I found a video of this game on Super 8 film, with the first two innings and some fielding practice. It also includes the dulcet tones of Gary Cohen and Bob Murphy.

It is on YouTube, if you search 5/4/98.

John Olerud supplied 3 runs thanks to a 1st-inning 2-run homer and a 3rd-inning RBI single, and Armando Reynoso threw shutout baseball for the first 5 innings. But it all unraveled in the 6th, as 4 singles, a Reynoso throwing error on a pickoff attempt, and a balk allowed Arizona to take a 4-3 lead.

But the Mets came right back in the 7th, as Carlos Baerga led off with a double and moved to third on a sac bunt by Rey Ordonez. Matt Franco pinch hit for Reynoso next, and he slapped a single to knock in Baerga and tie the score. Then Tony Phillips drove a double into the LF gap to score Franco, and the Mets went right back in front. Edgardo Alfonzo followed with a single, but Phillips could only make it to third. Olerud then lined one destined for the LF corner but Matt Williams made a great leaping catch, and Mike Piazza (facing lefty Alan Embree in a juicy matchup), fouled one down the RF line that had HR distance but was way foul. He then grounded out to third to end the inning.

Greg McMichael, Mel Rojas and John Franco kept the D'backs off the scoreboard from there, as the Mets would win to regain control of the wildcard lead and go 12 games over .500 for the first time all season.

Mike Piazza hit a grand slam in the second inning to put the Mets ahead to stay in this game. It was the first of six slams that Piazza would have as a Met to establish a team record.

To build off NYB Buff's post, Piazza's grand slam would be the only one the Mets hit in all of 1998. However, it was Piazza's 4th -- his other 3 came with the Dodgers. The 6-run explosion in the bottom of the 2nd was particularly nice to see as the D'backs had just gone up 4-0 in the top of the inning. But Bobby Jones only allowed 3 more hits the rest of the day, and Dennis Cook capped off the win with 2 hitless innings of relief.

Pitching on 3 days rest, Jones went 7 innings to get the victory. Sadly, though, it was his last win of the season. Over his remaining 5 starts he went 0-2, though he didn't pitch poorly with a 4.09 ERA. He just didn't get much run support.

On the other side, this was Andy Benes' worst of 24 career starts against the Mets. Though while he looked like toast, the crazy thing is he was phenomenal over the rest of 1998, allowing just 3 runs total over his 6 remaining starts.

Back to Piazza, he also made a fantastic catch on a foul pop up in the 3rd when he slid on his knees and had his momentum carry him into the Arizona dugout, where he crashed off the steps and onto the floor. Luckily, he was all right, but I hope Valentine planned to give him the next day off to allow his body to recuperate.

This win brought the Mets to 15 games over .500 for the first time all season. A Cubs loss to Randy Johnson and the Astros this afternoon also put the Mets all alone in the wildcard lead.

I was at this game on a hot, sticky, summer day at Shea and they were facing the Arizona Diamondbacks. Though I had known Bernard Gilkey had been traded to the Diamondbacks, it really felt weird seeing him playing in a D-Backs uniform just a month after I had watched him play in a Mets uniform and just two days after I had first seen the movie Men in Black where he appears in a Mets uniform when he is hit in the head with a batted ball.

It seemed like one of those easy days because our ace Al Leiter was facing Brian Anderson, a guy who one season gave up more homers than any other pitcher in baseball. However, despite a homer by Alfonzo, Anderson pitched well, Leiter didn't pitch as well, and the Mets lost 4-3.

Second game at Shea for me, went with my father and my friend's family.

I remember it being obnoxiously hot and an odd series because it was a three-gamer that started on a Saturday and ended on Monday. Just a bad loss to a bad team which culminated in a series loss the following day.

I remember this game well. My sophomore year of high school was coming near its end. It was a humid night. It was me, my cousin Dan, my uncle Dave, and my dad. Who would have known that a tight game like this would be the start of an eight-game skid? Rick Reed pitched a good seven innings. Too bad it went to waste.

The two keys in this game were Mike Piazza tumbling and not scoring in the ninth, and then the debated 3-2 pitch to Luis Lopez that was called a strike to end the game with the bases loaded.

On the way home, we were talking away about the sudden change in atmosphere among the fans when that 3-2 pitch was called strike three on Luis Lopez. It went from major excitment to major frustration with a few obscenities. Benny Agabyani hit one of what were many home runs at the time. Mets lost 2-1, the first of an eight-game losing streak.

Got seats from a co-worker of my father's: a mezzanine season ticket which was the only time I didn't sit in the upper deck at Shea.

Omar Daal outdueled Rick Reed and Benny Agbayani continued his seemingly unfettered march to Cooperstown (at least to my eight-year old self) with another home run.

I actually left the game early with my father, but I do remember the two keys Anthony described listening to the game on WFAN on the way home.

I shut this game off in the first inning. The reason for this was not because the Mets fell behind so early, but because I couldn't tell which team was the Mets. On this day, both the Mets and Diamondbacks wore black shirts and black hats. They looked exactly alike! I couldn't watch a game in which I couldn't tell my team from the other. Seeing the result of the game later, I was glad I did.

This has been a problem in the major leagues ever since owners decided to add alternate jerseys to their teams' wardrobes. There have been many games that have had both teams wearing dark shirts, quite often the same color. It's important to distinguish one team from the other, especially if one of those teams is your own. What ever happened to basic home and away uniforms?

The Mets held a lead at 2 different times in this game but Orel Hershiser couldn't hold it either time, ultimately tiring out in the 6th inning when the Diamondbacks used 4 singles to cash in 2 runs and tie the score at 3-3. Dennis Cook then gave up the go-ahead run on an RBI double to Jay Bell in the 7th (a spot where Turk Wendell should have probably been summoned), and Pat Mahomes allowed a homer to Matt Williams in the 8th, giving Matt Mantei plenty of cushion to lock up the save as he struck out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the 9th.

Armando Reynoso beat his former team for the second time in 1999, going 7 innings and allowing 3 runs (though 2 were unearned due to a Bell error in the 6th). However, this would be Reynoso's final win of the year, as he went 0-4 with an 8.85 ERA over the remainder of the season and wouldn't even appear when the Mets and D'Backs squared off in the NLDS.

Not much else to say about this one. I watched it back on an old FX Saturday night broadcast, with Matt Vasgersian calling the game alongside Ken Brett. I feel dumb for saying this, but I had no idea who Brett was. Came to find out he had a 14-year Major League career and was George Brett's older brother. I wasn't really a fan of his style, reminding me a lot of how super-critical Tim McCarver would be over silly little things. For example, he got on Rickey Henderson's case for not running hard to break up a force out in the 1st inning when the ball was going to beat him to the base by 20 feet even if he did. But I was still sad to learn he'd pass away only 4 years later from brain cancer, something he had been dealing with since 1997.

Damned if I was going to let the fact that this game started at 11PM cost me the chance to miss the Mets first playoff game since 88. And they made staying up until 2AM worth it by whipping Johnson and the DBacks. As I had done a few short days ago, I gasped and then cheered and danced as Alfonzo blasted a grand slam just inside the foul pole in the 9th. And the Mets miracle run continued...

