
October 7, 2004

I started watching this game at home. It was getting late in the game and I had an hour and a half ride back to school in the rain. I thought I was gonna miss the end of the game. I continued listening to the game in my car on 660 WFAN. I sped through the rain so I could watch the Mets beat those damn Braves. I parked my car and ran back to my dorm with my bags and threw the game on the TV. I watched the game for about another hour or so and then POW!! Ventura hit the "grand slam single." When the ball left the bat I jumped up and yelled "GET THE #&*@ OUTTA HERE" and then watched it land on the other side of the fence and giving high fives to other Met fans in the room. One of my favorite sports moments.


Lee
November 28, 2004

The matchup for tonight was Greg Maddux vs. Masato Yoshii. In the first inning, Olerud connected off Maddux for a two-run homer to pick up where he left off from the night before and, after that, the game was a low scoring game that featured Chipper Jones getting hits and no one else did and everyone was going "Laaaaaarry!!" and it was also John Rocker's birthday and everyone wanted to see him but I don't think he ever pitched.

Another factor in the game was the weather. It was raining all game and there were a couple of rain delays and the game went a long time into the night. It then went into extras in a 2-2 game and then in the 13th the Braves threatned again when Keith Lockhart, their little used second baseman, got a base hit and then Chipper Jones hit another shot into the right field corner and Lockhart came around third but Melvin Mora saved the game by making an incredible throw to the cutoff, Edgardo Alfonzo, and Fonzie threw it home to Piazza, who blocked the plate incredibly and Lockhart ran over him but Piazza held on to the ball but he was injured.

Then, in the fifteenth, Lockhart tripled and scored and it was 3-2 Braves. Then, the Mets rallied and loaded up the bases for Todd Pratt and he walked to tie it up and Ventura step up, Mr. Grand Slam himself, and, as I knew he would, he hit it out but before he could reach second base he was mobbed by his teammates and he never made it to second so he was only given one RBI and it will be forever known as the "grand single" It was the greatest game I ever went to.


Even Stephen
October 20, 2004

I was never more proud of the Mets than when I watched this game. 25 men pulling together as a team. Every player doing his part.

Shawon Dunston refusing to give up. Orel Hershiser acting on the phone acting like a pitching coach. Al Leiter and Rick Reed warming in the bullpen, ready to go.

This was one game that truly was a team effort.


Kiwiwriter
October 14, 2004

The greatest and most thrilling Mets game I ever saw.

In the pouring rain, the Mets and Braves poured it on through 15 soggy innings. I never saw such intensity at Shea, such crowd involvement, or such drama. Or a 14th-inning-stretch. I have seen many sea serpents (my name for extra-inning games) at Shea Stadium, including a 17-inning disaster in 1979, but never this.

My wife Kathy was blowing her nose from sinuses and hiding under the stands in the late innings, when they ran out of food.

Everybody played. My scorecard was utterly bedraggled.

My biggest memory is that Bobby Valentine brought on a relief pitcher to throw an intentional walk, then yank him. That was overmanaging defined.

After the game, Kats was furious about having to sit through such horrid weather and was reluctant to join me at the World Series. But she did, for Game 3. Logically, that game went into the 10th inning.


Mets97
October 18, 2004

"Well, I remember the last play because Robin Ventura played it out on one leg the whole game, and there was a point where I thought about taking him out, and he said 'No, leave me in,' and he comes up and gets the winning hit, it's gotta be poetic justice. Justice indeed. -Bobby Valentine

"Run around the bases? Nah. I'm too tired." -Robin Ventura

"I'll tell you, these Mets are Rasputin-like. You cannot put them away. They will not die." -Bob Costas

"They couldn't see beating the Braves 4-in a row, but they can see beating them 2-in a row. They've taken it one game at a time and now maybe they're seeing light at the end of the tunnel." -Joe Morgan


