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Last Wednesday, I started making posts about my Five Favorite Moments at Shea Stadium, from games that I attended.
In addition, each post will be followed by a quick video segment of me talking about the specific moment.
To see Number 5 click here, to see Number 4 click here, to see Number 3 click here, and to see Number 2 click here.
My favorite memory in Shea Stadium, without a doubt, is Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS.
For starters, I loved that team. I loved Ventura, Mike Piazza, Edgardo Alfonzo, Bobby Valentine and John Olerud, among others, acting as under-dogs all season, not wearing their last names on their jerseys, while fighting the Braves right down to the last pitch.
The rivalry with Atlanta was real, and helped out by Chipper Jones, who a few weeks prior said, ‘Now all the Mets fans can go home and put on their Yankee hats,’ after beating the Mets in an extra-inning, regular-season game in September, and John Rocker who later said, ‘How many times do we have to beat them before their fans will shut up.”
Not only was Game 5 the most entertaining game I have even watched in person, it was the best baseball game – as the on-field chess match between Valentine and Bobby Cox was quite evident. The game had outstanding defensive plays, drama, rain, a 14th-inning stretch, and a unique ending that will always be known as a Grand-Slam Single from Ventura.
The thing I remember most was the feeling of inevitability that slowly overcame the stands in the bottom of the 15th. With the Mets down a run in their final at bat, despite the the Braves stranding 19 runners, Shawon Dunston led off with a single following countless foul balls. From that point forward, the once silent, dejected crowd came to life, the buzz grew up a cheer, which grew to an electric belief that the Mets would tap in to their history of magic and win the game, and they did, off the bat of Ventura who pulled a ball over the left-center field wall but was tackled by his teammates a few feet before second base.
The last three games of that series had an unbelievable amount of drama. The ‘99 team still remains my favorite team to date.
Too bad Benitez and Franco couldn’t hold onto leads in the 8th and 9th in Atlanta.
My favorite moment too. I got to the park at 1PM that day to watch batting practice, the John Rocker sideshow, etc. That ended up making it like a 12-hour day at the park with all the rain delays. My seats in sect. 16 of the mezzanine were under cover, thankfully. My wife and 9 month old daughter came later and, due to late hour, had to leave around the 12th inning. They took the car; I waited to take the 7. The only bad part was my VCR only got part of the looooong game and I was never able to get the whole game on video — until this year’s best moments at Shea DVD came out. I’ve since luxuriated over it from my lovely dry living room.
Where have you gone, Melvin Mora? (I know, Baltimore, but honestly.)
“the Mets would tap in to their history of magic and win the game”
Didn’t it seem like that magic was missing this whole year?
Awesome game. Awesome team. Awesome season.
Matt, it was the right-center field wall, not left-center field.
It most definitely was to the right-right-center field wall. And the crowd wasn’t quiet in the bottom of the fifteenth. To the contrary, it was unusually loud and supportive given the horrible feeling of dejection that tends to follow an error like Dunston’s. (I was at the game as well, upper level, first base side).
yep. and let’s not forget the light drizzle that fell from the sky, and todd pratt’s bases loaded walk to tie it. still the best game that i’ve been to.
Incredible game…I remember going ballistic when Bobby V pulled Cook after one batter sicne the game had extras written all over it, finally forgiving Hershiser for ‘88 after his stellar relief work in that game, the play at the plate, and the fact that from my seats all the way out in right in the mezzanine I clearly SAW Ventura’s ball clear the fence (and still can), yet left the park thinking it hadn’t.
That an having to go to the bathroom from about the 6th to the 13th innings but refused to leave my seat.
I loved that team – beyond the stars we had so many big-name veteran players hanging around as complementary parts…Henderson, Hershiser, Rogers, Dunston, Hamilton…even Bonilla’s presence on that squad was somewhat fascinating….
My favorite moment at Shea will always be the Benny Agbayani 13th inning home run against the Giants. Another epic game that turned into a chess match. I remember the stadium shaking as it always does in those situations. :)
On another note, does anyone else agree that the TBS broadcast is the best national baseball broadcast? I think it puts Fox and ESPN to shame but that is just my opinion.
I can’t stand listening to Chip Carey. So when he is doing the TBS game it ruins it for me.
Chip was his signature awful self from the start of last nights Angels/Sox game. Ellsbury hits a ball deep to right center in the 1st ab of the game and Caray goes “playable for Matthews” as it sails over his head and bounces off the wall. There were many other hilarious moments where you thought “can he even see the ball?”
