Five Mets moments we wish they could redo on Groundhog Day

1) Carlos Beltran Strike 3 Looking to End 2006 NLCS

Coming in at the final moment the Mets would like to redo, we have Carlos Beltran striking out to end the 2006 NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Mets were in their first postseason since 2000 and were coming off a fantastic regular season that saw them win 97 games.

Up until the top of the ninth inning the Mets and Cardinals were tied since the top of the second inning. In the top of the ninth, young catcher Yadier Molina hit a two-run home run to give the Cardinals the lead. While there are some people who would like to redo this moment, all the attention seems to gravitate towards Beltran’s called third strike.

The Cardinals obviously went on to win the game and advanced to the World Series where they ended up defeating the Detroit Tigers four games to one. That 2006 Mets team is often referred to as one of the best, if not the best Mets team to not win a World Series. If the Mets did find a way to win game seven and advance to the World Series, the odds would have been in their favor to win their third World Series in franchise history.

Beltran was coming off arguably his best season in the big leagues. He slashed .275/.388/.594/.982 with 41 home runs, 116 RBI, 127 runs scored, and 18 stolen bases in 140 games. He was also sent to the All-Star game, won a silver slugger award, a gold glove award, and finished fourth in MVP voting. Beltran was an elite player that season and it was no secret.

Getting back into the game scenario, the Mets were down two runs when Beltran came up to the dish with the bases loaded and two outs. Rookie pitcher Adam Wainwright was trying to close the game which made matters all that much more tricky. Since he was a rookie, the Mets did not have any real scouting report on Wainwright since it was his first season and most if not all the Mets players had not seen him yet.

Now as cool as it would have been to see Beltran hit a walk-off grand slam to send the Amazin’s to the World Series, speedy outfielder Endy Chavez was on second base so a single would have scored him to tied the game anyway. Assuming Beltran did single to tie the game, that would have brought up slugging first baseman Carlos Delgado who hit .304 in the series with 3 home runs and 9 RBI.

If the Mets did have the opportunity to redo Beltran’s at-bat that ended the game and their season, they would jump on it every single time. If Beltran goes on to swing the bat and win the game for the Mets, or even prolong the game to have somebody else win the game, the Mets are likely World Series Champions for the third time in franchise history, and Beltran would be remembered for saving the Mets season instead of ending it. Sadly this at-bat will always be remembered as one of the moments in team history that they wish they could redo.

The Mets have had plenty of laughable moments in their history that both the fans and the team wish they could redo. Between being nicknamed the “Lovable Losers” in the ’60s when they first broke into the league and were just downright terrible, to later in their history when they made terrible decisions or got caught up in trouble off the field.

Between all the negative and embarrassing moments in franchise history, there are plenty of moments the Mets wish they could redo on Groundhog Day. After living the same moment over and over day after day, the Mets would have plenty of opportunities to redo some of their worst moments and turn them into some of the best moments in franchise history.

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What moments do you wish the Mets could redo on Groundhog Day?