Jose
November 8, 2006

hey I been a Mets fan since I was 5 years, the night of October 17, 1999 was a night every Mets fan will cherish for the rest of their lives. I remember I was 17 at the time a junior in HS, I was suppose to go to a B-day party that night, I was getting ready for the party, while I took a shower I had the game on my small radio, after I showered I tuned in the TV again, I think it was the most nervous night I have ever witnessed. At the party they had the game on, in the living room there were some Yankees fans, and like 3 Mets fans including me, when the bot. 15th came all 3 of us Mets fans where doing the rally hat, and then came the Ventura's Grand SLam single, we screamed, we jumped, we cried, and hugged. "WE STILL BELIEVE GO METS!!!" I still believe YEEAAH!! What a game, it was amazin' playing under the rain, making sure that it was not our last game of 1999, we kept on fighting. Hey my fellow Mets fans let us the keep the faith and believe, we will have our town back real soon.


alleydally
September 6, 2006

My friend and I moved down a couple times from the upper deck, eventually moving to the front row of the loge boxes right near the foul pole in left field (by the Atlanta pen). We would have moved again but after the Braves scored in the 15th, we decided to stay put and watch the Mets' at-bat. And what an at-bat! I remember it like it was yesterday:

Dunston fouled off like eight pitches before singling up the middle and then stole second with Franco pinch-hitting. Franco walks and then Fonzie bunts the runners up. Olerud is walked intentionally to load bases, and Pratt walks on a 3-1 pitch, flings his bat and runs down to first as Mets tie it.

At this point, the place is ROCKING. Literally, and there were like 20,000 empty seats. I remember vividly the fans in the box seats jumping up and down in the rain (and the rain was falling hard); it was tremendous support...

and then Ventura launches the bomb to right. Before it went out I hugged my friend. I didn't even see the ball go out, I knew we had won it with a sac fly at least.

I remember getting on the subway afterward. I asked about the Jets game and somebody said they lost again. I didn't care, not after that Met win...it culminated a whirlwind weekend at Shea, starting with the Friday 1-0 loss, but the back- to-back nail-biting wins. It was crazy at Shea, it was so nice the Mets were in the postseason again. Throw in the Pratt HR vs. Arizona and it was a great run.


Ed K
January 30, 2013

I had drawn my company's tickets for Game 5 and watched Game 4 on Saturday night wondering if my tickets would be any good. But after the Mets won on Saturday night, my wife and I made the trek to Shea for an unforgettable game. Unfortunately, we may have been the only fans to leave the game before it ended. We had a babysitter on short notice watching our infant son for a fixed time and could not stay for extra innings. I did get home in time to see the Ventura walk-off on television. Almost the entire time that we were at the game, everyone was standing.


Shickhaus Franks
May 31, 2013

I was at a bar in Hoboken which no longer exists (I forgot the name) watching this classic game and when Ventura hit the "grand-slam single" a lot of people went crazy and then some and there was talk of a Subway Series but thanks to Kenny Rogers... (As you know, it did happen in 2000.)


D.C.
September 26, 2013

I can watch this whole game every day and never get bored. THIS was the epoch of the Mets-Braves rivalry in the 90s, and watching Bobby Cox and Bobby V try and out-manage one another makes me nostalgic.

Grand slam single in the rain, Robin Ventura being held aloft by Todd Pratt with "L.A. Woman" playing in the background; that's how I remember the 1999 Mets.


Charlie
November 18, 2021

Been to hundreds of Met games at Shea, and this one will sting me a little forever. A friend of a friend offered me a ticket, and we sat through the rain for a game that seemed like it would never end. Until the 15th inning...I don't remember how it came about, but the Marlins scored and we were both spent. For some inexplicable reason we decided to leave, and heard the rest of the game in the car on the way home. A decision that will haunt me forever.


sms516
March 6, 2023

One of my all-time favorite games as a Mets fan, not just because we won but because it truly was a complete team effort. Everyone played a role in the win.


Glenrock
July 24, 2024

A thrilling win that kept the Mets alive in the NLCS. Robin Ventura came through with a clutch RBI in the fifteenth inning to cut the Braves' Series lead to three games to two. Ventura's hit should have been a grand slam homer, but it got reduced to a run-scoring single thanks to other Met players not allowing him to circle the bases.

