Dave VW
July 28, 2023
I have no memory of watching this game but I probably did when it originally aired considering, as Michael wrote, this was the first ever game broadcast on FOX. I may be in the minority, but I actually like Joe Buck as a broadcaster, and it was nice listening to him when he was younger.
This was Pete Harnisch's first start since serving an 8-game suspension for his part in the brawl between the Mets and Cubs on March 11. He got off to a rocky start, walking three in a row before giving up a double down the LF line to Raul Mondesi that scored two. Those were actually the first walks he allowed in 3 starts. But after that, Harnisch only gave up a solo homer to Mike Blowers, and he left after 7 innings with a 4-3 lead.
The Mets took the lead in the 6th, but it looked like more bad luck was going to doom them in the inning. After Jose Vizcaino led off with a single, Bernard Gilkey drilled a deep flyball to CF that Roger Cedeno somehow caught after the ball hit off the heel of his glove and he trapped it up against his body. Jeff Kent followed by hitting a liner off Tom Candiotti, but 2B Delino DeShields alertly tracked down the ball and threw Kent out. After those tough outs, it was up to Roberto Petagine, making just his second start for the Mets since being promoted from AAA. But he came through, knocking in Vizcaino with a single, and Chris Jones followed with an RBI double to give the Mets the lead.
Doug Henry made things exciting in the 8th but worked around a walk and a single, and then John Franco retired all 3 he faced in the 9th for the save. So in the record books, the Mets won the first ever game on FOX. As mentioned by Michael, Ordonez made a diving play on a grounder by Eric Karros in the 8th, resulting in a game-changing double play. He also made a sparkling catch on a foul popup by Cedeno in the 2nd. Even after all these years, he's still mesmerizing to watch on defense.
I learned watching this back that the Dodgers had gone 485 consecutive games starting a right-hand pitcher. The last lefty that started for them was Bobby Ojeda in 1992, and the next wouldn't be until Dennys Reyes in 1997. Crazy. This was also the only time in 21 appearances against the Mets in which Candiotti didn't record a strikeout.
Finally, the trivia question during the game was: Who are the only players (as of 1996) to hit at least 25 career home runs for both the Mets and Dodgers? The answer was Darryl Strawberry and Eddie Murray (I guessed Hubie Brooks instead of Murray). As luck would have it, two future members of the club played in this very game: Mike Piazza and Jeff Kent. Can anyone think of any others?
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