As a Diamondbacks fan, I attended this game at Bank One Ballpark. I was sitting behind the left- field foul pole when Edgardo Alfonzo's grand slam in the ninth inning fell into the stands just below me. I was disappointed by this result and by the fact that Randy Johnson did not pitch a good game.

However, the Diamondbacks finally got their revenge against New York (if not against the Mets - against the bad boys from the Bronx) when they won World Series two years later, coming from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the seventh game on Luis Gonzalez' bases- loaded bloop single.

A lesson is learned from every baseball game. In game 6 of the 1986 World Series, Bob McNamara pulled Roger Clemens after 7 incredible innings for the Red Sox and, as you all know and have seen highlight reels of a million times, the Mets managed to come back and win. YOU DON'T PULL A GOOD PITCHER LIKE ROGER CLEMENS IN A CLOSE, HUGE GAME! The same thing happened on this night in Arizona, Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS. Randy Johnson did not pitch a great game, this is true. But the game was tied at 4 and Buck Showalter decided to hand the game over to his bullpen instead of letting Randy Johnson, the great pitcher that he is, finish what he started. Instead, he gave Bobby Chouinard the ball and, with the bases loaded, Edgardo Alfonzo skied one into the seats in left and put a dagger in the hearts of every Diamondbacks fan (which I'm okay with because, of course, I'm a Met fan). After this game, I had a feeling the Mets had this series.

Obviously this was our first playoff game in a decade (if you don't count the tiebreaker vs. the Reds) and Fonzie put the team on his back. I remember how late it was on the East Coast when this one ended. One general comment about this game, which was true for a lot of 98 and 99 especially was how well Cook and Wendell kept us in it after the Diamondbacks got on a roll in the middle innings. Particularly Wendell - he got more key outs for us in those two seasons than most people seem to remember.

I had class early the next morning so there was no way I was going to watch this live, but I did tape it and watch it back the next day, and tried my best to avoid spoilers before I could get a chance to watch it. But it was unavoidable, as my friends couldn't help but inform me of the outcome. I still watched it back from start to finish, though. Knowing Alfonzo's grand slam was coming in the 9th was like waiting all year for presents on Christmas Day.

Fonzie also homered in the 1st for the second straight day, and then Olerud and Piazza singled, so it looked like it might have been a real short outing for Johnson. But he came back to strike out Agbayani and Ventura to get out of the inning. As of 2024, Alfonzo is 1 of 6 in Mets history to hit 2 homers in a playoff game. His 5 RBI are also tied for the Mets playoff record.

In the 3rd, Olerud slugged a 2-run homer to put the Mets up 3-0. It was the first HR Johnson had given up to a left-handed batter all year, and only the 3rd Olerud hit off a LHP. Talk about improbable! The Mets added a 4th run in the 4th when Ventura led off with a double and bunts by Dunston and Ordonez brought him home.

On the mound, Yoshii started solidly for the Mets, earning the Game 1 nod due to holding a 1.74 ERA over his final 9 starts in 1999. But 2nd time through the lineup you could tell the D'Backs were getting much better swings in against him. He gave up a triple to Tony Womack in the 3rd and had him score on a sac fly by Jay Bell, then Erubiel Durazo and Luis Gonzalez homered in the 4th and 6th, respectively, with Gonzalez's homer being a bomb that tied the score at 4-4. Yoshii struck out Matt Williams next but was then taken out for Dennis Cook as Arizona had a couple of lefties due up.

The combination of Cook, Wendell and Benitez pitched 3.2 scoreless innings, with Cook giving up the only hit -- a double by Randy Johnson in the 7th, one of only two career postseason hits by the Big Unit. In a stroke of good luck for the Mets, however, Johnson forgot how many outs there were and got doubled off second base when the following batter, Womack, flew out to LF.

Meanwhile, Johnson was on cruise control at that point, allowing just a walk to Henderson between the 5th and 8th innings. But, eclipsing 130 pitches in the 9th, you could tell he was running out of steam. He gave up singles to Ventura and Ordonez, then walked Melvin Mora on 4 pitches to load the bases with 1 out. Arizona then called on Bobby Chouinard to get out of the jam, and he seemed to be a good candidate for the job as he allowed only 21% of inherited runners to score all year. He looked well on his way to succeeding when Henderson hit a grounder to third that Williams grabbed on a dive, then threw home to nail Ventura at the plate. It was an incredibly clutch play by the third baseman, and one that left it entirely up to Alfonzo to not leave the bases loaded.

To this day, I still haven't seen a replay that clearly shows Fonzie's drive passing the foul pole on the fair side, but the umpires ruled it fair and that's all that matters. His is the only grand slam in Mets playoff history (if you don't count Ventura's grand slam single). Somehow, all the runs on base were charged to Johnson, even though Chouinard had let Henderson reach on the force out, but the 7 runs were the most Johnson would ever allow over 19 career postseason appearances. He was charged with the loss, making it his 6th straight playoff start in which he took a loss.

How much longer will the magic last??

As a Diamondbacks fan, I attended this game at Bank One Ballpark. It was pleasing to me to see the D-Backs bounce back after a disappointing performance the night before. The D-Backs needed to win only one game at Shea Stadium to return the series to Phoenix. However, that was not to be, so we had to wait until the year after next year to earn our championship.

There were 3 key plays that I think made the difference in this game.

1. In the bottom of the 3rd with the Mets up 1-0, Rogers retired the first two batters but then loaded the bases, as Jay Bell singled, Luis Gonzalez was hit by a curveball that didn't curve, and Matt Williams reached base on a swinging bunt. Rogers was then very careful pitching to lefty-masher Greg Colbrunn, so much so that he walked him to force in a run. Next, Steve Finley overpowered the lefty vs. lefty matchup and dribbled a single into RF to score 2, giving Arizona its first lead of the series. Replays showed Williams, the trail runner, might have been out at home, as his lead leg bounced over the plate while Piazza applied the tag, but in the age prior to replay, the call stood.

2. The very next inning, the Mets looked poised to rally as Ventura walked to lead off and then Hamilton hit a tailor made double play to Bell that he booted. Instead of 2 out and no one on, the Mets had 1st and 2nd with nobody out, and Cedeno coming up. I don't know if it was a call from the dugout or something Roger wanted to do himself, but he went up there bunting, but instead of giving himself up he tried to drag the bunt for a hit. However, he missed, and Ventura, wandering a little too far from 2nd, was picked off by catcher Kelly Stinnett, snuffing out the rally (though I think replays showed SS Tony Womack missed Ventura with the tag, but Ventura put up absolutely no protest). Cedeno then grounded into a double play to end the inning.

3. In the bottom of the 5th, the Mets yanked Rogers with 1 out and 1 on to bring in Mahomes. Williams greeted him with a single, but Pat struck out Colbrunn (I thought Arizona could have pinch hit with Erubiel Durazo instead) to bring up Finley. With Bernard Gilkey up next and a base open, my thought was Mahomes shouldn't throw anything good to Finley and instead go after the righty Gilkey. And I thought that was the plan after he started Finley with 3 straight balls. Finley swung 3-0 and fouled off a pitch, and then Mahomes threw a meatball right down Broadway that Finley ripped for a 2-run double. Terrible job by Mahomes, and I think that pretty much sealed the fate of the Mets in Game 2, with the way Todd Stottlemyre was throwing.

