A crazy NY Mets walk-off win we wish meant a lot more in the team's history

August 31, 2021, was a day when the New York Mets had a wild walk-off win that, years later, looks like it should have been a lot more memorable than it actually is. You have to go back to April 11th for the full picture.

The game began like most. A single and a flyout by the Miami Marlins against Marcus Stroman led to a sudden shift. The grounds crew went on the field. A delay started and eventually, the umpires called it. Two batters in, the Mets and Marlins would have to wait months to complete the majority of this one with an August 31 date set.

Such a long time between games is bound to have consequences. Changes galore for both teams, Taijuan Walker replacing Stroman on the mound for one, this would end up as a wild walk-off victory for the Mets.

The whacky walk-off Mets win we wish we could remember more fondly.

Because of the way the 2021 season went, we don’t really talk about this win. Hovering around the .500 mark, exactly where they’d finish, it was an exciting way to cap off a month.

Trailing 5-1 in the ninth, a “who’s who” of Mets players you might have forgotten about started things off. Brandon Drury struck out. Chance Sisco drew a walk. Brandon Nimmo wasn’t ready to go home yet. He homered and the lead was cut to 5-3.

Francisco Lindor followed with a lineout. A single by Dominic Smith and double by Pete Alonso put ducks on the pond for the real star of the game, Javier Baez. The unique aspect of this isn’t that Baez didn’t start the game. He wasn’t even with the Mets when this game began. Still a member of the Chicago Cubs when the first two outs were recorded, he knocked in a run with a single.

Next up was Michael Conforto who singled to left field. A bobble by the left fielder had Baez dashing toward home. The umpire was ready to call him out before he quickly noticed the ball hadn’t even been caught by the catcher.

A 6-5 win with a whole lot of excitement. How fun! Then came the real story. After sliding home to score the winning run, the search for something other than a playoff berth was underway. Baez lost an earring and everyone up to Sandy Alderson was on the lookout for it around home plate after.

The Mets managed to battle over the .500 mark in early September, but a tough stretch in the middle of the month had them sinking further out of contention. Just 77-85 at the year’s conclusion, this emotional win wasn’t the turning point we were waiting for. The team was 9-19 in August and would go just 11-16 in September.

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