1986 and Four Game Streaks

[Frayed Knot]

So I looked up the 1986 game vs StL that GKR were talking about, the one that completed the last four game sweep vs the Cards, because I wanted to see how well K & R's recollections held up. And, as with many player memories, they were right on a couple of things and wrong on a few others.

There was a DP involving Backman (Keith) in the final game of that four game set April and, while you can't tell just from BB-Ref whether it was a defensive gem as Keith says, it was on Tito Landrum (Ronnie) though it was a 4-6-3 where Keith implied a liner. But the biggest boo-boo was that that play ended the 8th inning, not the game, with the Mets up 5-3.



The interesting part to me comes in the top of the 9th: Straw led off with a double then went to 3rd on a G Foster single. Knight grounded out (runners hold) which brought up Lenny in the 8-slot. So the Cards IW'd him which led to the Mets letting Ojeda hit for himself!!! Mind you this is w/one out, bags loaded and a 2-run lead in the top of the 9th!

Bobby grounded into a force play at home then Raffy Santana fouled out to end the frame. All ended well though with the bottom of the 9th going uneventfully via fly outs from Terry Pendleton, Mike Heath, and Clint Hurdle for a CG win for Bobby O: 3 ER (2 HRs) 9 H, 0 BB, 2 K. 2:15 game time. Different times indeed.

Those games v StL came on the heels of sweeps v Philly (3) and Pitt (2) and were games 6 - 9 of what would become an 11 game winning streak, their longest of the season.



And while I would have assumed, if asked, that those Mets didn't have any four games losing streaks that year, but they in fact had two including losing four straight to those same Cardinals. It wasn't an entire series, though, as those games were the middle four games of a six game series (Rain-out caused, no doubt) from 8/14 to 8/17. Mets won the first game of a Thursday DH but lost Game-2. They then lost single games on Friday & Saturday (both in extras), then dropped the opening game of a Sunday DH before ending the mini-losing streak by winning the nightcap.



The other Quadruple L also involved StL but only for one game. It started with getting swept in that clinch-delaying three game September sweep in Philly which in turn was followed by a 1-0/13-inning loss in StL. Mets won the next night in StL before the clincher came at home vs CHI the day after that.

[whippoorwill]

I wasn't watching yet but my husband mentioned this little story to me.



Cool that you looked it up!