| 1986 New York Mets | |
|---|---|
| World Series champions National League champions National League East champions | |
 The 1986 World Champion New York Mets reuniting at Citi Field for the team's 30th anniversary in 2016 | |
| League | National League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Shea Stadium |
| City | New York |
| Record | 108–54 (.667) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Owners | Nelson Doubleday Jr. and Fred Wilpon |
| General manager | Frank Cashen |
| Manager | Davey Johnson |
| Television | WOR-TV 9 (Ralph Kiner, Tim McCarver, Steve Zabriskie, Rusty Staub) SportsChannel New York (Ralph Kiner, Tim McCarver, Fran Healy, Rusty Staub) |
| Radio | WHN–AM 1050 (Bob Murphy, Gary Thorne, Juan Alicea (SP)) |
During the 1986 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, the New York Mets won the National League East (NL East), the National League Championship Series (NLCS) and the World Series, the team's second and most recent World Series championship. General manager Frank Cashen and manager Davey Johnson built a powerful team that compiled one of the best regular season records in MLB history.
Playing their 25th season in the National League, the Mets improved from a 98–64 record in 1985 to a franchise-best 108–54. They were never seriously challenged in the NL East, defeating the second-place Philadelphia Phillies by 211⁄2 games. They went on to defeat the Houston Astros in six games in the NLCS and the American League champion Boston Red Sox in seven games in the World Series. Both series featured a memorable extra-inning Game 6 won by the Mets after being down to their final at-bat: over the Astros to win the NLCS and over the Red Sox to avoid elimination and force a Game 7.
The 1986 Mets have been described as one of the best teams in MLB history. Nevertheless, the failure to sustain the success has marred the team's legacy. During the season, many team members drank heavily, and the 1986 Mets have become known for their lifestyle off the field.
Background
[edit]The New York Mets began play in 1962, and for their first seven years were known mostly for losing. Despite this, they attracted considerable fan support,[1] especially once Shea Stadium opened in 1964.[2] By 1968, they had one of the National League's premier pitching staffs, but still finished ninth in the ten-team league.[3] But the following year, the "Miracle Mets" won the National League East with a 100–62 record and swept the Atlanta Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series.[4][5] The American League champions, the Baltimore Orioles, who had won 109 games during the regular season, had difficulty taking New York seriously, given the team's reputation for losing.[6] They learned to do so, as in the 1969 World Series, the Mets defeated the Orioles, four games to one.[7]
The Mets failed to build on this triumph.[8] In 1973, the Mets, despite a mediocre regular season, took the defending champion Oakland A's to the seventh game of the 1973 World Series.[9] That would be the last postseason appearance for the Mets until 1986.[10] Minimal success followed 1973, leading into losing seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with low attendance. Many fans were alienated by the 1977 trade of pitcher Tom Seaver in a contract dispute.[11] In 1979, the Mets finished last, 35 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, and drew fewer than 800,000 fans to Shea Stadium, the lowest full-season attendance thus far in team history.[12]
In January 1980, Nelson Doubleday Jr. and Fred Wilpon purchased the Mets. They hired Frank Cashen as general manager.[13] He began work, warning that it would take four or five years to build a winning team. One advantage the Mets' woeful record had gotten them was the first pick in the 1979 MLB Draft, which they used to select Darryl Strawberry.[14] Cashen made only one minor trade in 1980, spending the season observing,[15] and the team avoided last place for the first time since 1976, finishing fifth. The 1981 season saw improvement, with young prospects such as Hubie Brooks and Mookie Wilson playing well. The team briefly contended in the second half of the strike-marred 1981 season, before fading due to injuries.[16][17]
The 1982 Mets started well, six games over .500 on Memorial Day, and then fell apart, losing 97 games and coming within two of the team record for consecutive losses, set at 17 by the woeful 1962 Mets.[18] Cashen made a number of trades, acquiring Ron Darling and George Foster, and with the fifth selection in the 1982 MLB Draft took Dwight Gooden.[19] The Mets finished last again in 1983, but Strawberry won NL Rookie of the Year and the Mets' young pitching staff showed potential. The Mets acquired former Most Valuable Player Keith Hernandez from the St. Louis Cardinals.[20]
Before the 1984 season, Cashen hired former Oriole Davey Johnson as manager. Despite an abundance of quality pitching, the Mets were picked to finish last again.[21] Gooden won seventeen games and the NL Rookie of the Year award and Strawberry started the All-Star Game as the Mets finished second, 61⁄2 games behind the Chicago Cubs.[22] The Mets improved what was already a strong lineup by acquiring slugging catcher Gary Carter from the Montreal Expos in December 1984.[23] The Mets built by such trades: of the eight position players who started most for the 1986 Mets, only four were originally signed by New York, and of the four regular starting pitchers, only Gooden was a Mets draft pick.[24] In 1985, the Mets won 98 games and took the Cardinals to the final weekend of the regular season before finishing second, three games back.[25] Despite having the most wins in baseball for the combined 1984 and 1985 seasons, in an era before the wild card in baseball, the Mets had no playoff appearances to show for it.[26]
