Being a Mets fan isn’t always easy. The franchise has had its share of heartbreak, bad trades, and seasons that ended long before they should have. But when the Mets do deliver, they deliver in a way that burns the moment into baseball history. Over the past 50-plus years, they’ve given us miracle runs, clutch heroics, and plays so wild they’re still replayed decades later.
These highlights are baseball legends, known to fans everywhere, and are the kind of gems only longtime Mets diehards still talk about. But every single one helped shape the identity of this unpredictable, never-boring team.
Here are the 15 most incredible Mets highlights of all time, and exactly how they happened.
- Robin Ventura’s 1999 NLCS “Grand Slam Single” ended a 5-hour-46-minute Game 5 at Shea Stadium when he cleared the fence in the 15th inning but was mobbed before rounding the bases, officially scoring only one run in a 4–3 win over the Braves.
- Mike Piazza’s September 21, 2001 two-run homer in the bottom of the 8th at Shea Stadium gave the Mets a 3–2 win over the Braves in New York’s first pro sporting event after 9/11, honoring 41,000 fans and first responders.
- In the 1986 World Series, Mookie Wilson’s Game 6 grounder through Bill Buckner’s legs forced Game 7, where Ray Knight’s home run and Jesse Orosco’s final strikeout clinched an 8–5 championship win before 55,032 fans at Shea Stadium.
15. Robin Ventura’s “Grand Slam Single” – Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS
On October 17, 1999, during Game Five of the NLCS at Shea Stadium against the Braves, the Mets were tied 3–3 in the bottom of the 15th inning. A walk to Todd Pratt forced in the tying run, and then Robin Ventura stepped up to face Kevin McGlinchy. He launched a 2–1 fastball over the right-center field wall, a shot worthy of a grand slam, but he never made it past first base. Pratt, not realizing the ball was out, tackled Ventura in celebration, and a team-wide stampede ensued. The hit was ruled an RBI single, famously dubbed the “Grand Slam Single,” even though it cleared the fence. The game clocked in at 5 hours and 46 minutes, then a postseason record. NBC’s Bob Costas had dubbed it, “A drive to right… back to Georgia! Gone, a grand slam! The Mets win… 4–3!” before chaos took over.
14. Endy Chávez’s Game-Saving Catch – Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS
On October 19, 2006, in Game Seven of the NLCS with the Mets and Cardinals tied at 1–1, Endy Chávez produced one of postseason baseball’s most breathtaking moments. Scott Rolen hit a deep fly toward the left-field wall—what looked like a go-ahead home run. Chávez leaped, bringing it back in for the out, then quickly doubled off Jim Edmonds to end the inning. Despite this electric play, the Mets ultimately lost the game and series to the Cardinals.
13. Al Leiter’s Playoff Clincher – 1999 NL Wild Card Tiebreaker
On October 4, 1999, in a one-game playoff (Game 163) at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, the Mets and Reds, both finishing 96–66, battled for the National League Wild Card. Al Leiter, who struggled early in the season (2–5 with a 6.39 ERA) but turned it around to go 10–7 with a 3.55 ERA in the second half, took the mound. Leiter delivered a complete-game, two-hit shutout, blanking the Reds 5–0 in front of 54,621 fans, with the game lasting 3 hours and 3 minutes. In the scoring, Rickey Henderson homered in the first, Edgardo Alfonzo added RBIs in the first and third, and Henderson again homered in the fifth. Leiter later quipped, “I think I’m deaf in my left ear from where John Franco screamed” after the win. This masterpiece advanced the Mets to the postseason for the first time in 11 years.
12. Gary Carter’s Debut Walk-Off – Opening Day, 1985
On April 9, 1985, Gary Carter made his Mets debut at Shea Stadium in a much-anticipated Opening Day clash. The Mets were trailing when the game reached the 10th inning. Carter faced Neil Allen and crushed a hanging curveball into left field—it snuck over the glove of Lonnie Smith and cleared the fence in front of the visiting bullpen for a walk-off home run, sealing a 6–5 win. Aside from the dramatic finish, Carter had one miscue earlier, a passed ball in the third inning that allowed a run. He ended the season with 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, anchoring the lineup in his first year.
11. Todd Hundley’s Catcher Home Run Record – 1996
On September 14, 1996, at Shea Stadium, catcher Todd Hundley hit his 41st home run of the season against Greg McMichael of the Braves, breaking the MLB single-season record for home runs by a catcher, which had stood since Roy Campanella. It also surpassed Darryl Strawberry’s Mets single-season mark of 39. The Mets won that game 6–5 in 12 innings. That year, Hundley batted .259 with career highs not only in home runs but also in doubles, hits (140), and RBIs (112).
10. Dave Mlicki’s First Subway Series Shutout – June 16, 1997
On June 16, 1997, in the very first regular-season Subway Series game, pitcher Dave Mlicki took the mound at Yankee Stadium against Andy Pettitte. In front of 56,188 fans, he threw a masterful complete-game shutout, striking out eight batters and leading the Mets to a 6–0 win. It remains the only complete-game shutout by a Mets pitcher against the Yankees. The performance earned Mlicki National League Player of the Week honors. To this day, he remembers the game as “without a doubt the best game of my life.”
