I wasn't going to post this until Monday morning, but given what Mets fans went through on Saturday night (the first 17+ inning win since September 29, 1993 vs the Cardinals and the first 17+ inning road win since the 16-13 19-inning mess against the Braves on July 4, 1985) it seemed like a good idea to put this out now.
You've heard a lot about the Summer of '77 from a Yankees perspective these last few days but probably haven't heard much about it from a Mets standpoint.
That's because, in 1977, being a Mets fan sucked. The team went 64-98. The manager got fired. The best players got traded. There weren't many good days to be a Mets fan this season.
A rare exception was July 9. It was Camera Day at Shea and the Mets won in a photo finish.
The fun began in the 5th inning with the Mets trailing Steve Rogers 3-0 in danger of losing their 10th straight game. With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Bruce Boisclair bashed a three-run game-tying triple, than scored the go-ahead run on Lenny Randle's sacrifice fly.
A 4-3 lead wasn't good enough to last an inning as the Expos tied the game in the visiting 6th on a hit by former Met Wayne Garrett. That turned the affair into a rather lengthy one as both bullpens settled in rather nicely.
In the 11th, the Mets transitioned relievers from Skip Lockwood to Jackson Todd and the Expos took advantage of the swap. Gary Carter singled home Ellis Valentine (the Expos had a Met theme to their lineup that day) to put Montreal ahead 5-4.
The Mets tied the game immediately in the home half though. Steve Henderson, on the first pitch after being dusted by a Joe Kerrigan fastball, showed off his knack for clutch hits by hitting a game-tying home run.
Todd did well to survive the next inning, and the next one after that, and the next one after that, and the next one after that. His four frames of scoreless relief stretched the game out deeper into the day and after Paul Siebert pitched in with two hitless innings of relief, the score remained even in the last of the 17th.
By now the game was more than four hours old and in need of an ending. One was provided, by Randle, who had already made a few nifty plays at third base. With two outs and Siebert on first base after a force play, Randle hit his first righthanded home run of the season, off southpaw Will McEnaney, to give the Mets a 7-5 victory.
Those truly in need of a Metsbreak know...If the Mets survive Sunday without losing via walk-off loss, it will be only the 2nd time in Mets history that they had no walk-off losses at the All-Star Break. The other, written about not long ago, was in 1966.
You've heard a lot about the Summer of '77 from a Yankees perspective these last few days but probably haven't heard much about it from a Mets standpoint.
That's because, in 1977, being a Mets fan sucked. The team went 64-98. The manager got fired. The best players got traded. There weren't many good days to be a Mets fan this season.
A rare exception was July 9. It was Camera Day at Shea and the Mets won in a photo finish.
The fun began in the 5th inning with the Mets trailing Steve Rogers 3-0 in danger of losing their 10th straight game. With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Bruce Boisclair bashed a three-run game-tying triple, than scored the go-ahead run on Lenny Randle's sacrifice fly.
A 4-3 lead wasn't good enough to last an inning as the Expos tied the game in the visiting 6th on a hit by former Met Wayne Garrett. That turned the affair into a rather lengthy one as both bullpens settled in rather nicely.
In the 11th, the Mets transitioned relievers from Skip Lockwood to Jackson Todd and the Expos took advantage of the swap. Gary Carter singled home Ellis Valentine (the Expos had a Met theme to their lineup that day) to put Montreal ahead 5-4.
The Mets tied the game immediately in the home half though. Steve Henderson, on the first pitch after being dusted by a Joe Kerrigan fastball, showed off his knack for clutch hits by hitting a game-tying home run.
Todd did well to survive the next inning, and the next one after that, and the next one after that, and the next one after that. His four frames of scoreless relief stretched the game out deeper into the day and after Paul Siebert pitched in with two hitless innings of relief, the score remained even in the last of the 17th.
By now the game was more than four hours old and in need of an ending. One was provided, by Randle, who had already made a few nifty plays at third base. With two outs and Siebert on first base after a force play, Randle hit his first righthanded home run of the season, off southpaw Will McEnaney, to give the Mets a 7-5 victory.
Those truly in need of a Metsbreak know...If the Mets survive Sunday without losing via walk-off loss, it will be only the 2nd time in Mets history that they had no walk-off losses at the All-Star Break. The other, written about not long ago, was in 1966.
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