Offseason
[edit]The Mets signed no expensive free agents in the 1985–86 offseason. GM Frank Cashen did not favor free agency, and most baseball owners, at the request of the new baseball commissioner, Peter Ueberroth, had agreed to refrain from signing free agents to keep salary costs down. For this, they were later penalized for collusion.[27] Given Cashen's views on the subject, the Mets might have stayed out of the free agent market anyway, but their rivals also doing so benefitted New York.[28]
Notable offseason transactions involving the Mets included:
- November 13, 1985: Calvin Schiraldi, Wes Gardner, John Christensen, and La Schelle Tarver are traded by the Mets to the Boston Red Sox for Bob Ojeda, Tom McCarthy, John Mitchell and Chris Bayer (minors).[29]
- November 13, 1985: Kelvin Chapman, Brent Gaff and Tom Paciorek were released by the Mets, who sent Clint Hurdle, Randy Niemann and Terry Leach to the Tidewater Mets.[30]
- December 10, 1985: Hurdle was selected by the Cardinals from the Mets in the 1985 rule 5 draft.[31]
- January 16, 1986: Ronn Reynolds was traded by the New York Mets with Jeff Bittiger to the Philadelphia Phillies for Rodger Cole and Ronnie Gideon.[32]
- January 16, 1986: Billy Beane, Joe Klink, and Bill Latham were traded by the Mets to the Minnesota Twins for Tim Teufel and Pat Crosby (minors).[33]
- March 4, 1986: Tim Corcoran was signed as a free agent by the Mets.[34]
Spring training
[edit]
One issue that shadowed the Mets as they began preparation for the 1986 season was the involvement of Hernandez in cocaine use–he had testified during a criminal trial in Pittsburgh during the previous year's pennant race. On February 28, 1986, Commissioner Ueberroth suspended Hernandez, along with six players on other teams, for a year, but allowed them to play the 1986 season if they agreed to drug testing, performed community service and donated part of their salaries to anti-drug initiatives. All affected players agreed to these terms.[35]
The 1986 Mets held spring training at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida for the 25th season, at facilities that they shared with the Cardinals.[36] Tired of the arrangement, the Mets signed an agreement in June 1986 to move to a complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida.[37] During the exhibition season, the Mets posted a record of 13 wins, 13 losses and a tie.[38] One major injury during spring training was to Mookie Wilson, whose sunglasses shattered when hit by a thrown ball during a drill. He needed eye surgery and was out for two months.[39]
Regular season
[edit]The 1986 Mets were my introduction to the experience of being good, and of course it was a complete anomaly—our one and only unstoppable winning machine. We were the favorite in every game we played. The Mets were the favorite. We were supposed to win and we did. It'll never happen again ... It felt less like magic, more like curb-stomping. The '86 Mets were crude and brutish and swaggering, and they kept punching people ... The '86 Mets were a pack of savages, and I loved it.
April
[edit]The Mets had a rocky start with a 2–3 record (including two extra-inning losses to the St. Louis Cardinals and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively). But when the Mets beat the Pirates on April 22 for their fifth straight victory, moving their record to 7–3, they took over first place, a position they would never relinquish.[40][41]
The Mets had their first off-the-field controversy of the season, with Gooden involved in an altercation at LaGuardia Airport while returning a rental car. Although this later led to Gooden doing commercials for another rental car company, there were negative headlines in the New York press at the time.[42]
Their toughest test in this stretch happened in St. Louis in a four-game series. On April 24, with the Cardinals leading 4–2 in the top of the ninth, Howard Johnson hit a game-tying home run and the Mets won in ten innings, the first blown ninth inning lead for the Cardinals in 90 games. After Gooden shut out the Cardinals in the second game, New York completed the sweep with two more wins. Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog told sportswriters, "The Mets are the team to beat. Hell, they think they won the last two years anyway."[43] The Mets finished the month 13–3, 41⁄2 games in front of the Cardinals and the best start in franchise history.[44]
May
[edit]After posting the best winning percentage of any month in franchise history in April, the Mets won twice more, over the Braves, before losing, but then started a seven-game winning streak, thus winning 18 of 19 games and posting an overall record of 20–5. By then, four of the Mets' five NL East rivals were at least nine games back, including the Cardinals, leaving only the Expos, whom the Mets had not yet played.[45] On May 15, after a victory over Houston and ex-Met Nolan Ryan, Gary Carter stated that the other teams "must be thinking, 'Gee, when are the Mets going to take a dive?' Well, we don't plan on it."[46]
