Thursday night the Mets staged a historic rally, coming from six runs down in the ninth inning to stun the Phillies, 8-7. Down to their last out and trailing by three runs, they pulled out an unthinkable victory for one of the more unlikely regular-season wins in franchise history.
Here are some other dramatic Mets victories that rival this one:
Mets vs. Braves, June 30, 2000
Trailing 8-1 entering the bottom of the eighth inning against the Braves, the Mets put together one of the most memorable innings in the team’s history, rallying for 10 runs against their nemesis to prevail, 11-8.
At one point, eight straight Mets reached base. Edgardo Alfonzo pulled them even with a two-run single and Mike Piazza put an exclamation point on the rally with a laser beam of a three-run homer off reliever Terry Mulholland down the left-field line that barely stayed fair.
The large crowd of 52,831, which had stayed for the postgame fireworks, was rewarded for staying in their seats with a come-from-behind win over an opponent that had entered having won 26 of the previous 32 regular-season games in the one-sided rivalry.
Mets vs. Expos, Sept. 13, 1997
Before Thursday’s win, this was the last time the Mets had come from six runs down in the ninth inning to win. Clinging to the edge of the playoff race, they had managed just one hit off Dustin Hermanson and were down 6-0.
They were one strike away from being shut out before magic happened. Roberto Petagine drove in two runs with a two-strike single and slumping outfielder Carl Everett took closer Ugueth Urbina deep. Two innings later, a hobbled Bernard Gilkey sent everyone home deliriously happy, with a pinch-hit, two-out, three-run homer that kept the Mets’ flickering postseason hopes alive with a 9-6 win in 11 innings.
Mets at Braves, July 17, 1973
The Mets entered the ninth inning down 7-1, just as they were against Philadelphia. It all started with what seemed like an innocent two-run homer, same as Thursday night.
Instead of Francisco Lindor, it was Rusty Staub doing the honors. Two batters later, John Milner went deep, and all of a sudden it was a two-run game. With two outs, three straight Mets reached base, setting the table for Willie Mays’ game-winning, two-run single that stood up after Harry Parker retired the side in order in the bottom half of the frame.
The win was emblematic of the team’s slogan — “Ya Gotta Believe,” courtesy of closer Tug McGraw — that year. The Mets went from last place on Aug. 30 to the World Series.
Mets at Astros, Sept. 2, 1972
Amid a lost season in which the Mets didn’t sniff the playoffs, this was one day that stood above the rest. After getting blown out the previous night, the Mets seemed on their way to another ugly defeat, trailing 8-0 after seven innings.
Out of nowhere, they pulled off a comeback that remains the largest in franchise history. The Mets scored 11 runs on 12 hits over the final two frames.
Ken Boswell’s three-run homer in the eighth made it an 8-4 game, and Wayne Garrett added a two-run single to trim the deficit to a run. Cleon Jones plated the go-ahead runs with a single, and the Mets won on for a stunning 11-8 win at the Astrodome.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism