Met-rospectives: A Collection of the Greatest Games in New York Mets History (in English)
Synopsis "Met-rospectives: A Collection of the Greatest Games in New York Mets History (in English)"
The Mets are a team known for warming hearts one day and breaking them the next. Nothing has ever come easy for the National League's third franchise in New York. Even the miraculous championship year of 1969 didn't occur without seven preceding years of futility. And in the dominant 1986 regular season, the road to an expected World Series title didn't happen without gut-wrenching, precipice-of-defeat dramatics in the playoffs. There have been fair measures of wondrous and woeful in the franchise's history, but this book's 57 game summaries--coinciding with the number of Mets years through 2018--are strictly for the eternal optimist. All, with the exception of one valiant defeat, end in triumph for the orange and blue. The selection process for these games involved various criteria including the time in the season, the dramatic level, and the impact in shaping franchise history. The games are recounted here thanks to the combined efforts of 32 SABR members. They run the gamut of the team's lifespan, beginning with its very first victory in April 1962 at Forbes Field, running through Tom Seaver's "Imperfect Game" in July '69 and the unforgettable Game Sixes in October '86, the "Grand Slam Single" in the 1999 NLCS, then concluding with extra-inning heroics in September 2016 at Citi Field that helped ensure a wild-card berth. April 23, 1962: Mets First VictoryTony Valley June 26, 1963: Tim Harkness Game-Winning SlamAlan Raylesberg May 31, 1964: Longest DoubleheaderAlan Cohen July 9, 1969: Seaver's Near-Perfect GameAlan Raylesberg September 15, 1969: Swoboda Is Carlton's Achilles HeelRichard A. Cuicchi October 15, 1969: Seaver/Swoboda Beat BaltimoreThomas J. Brown Jr.October 16, 1969: First Expansion Team to Win a World SeriesThomas J. Brown Jr. April 22, 1970: Seaver Strikes Out 19 BattersThomas J. Brown Jr.May 14, 1972: Willie Mays Homers in Mets Debut Kevin LarkinSeptember 2, 1972: The Kind of a Night You Dream AboutIrv Goldfarb September 20, 1973: All the Good BouncesBrian Wright October 10, 1973: Ya Gotta BelieveSteven C. WeinerOctober 14, 1973: Say Hey One Last TimeFrederick C. BushOctober 18, 1973: Koosman, McGraw Shutout Takes SeriesFrederick C. Bush June 14, 1980: The Steve Henderson GameTom CugginoApril 5, 1983: Tom Seaver's ReturnBruce Slutsky September 7, 1984: Dwight Gooden One-Hits CubsJoseph Wancho April 9, 1985: Gary Carter HR DebutBruce Slutsky July 4, 1985: Fire(works) & RainBrian WrightSeptember 12, 1985: Hernandez Walk-OffJoseph Wancho October 1, 1985: Strawberry's 11th-Inning WallopRichard A. Cuicchi July 22, 1986: Extra-Inning Slugfest w/Brawl & Home Run Michael Huber 23 October 11, 1986: Dykstra's Homer Ends G3 NLCSRory Costello October 14, 1986: Carter's Single Wins G5 NLCSRory Costello October 15, 1986: 16-inning Battle for PennantRory CostelloOctober 25, 1986: Buckner ErrorMatthew Silverman October 27, 1986: Game SevenMatthew Silverman August 11, 1988: McReynolds' Grand SlamBrian M. Frank October 4, 1988: Mets Steal G1 of NLCSPaul Hofmann October 8, 1988: Mets Beat Dodgers, WeatherTara Krieger July 25, 1990: Mets Survive Six-Run NinthMichael Huber July 28, 1993: Walk-off Ends Young's 27-game Losing StreakKevin Larkin and many more!