Many of the Mets drank heavily, including on the charter aircraft taking the team from city to city. Davey Johnson, a hard drinker both as a player and as Mets manager, strongly disliked taking on the role of disciplinarian, and avoided it. Though some Mets, like Gary Carter and Mookie Wilson, were well-behaved, others, such as Danny Heep, Doug Sisk and Jesse Orosco, drank heavily in the rear of the team aircraft (and elsewhere) and were known as the "Scum Bunch".[47]
The Mets continued from Houston on a nine-game West Coast swing, on which they went 5–4.[48] The Mets had rarely had success on West Coast road trips in recent years and counted it a victory to return to Shea with the same four-game lead they had left with.[49] On May 27 at Shea, the Mets and Dodgers had an on-the-field brawl after Dodgers reliever Tom Niedenfuer hit Ray Knight with a pitch after George Foster had hit a grand slam home run.[50] The Mets went 18–9 in May and ended the month with a season record of 31–12.[48]
June
[edit]The Mets had suffered injuries to third baseman Howard Johnson and to Strawberry, the latter causing great concern since an injury to him the previous year was blamed with costing the Mets the division title. Both returned in June, with the Mets 6–3 in Strawberry's absence.[51]
Playing against the Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium on June 6, the Mets were in another on-field brawl, this one sparked by a dispute between Pirates pitcher Rick Rhoden and Mets first base coach Bill Robinson over whether Rhoden was tampering with the ball.[52] The Mets split a doubleheader with the Pirates that day, with Strawberry went 4–7 with a home run on his first day back, and the Mets took four of five games in that series.[53] On June 10 against the Phillies, reserve infielder Tim Teufel hit a pinch-hit, game-winning grand slam in the 11th inning.[54][55]
New York finally played Montreal in mid-June; the Expos won two of three at Stade Olympique, with Gooden losing the third game, and Montreal also won two of three at Shea, with Gooden pitching poorly in a no decision. Despite an 8–2 record, Gooden was pitching badly enough that there was speculation as to what might be wrong–his increasing cocaine habit was not yet publicly known. Ahead by 91⁄2 games at month's end,[56] the Mets went 19–9 during June and finished the month with a season record of 50–21.[48]
July
[edit]A Gooden victory over the Astros at Shea on July 4 was the team's eighth straight, and put the Mets 121⁄2 games ahead in the NL East,[48] the second-largest July 4 lead in NL history after the 1912 New York Giants.[57]
The Mets had their third brawl of the season on July 11 when Braves pitcher David Palmer hit Strawberry with a pitch after Carter hit a three-run home run and then took a curtain call to the Shea crowd. Carter, on his next at bat against Palmer hit a grand slam, and the Mets won 11–0.[58]
At the 1986 MLB All-Star Game in Houston, with New York 131⁄2 games ahead, there were five Met players including Gooden, who was the starting (and losing) pitcher for the NL. Also present was Davey Johnson, one of Whitey Herzog's coaches.[59] The night after the All-Star break concluded, still in Houston, the Mets defeated Nolan Ryan and the Astros, 13–2. Then, several Mets went out to a local nightclub and there was an altercation with the Houston police, and four Mets were arrested. Charges were dropped, but there was massive publicity and the Mets lost the remaining games in the series.[60]
The remaining brawl the Mets had on the field in 1986 occurred at Cincinnati's Riverfront Stadium on July 22. In the top of the ninth, Dave Parker dropped the ball that could have been the final out for the Reds, allowing the Mets to tie the game. In the bottom of the tenth, Eric Davis got to third and brawled with Ray Knight. Both men, along with Kevin Mitchell and Mario Soto, were ejected. Johnson was forced to alternate Orosco and Roger McDowell in the outfield and at pitcher. In the top of the fourteenth, Howard Johnson hit a three-run home run to score the winning runs.[61] The Mets went 16–11 during July and finished the month with a season record of 66–32 and were up by 151⁄2 games in the NL East.[48]
August
[edit]Former MVP George Foster was released after he was benched for Mitchell, and in interviews stated his belief that the benching was not due to his decline in production, but was for racial reasons. Foster had also refused to leave the bench for the brawl in Cincinnati, which was seen by teammates as a refusal to defend them. Former Mets favorite Lee Mazzilli was re-signed, filling Foster's spot on the roster.[62]
By mid-August, the pennant race was just about over, with the Mets up 18 games.[63] The Mets went 21–11 in August and ended the month with a season record, to that point, of 87–43 and were up by 19 games in the NL East.[48]
September–October
[edit]By September 12, the Mets had reduced their magic number, the number of wins (or losses by the second-place team) they needed to clinch the division, to 2, and with a three-game series upcoming at the second-place Phillies, the Mets expected to clinch the division.[64] Droves of Mets fans were at hoping to see them clinch the NL East. Instead, the Phillies remained alive in the division by sweeping the Mets.