The Mets did make some amazing defensive plays in the game, most notably Ventura getting Bell in the 1st on grounder that took him into foul territory, and Hamilton making a running grab in the 4th just before sliding into the CF wall. But poor pitching and bad clutch hitting (Mets went 0-for-8 with RISP) doomed them in this game.

Other things to note: Henderson stole 3 bases, which still stands as the Mets postseason record for a single game; Finley had 5 RBI, which also still holds up as the Diamondbacks' postseason record for a single game (though 2 others have tied him); and John Franco made his first ever postseason appearance, pitching 1.2 scoreless innings in garbage time.

This was my first ever playoff game and this season I went to many many nailbitters and of course of the way to Shea we hear Ed Coleman say Mike Piazza wont play today because of a injured thumb, the 1st thing that came to my mind was I have the worst luck in the world, that at of all the playoffs games I go to Mike Piazza isn't gonna play, but finnally something went my way and that is the Mets beat the D-Backs 9-2 oh man after all the games I have ever went to and all the years of stressful games it felt so great to watch a playoff game and in the 7th inning just relax and not even worry about a rally or nothing, this was my favorite game ever and also I caught a foul ball hit by Tony Womack so it couldn't get better.

The first home postseason Mets game in 13 years. . .and I was there! This was the first (and so far only) playoff game I attended and my boys didn't disappoint. They played a dominant brand of baseball that night and took hold of this series against a team they struggled with all season long. The 6-run sixth when they batted around was a thing of precision, as they kept getting one well-placed hit after another. When you score nine runs without a home run, you know players brought their hitting shoes with 'em. Just a great night to be at Shea (although probably not as great as the following afternoon). For a lifelong Mets fan (we're talking since 1973), getting to see my boys in person in the playoffs was a great moment.

This was the first playoff game I attended. My family has a share in season tickets for seats on the field level behind third base. It was my dad and I. I was in my junior year of high school. I remember I got called down to the office at school because my dad was on the phone to verify when we were heading off to Shea. The game was awesome. I would have been happy even if the Mets had gotten knocked out in the first round (I did not expect them to beat Arizona). This game the field level was litterly rockin' with all the fans jumpin'.

This was the first Met playoff game I ever attended after being a Met fan for 24 years and the electricity was incredible. We were sitting down the right field line and some people were standing up for most of the game. I remember Darryl Hamilton being a sparkplug this night.

It was the 1st Mets playoff game I ever attended. My brother, cousin and his ex-brother-in-law was with me. We sat in the mezzanine (3rd base side). And before the game we tailgated with thousands of other fans in the parking lot. Many of the fans were blasting "LA Woman" from the Doors and many more were listening to the Braves-Astros game that was going on that afternoon. The Mets won in a rout and my best memory was of the 4 of us hopscotching to our seats to avoid the clumps of horse manure that the NYPD horsies had left as a reminder. I always wish to this day that my cousin (who had the tickets to all the playoffs, he had the Sunday games package) had invited me to Game 4 aka Todd Pratt's home run off Matt Mantei. Oh well.

I don't think anyone predicted the Mets would win in a laugher with Mike Piazza sidelined due to injury. But the offense picked up the collective slack, combining for 11 hits and 8 walks, and taking advantage of 3 Arizona errors, to get to within a win of the NLCS.

What's most amazing was that they scored 9 runs while only getting 1 extra-base hit: a double by Alfonzo in the 3rd inning. They put the game out of reach in the 6th when 10 batters came to the plate to score 6 runs. That's tied for the most runs in an inning in team playoff history. They also scored 6 in the 6th inning in Game 4 of the 2006 NLCS vs. St. Louis (a game they won, 12-5).

With Piazza out, it was Benny Agbayani getting the start in the cleanup hole. He hadn't received a single AB batting cleanup during the entire 1999 season. Benny went 2-for-2 with a couple of singles before getting pinch-hit for in the 5th.

Rick Reed pitched very well, his only blemish a 2-run homer to pinch-hitter Turner Ward in the 5th. That momentarily cut the Mets lead to 3-2, but a tight contest turned into a rout once the 6th inning was over. Turk Wendell, John Franco and Orel Hershiser threw a scoreless inning each in relief to seal the victory.

It was a great bounceback after a poor Game 2, and one that put the Mets in position to close out the series without seeing Randy Johnson again, and allowed them to nurse Piazza a couple extra days without forcing him into the lineup because the season hung in the balance. And a Leiter vs. Brian Anderson matchup in Game 4 certainly put the Mets in a favorable spot to clinch a berth into the next round.

My oldest son had a Little League game that afternoon, so before leaving, I popped in a videotape around the 7th inning and started taping. Turned out to be a great move - my youngest son's all-time favorite videotape moment (which gets rewound and replayed ad infinitum) is watching Steve Finley look in his glove and NOT see the baseball that had just come off of Todd Pratt's bat. The most priceless moment is watching Johnny Franco prance out of the dugout as Pratt rounded the bases and crossed the plate, ensuring that the Mets would meet the Braves in the LCS.

A very strange game. . .the Mets benefit from Tony Womack's late inning muff of an easy fly ball. . .Cookie Rojas is tossed for arguing a foul-ball call down the 3rd base line (it looked fair to me too Cookie!). . .defensive super-sub Melvin Mora cuts down a runner at the plate in the late innings to keep the Mets in it. . .and then. . .TODD PRATT! Tank manages to turn around Mantei's best fastball and drive it 411 feet to dead center! No one at Shea knows if its gone until the fireworks go off and Finley checks his gloves and slumps dejectedly. What a wierd, wonderful game!!!

I was at this game, scrambed down from Binghamton that morning, and risked academic ruin as I had a paper due Tuesday, but I had a chance to go and I took it. Not to nitpick with the last comment, but Mantei had thrown 2.2 innings by time Pratt hit his HR, and he's a short man, so I think his fastball was lagging. Pratt would later say he was sitting dead red, especially after Mantei bounced a splitter into the stands on the first pitch. And then it happened, Pratt smoked it out of the ballpark and somehow, I managed to stay composed enough to snap some pictures of the moment while everyone else went berserk. What a fabulous game!

Where do I begin...It was an odd game, satisfying but tense. When the game began many seats had remained empty(traffic problems it turns out)and the sky was kind of hazy. I don't think many of us there were very confident since Piazza had the bad hand and could not play. Lots of memories, from the blast down the line that got Rojas canned, to Hamilton's sliding catch in center, to Benny's blast to right center and finally to Pratt's picture perfect punch to center. But what I will never ever forget was how the upper deck vibrated with the jubilent rhythmic stomping of feet. I feared that Shea would fall apart, I really did. Long Live Todd Pratt! Lets Go Mets!

