NY Mets: The final out of every World Series appearance in team history

The New York Mets have a much less illustrious history than many fellow MLB teams, but even the Amazins have made a few World Series appearances in their time. In total, the Mets have gone to the World Series five times in their history, in 1969, 1973, 1986, 2000, and 2015. This figure seems sparse compared to teams like the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom have many more Fall Classic appearances to their name.

Though only two of those appearances resulted in the Mets hoisting the championship trophy, all five were memorable in their own ways.

If a team wins the World Series, the final out of the decisive game is etched into the minds of the fans forever. If it loses, most fans would rather never be reminded of the moment that their wildest hopes and dreams were officially dashed until the following April. Let’s take a look back at all five final outs in Mets World Series history, beginning with the moment that sealed the Amazins’ first title back when Joan Payson still owned the team.

1969: Cleon Jones catches a fly ball in left field hit by future Mets manager Davey Johnson

By the time the Mets got to Game 5 of the 1969 World Series against the mighty (and heavily favored) Baltimore Orioles, they had already defied the odds many times over. Backed by a lockdown pitching staff and enough clutch hitting to tide them over, the Mets arrived at Game 5 with Jerry Koosman, one of their main workhorses, on the mound. He had a splendid season in 1969, going 17-9 with a 2.28 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 241 innings pitched, and 180 strikeouts and receiving MVP votes.

Koosman was on his way to going the distance in the clinching game of that World Series, entering the ninth having allowed three runs on five hits over the prior eight frames. The Mets had a slim 5-3 lead, and Koosman was up against two future Hall of Famers and another intimidating slugger in that ninth inning, set to face Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, and Brooks Robinson.

Koosman made things interesting, walking Frank Robinson to start the inning and bringing the tying run up in front of the hollering Shea faithful. From there, he bore down and finished the job. Powell followed by grounding into a forceout, and Brooks Robinson flied out to Ron Swoboda in right field after that. With two outs, Dave Johnson stepped up to the plate.

Johnson had enjoyed a fantastic as the Orioles’ primary second baseman in 1969, finishing the regular season with his second of four All-Star selections and his first of three straight Gold Gloves. However, with the O’s down to their final out and needing a home run to tie the game, Johnson perhaps wasn’t the man they wanted up — he only hit seven home runs in the regular season, and none in that year’s postseason.

Alas, the trend continued, and Johnson lofted a fly ball to Cleon Jones in left field. Jones wandered back towards the warning track, tapped his glove in preparation, and secured the final out in his glove, nearly dropping to a knee as pandemonium broke out around him. Of course, Johnson later managed the Mets to their second World Series title in 1986 (more on that later), but back in 1969, he was the final punctuation that cemented their glorious fate.

1973: Wayne Garrett pops out to Bert Campaneris, Mets lose World Series to Oakland A’s

In 1973, the Mets mustered much of the same “Miracle Mets” energy they had in 1969, vaulting from last place into first in the season’s final month and nearly bringing it all the way home for their second World Championship in five years. After beating the Cincinnati Reds in five games to secure the second NL pennant in franchise history, the Mets embarked on a back-and-forth seven-game series with the A’s to determine that year’s victor.

In that final, winner-take-all game at Oakland Coliseum, the Mets found themselves in an early 4-0 hole after sending the former Rookie of the Year, Jon Matlack, to the mound. Matlack didn’t make it out of the third inning after allowing two two-run homers to Bert Campaneris and Reggie Jackson (who became the World Series MVP) in a single frame. From there, the Mets attempted to claw their way back.

By the time the ninth rolled around, the Mets were down 5-1, scoring their only run on an RBI double from Rusty Staub in the sixth. They had been mostly unable to solve A’s hurler Ken Holtzman, who had a 2.97 ERA in the regular season and made his second consecutive All-Star team. But facing future Hall of Famer Rollie Fingers, the Amazins unexpectedly primed themselves for a comeback.

After a walk and a single, Ed Kranepool pinch-hit and kept the Mets’ hopes alive with two outs, reaching on an error by A’s first baseman Gene Tenace (more on costly errors by opposing first basemen later). John Milner scored, and the Mets brought the tying run to the plate in Wayne Garrett as the A’s replaced Fingers with reliever Darold Knowles. Garrett subsequently popped out to the shortstop Campaneris, and the series was over.