The Mets won a team-record 108 games.[69] They went 16–11 during September and won all five regular season October games to end the season with a record of 108-54 while winning the NL East by 211⁄2 games.[48]
Postseason
[edit]NLCS
[edit]There was for the Mets the terrifying shadow of a pitcher named Mike Scott hanging over the entire proceedings. In his two starting assignments, Mike Scott positively humiliated New York's killers. After that the Mets kept looking over their shoulders, anticipating when they would see him next, until on the day of the sixteen-inning game, Scott's shadow lent a new kind of ferocity to the Mets' game plan. Time may twist the Mets' memories of that situation, but virtually every one of them felt that the team could not beat Scott. Virtually every one of them believed that either they would win it in six or give back to Scott in Game Seven everything they had created in the magnificent summer of 1986.
The Astros had won the NL West with 96 wins, 12 fewer than the Mets.[70] It was the NL East's turn to have home team advantage, but the Houston Oilers had an NFL game scheduled for the same day as Game 4 that could not be moved, and the league scheduled the Astros to have the extra home game.[71] Thus, the Astros hosted the Mets for the first two games of the 1986 National League Championship Series,[72] with Game 1 on October 8 featuring Gooden against Mike Scott. A second-inning home run by Houston's Glenn Davis was the only run as the Astros won the opening game, 1–0.[73] The Mets evened the series the next day as Bob Ojeda outpitched Nolan Ryan, 5–1.[74]
Game 3 at Shea Stadium on October 11 featured a matchup of Bob Knepper versus the Mets' Ron Darling. Houston took a 4–0 lead, including a two-run home run by Bill Doran but the Mets tied it with four runs in the sixth, including a home run by Strawberry with two men on base. Rick Aguilera of the Mets gave up an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but in the bottom of the ninth, Lenny Dykstra of the Mets hit a two-run home run off Houston closer Dave Smith to win the game 6-5, with Orosco taking the decision.[75] Houston pitched Scott again in Game 4; he outdueled Sid Fernandez, 3–1, for his second win of the series.[76]
Postponed a day due to rain,[77] Game 5 was another pitcher's duel with Nolan Ryan for the Astros against Dwight Gooden. Ryan gave up one run in nine innings, while Gooden gave up one run in ten. Wally Backman singled in the twelfth and was brought home by a Carter hit for the winning run in a 2–1 game, with Orosco winning his second game.[48][78]
The series returned to Houston for its conclusion, with the Mets up three games to two.[48] The Mets were desperate to avoid giving Mike Scott a chance at a third victory in a Game 7.[79] The Astros scored three runs in the bottom of the first and Knepper set to work protecting that lead, allowing no runs through eight innings, and the score remained 3–0 Astros going into the top of the ninth.[80] Three hits by the Mets in the top of the ninth scored two runs and drove Knepper from the game, bringing in Smith, who allowed a sacrifice fly by Knight to tie the score. The game went into extra innings. The Mets scored in the top of the fourteenth, but in the bottom of the inning Billy Hatcher homered to tie the game again at 4–4. In the sixteenth, the Mets scored three times, but the Astros cut the lead to a run before Orosco retired the side for his third win of the series, 7–6, giving the Mets the pennant.[81]
On the flight back to New York, the Mets partied on the charter flight and trashed the plane, causing United Airlines to present them with a bill for $7,500 and a notice that the team's business was no longer welcome.[82]
World Series
[edit]
The Boston Red Sox had defeated the California Angels in the 1986 American League Championship Series.[83] They quickly took the wind out of the Mets' sails by winning the first two games at Shea, the first 1–0 behind Bruce Hurst, the second 9–3, a Steve Crawford win in relief of Roger Clemens over Gooden.[84]
The Mets won Game 3 at Fenway Park behind two Gary Carter home runs, as Bob Ojeda was the winner, 7–1, over Oil Can Boyd. They evened the series behind Darling, 6–2, as Al Nipper took the loss. But Hurst beat the Mets again in Game 5, defeating Gooden, 4–2. This sent the series back to Shea Stadium with the Mets needing to win two straight games to take the series.[85]
Ojeda and Clemens faced off in Game 6, though neither figured in the decision. The Red Sox took leads of 2–0 and 3–2, but the Mets tied it each time and the game went to extra innings, tied 3–3. In the top of the tenth, Dave Henderson homered and Marty Barrett drove home Wade Boggs to give the Red Sox a 5–3 lead.[86]
In the bottom of the tenth, the first two Mets went quietly against Calvin Schiraldi. With the Mets down to their last out, Carter and Kevin Mitchell singled, and Ray Knight drove home a run with a single to narrow the score to 5–4 and bring Mookie Wilson to the plate. Boston manager John McNamara brought in Bob Stanley to pitch to Wilson.[87] As Wilson batted, he fouled off a series of pitches. Stanley threw a wild pitch to bring home Mitchell and tie the game at 5–5. Wilson hit a ball down the first base line. First baseman Bill Buckner attempted to field it but it went between his legs, Knight scored, and the Mets won 6–5, meaning there would be a series-deciding Game 7.[88]