Sitting behind the plate in Section 1 or 3 of the upper deck, this was the best game I have ever seen in my lifetime. Back and forth battle until the bottom of the 10th. "Mantei sets, the pitch swing and a high fly ball deep CF hit pretty well Finley goes back at the track jumping... and its OUTTA HERE, Pratt hit it over the fence, Finley jumped and he missed it the Mets win the ballgame!" by Cohen, or Berman's call "(crack) hit pretty well, Finley goes back back back...it's over, it's over, Todd Pratt, one of the most unlikely heroes wins it in the 10th."

I was at this game and what a classic it was! It was Game 4 of the NLDS, where the Mets had the chance to clinch with a 2-1 series lead. I had my regular seats (behind home plate on the third base side). It stayed close but the D- Backs threatened in the eighth but a great throw by Agbayani and an even better job by Todd Pratt of blocking the plate saved the Mets from having Jay Bell, a future Met, score the go-ahead run.

In the bottom half of the inning, a Met (who I think was Darryl Hamilton) hit a ball down the line that would have brought home a run if it were fair. Everyone stood up and I couldn't see but it was called foul and the fans groaned but then Cookie Rojas started arguing the call and he got ejected, suspended, and fined.

I think in the same inning, Shawon Dunston had the most incredible at-bat I've ever seen, fouling off EVERY SINGLE PITCH before finally hitting one up the middle.

Then, in the tenth, Todd Pratt stepped up against Matt Mantei and hit a shot with that helicopter swing of his and it was back to the wall and I was scared because I knew Steve Finley was an incredible center fielder (which was where the ball was) and it was BACK BACK BACK! and Steve Finley jumped and came down and I thought he had the ball but he looked down at his glove and the ball wasn't there and that's when I knew the Mets were going to the NLCS and I watched John Franco (who had gotten the win) coming jumping and hopping out of the dugout and it was the greatest Mets moment I had ever experienced and then I was on eyewitness news screaming "Let's Go Mets!" so that was cool too.

I was sitting in the third to last row in the upper deck way down the right field line. Lousy seats but it gave me a perfect view of Todd Pratt's homer, which was hit to the right of the 410 sign. What most people at Shea and everyone on TV didn't see was that the ball actually GRAZED THE TOP OF STEVE FINLEY'S GLOVE as it went over the fence. The ball clearly changed trajectory (flattened out) as Finley leaped for it. Everyone remembers those few agonizing seconds when they didn't know whether to cheer or cry, but few people realize how close Finley actually came to pulling it back into the park. What a game!

As is becoming a habit of mine, I go back to posts I have made and feeling as though I was a bit too terse in leaving my memories of a particular game. This is no different. Looking back 7 years later, and having attended many games over time, this was by far the best game I have ever attended, and my memories of this game, aided by videotape and by pictures I took are far more vivid than most other games.

I remember...

...Driving down from Binghamton the previous night, a Friday, and listening to game 3 on the radio, knowing Piazza was out and then arriving home around the 6th inning and seeing the Mets slowly put the game out of reach and knowing that I would be there for game 4 and a potential clincher.

...Being so amped up for the game that I left my house around 9AM and arrived at the stadium around 10:30. The gates had just opened and I was outside waiting for my friend until 11:30. Noted the banners outside that read "ARE YOU READY FOR THE POST-SEASON."

...Finally going into the stadium and up to my seat in the Mezzanine, section 12. Watching the Dbacks take batting practice, snapping some pictures and watching as the crowds coming off the train got larger and larger as game time approached.

...Keith and Mookie throwing out the first pitches to more ovations and more anticipation. The stadium was electric. I noted that after so many years of bad Mets teams the stadium would look so large when it was empty and how it seemed so much smaller now that it was full.

...The Mets taking the field at 1:07 PM charging out to the field not to the intro to Pink Floyd’s "Time" as they had during the season but the outro to The Beatles "A Day In The Life." Everything seemed different about this game.

...Fonzie homering into the LF bleachers in the 4th and the crowd going bonkers.

...Leiter taking a no-hitter into the 5th before Colbrunn homered to break it up and tie the game.

...Henderson fouling off every deuce from Anderson before blooping a single to right. Agbayani doubled to right center to score Rickey and giving the Mets a 2-1 lead.

...Leiter making it through 7.2 innings before allowing a walk to Turner Ward and a questionable infield single to Womack which Fonzie booted before throwing to first just late. Leiter would then exit to one of the largest and loudest standing ovations I have ever bore witness to.

...Benitez giving up the double to Jay Bell scoring Ward and Womack and feeling like I was just suckerpunched. I felt like crying.

...Williams drilling a single to Left shortly after Bell rounding third to score but Melvin Mora throwing a perfect strike home and Pratt diving to tag out Bell to end the Dbacks threat.

...The bottom of the 8th being the longest inning I have ever sat through. Mind you, nobody in the stadium is sitting at this point, as Greg Olson walks Fonzie to lead off, then is removed for Greg Swindell to pitch to Olerud. And Olerud putting forth an incredible at bat, working the count to 2-2, fouling off pitch after pitch before finally lofting a fly ball to right, and seeing Womack drift back, thinking it’s going to be caught, but it keeps drifting and drifting...suddenly Womack is on the warning track...lines it up...and drops it. He dropped the ball and Fonzie scampers all the way to third, and Olerud to second. Cedeno then lofting a fly to center, Finley cutting in front of Womack to make the catch, Fonzie scoring easily to re-tie the game. Ventura then walked, and Showalter then made a peculiar move. He double switched Matt Williams, his best hitter and fielder out of the game, for Mantei. Mantei would get Pratt to hit a comebacker, and Olerud was tagged out at 3rd. 2 out. Darryl Hamilton, on 3-2, hit a slicing liner down the left field line which bounced on the chalk...And the crowd went nuts because to just about everyone it looked fair. Everyone except Charlie Williams, the LF Umpire. Cookie Rojas and Williams then engaged in a legendary argument. Bobby V. had to come out and restrain Rojas, Rojas then shoved Williams in the chest and finally had to be pulled away by Valentine, Mookie and Ventura. Bobby V. would end up coaching third after everything settled and spent the rest of the inning glaring directly at Mantei. Mantei walked Hamilton on the next pitch to load the bases. Then Ordonez struck out...I then had to take a deep breath and make sure I hadn’t died during the inning.

...Benitez getting through the 9th 1-2-3.

...Fonzie batting in the last of the 9th with Matt Franco on 2nd and being sure he would drive in the winning run...He didn’t.

...John Franco coming in for the 10th and making a great play on a Lenny Harris chopper.

...4:33PM...Pratt smoking a drive to deep center on the 1-0 pitch...and Finley going back...and I’m reaching for my camera...And Finley at the wall...And jumps...and comes down...and slumps down...And Pratt is jumping around the bases, and Ordonez and Luis Lopez come streaking across the infield, and everyone is going crazy...And the whole time I remember thinking to myself "Did I just see that? Did Pratt just do that? What in the world!?"...And fireworks are going off, and "LA Woman" is blasting.

...And the scoreboard reads in giant letters "CONGRATULATIONS NEW YORK METS ON ADVANCING TO THE NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES!!!"

...And nobody wanting to leave the stadium just yet...and walking down the ramps and hearing mock tomahawk chops and varied chants of "LARRY" and "ROCKER SUCKS" and knowing that the Blood feud was about to begin.

