Blogging Mets

Tommie Agee (10/14/69)

Game 3 of the 1969 World Series was one for the ages for Agee. He is best remembered for those two sensational catches that saved five runs in a 5-0 win. But he also led off the game with a home run, setting the tone for the rest of the game, letting the Orioles know there was no way to stop this miracle.

Al Weis (10/16/69)

Weis’ 1969 regular season stats were not what you’d call impressive — .215, 2 home runs, 23 RBIs. Nowadays he probably wouldn’t make the post-season roster. Not only did he make the team, he played in all five World Series game, hitting .455. His solo home run in the 7th inning of Game 5 tied the game at 3, helping propel the Mets to their first World Series title. 

Dave Kingman (take your pick)

You can’t talk about Mets home runs without talking about Dave Kingman. He used to regularly launch homers over the bullpen at Shea and into the parking lot, a feat not often accomplished. He played on some pretty awful Mets teams, so none of his home runs was particularly historic, but they all were certainly long and memorable. Kingman was just really fun to watch — even when he struck out, which was often.

Darryl Strawberry (10/1/85)

This was the situation — with just 6 games left in the season, the Mets were 3 games behind the Cardinals in the NL East, and traveled to St. Louis for a 3 game series. They needed a sweep, so the tension began before the game even started. It only increased as Game 1 was scoreless into the 11th inning. Strawberry stepped up and hit a monster shot to right that slammed into a digital clock on the scoreboard. The Mets won the game 1-0 — one of the most tense, exciting games in Mets history.

Lenny Dykstra (10/11/86)

Pivotal Game 3 of the 1986 playoffs against the Astros at Shea. The Mets were down by a run in the bottom of the 9th, on the verge of going down 2 games to 1, when Lenny Dykstra hit a two-run homer to give the Mets a 6-5 win. It gave the Mets a 2-1 series lead, which they would go on to win in 6 games.

Todd Pratt (10/9/99)

Pratt was the Mets backup catcher who was only in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks because superstar catcher Mike Piazza was out with a bad thumb. So when he came to bat with the score tied 3-3 in the 10th inning, nothing much was expected of him. But he launched a long fly to dead center field that Steve Finley couldn’t come down with (although for a few heart-stopping seconds we all thought he did) that gave the Mets the 3-1 series win. 

Robin Ventura (10/17/99)

Pratt played a role in the greatest homer/non-homer in baseball history. It was 3-3, bottom of the 15th inning of Game 5 of the NLCS against the Braves. Ventura stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He proceeded to hit a grand slam to right center to win the game. But did he? Pratt, the runner on first, intercepted Ventura as he tried to round the bases. The rest of the team piled on, and Ventura never did make it to second. He was credited with a single and an RBI. But the Mets still won the game, and the term “Grand Single” was born.

Mike Piazza (6/30/00)

With the Mets down 8-1 in the bottom of the 8th, most fans were chalking this up as another loss to the hated Braves. But not the players. They mounted a comeback that saw them score 10 runs in the inning, capped off by a 3-run home run by Piazza. Then-manager Bobby Valentine called it “one of the most unlikely things I’ve ever seen.” 

Mike Piazza (9/21/01)

A year later, Piazza hit an even more memorable, important home run. With the New York City still reeling from 9/11, the Mets hosted the Braves in the first sporting event since that horrible day. The Mets were down 2-1 in the 8th, when Piazza slammed a 2-run homer. The Mets won 3-2, and the city had something to feel good about for the first time in 2 weeks. 

Mo Vaughn (6/26/02)

Mo Vaughn’s time as a Met was less than memorable, but one moment does stand out. He slammed a home run to right field that hit midway up that big old hulking scoreboard, right into a Budweiser ad. It was estimated at 505 feet. Gary Cohen called it probably the longest he’d ever seen at Shea, and he probably saw most of them.

Mug Shots Courtesy Ultimate Mets Database, http://ultimatemets.com/mugshots.php