The final game was postponed a day due to rain, allowing McNamara to start Hurst for the third time.[89] The Red Sox took a 3–0 lead in the second inning, while Hurst allowed little until the sixth inning, when the Mets broke through to tie the score. Schiraldi replaced Hurst, and in the seventh inning, Knight hit a home run and the Mets scored three runs to take a 6–3 lead. Boston narrowed the lead to 6–5 in the top of the eighth, but two runs, including a home run from Strawberry, gave the Mets an 8–5 lead. Jesse Orosco, who had been brought in to relieve Roger McDowell in the eighth, retired the Red Sox in the ninth to give the Mets their second World Series championship.[90]
Aftermath and legacy
[edit]The Mets owned New York City because they were New York City. In 1986, way before the Giuliani crackdowns, the Big Apple was a cesspool of sin ... There was a ruthlessness floating through the air, a vibe that the movie Wall Street summed up perfectly. Mets manager Davey Johnson guaranteed that his team would dominate, and the town didn't flinch. They expected nothing less.
New York City threw a parade for the Mets the day after Game 7; two million fans attended. Not among those present was Dwight Gooden, who would have a difficult winter, including an arrest in his hometown of Tampa, culminating with his testing positive for cocaine at the start of the 1987 season and entering a rehabilitation facility.[91] Just like in 1985, the Mets finished second, both times three games behind the Cardinals.[92]
The 1988 Mets easily won the NL East, but fell in seven games to Orel Hershiser and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 NLCS. The Mets finished second the next two years, but by then few 1986 Mets remained on the team, and Davey Johnson was fired early in the 1990 season.[93] Despite World Series appearances in 2000 and 2015, they have not won the Series again.[94]
In 1987, Bill James said of the 1986 Mets, "In what areas of play were they outstanding? They led the league in both ERA and runs scored ...There may never have been a pennant winner which had such an extraordinary balance of pitching and hitting."[95] In 2000, Rob Neyer and Eddie Epstein ranked the 1986 Mets eighth and tenth, respectively, in lists of all-time great teams.[96] The team is often regarded as one of the best of all time, being cited in 2021 by ESPN as a top contender for best MLB team of the previous half-century.[97] Nevertheless, according to Neyer and Epstein, "Davey Johnson's Mets won only one World Series, which of course hurts their standing in the court of popular opinion."[98]
In 2009, ESPN.com writer David Schoenfeld described Game 6 of the 1986 World Series as the second-greatest sports moment of the 1980s, behind the "Miracle on Ice" of the 1980 Winter Olympics.[99] Jerry Izenberg wrote a book about Game 6 against Houston entitled, The Greatest Game Ever Played[100] Silverman agreed with that assessment: "three decades later, there is not a lot of argument against it. More than a dozen LCS have gone the full seven games since 1986, but the drama of this six-game series remains unparalleled."[72] At the time, it was the longest postseason game ever played; though it has been surpassed in that regard, it remains the longest game in the NLCS. Brett Baker of baseball-reference.com stated, "In retrospect the 1986 Mets were a team of destiny. And this game, when they were up 3-2 in the series, but down 3-0 going into the 9th is a prime example."[101]
ESPN's 30 for 30 in 2021 released a four-part documentary on the 1986 Mets entitled Once Upon a Time in Queens.[102][103]
The 1986 Mets have become as known for their partying as for their success on the baseball diamond, in large part due to Jeff Pearlman's 2004 bestseller, The Bad Guys Won. Pearlman stated that there could be no parallel to the 1986 Mets in the 21st century:
There’s no way with Twitter and cell phones, iPhones, that the '86 Mets could have lived that way—there’s no way. At [the bar] Finn McCool's getting wasted and someone would videotape it. Or some woman would have taken pictures [of] her hooking up with ... No. Impossible.[104]
Standings and game logs
[edit]Regular season standings
[edit]| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Mets | 108 | 54 | .667 | — | 55–26 | 53–28 |
| Philadelphia Phillies | 86 | 75 | .534 | 21½ | 49–31 | 37–44 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 79 | 82 | .491 | 28½ | 42–39 | 37–43 |
| Montreal Expos | 78 | 83 | .484 | 29½ | 36–44 | 42–39 |
| Chicago Cubs | 70 | 90 | .438 | 37 | 42–38 | 28–52 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 64 | 98 | .395 | 44 | 31–50 | 33–48 |
Source:[70]
| 1986 Game Log Overall: 108–54 (Home: 55–26; Away: 53–28) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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April (13–3) (Home: 5–1; Road: 8–2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
May (18–9) (Home: 9–3; Road: 9–6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
June (19–9) (Home: 11–6; Road: 8–3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
July (16–11) (Home: 9–6; Road: 7–5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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September (16–11) (Home: 11–4; Road: 5–7)
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October (5–0) (Home: 3–0; Road: 2–0)
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| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mets win | Mets loss | All-Star Game | Game postponed | Clinched playoff spot |
| "GB" legend | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (NL East) | Not in playoff berth | Tied for 1st (NL East) | |
All times are Eastern time Sources for game logs:[48] Some statistics reproduced from boxscore for each game.