9. Mike Piazza’s Post-9/11 Home Run – September 21, 2001
On September 21, 2001, Shea Stadium hosted New York’s first professional sporting event since the September 11 attacks. The Mets played the Braves before 41,000 fans. FDNY, NYPD, and EMTs were honored before the game; Diana Ross sang “God Bless America,” and Liza Minnelli performed “New York, New York” during the seventh-inning stretch. In the bottom of the eighth inning, with the Mets trailing 2–1, Mike Piazza hit a two-run home run to left-center, giving the Mets a 3–2 lead and the win. Piazza’s jersey from that game is displayed at the Hall of Fame, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and Citi Field.
8. Tommie Agee’s Game Three Heroics – October 14, 1969
On October 14, 1969, in Game Three of the World Series at Shea Stadium, Tommie Agee led off with a home run off Jim Palmer. He made two defensive plays that saved five runs: a backhanded catch near the warning track in left-center on Elrod Hendricks’ drive with runners on first and third in the fourth inning, and a diving catch of Paul Blair’s line drive with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh inning. The Mets won 5–0.
7. Todd Pratt’s NLDS Walk-Off – October 9, 1999
On October 9, 1999, in Game Four of the NLDS against the Diamondbacks at Shea Stadium, backup catcher Todd Pratt, starting for injured Mike Piazza, won the game in the 10th inning. With one out and the score tied 3–3, Pratt hit a fly ball to straightaway center field that cleared Steve Finley’s glove for a 4–3 walk-off win and a series clincher.
6. Bobby Jones’ One-Hit Shutout – October 8, 2000
On October 8, 2000, at Shea Stadium, Bobby Jones pitched a complete-game one-hit shutout to clinch Game 4 of the NLDS, sending the Mets to the NLCS. The lone hit was Jeff Kent’s fifth-inning double. Jones retired the side in order in eight of nine innings. Robin Ventura added a critical two-run homer in the first inning, while Edgardo Alfonzo delivered a two-run double in the fifth for insurance. This was just the sixth complete-game one-hitter in postseason history and the fewest hits allowed in a postseason complete game for the Mets at that point. The Mets won 4–0 before 52,888 fans in a 2-hour, 48-minute game.
5. Mike Hampton’s NLCS MVP Shutout – October 16, 2000
In Game 5 of the 2000 NLCS at Shea Stadium, Mike Hampton delivered a masterful complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits, one walk, and striking out eight, as the Mets defeated the Cardinals 7–0 to win the pennant and advance to the World Series. Hampton had also dominated in Game 1 at Busch Stadium. His Game 5 performance earned him the NLCS Most Valuable Player award.
4. Game Six of the 1986 NLCS – October 15, 1986
On October 15, 1986, at the Astrodome before 45,718 fans, the Mets and Astros battled through 16 innings, the longest in LCS history, in a 7–6 Mets victory. Trailing 3–0 going into the ninth, Lenny Dykstra tripled to spark the rally. Mookie Wilson and Keith Hernandez followed with hits to tie the game. Jesse Orosco came in and struck out Kevin Bass on a slider with runners at the corners to end the marathon and clinch the pennant, sending the Mets to the World Series.
3. The 1969 Miracle Mets World Series Win
The Mets ended seven losing seasons with a 100–62 record in 1969, finishing eight games ahead of the Cubs to win the NL East. Starting September 3, the Mets surged while the Cubs collapsed, clinching the division on September 24. Managed by Gil Hodges, they swept the Braves in the first NLCS and defeated the heavily favored Orioles 4–1 in the World Series.
Tom Seaver went 25–7 with a 2.21 ERA to win the Cy Young Award. Jerry Koosman posted 17–9 with a 2.28 ERA. Tommie Agee hit 26 home runs and 76 RBIs, and Cleon Jones batted .340, third in the league. Donn Clendenon, World Series MVP, hit .357 with three home runs and four RBIs. Ron Swoboda made a diving catch in Game 4, and Al Weis contributed timely hits.
2. Game Seven of the 1986 World Series – October 27, 1986
At Shea Stadium, in front of 55,032 fans, the Mets trailed the Red Sox 3–0 before scoring three runs in the 6th off Bruce Hurst. In the 7th, Ray Knight hit a go-ahead home run as part of a three-run inning. Two more runs in the 8th secured an 8–5 win and the franchise’s second championship. Knight, batting .391 with one double, one home run, and five RBIs, earned World Series MVP honors. Reliever Jesse Orosco struck out the final batter, dropped to his knees, and threw his glove into the air.
1. Game Six of the 1986 World Series – October 25, 1986
On October 25, 1986, the Mets trailed the Red Sox 5–3 in the 10th inning with two outs. Gary Carter singled, Kevin Mitchell singled, and Ray Knight singled to score Carter and cut the deficit to one. Bob Stanley replaced Calvin Schiraldi and threw a wild pitch, allowing Mitchell to score the tying run. On the 10th pitch of Mookie Wilson’s at-bat, his grounder rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs, scoring Knight and forcing Game Seven. The Mets won the next game and the championship.
