The Mets were trailing the Reds 3-2 when they got a 2-out gift in the top of the 9th. Dave Parker dropped a fly ball and his expression of disgust (a slight punch of his fist in the air) became a symbol of dismay for many of us during our high school years.
The Mets tied the game and then in the 10th inning, it became a game for the ages.
Eric Davis and Ray Knight got into a turf war at third base leading to a bench-clearing brawl.
The ejections forced Gary Carter to play third base and the Mets to use pitchers in the outfield. Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco shuttled back and forth between the outfield and the mound. Davey Johnson had seen Herzog do it earlier in the year with Worrell and a lefty, so he thought it would be interesting to try. Interesting to try, and interesting to watch.
The Mets won the game in the 14th on a 3-run homer by Howard Johnson.
The game was immortalized in the 1986 Mets highlight video "A Year to Remember."
I turned 41 that day, assholes.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love doing the Dave Parker fist punch. I believe Glenn popularized its use sarcastically back in '96.
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