New York Mets walk-off wins and losses in postseason history

Whether they won or lost, these are each of the playoff games involving the New York Mets ending in a walk-off.

Depending on which side you’re on, a walk-off in the postseason can either help swing momentum your way or completely deflate your team. The New York Mets have experienced both ends of this. In the biggest of games, they have triumphed. Other times, they have been the ones walking back to the dugout with their heads hung low.

Coming into the 2021 season, the Mets have been to the postseason eight times. In six of those seasons, they have played a game ending in a walk-off.

Going back to 1969 up through 2016, these are all of the joyous moments and agonizing defeats for the Mets in postseason walk-off form.

10/15/1969 – J.C. Martin’s sacrifice

In Game 4 of the 1969 World Series, the Mets sent J.C. Martin to the plate to hit for Tom Seaver. A sign of the times, it was already the tenth inning and Seaver was still on the mound.

Jerry Grote doubled to lead off the inning and Al Weis was intentionally walked. Martin went up to the plate looking to sacrifice the runners over only for pitcher Pete Richert, who had just entered the game, to throw the ball away.

The errant throw allowed Grote to score. The Mets took the 2-1 lead, the game, and set themselves up for a win in Game 5 to seal the series and the first championship in franchise history.

10/6/1973 – Johnny Bench goes yard

The second walk-off victory the Mets were involved in had them on the other side of the beating. The 1973 NLCS had them traveling to Ohio to face the powerhouse Cincinnati Reds. In the bottom of the ninth, with the game knotted up at 1, Tom Seaver had the difficult task of getting the team into extra innings.

Seaver had cruised through the first 8.1 innings before a Pete Rose home run in the eighth inning put the Reds on the scoreboard. This time, again with one out, another future Hall of Famer would take Seaver deep.

Catcher Johnny Bench hit a walk-off home run to send the Reds to victory in the first game of the NLCS. It was a blow to the Mets’ already underdog chances. Fortunately, the club would come back from this walk-off and win the series.