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This Day in NY Mets History: Your grandparents' favorite comeback vs. the Braves

An early comeback against the Braves helped remind Mets fans not to give up on the season.
ByTim Boyle|
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Sept. 28, 2008; Queens, NY, USA; The Florida Marlins visit the New York Mets. The Mets hope to make the wildcard as they play the last regular season game at Shea Stadium. -- Willie Mays touched home plate for the final time in a ceremony saying goodbye to Shea Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK
Sept. 28, 2008; Queens, NY, USA; The Florida Marlins visit the New York Mets. The Mets hope to make the wildcard as they play the last regular season game at Shea Stadium. -- Willie Mays touched home plate for the final time in a ceremony saying goodbye to Shea Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK | Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY NETWORK

A comeback victory against the Atlanta Braves only gets sweeter each year. The June 30, 2000, game featuring a 10-run 8th inning might remain in your head. Long before, in 1973, the New York Mets had another big come-from-behind victory over the Braves.

The year was 1973. Soda cost a nickel or something like that and the Mets were on their way to an NL Pennant. The date, July 17th, had a 38-50 Mets team up against a not-much-better 45-51 Braves squad.

This late comeback wouldn’t take place at Shea Stadium. Down in Atlanta, a Mets team that didn’t hear the bell was ready to fight until the bitter end.

The Mets comeback win over the Braves your grandparents told you about

It was 7-1 heading into the top of the ninth. Phoning it in would have been easy in front of the 8,000+ fans in attendance. Tug McGraw started the game without much luck. Braves starter Carl Morton was looking to go the distance when he finally ran into serious trouble for the first time all game.

With the top of the order starting things off, Wayne Garrett singled to get things started. A lineout got the first out of the inning. Then Rusty Staub homered to make a comfortable lead a little less so.

A single by Cleon Jones kept the inning moving. John Milner copycatted Staub with a two-run home run of his own. Suddenly, the Mets had new life and a 7-1 game was 7-5.

That was it for Morton. Adrian Devine came out of the bullpen and got a ground out for the second out of the inning. Don Hahn singled. Ed Kranepool came off the bench to pinch hit. He walked.

Up stepped Jim Beauchamp who smacked a two-out single to make it a one-run game. The Mets officially batted around and instead of giving Garrett another at-bat, Willie Mays was called from the bench to face the new pitcher, lefty Tom House. A chess match at this point, Mays delivered a two-run single to push the Mets ahead.

The game wasn’t over yet. Atlanta had a chance to make up for the blown lead. Harry Parker struck out the first two hitters he faced then got a pop out to end the game. The comeback was complete. Ya had to start believing.

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