Ultimate Mets Database: Game of April 15, 1997

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Previous Game:
April 14, 1997
Giants 3, Mets 2 1997 Regular Season Game 13
April 15, 1997
Mets 5, Dodgers 0 Next Game:
April 16, 1997
Dodgers 5, Mets 2

Click to view scorecard

National League Standings, April 15, 1997

Box Score Game Memories Scorecard Mets Stats
Thru This Game

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE APRIL 15, 1997 GAME:

Dan
August 16, 2000
What a great night at Shea! Took my Mom (who grew up a Brooklyn Dodgers fan) to her first game at Shea in over 20 years for Jackie Robinson Night. President Clinton was there. I said "hi" to Spike Lee in the corridor. Mom chatted with comedienne Elaine Boozler. Jerry was the only one missing! And the Mets played well, Reynoso pitched well, and it was a solid shut-out victory.

Dan H.
October 1, 2006
One of my all-time favorite nights at Shea. Honoring Jackie Robinson's 50th Anniversary of breaking the race barrier in the presence of his wife, Commissioner Selig, President Clinton was a highlight of my life. It was amazing to observe the multigenerational families: the grandparents who remembered Jackie and came to the game with their children and grandchildren who only know the legend. I, too, was there with my mother as well as my two young sons. That the Mets won the game was only a sidelight.

Scoey
May 17, 2019
This was a great shutout win for the Mets in which Lance Johnson had a pair of two-run singles. It was during this game that Jackie Robinson was honored on the fiftieth anniversary of his debut. Bud Selig announced that MLB was retiring No. 42, but the ceremony was ill-timed. Instead of holding it before the game like he should have, the non-traditional commissioner had the thing after the fifth inning.

One special feature about baseball as opposed to other sports is that it does not have halftime or any other kind of intermission. Mr. Selig created one here, which was one of many screw-ups h he had during his time in office. I wonder if Jackie himself would have approved of the ceremony interrupting a game in progress instead of it being conducted ahead of time.

Dave VW
September 10, 2024
I don't know if it was coincidence or planned, but having the Dodgers play in New York on this evening was apropos, considering Jackie Robinson played his entire career with the Dodgers in Brooklyn. I didn't realize that it was actually a secret that Robinson's #42 was being retired across baseball. Looking back, that revelation must have been quite the bombshell. It was also noteworthy that other games in action on this night also paused play while the ceremony was shown on the respective stadium's big screen. ESPN had all the bases covered on the broadcast, too, bringing in Pee Wee Reese over satellite, interviewing Larry Doby and President Clinton, and showing numerous candid interviews featuring Robinson over the years prior to his death.

As for the game itself, Reynoso made his Mets debut pitching 5 shutout innings, Toby Borland went the final 4 to collect his only save as a Met, and Lance Johnson plated 4 of the 5 runs as the Mets won their first home game of 1997.

Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:

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The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
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The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
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