It definitely depends on the crew. Anything that involves Chip Carey is awful. I really enjoyed the team of Dick Stockton, Tony Gwynn and Ron Darling. It was a pleasure to listen to.
I agree with you guys on Chip Carey, although he beats Miller or Morgan any day…but then, who doesn’t. I was talking about the entire team including Ripkin, Eckersley, and Granderson doing the analysis.
I guess I am a little partial because two of the SNY guys are there also.
Agreed…Stockton is a great old pro, and it’s a joke that neitther Fox nor ESPN thought to get him a gig. How is he not Fox’s 2nd baseball lead – doesn’t he do football for them? Thom Brennaman may be the wirst announcer of modern times.
Steve Albert is worse.
Yeah, the team of Stockton, Darling and Gwyn has been the best.
Though what the playoffs really needs is JOSE MOTA down on the field. hehehe
The Agbayani game was easily the best Mets game I ever attended – so much excitement that night. Alfonzo’s hit against Nen in the 8th inning was electric.
After the HR, I remember seeing this guy in front of screaming so remarkably loud and it seemed that the veins were going to pop from his bald head. I’ll never forget that guy’s reaction – it was awesome.
i was there too… GREAT game.
I thought the Fonzy’s hit was vs. their set-up guy Rodriguez though.
nope… you’re right, it was against Nen
I would like to have Derek Lowe with the Mets next year, along with another starter to solidify the back end of the rotation. I mentioned Jon Garland before, who I think would be a great fit on our staff. While he does not possess necessarily electric stuff, he is always a lock for 200 innings and keeps his team in the ballgame. From your 5th starter, that is a tremendous advantage of reliability we’d have.
I was thinking of other pitching options in addition to Garland. And, I came up with a guy who’s name I haven’t seen brought up, Brad Penny. His price has probably taken a big hit by being hurt at times this year for the Dodgers. He has always been a standout, bulldog of a pitcher in the past. Any thoughts?
Let him sign elsewhere in the NL, because the Mets typically clobber him.
How can no one on YouTube have video of the Grand Slam single? Almost every episode of Beavis and BUtthead, but no 1999 NLCS Game 5?
Ludicrous.
MLB is very protective of their product – MTV, evidently, is not.
Yeah, MLB is are Nazi when it comes to their stuff being on Youtube. They even implemented a policy this year where other sports websites can only show a limited amount of video and that limited amount of video happens to be MLB.com’s. Its absurd.
mlb.com is free, so why complain?
Netflix has the Shea dvd series.
Also my favorite moment…. I especially enjoyed the “14th inning stretch”. I flew to New York just for the game and ended up with a crappy upper deck seat, so I stood up on the field level for the entire game… My legs were killing me… For the final pitch, I was standing in right field, just below where the home run was hit.. it was awesome.
Unfortunately, I was living in Atlanta at the time, so I was also at Game Six.. uggh.
For the post-86 crowd, I think Game 6 of the ‘99 NLCS produced the most emotional swings in Mets history. For the neutral, that was one of the best playoff games in recent memory – unfortunately, it was a very painful ending for Mets fans.
I was there too. One week before I was at the game when Pratt hit that HR over dead center. At the time I turned to a friend and declared, “this is the best game I’ve ever been to in my pathetic little life!”
Who knew that one week later that would be topped.
This, too, is my favorite Shea memory.
I remember that Ventura was upset about it at the time because he didn’t get credit for the Home Run. But if the Grand Slam Single had ended up being just a Grand Slam, it would not be near as memorable.
I was just thinking, the giants may want to reduce their payroll, what about a trade of heilman,evans,parnell,castillo and another prospect for Aaron Rowand and bengi molina and we pay their remainig salaries.
reyes
murphy
wright
beltran
delgado
rowand
church
molina
thats a balance and deep lineup
No.
Because the Giants want someone on the team that can hit the ball.
Nice job Matt… The 99 team was my favorite Met team. That Mets offense was unbelievable with Rickey Henderson, Fonzie, and Olerud getting on base 40% of the time with Piazza and Ventura knocking them in. With the best defensive infield I have ever seen.
Funny thing about that 1999 team is that if the Reds had taken care of business on the last weekend of the season, we all would have compared them to the 2008 Mets as yet another Mets team that could not get it done at the end of September.
However, since the Reds scuffled against a bad Brewers team, that Mets team is considered to be a favorite amongst many a fan.
Matt:
One of my favorite moments at Shea too.
Though I have been to a few, including the Piazza post 9/11 game and the Tank HR game.
And each of those games remain above the final game at Shea, which was also special to me because I caught my very first foul ball (only took me 35 years at Shea to finally get one). (Thanks Carlos Beltran!).