Record vs. opponents and by month
[edit]
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Source for tables:[48]
Notable transactions
[edit]- April 1, 1986: Tom Gorman was released by the Mets.[105]
- April 5, 1986: Doug Frobel was traded by the Montreal Expos to the New York Mets for Joe Graves (minors) and Rodger Cole (minors).[106]
- June 2, 1986: 1986 Major League Baseball draft
- Curtis Pride was drafted by the Mets in the 10th round. Player signed June 12, 1986.[107]
- John Olerud was drafted by the Mets in the 27th round of the 1986 amateur draft, but did not sign.[108]
- June 9, 1986: Tim Corcoran was released by the Mets.[34]
- June 30, 1986: Ed Lynch was traded by the Mets to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Dave Lenderman and Dave Liddell.[109]
- August 3, 1986: Lee Mazzilli was signed as a free agent by the Mets.[110]
- August 7, 1986: George Foster was released by the Mets.[111]
- August 24, 1986: Alex Diaz was signed as an amateur free agent by the Mets.[112]
Postseason game log
[edit]| 1986 Postseason Game Log | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Mets Win | Mets Loss |
Source for game logs:[48] Some statistics reproduced from boxscore for each game.
Attendance
[edit]| Attendance | Rank in Major Leagues |
|---|---|
| 2,767,601 | 2 (to L.A. Dodgers) |
1985 attendance: 2,762,417, 2nd in attendance behind Dodgers.[113]
Opening day lineup
[edit]| Opening Day Starters | ||
|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Position |
| 4 | Lenny Dykstra | CF |
| 6 | Wally Backman | 2B |
| 17 | Keith Hernandez | 1B |
| 8 | Gary Carter | C |
| 18 | Darryl Strawberry | RF |
| 15 | George Foster | LF |
| 20 | Howard Johnson | 3B |
| 3 | Rafael Santana | SS |
| 16 | Dwight Gooden | P |
Sourced to:[114]
Roster
[edit]Sourced to:[115]
| 1986 New York Mets | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
|
Outfielders
|
Manager
Coaches
| ||||||
Player stats
[edit]| = Indicates team leader |
Batting
[edit]Starters by position
[edit]Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
- Sourced to:[116]
| Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Gary Carter | 132 | 490 | 125 | .255 | 24 | 105 | 1 |
| 1B | Keith Hernandez | 149 | 551 | 171 | .310 | 13 | 83 | 2 |
| 2B | Wally Backman | 124 | 387 | 124 | .320 | 1 | 27 | 13 |
| 3B | Ray Knight | 137 | 486 | 145 | .298 | 11 | 76 | 2 |
| SS | Rafael Santana | 139 | 394 | 86 | .218 | 1 | 28 | 0 |
| LF | George Foster | 72 | 233 | 53 | .227 | 13 | 38 | 1 |
| CF | Lenny Dykstra | 147 | 431 | 127 | .295 | 8 | 45 | 31 |
| RF | Darryl Strawberry | 136 | 475 | 123 | .259 | 27 | 93 | 28 |
Other batters
[edit]Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
- Sourced to:[116]
| Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mookie Wilson | 123 | 381 | 110 | .289 | 9 | 45 | 25 |
| Kevin Mitchell | 108 | 328 | 91 | .277 | 12 | 43 | 3 |
| Tim Teufel | 93 | 279 | 69 | .247 | 4 | 31 | 1 |
| Howard Johnson | 88 | 220 | 54 | .245 | 10 | 39 | 8 |
| Danny Heep | 86 | 195 | 55 | .282 | 5 | 33 | 1 |
| Ed Hearn | 49 | 136 | 36 | .265 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Lee Mazzilli | 39 | 58 | 16 | .276 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
| Kevin Elster | 19 | 30 | 5 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Stan Jefferson | 14 | 24 | 5 | .208 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| John Gibbons | 8 | 19 | 9 | .474 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Dave Magadan | 10 | 18 | 8 | .444 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Barry Lyons | 6 | 9 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tim Corcoran | 6 | 7 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
[edit]Starting pitchers
[edit]Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
- Sourced to:[118]
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwight Gooden | 33 | 250.1 | 17 | 6 | 2.84 | 200 |
| Ron Darling | 34 | 237.0 | 15 | 6 | 2.81 | 184 |