And you look back on a game like this and think about how many times the Mets had high hopes and tanked or never had hopes at all, and you wonder why you stick with a team. This is why. It’s all for games like this. But they’re fleeting, and time passes, you come to appreciate games like this more and more because they don’t happen very often.

I'm not sure if he's still an active participant here, but I want to thank Mets2Moon for his contribution. What a great read, and I agree wholeheartedly with your final paragraph.

Much has already been said about this game, so I won't rehash what's already been stated. My memories from this game are that I have none. That's because, on this Saturday afternoon, I took a bus trip with a few college friends of mine to watch my school's football team, Rowan University, play at Montclair State. It took the full day and, though Rowan won, I kicked myself when I got back to my dorm room because I forgot to set my VCR to record Game 4. So when I learned of the Mets victory, and how it unfolded, it was all very bittersweet: I was elated they won, but wanted to bash my head against the wall for missing it.

Thank God everything happened just perfectly in this game too, from Mora's throw (which was his first OF assist in the majors), to Womack's drop, to Pratt's homer, and everything in between, because a loss meant going back to Arizona to face Randy Johnson again, a task I don't think the Mets could have succeeded at. The Braves had also already wrapped up their series with the Astros, so they would have been afforded with a lot more rest time if Game 5 was going to be necessary.

Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Colbrunn's home run was a bit of foreshadowing, as Henderson just missed it as it sailed over the LF fence. Pratt would give Finley and the Snakes some of their own medicine just a few innings later.

Pratt was 0-for-7 in the series before his home run, and in this game alone made the final out in the 4th with a runner on 2nd, made the final out again in the 6th with runners on 2nd and 3rd, and then hit a comebacker right back to the pitcher in the 8th with runners on 1st and 3rd, during which Olerud got tagged out at 3rd. He also hadn't hit a home run since April! So it was very sweet he was the player the baseball gods decided to be worthy of such a moment, and almost as sweet that it was long-time sufferer John Franco who came away with the win.

And I may get some grief for saying this, but I thought umpire Charlie Williams got the call right on Hamilton's foul ball. It was super close, but I didn't see a single replay that made it appear that any chalk was disturbed when the ball landed. I legit thought Cookie Rojas was going to punch him right in the face though. For a guy named Cookie, he sure had some anger issues.

By the way, was there an MVP named for this series? My vote would have gone to Alfonzo, as he played a big part in all 3 wins.

Dave, there have never been MVP awards given for the Division Series. Maybe there will be someday, but who knows?

The last part of this game that I saw live was Jay Bell's two-run double that put the Diamondbacks ahead in the top of the eighth inning. At that point, I had to leave for a church mass at which I was serving. My prayers were for the Mets in their quest for victory. When I got home, I turned on the TV and found out about Todd Pratt's home run in the tenth by reading ESPN's bottom line. I thanked God Almighty for the pleasant result!

This game still sticks in my head as the worst performance by the god-awful Rich Rodriguez. Trusted with a 6 run lead in the 9th, Rodriguez and Franco began to serve up batting practice, allowing hit after hit after hit. What had been a laugher became a nail biter. It was at this point every Mets fan realized no lead was safe with RichRod on the mound.

Still remember this game vividly. There was first a 3-hour rain delay and they rewarded the fans with free tickets to another game. Mets are in control of this game and Hampton pitched a good game.

Then came Rich Rodriguez, who almost blew a 6-run lead until Benitez had to come in with the bases loaded and strike out Durazo.

Oh yes, I almost caught a foul ball in the 8th inning of this game.

Not very often will a team hit 3 HRs off Randy Johnson. And Joe McEwing won the hearts of all Mets fans with his play in this game.

No one beats Randy Johnson... except the Mets. I was at this game and I watched the Mets hit three homers off the Big Unit but the biggest story was Joe McEwing. He almost hit for the cycle just 9 days after making his Mets debut including his first homer of the year off Johnson and the game was close anyway because Reed wasn't incredible either and it was a one run game in favor of the D-Backs in the ninth, I believe, but the Mets come back and then Derek Bell hits one into the right field corner and Erubiel Durazo dives and misses and Joe McEwing comes home with the winning run.

I remember going to this game and just being able to tell the Mets were going to own Randy Johnson when I glanced at the scoreboard and saw that his pitches were reaching about 90-92mph. I thought maybe he hadn't completely loosened up or something. Turns out the Mets never gave him the chance as they knocked him out after 2 innings. Can't remember anything else about the game though.

Disappointing evening. Rick White gives up 4 runs in the 10th inning.

I attended this game for my bachelor party. Hampton was terrific, not only did he throw a gutsy game, he also made a couple of outstanding defensive plays. After the Mets took a 2-1 lead late, it was vintage Benitez in the ninth, striking out Greg Colbrunn to end the game. Afterwards we got to celebrate at the Diamond Club. All around, it was a great day.

Caught my first foul ball in almost 30 years of attending games at Shea. Almost fell out of the Mezzanine section doing it, but it was worth it! Oh, yeah, the Mets thumped the D'Backs, too.

I was at this game. This was "Randy Johnson Bobblehead Night" and appropriately, the Big Unit was pitching. I got a Randy Johnson bobblehead doll and watched Johnson and Troy Brohawn combine on a two-hit shutout, winning 7-0. Luis Gonzalez (a.k.a. Gonzo) hit one of his 57 home runs that season in this game, and Matt Williams also hit a home run.

I'm saving my Randy Johnson bobblehead doll in its box and keeping it as an investment. Perhaps I may sell it on eBay when Johnson gets inducted into the Hall of Fame, so I can get maximum value for it.

I was at this game. A dismal game for my Diamondbacks. Piazza hits two home runs, including a grand slam. Fortunatately the Diamondbacks got revenge against the Mets at Shea Stadium in August, sweeping a four-game series there.

People usually remember 2002 as an awful Mets season. They forget that when they won this game - finishing off one of their best Aprils ever - they were tied for 1st Place. People was remarking what a consistant rotation the team had with Leiter, Astacio, Estes, Trachsel, and D'Amico. Optimism was in the air with wins like this thanks to a couple of Piazza homers. Unfortunately, the bottom fell out as the season progressed and Bobby Valentine got a pink slip at the conclusion.

Not that there was a lot of mystery heading into this game, but this was the one that pounded the nail into the misguided notion that the 2002 Mets would contend for a playoff spot. There are a handful of times in your life that you absolutely know something, and Craig Counsell's shot down the right field line in the ninth off Armando spelled out for me and any thinking Mets fan on hand very clearly that this team was fork-sticking done. They played like it in the tenth and they played like it in the second game of this day's doubleheader, the game that proved, ultimately, that Keith Hernandez's "quit" assessment was righter than right.

To paraphrase Danny Kaye, the team with no heart, no heart and all thumbs, they're my 2002, your 2002--do you really think we'll get out of last place this year?--our 2002 Mets!

This debacle really finished the Mets as contenders until 2005 or '06 really. I left disgustedly in the middle of game 2 after seeing the pointless debut of John Thomson.