As the A’s celebrated their World Series championship in their home stadium, the Mets went home empty-handed. It was 13 years before they made their next Fall Classic appearance, which ended on a much more triumphant note.

1986: Jesse Orosco strikes out Marty Barrett to seal Mets’ second World Series title

Much has been made about the Mets’ 1986 World Series win over the Boston Red Sox. It has been the subject of many books and a four-part documentary by ESPN. Game 6 is revered as one of the most iconic postseason comebacks in MLB history, and rightfully so. It’s also arguably the most famous game in Mets history. But Game 7 of that thrilling Fall Classic is what truly put the bow on the Mets’ season and capped a blustering, boisterous ride that took the Mets to the promised land.

Ron Darling started that decisive game, facing Red Sox hurler Bruce Hurst. Darling got an early hook after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, the Mets were stymied by Hurst until the bottom of the sixth, when future co-captains Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter tied the game with an RBI single and a groundout, respectively. From there, New York teed off on Calvin Schiraldi, who had blown the save for the Red Sox in Game 6, and took an 8-5 lead into the ninth.

To close out the final frame, the ball was in Jesse Orosco’s hand. He had relieved fellow bullpen stalwart Roger McDowell in the eighth, and even delivered an RBI single after hitting for himself in  the bottom of the inning. Orosco had been a force to be reckoned with out of the ‘pen all year, pitching to a 2.33 ERA over 58 appearances in the regular season. Scheduled to hit were Ed Romero, future Hall of Famer Wade Boggs, and Marty Barrett.

Orosco easily aced the most important assignment of his career. He retired Romero on a foul popup and got Boggs to ground out to nail down the first two outs. Barrett, who finished top 20 in AL MVP voting in 1986, then stepped up to the plate. After working the count to 2-2, the left-handed Orosco got Barrett to swing and miss for strike three.

Both the Mets and the loud Shea crowd roared with hearty excitement. Legendary announcer Vin Scully, who was calling the TV broadcast, sat back and let the moment breathe for viewers watching at home. It was a moment of pure, unadulterated joy.

2015: Wilmer Flores strikes out against Wade Davis as Mets lose Game 5 in 12 innings

The 2015 Mets, despite their dominant pitching in the regular season, were not favored to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series, then did so in five games. They were also underdogs against the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS, but swept them and that year’s Cy Young winner, Jake Arrieta, out of Wrigley Field in four games. From there, a date with the Kansas City Royals, who had lost the previous year’s Fall Classic to the San Francisco Giants, was in store.

Unfortunately, the 2015 World Series went a lot like the 2000 World Series. The Mets fell behind the Royals, 2-0, in the first two contests and headed home with their backs against the wall. Luckily, Game 3 featured several fond memories for Flushing fans, including Noah Syndergaard’s famous pitch to Alcides Escobar and David Wright’s mammoth home run.

But Game 4 also swung the Royals’ way, leaving the Mets facing elimination at Citi Field in Game 5. They entered the ninth inning up 2-0 and with starter Matt Harvey still on the mound. From there, the sequence of events is burned into every Mets fan’s brain: manager Terry Collins tries to take Harvey out, Harvey argues his way into staying in, gives up a run, and eventually gives way to closer Jeurys Familia, who allows the tying run to score after Lucas Duda’s ill-fated throw home.

The game dragged on until the 12th, when the Royals finally twisted the knife in the Mets’ hearts by scoring five times in the top of the inning. With the score 7-2, the Mets sent up Duda, Travis d’Arnaud, and Michael Conforto in the bottom half of the frame. After the first two struck out and Conforto singled, Wilmer Flores strode up to the dish.

Flores had become a cult hero earlier in 2015 after his apparent trade to the Brewers was deemed a no-go and he walked it off against the Nationals on July 31. Now in November, the stakes were even higher. Unfortunately, the man nicknamed “walk-off Wilmer” for his regular-season heroics couldn’t deliver any more magic that year. He struck out looking against Wade Davis, who pitched to a sparkling 0.94 ERA in 69 regular-season appearances. The Royals were the World Champions, and the Mets were left clinging to the faint glory of 1986 once again.

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Compiling these five World Series appearances, the Mets are officially 2-3 all-time in Fall Classics. They have been at the center of miracles, comebacks, back-breaking errors (on both sides), severed bats, and much more. With any luck, there will be more jubilation than heartbreak for the Mets and their fans alike in future World Series.