| Sid Fernandez | 33 | 204.1 | 16 | 6 | 3.52 | 200 |
| Bob Ojeda | 32 | 217.1 | 18 | 5 | 2.57 | 148 |
| Rick Aguilera | 28 | 141.2 | 10 | 7 | 3.88 | 105 |
Other pitchers
[edit]Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
- Sourced to:[118]
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rick Anderson | 15 | 49.2 | 2 | 1 | 2.72 | 21 |
| Bruce Berenyi | 14 | 39.2 | 2 | 2 | 6.35 | 30 |
| John Mitchell | 4 | 10.0 | 0 | 1 | 3.60 | 2 |
Relief pitchers
[edit]Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts; SV = Saves
- Sourced to:[118]
| Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO | SV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger McDowell | 76 | 128.0 | 14 | 9 | 3.02 | 65 | 23 |
| Jesse Orosco | 59 | 81.0 | 8 | 6 | 2.33 | 62 | 21 |
| Doug Sisk | 41 | 70.2 | 4 | 2 | 3.06 | 31 | 1 |
| Randy Niemann | 31 | 35.2 | 2 | 3 | 3.79 | 18 | 0 |
| Randy Myers | 10 | 10.2 | 0 | 0 | 4.22 | 13 | 0 |
| Terry Leach | 6 | 6.2 | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 4 | 0 |
| Ed Lynch | 1 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 |
Awards and honors
[edit]57th Major League Baseball All-Star Game
[edit]The 57th Major League Baseball All-Star game was held at the Astrodome on July 15, 1986, with the American League winning, 3–2. Roger Clemens of the Red Sox was the winning pitcher and Dwight Gooden of the Mets took the loss. Participants from the Mets were as follows:[123]
Infielder
| Pos | # | Player | League | AB | H | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1B | 17 | Keith Hernandez | National League Starter | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Outfielder
| Pos | # | Player | League | AB | H | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF | 18 | Darryl Strawberry | National League Starter | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Catcher
| # | Player | League | AB | H | RBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Gary Carter | National League Starter | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Pitchers
| # | Player | League | IP | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | Sid Fernandez | National League | 1 | 3 |
| 16 | Dwight Gooden | National League Starter | 3 | 2 |
Coach
| # | Coach | League | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Davey Johnson | National League | Third Base Coach |
Farm system
[edit]Steve Schryver was farm director for the Mets in 1986.[117]
Columbia won the league championship.[127]
Bibliography
[edit]- Golenbock, Peter (2002). Amazin’: the Miraculous History of New York’s Most Beloved Baseball Team. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-27452-8.
- Goodman, Michael E. (1999). The History of the New York Mets. Creative Education. ISBN 978-0-88682-917-9.
- Gordon, Devin (2021). So Many Ways to Lose: The Amazin' True Story of the New York Mets, the Best Worst Team in Sports. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-294002-5.
- Izenberg, Jerry (1987). The Greatest Game Ever Played. Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 978-0-8050-0513-4.
- Neyer, Rob; Epstein, Eddie (2000). Baseball Dynasties: The Greatest Teams of All Times. W. W. Norton & Co. ISBN 978-0-393-04894-0.
- Pearlman, Jeff (2004). The Bad Guys Won. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-050732-9.
- Silverman, Matthew (2016). One-Year Dynasty: Inside the Rise and Fall of the 1986 Mets, Baseball's Impossible One-and-Done Champions. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4930-0909-1.
References
[edit]- ↑ Goodman, p. 6.
- ↑ Gordon, pp. 64–65.
- ↑ Golenbock, pp. 213–214.
- ↑ Goodman, pp. 13–14.
- ↑ Gordon, p. 93.
- ↑ Gordon, pp. 98–99.
- ↑ Goodman, p. 14.
- ↑ Gordon, pp. 107–109.
- ↑ Goodman, pp. 17, 20.
- 1 2 Pearlman, p. 167.
- ↑ Goodman, p. 21.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 22.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 23.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 24–25.