Ty Wigginton's first major league home run. And he was really enthuisiastic when he answered his curtain call. Who knew that it was a hint of things to come. Unfortunately Byung-Hyung Kim saved it for the D-backs. The one time l want him to blow a save in New York City and he doesn't. Sure he screws up royally against the Yanks, but not the Mets.

Great game for the Diamondbacks. Rookie Brandon Webb struck out ten in seven scoreless innings in his first major league start to earn the win, and Craig Counsell tied his career high with four RBI. The Mets committed three errors, resulting in two unearned runs.

Doubleheader sweep for the Diamondbacks. Randy Johnson came off the disabled list to strike out 12 in six innings to earn his first win of the year. With this win, the Diamondbacks finished their nine-game, three-city road trip with a winning record (5-4).

While this was a good day for the Diamondbacks, but a terrible day for the Mets. The Mets committed five errors in this game, giving them a total of eight errors made in the doubleheader. They struck out 27 times during the day, a major- league record for an 18-inning doubleheader. The Mets were swept by the Diamondbacks in a doubleheader at Shea Stadium for the second straight year.

My mom had never seen the Mets win in person. I bought tickets when Saturday's game got rained out, thinking that, hey, it's 2 games...they've gotta win at least one (the Mets owned Randy Johnson). She has never seen the Mets win in person to this day. She's been as close as 2 outs away, but she is cursed I guess.

I was at this game at Bank One Ballpark. Randy Johnson has had a injury-plagued season, but fortunately for Diamondbacks fans like me, this was one of his best games of the season. He pitched eight innings for the win. He wasn't as overpowering as he is accustomed to being (only five strikeouts and ten hits allowed), but good enough to win. Ty Wigginton did hit a home run for the Mets.

An important game for not only the road trip, but maybe the entire season for this team. Glavine and Johnson hooked up in an incredible pitching duel and Kaz Matsui's leadoff HR winds up being the ONLY run. After two straight losses, the Mets right the ship, sparking them to four wins in the next five games on the trip. After the downers of the last week, when the Mets looked DEAD, this was one of the early season's highlights.

Huge clutch performance by Glavine. After the first two nights in Arizona all the newspapers and radio shows said we were done. Glavine pitches a beaut of a game giving the taxed bullpen rest. Matsui hit a leadoff homer which was all we got or needed vs Randy Johnson.

Joe McEwing had a single off Randy Johnson leading off the sixth inning. Johnson retired the next six batters before leaving the game.

In his next outing, Randy Johnson pitched a perfect game, and in the outing after that, he retired the first six batters he faced. So over three appearances, Johnson retired 39 consecutive batters.

Went to this one with a bunch of friends. I remember Matsui hitting the leadoff HR on the second pitch of the game, I believe. Most of my friends thought it was the most boring game they've ever been to, but I enjoyed the pitching matchup.

So now this season I have witnessed the Batters eye getting stuck and the infield sprinklers going off in the middle of the game. And, of course, Pedro is there to turn the folly of these moments into comedy at its finest.

In case anyone missed it, it's the top of the 1st, 2 out, bases empty, Luis Gonzalez batting for the DBacks. He fouls one onto the screen on 1-2. Suddenly, the sprinklers go off in the infield. Gonzalez, Piazza and the umpire run off. Pedro, of course, is just standing in the middle of the field, strolling around as he is getting soaked, laughing, taking his hat off and sticking his head in the water, and generally enjoying the moment.

Finally, the sprinklers are turned off (the official scoring has this as "two minute delay for whatever"), Piazza comes and towels Pedro off, Pedro resumes his spot on the mound and fires 8 strong at Arizona. Tony Clark's home run in the 2nd was the only real blemish. He even chipped in with a 10 foot single in the 6th inning to extend a rally. When the batboy ran out to bring him his jacket at 1st base, Pedro emphatically waved him off and pointed to the fans.

This was also the game where Cameron made his now-famous "accidental" catch. In the 6th, Jose Cruz, Jr. hit a sinking line drive to Right. Cameron ranged back, realized he turned the wrong way, and turned around again, only he slipped and fell. Then, of course, he stuck his glove out, and plop! The ball lands right in the glove. The entire stadium went nuts. That had to have been the longest standing ovation for a fielding play I had seen since Ordonez's "from the knees" play in 1996. And the whole time, Cameron had this sheepish, "aww, shucks" look on his face.

Pedro finished out the 8th, left with 9 Ks, his first hit since 1997 and an unexpected shower. And another winning effort. Never a dull moment with Pedro, is there?

Two of my friends and I did not get to our seats until just as Carlos Beltran tied the game with his solo homer in the fourth so we missed the sprinklers going off. Still an awesome game. Along with another good effort, Pedro Martinez got his first hit since 1997.

While driving home from work, I turned on my car radio to listen to this game on Phoenix radio station KTAR as the sprinklers were going off around Pedro Martinez.

I attended this game as a part of a group outing for my company, Direct Alliance Corporation of Tempe. We sat in the left field bleacher section. From the perspective of a Diamondbacks fan, this game was a pathetic disaster. The company paid for the tickets, and they provided certificates redeemable for food and drinks at the concession stands. Since many of the people who had reserved tickets did not show up, the organizers of this event gave away extra certificates to those who did attend, so I was able to get a second bratwurst and a second cup of beer. Since the Mets were up by 13 runs after six innings, I was able to leave the game early and get home to get a full night's sleep before returning to work the following morning.

David Wright scored 4 runs for the second game in a row setting a Met record of 8 runs in two consecutive games.

Is my memory failing me when I say that I recall that Mike Jacobs hit for the cycle in this game and also had a walk? I could swear that there was a Met player who hit for the cycle in a game in the not too distant past and also drew a walk in the same game. Was it Mike Jacobs? I was reminded of this by yesterday's game April 27, 2012 in which Scott Hairston hit for the cycle. Now all we need is a no-hitter.

At the above comment: No, Jacobs did not hit for the cycle in this game. He did have 4 hits though.

Eric Valent hit for the cycle in 2004 and also had a walk; that's probably what you're thinking of.

What better way to honor our servicemen on Memorial Day than with a comeback Mets victory in the bottom of the 9th? This team just refuses to lose the opening game of a home series. That's now 13 in a row dating back to last year and 10 so far this year. Floyd bombs one in the sixth giving the Mets a 5-4 lead, then some added insurance by jose Valentin, also another bomb shot into the lodge section. But Heilman can't hold it and gives up a 3 run homer to Chad Tracy. Who is Chad Tracy? More like Dick Tracy! But Endy Chavez starts it off in the 9th with a leadoff double, Reyes gets him home with a single to left center, Lo Duca single drives Reyes to third and the Diamondbacks have nothing left to do but walk Beltran to load them up for Delgado who promptly strikes out but David Wright nearly slams it home, with a 405-foot single to center. Team is starting to get their legs and are right around the corner from running away with this division!

Deja vu? Trachsel did not pitch a very good game, but the Mets tied it in the ninth, and guess who ended it: David Wright, with another flyball to deep center. MVP! MVP! MVP!

I love low scoring pitching duels. Pedro and Webb were both fantastic this night. Both allowed only 5 hits and they left in a no score game. After 12 innings I really needed ot get some sleep but I said, "Okay one more inning." Lucky me.