The happiness was understandable, but how could the Mets still be so absent-minded by doing what they did? On the television replay of the hit, Ventura was seen waving his left hand at his teammates and yelling to them "No! No!" while he was between first and second base. Instead of completing his home run trot, Robin was greeted by a black-shirted mob (led by baserunner Todd Pratt) that got in the way and prevented an actual slam. Although it was a key post-season victory for the Mets, their overexcitement turned it into one of the more embarrassing moments in team history.

Pratt's statistics show that he did not have a run scored during the Series. He blew his chance for one by not controlling his emotions soon enough.


Dave VW
August 5, 2024

I love reading all these comments. Even the ones I disagree with. "Glenrock," where my mom was a science teacher for 20 years, recently wrote how, when the Mets prevented Ventura from rounding the bases, it was "one of the more embarrassing moments in team history." I could not disagree more. The Mets were so overjoyed and overcome with emotion they couldn't help themselves from congratulating and celebrating with Ventura as he rounded the bases, and it created one of the most iconic scenes in Mets history. You may be the only fan that looks back at this moment with negativity.

A few of my takeaways from this game that have not yet been mentioned:

I was stunned when starting lineups were announced and Roger Cedeno's name wasn't featured. I thought he was the Mets hottest hitter at the time, as he just went 3-for-3 in Game 4. Turns out he was suffering from "back spasms," so Melvin Mora got the nod in RF instead. But Cedeno did come in as the last man off the bench to pinch run for Matt Franco in the 15th, and he would be the only "official" runner to score on Ventura's home run.

This was Yoshii's final appearance as a Met. He started out well enough, but second time through the lineup the Braves tattooed him. They started the 4th with a double, double, single and walk to score 2 and chase Yoshii from the game. He'd then be traded to Colorado during the offseason.

With 2 runners on and nobody out, Hershiser relieved him and retired the next three on 2 strikeouts and a groundout to get out of the inning without any further damage being done. Unbelievable clutch work right there. It was the first time he stranded inherited runners on base since the 1988 NLCS vs. the Mets. He wound up doing yeoman's work out of the pen, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings.

In the 6th, the Braves had the bases loaded with 1 out and Maddux at the plate. He just barely missed hitting a double down the RF line that would have blown the game open. Then, with 2 strikes, the Braves have him try to get down a suicide squeeze, but he misses to strike out, and the runner on 3rd is tagged out in a rundown. That was a huge bullet dodged, and some uncharacteristic poor execution by Atlanta.

Valentine then burned through 4 pitchers to get through the 7th inning, including Dennis Cook to throw two intentional balls and then yank him. I was very worried that type of overmanagement was going to come back and bite us.

The Braves left 19 runners on base in the game. They had to have felt like they missed a golden opportunity to end the series after this loss.

When Eddie Perez singled in the 10th, it was the first time a Brave had reached base vs. Armando Benitez all season. They were 0-for-26 against him prior to that hit.

Ventura was an incredibly unlikely hero. Aside from playing with a bum leg and sore shoulder, he was also 0-for-16 in the series before finally getting a single in the 11th. He then hit the ball well but flew out in the 14th before making history in the 15th.

Rey Ordonez was having a terrible series, at least offensively. He went 0-for-6 in this game, which included grounding into an inning-ending double play in the 6th when the Mets had the bases loaded. He also popped up a sacrifice bunt attempt for an out in the 12th, the third time in the series he did that. Through 5 games, he's 1-for-16.

After Mora recorded is 3rd OF assist of the playoffs in the 13th, the NBC broadcast caught him high-fiving with the fans as he made his way back to the dugout. It reminded me a lot of what Lastings Milledge would do a few years later.

Piazza's maladies continued, as he was removed after 14 innings with a "strained forearm." At that point, we had no clue if he'd be available in Game 6, if we even made it that far. Sadly, his many injuries left him virtually useless in this series.

