The full recapHow 1986 actually went.
01The Mets played the regular season like a team offended by the idea of a close race. They started 20–4, controlled the division almost immediately, and finished 21½ games ahead. Gooden led the rotation, Hernandez and Carter organized the clubhouse, Strawberry supplied fear in the middle, and a deep bench allowed Davey Johnson to chase every matchup.
02Dominance did not make October easy. Houston’s Mike Scott threatened the Mets in the NLCS, forcing them to win a 12-inning Game 5 and a 16-inning Game 6 before he could pitch again. Boston then took the first two World Series games at Shea. The Mets recovered, only to arrive in the tenth inning of Game 6 one strike from elimination.
03Carter singled, Kevin Mitchell singled, Knight singled, Stanley threw a wild pitch, and Mookie Wilson’s ground ball passed Bill Buckner. Rain delayed Game 7, Boston took another early lead, and the Mets came back one final time. Orosco’s glove toss ended a season that contained 108 wins, clubhouse chaos, constant confidence, and the last World Series championship the franchise has won.
They were the best team, the loudest team, and somehow still needed the wildest comeback imaginable.
The part you rememberWhy 1986 still matters.
The 1986 Mets did not sneak up on anyone. They were the loudest, deepest, most talented team in the league, and they played with the confidence of a group that knew it. Dwight Gooden fronted the rotation, Keith Hernandez controlled the infield, Gary Carter supplied the big hit, and Darryl Strawberry gave every at-bat home-run electricity. They won 108 games and took the division by 21½.
The regular season felt like a party, but October made them earn everything. The NLCS against Houston was a six-game fight, ending with a 16-inning clincher that seemed to contain an entire series by itself. Then came Boston, a 2–0 World Series deficit, and the bottom of the tenth in Game 6: two outs, nobody on, and a championship almost gone before Carter, Kevin Mitchell, Ray Knight, Mookie Wilson, and one rolling baseball changed the story.
Game 7 was delayed by rain and started badly, because of course it did. The Mets fell behind 3–0, came back, and finally finished the job at Shea. This team could be chaotic and imperfect, but it was also relentless. For Mets fans, 1986 is not simply the last championship. It is the standard every great Mets team has been measured against ever since.
They were talented enough to dominate, wild enough to terrify their own fans, and tough enough to survive the trouble they created.
The moment everybody remembersA two-out rally in World Series Game 6 kept alive an unforgettable championship season.
Where it turnedA 108-win regular season gave way to a tense six-game NLCS against Houston and the famous two-out comeback in World Series Game 6.
How it endedThe Mets beat Houston in six games and Boston in seven to capture the franchise’s second World Series title.
Where it fitsThe Mets Powerhouse
Gooden, Strawberry, Keith, Carter, and a deep roster made the Mets loud, talented, and miserable to play against. They won 108 games and the 1986 World Series.
Better or worse?The Mets won 10 more games than they did in 1985.
Then came...In 1987, the Mets finished 92–70. The defending champions won 92 games but finished behind St. Louis. Go to 1987 →