The game winning single by Happy End-y Chavez was awesome, but let's not forget the defensive plays by Valentin and Milledge.

True fans believe in you guys... we're proud to be Mets fan NO MATTER WHAT!!!!

Just a great game to what is turning out to be a great road trip. Alay Soler pitches the best game so far this season by a Met pitcher, throwing a complete game shutout to potentially give the Mets a sweep of Arizona tomorrow of a 4-game series and a 5-1 record on this road trip. Met bats are coming alive collectively on this trip. Seems to be a different hero every night coming up big with their bats. Mets are averaging 7 runs a game on this trip. If we get the sweep which we should with Pedro on the mound cause he is due for a win, we will go into Philly with a 6.5 game lead and looking to run away with this division. Just find it funny how a team loses momentum when a player is arrested for illegal drugs. a.ka. Jason Grimsley. That about sums it up for the Diamondbacks. They look pretty grim!

What can I say? Mets are running on all cylinders! First sweep of the year, also a 4-game series sweep, usually very rare but not this time. Mets outscore Arizona 37-9 in series and head to the bandbox in Philly looking to bury the Phils.

Damion Easley has now hit 2 big home runs this year so far to win the Mets 2 games. Mets just love playing in this park; this win makes it 11 in a row in Arizona. Hopefully a good sign to this road trip, maybe we can do like we did last year and win 6 out of these 7 games and get some distance between us and the Braves.

The old man has done it again he has re-wrote the record books! Julio Franco not only hit a 2 run home run, but also stole a base becoming the oldest Major Leaguer to accomplish these feats!! How do you spell Cy Young? John Maine of course! Although he did not look comfortable tonight on the mound he got the job done. That is what Cy Young candidates do! Mets are now 2-0 on this 7 game road trip.

You gotta love it whenever the Mets beat up on that washed-up aloof jerk Ned Beatty from "Deliverance" er I mean Rotten Randy. Maine didn't have his best stuff but still went 5-0 and 48-year-old Julio Franco slammed a nice pitch into the jacuzzi (Good thing that no one was soaking in that water at the time) and then we thought Endy Chavez had made The Son of The Catch but some kid with popcorn "ruined" it!

13 in a row!! WOW! Jorge Sosa was a shot in the arm tonight. Shaun Green continues to rake at the plate, and the Mets regained control over 1st place from the Braves again!! I am truly amazed at how the Mets have totally dominated the Diamondbacks at chase Field, winning 13 in a row dating back to 2004!

I remember being excited for this game. This was the first game my girlfriend (now wife) and and I went to together. I took a broom with me because we were going for the sweep. However, the day did not go well at all. I got a speeding ticket driving up to the game from Tucson. Then when we got to the stadium, the bag checker/ticket takers wouldn't let me bring the broom into the stadium and broke it right in front of me. And that broom breaking seemed to put a personal Mets spell on me, because they went on to lose that game, and I haven't seen them win in person since. I went to one Dback games in 08; they lost that one. I went to 3 Padre games that same year and they lost all 3 of them 2-1. I went to 2 Dback games in 09, they lost in both of those. Then I went to all 3 games in both 2010 and 2011, only to watch them get swept in both series. I'm going up this Saturday and Sunday praying that my streak will end!

Too bad Jose Reyes just missed out on the cycle. That would've been cool because he is so fast.

What a huge win for the Mets! They continue their dominance in Arizona. Decent outing by Santana however over his last 2 starts he has been less effective. Bullpen did a nice job and what a throw by Church to get the runner at third in the 8th inning. GAME SAVING PLAY. Nice to see the Mets win a series against the best team in the majors. Lets hope they can keep it going in LA.

I really do not know what to make of the 2008 Mets. After a 10-game span where they went 7-3, they follow it up with 5 losses in a row (4 to a bad Padres team without having to face Peavy, Young, or Maddux). The team just can't seem to get anything going consistently. When they pitch well they don't hit and when they hit well they don't pitch. Not surprisingly in this game they got out to a 5-1 lead on Arizona and the bats went to sleep. Arizona was able to come back and win the game. We see this way too much with the Mets: they get a lead and they sit on it depending on starting pitching that is inconsistent and a bullpen that cannot be trusted. I hate to say it but maybe this is what they are, a .500 caliber team. Maybe Omar Minaya should consider trading away some of the veteran talent like Wagner and Beltran to get young major league ready prospects in return. Build that team around Johan, Wright and Reyes. Even if the Mets turn it around I am not sure if they have a good enough team to compete with the Cubs, Phillies, or D-Backs. I am not giving up on this team I am just being realistic.

This game was a lot of fun to watch. Pelfrey pitched a gem, but Wagner blew it in the ninth and the game went into extra innings. As it got later, my friend and I realized we would have to leave in order to catch the last train out of Grand Central. We left after the 12th, and while we were on the 7 train someone announced that Beltran had won it with a homer. Even though we didn't get to see the end, we had a great time.

My wife, her friend, my high school buddy, and my father all went to see our first game at Citi Field, and it wasn't a very good one.

The start of the game was delayed by rain for 2 hours. While Mike Pelfrey is pitching out of his mind this season, this was one of his frustratingly ineffective, out of control starts that plagued him through much of the disastrous 2009 campaign.

It seemed like the AAA lineup the Mets fielded this game had better things to do somewhere else, as Jon Garland needed only about 2 or 3 pitches to get every single batter out, and took it to the house for the complete game.

My wife's friend, originally from Germany and who couldn't have cared less about American baseball if she tried, made some nonsensical, airheaded comment about the Schneider surname "being everywhere" when the useless bum came up to the plate. I quipped "as long as it ain't on the Mets roster next year" and got some high-fives from my father and my friend. That was about the highlight of the afternoon unfortunately!

What a day for my first ever visit to Citi Field as I look back on it three years later!!! Got to the stadium an hour early that day to hopefully walk around it and see it only for the walkways to be completely crowded with people hiding from the rain that day. Correction Jared it was a 2 and a half hour rain delay!! Then what made it worse was Mike Pelfrey did his best Steve Traschel imitation that day and took literally like a minute between pitches and he was ineffective that day too boot! Jon Garland literally threw like 90 pitches for a complete game for the Diamondbacks who won 5-2. The highlight of the day for me was a laugh Jared (yep the guy who posted ahead of me) gave me when explaining why they didn't play through the rain saying they're saving these guys for October baseball and don't want them to get injured in the rain!!

Even after the game it was still a disaster! I missed my train from Penn Station in New York back to Jersey by literally a minute. Then an hour later when another train came somehow I lost my train ticket back home and had to pay like $15 more dollars to get home! Eventually I got home at 9:30 that night for a game scheduled to start at 1:00 and had to wake up the next morning (a Monday) for a job I hated at the time! Fortunately though nothing lasts forever and things have gotten better in my life since three years ago. For the Mets I do think karma will be on their side one of these days so be it the Wilpons don't own the team!!

A few Mets players stood out in this game. David Wright and Fernando Tatis had three singles each and Cory Sullivan connected for a pair of triples, one of which drove in a run. Coming off the bench, Luis Castillo hit a tie-breaking single to put the Mets ahead to stay.