The 12-pitch Dunston AB in the 15th is the key play of the game, outside of Ventura's game-winner. Valentine had Dotel up to bunt next, but at the last second pulled him back in favor of Matt Franco. Taking Dotel out meant either Al Leiter or Rick Reed would have to pitch next if the game were to continue on past the 15th, as they were the only pitchers the Mets had left. Thankfully, that was a problem the Mets were able to avoid.

The final line by the 8 relief pitchers the Mets used: a combined 12 innings, 9 hits, 1 run, 15 strikeouts. Stellar.

At the time, in terms of time elapsed, this stood as the longest postseason game in MLB history at 346 minutes (or 5 hours, 46 minutes). It was broken a few years later by a Yankees/Red Sox marathon that went 5 hours, 49 minutes in 2004.

I don't remember if I watched the ending live, but I sure remember listening to Gary Cohen's call of the grand slam single over and over again, to the point of memorization. "That ball is...OUTTA HERE!! OUTTA HERE! A GAME-WINNING, GRAND SLAM HOME RUN OFF THE BAT OF ROBIN VENTURA! THEY'RE MOBBING HIM BEFORE HE CAN GET TO SECOND BASE! THE METS HAVE WON THE BALL GAME!" Still gives me chills to this day.

October 19, 1999 Turner Field
1999 National League Championship Series Game 6
Atlanta Braves 10, Mets 9

Jay Coan
March 29, 2001
I remember after the First Five batters have a sick feeling in my gut and turned the TV off, I kept the Radio on and after the 5th inning I smelled COMEBACK! Too Bad We had Rogers in there, btw who else was in the Bull Pen?


Eric
April 3, 2001

Dotel was the other pitcher in the bullpen. I can't remember the exact phrase but the announcer said something like "They can bring in Rogers" and about a minute later "Now Dotel's warming up, so it'll be Rogers, a flutterbll pitcher or Dotel who throws heaters." I can't really say I blame Kenny. I blame Leiter, Franco, Benitez, and Valentine all before him.


leiterfluid22
October 29, 2001

Despite being perhaps the second most ugly postseason Met loss I have ever seen (I am only 16), this is one of the most exciting playoff games in history. I remember watching Al, my favorite Met, and that sparkling Met defense give up those five early runs. But when they eventually got to the 7th and trailed 7 to 3, I just said to myself (in bed and listening to the radio), "Mojo risin'." Then what became what I call today as three weddings and a funeral happened for the Mets.

First I saw them just club good ol' Smoltzy for 4 runs including that classic Piazza shot deep the other way. Next came the improbable base hit by Melly Mora to give them a 1-run lead. After that was blown, I watched big Benny beat Andruw Jones' throw home in the 10th, only to have the not immortal Armando give it right back.

Then came the funeral. Once Gerald Williams led off with the double I knew it was almost over, but I still had hope. What I still don't understand though, is if they started Leiter on three days to skip Rogers' turn, why bring Rogers into a tied extra-inning game on the road when there is zero margin for error? All in all, from opening day in Florida, all the way to ball four to Andruw Jones, this still remains as the greatest season in Mets history. Even better than 1986, and 2000.


SKAdoo420
November 7, 2001

This is one of my most hated game in Mets playoff history. I still have nightmares about Kenny Rogers and his pitch selection to Andruw Jones. When the bases were juiced and u needed to throw a strike why throw anything else but a fastball. As any met fan saw he was looking for the walk so make hi take a strike. Worse thing that could of happened is that he crushes it or a sac fly type ball. LET HIM HIT IT. He might grounded into the doubleplay if u let him take a swing. As a met fan im glad Kenny is gone as well as this game and I pray it never happens again.


