How 1985 actually went.
The Mets added Gary Carter and moved from exciting young team to serious power. Carter hit a walk-off homer on Opening Day, gave the pitchers a Hall of Fame catcher, and joined Hernandez as a veteran leader. The club won 98 games and fought St. Louis deep into September in one of the hardest division races of the decade.
Gooden produced the season that still defines pitching greatness in Queens: 24–4, a 1.53 ERA, 268 strikeouts, and the Cy Young Award at age 20. Strawberry, Mookie, and the rest of the lineup supplied enough offense, while Jesse Orosco and Roger McDowell gave Johnson flexible relief options. Almost every part of the championship roster was now in place.
The Cardinals won 101 games and left the Mets three short, making 98 victories feel strangely painful. The disappointment sharpened the team rather than breaking it. Carter had completed the lineup, Gooden had reached an impossible level, and the young players had experienced a real September race. The next season would begin with no interest in second place.
Winning 98 and staying home hurt, but it also loaded every part of the 1986 spring with purpose.