It was a rough day for the Diamondbacks' pitching and defense. The Snakes committed two errors, threw three wild pitches and even had a passed ball during the game. On each one of these six miscues, Wright either reached first or advanced to another base. This may have been the most amazing experience for David in his entire career!

The Mets are in huge trouble. The Braves are running away with this division and the WildCard is slipping away as well. Don't know how the offense can be so great without Beltran and be so lethargic with him in the lineup. Makes no sense. I don't like calling players out, but Jason Bay is robbing the Mets right now. The guy has been terrible all year long and he has not earned any of the money the Mets are giving him. He is an untradeable player based on his salary and performance so the Mets are unfortunately stuck with him. He needs to get his act together because without some type of contribution from him the Mets are going nowhere.

Not ready to give up on this team yet but am getting close to that point

On a beautiful Friday night at Citi Field where Mike Pelfrey had a rough 1st inning, where David Wright hit two long home runs, where Raul Valdes looked like the Exxon Valdes, where two guys ran onto the field waving Mexican flags protesting the Arizona immigration law until the Keystone Cops aka Citi Field security caught up with them; those two were lucky that they didn't get destroyed by former Mets C John Stearns or former Baltimore Colts linebacker Mike Curtis. I got to sit in the Pepsi Porch (not bad seats) and had to endure a Mets "fan" who had bet on the D'Backs and every time the D'Backs scored, he went crazy until I moved to another part of the porch. If you want to bet on sports go to Vegas or to the horse racetrack not Citi Field. Then in the bottom of the 9th, Mr. Mike Torrez -- er I mean Aaron Heilman -- came in to get the save for the D'Backs and I made 100% sure that I constantly reminded him about 9th inning, game 7 of the 2006 NLCS where he served that dagger in the heart to every Mets fan aka the HR to Yadier "Bleeping" Molina.

I was at this crazy game. Sat in the Pepsi Porch, wound up sitting next to a Mets fan who told me that he had bet the D-Backs. In my opinion, that's a big bowl of WRONG!!!! David Wright hits 2 long dingers in the cavernous Citi, a couple of dudes run onto the field protesting Arizona's anti-immigration law as the security detail catches them (where's John Stearns and/or former Baltimore Colt LB Mike Curtis when you need 'em). Guess who comes into the game for the D-Backs in the bottom of the 9th? The "grandson" of Ralph Branca and the "son" of Mike Torrez: Aaron Heilman and the remaining crowd lets him have it as I constantly remind him he's the main reason why the Mets were in their living rooms instead of taking on the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series!!!!! In true ironic fashion, Heilman gets the save!!!!

First time the Mets played on Easter Sunday in Citi Field!

I attended this game at Chase Field. The key moment occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning. With the Mets up 4-2, starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey was hit in the right elbow by a line drive off the bat of Gerardo Parra, forcing him to leave the game and putting Parra on first with an infield single.

D.J. Carrasco came in to relieve Pelfry. Three batters later, after a hit by pitch to Willie Bloomquist, Ryan Roberts hit a three-run home run to put the Diamondbacks ahead for good, 5- 4.

Diamonbacks starting pitcher Daniel Hudson pitched eight strong innings for the win, and helped his own cause by driving in an insurance run in the sixth inning with an RBI single. J.J. Putz earned his 29th save of the season with perfect ninth inning.

I attended this game at Chase Field. Ike Davis hit three home runs in his first three at-bats, but unfortunately for the Mets, he hit all of his home runs with the bases empty and the Mets could score no other runs. His first two home runs were nearly identical, both deep shots above the line on the wall in center field. His third home run was a line drive down the right field line into the Mets' bullpen.

Trailing 6-3 in the top of the seventh, David Wright led off with a walk. Davis followed with a chance to hit his fourth home run, and he delivered a single. The Mets were now threatening with two runners on base and none out, but failed to score.

The Mets had one last chance to go ahead in the top of the ninth, but with two men on and two out, Wright struck out while Davis was waiting on deck.

Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero had the biggest hit, a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Diamondbacks pitchers struck out 15 Mets, including nine by starting and winning pitcher Ian Kennedy.

Spent the 4th of July at Citi with my pal Kathy and her son Adam. Great giveaway with the Mets All-Star Garden Gnome and the longest game innings wise I've ever spent at a Mets game (15 innings) on a hot and sunny afternoon after a rainy May and June. But I could only drink water (no Pepsi) because I had just enough money to have one hot dog because of budget problems (i.e. my landlord blindsided me by raising my rent). If life were fair, I would be stinking rich with money and be watching the Mets from the 200 empire suites instead of sitting in the upper deck!

My wife and I live in Texas and we were in New York celebrating our 1 year wedding anniversary. We were married on July 12, 2014 and were at the Mets game for the momentous event. I caught a foul ball during Kirk Nieuwenhuis' 1st of 3 home run at bats! It was the first foul ball I’ve ever caught, so it was mega special because of that and it was on our anniversary and in a game that Nieuwenhuis made history. My wife and I had a blast and the ball is displayed in our home to this day!!

Not a good game for two players. Conforto went down with a shoulder injury after swinging and missing. Wilmer Flores made a bonehead fielding play that cost the Mets a run, he struck out with the bases loaded and popped out with the winning run on first and the tying run on third to end the game.

This is the "Ratcoon" game because in the 7th inning, something happened in the Mets clubhouse. Conforto and Dom Smith raced into the dugout and disappeared into the tunnel. It alarmed Wayne Randazzo who was doing the play by play. Jeff McNeil came up to the plate that inning and made an out, and then Wayne mentioned how he ran right into the tunnel after making the out. Lindor came up that inning and hit a home run, then "took a long trot around the bases" according to Howie.

It was all a big mystery during the game but Howie and Wayne were speculating that McNeil's face was puffy as if he had been roughed up, and they explained it by Lindor and McNeil getting in each other's ways on ground balls in their direction, resulting in busted plays and apparent frustration. So after the game, I was on edge waiting for the press conference during the postgame show and Lindor explained it by saying he saw a rat in the tunnel. And a reporter asked him it looked like he was mad at McNeil, and Lindor said he was mad at McNeil because McNeil said it was a raccoon and not a rat and McNeil was mad at him doubting it was a raccoon, more or less. While explaining this, he sounded like a 7 year old explaining why his little brother had a black eye, talking about a rat. As an aside, if Lindor can't hit for Mets, at least he can create entertaining stories.

Anyway, in the next game, McNeil hit a homer. During the postgame press conference Lindor came out and hugged McNeil and told everyone it was a "ratcoon", hence the "ratcoon game".

Great comeback - down 1-0 on Arizona in the top of the 9th on just 4 pitches, Alvarez hit a HR on a 3-2 pitch to tie it, then after a walk to Baty, Canha hit a long triple to take the lead. A great finish!

First game I went to this season, wasn't expecting much. Sat in left field lower level, with Quintana pitching joked I need a batting helmet in these seats. Sure enough first batter hits a homer into the seats about 15' from me and actually hits a fan in the head. Ouch. Usual 2024 outcome, they rally, go ahead then blow the lead in the 9th. Looked like a repeat of the 2023 season from here.