Actually part of the reason it is also one of my favorites is that it was such a long game to begin with and I had gotten there really really early so that I could watch BP and heckle the Braves.
For that game I was in the upper decks in LF, and was yelling my head off. Sure I got wet, but I never wavered in my belief the Mets would win. I honestly believed that the Mets could see me in the upper deck (I dont think there were too many left in the last few innings) jumping up and down and cheering.
It was a great game in all respects.
Completely off topic but what a day so far Evan Longoria. 2 AB’s, 2 HR’s. First playoff game for a rookie, not too bad kid.
And of course I went to the two games before that one, though I guess game four of the 1999 NLCS wasn’t bad in and of itself.
My favorite Shea memory was game three of the 1988 NLCS. The 8th inning in particular was a ball, as we saw Howell ejected, sang “Faaaaaaaaatso” at Tommy Lasorda, and enjoyed a 5-run rally to win it.
The Agbayani and Pratt games are a close second and third.
I remember sitting in the upper deck right on the railing to the left of home plate and getting wet from the rain that started to fall in the later innings and as any true Met fan will admit, waiting for the shoe to drop. Anyway, when Ventura hit the ball, we all went crazy and starting hugging because we knew we had just won the game and that we had seen one of the best games ever. We get into the parking lot and I say how clutch Ventura is to knock in that run with a double. A guy next to us turns around and says “That was a grand slam”. We get into the car and it must have been Howie talking about Pratt bear hugging Ventura before he could make it around the bases. My second favorite moment was when they came all the way back on the Cardinals in 2006 and Beltran hit the grand slam to win it 7-6
Church, FMart, Niese, and Heilman for Roy Halladay and Vernon Wells?
Wasn’t at the stadium that night, but that was easily my favorite baseball game I’ve ever watched, and was my favorite sporting event until this past Super Bowl. I was 13 and my parents were out for the night, so I was home alone, doing god knows what on my computer with the game on the TV next to me. When the Braves went ahead in the top of the 15th I was so depressed, but I went out to my living room to put the game on the bigger TV, and when Ventura hit that grand slam I was jumping around my house, I frightened the heck out of my dogs. I actually knocked into a bookshelf and knocked a bunch of stuff off, but I didn’t care. I don’t think I’ll ever be happier than I was at that moment, no matter how old I get.
And then Game 6 happened. Thanks Armando, Johhny, and Kenny.
1999 was a great season because if you had a partial ticket plan like sundays (which is what i had). you got to go to every playoff game. I went to pratt’s HR game and the ventura game.
Matt, I have to agree with you on this one. I would put Game 5 of the 1999 playoffs right up there with Game 6 and 7 of1986, only because of all those years of losing afterwords and not being able to get over that Braves’ hill that was in front of us in the late 90’s. I am 37 and to me the 99 team was my favorite Mets team of that decade, the way 1988 was my favorite team of the 80’s. If the 1999 team had won, any true Met fan knows that it just never felt right after John Olerud left that lineup. Plus, that team had a bunch of feisty veterans making their last hurrah, like Shawn Dunston, Ricky Henderson and Orel Hreshier. That team truly was a Yohan away. Unfortunately thenext year the picked up a pitcher who wanted to go live in the mountains.
Part 2 of 1999.
My personal reason for loving that game was that I went to it with a friend of mine and his father and we sat and watched the first 8 or nine innings in the slight rain. The first 7 inings or so it was an ordinary game under unordinary circumstances. Then, as the game was tied in the ninth, my friend and his dad inexplicably wanted to leave. I was in a state of shock,and actually walked out of the stadium to grab something i left in their car and had my “Kid from a Christmas Story”moment, where he climbs back up the slide and asks for the BB gun to the mall santa. I waved godbye to them and ran back to the stadium where i was let back in in a lower level. I randomly bumped into my friend Diego and we went down right behind the wall on the third baseline, near the field. We jumped up and down and shouted in the rain with the fans as the 9th became, the tenth,, became the 11th.The stadium was maybe half full, but it was like we had somehow willed the team to mke it Robin Ventura’s at-bat. when he hit that shot, for a second our collective hearts stopped as the ball roseand instantaneously we all leaped up as one. there is no way hat the stadium has ever rocked that hard without a packed crowd. Every person in that crowd felt like they had helped the Mets win and had endured the rain, which symbolized all the losses to the Braves. The only thing I can compare that feeling to, is what the Red sox fans must have felt after they came back to beat the Yankees in 2004. We would have accomplished the same feat, if it wasn’t for Benitez and Kenny F’in Rogers the next day.