Leftfielder Mookie Wilson took an uneasy swing on Oct. 25, 1986. The ball skidded down the first base line towards Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. It could’ve been the end of the inning, and Boston could’ve had another chance at clinching the World Series in six games. But the ball slid through Buckner’s legs, and the Mets would go on to win the game and the series.
That was 25 years ago, but the legacy of the 1986 Mets endures until today. It’s the same legacy left by the 1969 Mets as well: miraculous. Whenever the Mets win the World Series, it seems to be miraculous. Who would’ve thought they’d defeat the might Orioles in 1969 after eight straight years of dismal seasons? Who would’ve believed they’d come back from the jaws of defeat in the 10th inning of game six against the Red Sox?
But that’s the Mets: they’re amazin’. It’s this sense of being the underdogs that draws so many people to them.
“The main reason I became a Mets fan is because everyone else seems to be a Yankees fan,” said Vanessa Parker, a journalism major at Stony Brook. “I have always favored the underdog.”
The Yankees normally take the spotlight, but there are some years, such as 1969 and 1986, where they lose their flare. It’s in these moments where the Mets take off and grab New York City by storm. It was said that there was at least someone on the ‘86 Mets that everyone could identify with.
“They are an example of what the Mets should be every year,” said journalism major Robert Christie. “A dominant team that should not be messed with.”
They had finished in second place in the 1985 regular season in the National League East, going 98-64. They were only three games behind the eventual National League champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Then the Mets continued their climb in ‘86. With 25 years of history in the books, they aimed at their second World Series title. They won 10 more games than they did the previous year with 108.
The Mets faced the powerful Boston Red Sox in the World Series. The Sox came into the series flexing their muscles, swiping the first two games at Shea Stadium. It could’ve been over for the Mets, but they clobbered Boston in two of three games in Boston.
Then game the legendary game six. By the middle of the 10th inning, the Red Sox lead 5-3. Wally Backman and Keith Hernandez were retired for the first two outs of the inning, and there was only one out separating Boston from the championship they had been hunting for 68 years.But they would have to wait a little longer. As Wilson delivered the game-winning hit. The Mets would win the less eventful game seven and take the series.
The Mets are miracle workers; a legacy they have left from their two world series championships. Through thick and thin, there is one word that characterizes the Mets experience: Amazin’.