- ↑ Golenbock, p. 361.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 27–28.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 20.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 20–21.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 29–30.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 21.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 45–36.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 29.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 38–39.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, p. 336.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 6–7.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 23.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 25–30.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 35.
- ↑ "Bob Ojeda page". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 33.
- ↑ "Clint Hurdle page". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Ronn Reynolds Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 24, 2012.
- ↑ "Billy Beane page". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- 1 2 "Tim Corcoran page". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 42–46.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 50.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 61–62.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 55.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 48.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 62–63.
- ↑ Durso, Joseph (April 15, 1986). "Johnson Error in 13th Leads to Mets' 6-2 Loss". New York Times. p. A25.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 60.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 65.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 65–68.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 89, 92–93.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 75.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 75–86.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "1986 New York Mets Schedule". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 99–100.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 101–103.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 106–109.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 97–98.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 110–111.
- ↑ Durso, Joseph (June 11, 1986). "Teufel Slams Phils; Yanks Escape; Mets win in 11th, 8-4". The New York Times. p. D27.
- ↑ Pascarelli, Peter (June 11, 1986). "Mets Rock Phils on Grand Slam in 11th". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 111–113.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 124.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 111–112.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 124–127.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 127–132.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 130–134.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 145–148.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 150.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 166–167.
- ↑ "Magic Number (MN)". Major League Baseball. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ Pascarelli, Peter (September 12, 1986). "Mets Set to Clinch Vs. Phils". Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
- ↑ Durso, Joseph (September 18, 1986). "Finally, the Mets achieve the Inevitable Title". New York Times. p. B17.
- ↑ Yannis, Alex (September 18, 1986). "Fans Rip Up Field". New York Times. p. B17.
- ↑ Vecsey, George (October 6, 1986). "Mets Installing Single-Wing Offense?". New York Times. p. C4.
- 1 2 "1986 National League Team Statistics". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Izenberg, p. 41.
- 1 2 Silverman, p. 172.
- ↑ Izenberg, pp. 41–43.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 185–187.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 187–191.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 178.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 179.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, p. 328.
- ↑ Izenberg, p. 51.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 199–200.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 201–204.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 13–16.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 215.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 217–222.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 202–206.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 208–215.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 246–252.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 252–254.
- ↑ Pearlman, p. 256.
- ↑ Pearlman, pp. 256–260.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 245–247.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, p. 323.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 251–252.
- ↑ "MLB World Series Winners". ESPN. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 253–254.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, pp. 361–365.
- ↑ Schoenfield, David (September 14, 2021). "Are the 1986 New York Mets the best MLB team of the past half-century? We rank the top 10 contenders". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, p. 332.
- ↑ Silverman, p. 254.
- ↑ Neyer & Epstein, p. 327.
- ↑ Baker, Brett (November 17, 2025). "Longest Playoff Games in MLB History". Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ Steinberg, Brian (April 27, 2021). "ESPN Sets Launch of Mets Documentary, 'Once Upon a Time in Queens,' for 2021". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ↑ "ESPN Films Latest 30 for 30 "Once Upon a Time in Queens" to Premiere September 14 & 15" (Press release). ESPN. August 25, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ↑ Silverman, pp. 249–250.
- ↑ "Tom Gorman page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Doug Frobel". Baseball-referece.com. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Curtis Pride page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "John Olerud page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Ed Lynch Trades and Transactions by Baseball Almanac". www.baseball-almanac.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ↑ "Lee Mazzilli page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "George Foster page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "Alex Diaz page at Baseball Reference". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 12, 2010.
- ↑ "1986 National League Attendance & Team Age". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ "New York Mets vs Pittsburgh Pirates Box Score: April 8, 1986". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ "1986 New York Mets". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 "1986 New York Mets Batting Statistics". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- 1 2 "1986 New York Mets Statistics". Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "1986 New York Mets Pitching Statistics". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- ↑ "MLB Babe Ruth Award Winners". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "MLB Postseason MVP Award Winners". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "MLB National League Gold Glove Award Winners". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "MLB Silver Slugger Award Winners - National League". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "1986 All-Star Game Box Score, July 15". Baseball-reference.com. Retrieved June 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Tidewater Tides Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Jackson Generals Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Lynchburg Hillcats Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 "Columbia Mets Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Little Falls Mets Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Kingport Mets Yearly Record". The Baseball Cube. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
External links
[edit]
- 1986 New York Mets at Baseball Almanac
- 1986 New York Mets schedule and stats at MLB.com
- The 1986 New York Mets at Retrosheet
- 1986 Mets: The ballad of Doc and Darryl at ESPN.com
- Marshall, Ash (March 10, 2010). "Remembering the 1986 New York Mets: The Five Greatest Moments". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on August 16, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
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