Mets2Moon
January 25, 2002

The game 6 few thought would happen started, for me, not in front of a TV, but in a meeting featuring me screaming at people because I wanted to get the hell out of there and back to my house to watch the game. And when I got back, it was 5- 0! A fine How do you do indeed. Then, it happened. 3 in the 6th, but the Braves countered with 2. Then the Mets started whipping some long hits off of Smoltz in the 7th, capped by Piazza, looking as if he'd just been hit by a truck, blasted one out of the ballpark, and I damn near jumped through the ceiling. The Mets would take subsequent leads in this game, and each time the Braves tied it. And finally they prevailed on Kenny #$%#$^ Rogers' fluttering curve. Just before the pitch, I turned to my roommate and said, "Well, if it ends here, it's been one hell of a run, and nothing to be ashamed of...But wouldn't it be sweet if they got out of it?" The pitch is thrown..."Oh dear." Not to be, and all I was left with was this haunting chant over NBC's feed of "Mets suck!" A postscript: The next night, I actually put on NBC at 8, expecting to see Game 7, and instead getting Friends. And thanks to the $@$&*^%# braves, I refused to watch any of the World Series.


Eddie
December 14, 2003

I remember having to work that night. I popped a tape in the VCR, planning to watch the game when I got home. When I got home, I rewound the tape, watched all the pre-game stuff, then the game started. Bam!!!! 5-zip, Braves, my stomach felt queezy. I figured that I would just fast forward to the end of the game and watch the coffin being nailed shut. But a strange thing happened, as I was fast forwarding the tape (FF play), all of the sudden I saw the Mets running around the bases. I slowed the tape, oh my god! They were scoring some runs! Then when Bobby Boo Boo came off the bench and got a hit I thought for sure The Almighty was a Met fan. Then, top of the 8th, Piazza comes up (his hands were so messed up by this time, he could barely hold the bat), and jacks one in to the right field seats off of Smoltz to give the Mets the lead, I came out of my chair hollering. I probably woke my upstairs neighbor (remember, I had to work, so it was probably about 1:30 AM by this time). I can remember the camera panning the Braves dougout, they looked like a collective deer in the headlights, they were in shock! I'll say this till the day I die, and no one will convince me any different. If the Mets had held on and won that game, they would have won Game 7 too. And finally, I can remember watching ESPN the next day. They interviewed a few of the Yankees, they were disappointed, they really wanted to play the Mets.


Lee
July 13, 2004

The heartbreaker of a century. If the Mets won this, they would become the first team in playoff history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to force a 7th game. But the Braves got 5 runs. But the Mets come back and then Piazza tied it in the 8th (and he wasn't just playing injured he was playing dead) with a home run and I was jumping up and down and the Mets, throughout the game, would score runs only to have it tied by the Braves and then, in the bottom of the 10th, the Mets had a one run lead and then they tied and, with the bases loaded, Andruw Jones stepped up against Kenny Rogers, and, the infamous pitch, where Kenny Rogers floats a horrible curve with brings Gerald Williams home from third to send the Braves to the World Series and send the Mets home. It totally killed me.


Even Stephen
October 4, 2004

Never Say Die. I have always said that when Bobby Valnetine managed the Mets his teams never gave up. Most teams would have mailed it in after the first. But the Mets battled back, refusing to die. They may have lost the game but that team gained a lot of respect.


Joe
April 19, 2006

When thinking about this game one thing comes to mind. Mike Piazza! The home run he hit off of Smoltz in the 7th was one of the most remarkable home runs I've seen. you could see the faces of the Braves players just dropped. I try not to think about the bases loaded walk so I sit back and think of that homer.


Kevin from Flushing
March 20, 2007

Everything that needs to be said about this game has been said. I'll just add the 3 things that stick out the most in my memory.

Beginning of the game: 4-0 Braves before the Mets could record an out. When it hit 5-0 moments later, my good friend Jim--who had watched every playoff game with me in our respective seats--got up to leave. I yelled to him, "sit the f*** down! We're gonna come back and win this game!"

Middle of the game: Piazza bomb makes it 7-7. Good thing Jim didn't leave.

End of the game: Bases loaded. Me and Jim are so dazed and confused from the entire series that we were perfectly content with the situation, knowing we were about to record an inning-ending double play. Then Rogers throws ball one--and we both knew. Jim and I look at each other immediately and Jim says, "you're thinking what I'm thinking aren't you?" I just nodded silently, solemnly. We kept repeating, PLEADING, "over the plate, over the plate, over the plate..."

Ball four.

Jim wasted no time. He got up, shook my hand, said "it's been a great season," and stormed out. I just stared at the screen, catatonic.


Joe Lanzisera
February 23, 2009

Not much to add on this one except that it may have been the hardest loss in Mets history for me to accept. I still think the 99 Mets were supposed to be the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a seven-game series. We all know what the Red Sox did five years later, but this was hard to take. Piazza's blast is still an all-time highlight - right up there with Ventura's GS single the game before and all the big homers in '86.


Jeff
June 23, 2016

As it was said earlier in this section, the blame for this loss should ride heavily on the 2 "closers" this team had and how each one failed to hold the lead. A starter coming in relief is tough especially when some starters needs to get some pitches in to get loose.


Bob
April 25, 2024

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


Dave VW
August 9, 2024

For me, this is the most memorable, if also the most infamous, Met game of the 1990s. I remember watching this in my college dorm room, super excited and riding high after wins in Games 4 and 5. Leiter on the mound, momentum on our side, feeling good.

But my god did it fall apart fast. Leiter hits the first batter. Walks the next. Then double steal and Piazza throwing error, 1-0. Then another hit by pitch. Then RBI single, 2-0. Then a grounder back to him but he can't get anyone out. Then 2-run single by series nemesis Eddie Perez, 4-0. WTF. Leiter gets yanked and I turn off the TV, not able to bear watching the Mets get blown out in the most important game of the decade.

I go off and do something else for a couple hours, then decide to turn on the game again just to see how bad they're losing. To my absolute shock, it's the top of the 7th inning, and the game is tied at 7-7. Again, WTF. Of course, at this point I'm sucked right back in, only to see Franco and Benitez both blow leads, and then Rogers unable to find the plate against Andruw Jones to end the season. What a kick in the balls.

It was a fitting way to end a rollercoaster season with a rollercoaster of a game. And we're left wondering what could have been if only a few small things went our way. What if Alfonzo or Ventura had hit home runs instead of both flying out to the warning track in the 7th? What if Piazza holds on to the ball and doesn't commit the throwing error in the 8th that puts Otis Nixon on 3rd with 1 out? What if Valentine had brought in Benitez right then and there instead of sticking with Franco? What if instead of intentionally walking Brian Jordan in the 11th they had instead pitched to him, either with Rogers or Dotel, so as not to give the Braves a chance to win with a walk?

After Rogers threw ball four, the cameras caught Valentine slamming his fists against the dugout railing and shouting, "No! No!," joining the thousands of fans who probably did the exact same thing while watching at home. Rogers and Bonilla both made their final appearances with the Mets in this game, and neither would be missed, but the same couldn't be said for Olerud, Cedeno and Hershiser, who were also headed elsewhere in 2000.

Another gut punch then came a week later when the Yankees completed their sweep of the Braves to win their second straight World Series. Now we had to hear them gloat while still recovering from our own heartbreaking defeat. It was a rough time for us Met fans, but our team had earned a ton of respect for the way they fought until the bitter end. And I think we all knew we were only going to come back more determined than ever the following season.



Meet the Mets
  • All-Time Roster
  • Mug Shots
  • Player Awards
  • Transactions
  • Managers and Coaches
  • Mets Staff
  • Birthplaces
  • Oldest Living Mets
  • Necrology
  • Games
  • Game Results
  • Walkoff Wins and Losses
  • Post-Season Games
  • No-Hitters and One-Hitters
  • All-Star Games
  • Opponents and Ballparks
  • Daily Standings
  • Yearly Finishes
  • Mayor's Trophy Games
  • Stats
  • Interactive Statistics
  • Team Leaders
  • Decade Leaders
  • Metscellaneous
  • Fan Memories
  • Mets Uniforms
  • Uniform Numbers
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • FAQ



  • Copyright 1999-2025, The Ultimate Mets Database