The 3 best Mets moments against the Reds in team history

The New York Mets were a real wild card in 1999…only after beating the Cincinnati Reds

The late 90’s is when the Mets began to emerge from the doldrums of the poor spending and bad attitudes of the early to mid ‘90’s. Mike Piazza was Met. That tells you all you need to know. But…

The 1999 season was a classic episode of Mets fans frustrations. After having led the National League’s Eastern Division for a good part of the season, the Mets went into a tailspin losing seven straight games late in September, while, who else, their arch rival Atlanta Braves won eight straight to overtake them in the standings.

The Mets would recover to win 96 games, but the end result was a flat out tie with the Cincinnati Reds and a one-game showdown between the two clubs to be the final qualifier for post season play. The game would take place at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati, simply with the luck of a coin toss that took place earlier in the season.

On October 4, 1999, in what would cement him as a Mets fan favorite, Al Leiter pitched a two-hit complete game shutout. He was backed by home runs by Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonzo…cruising to a 5-0 victory.

The Mets would qualify for the post season, and go on to defeat the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, but then succumb to the Braves in the NL Championship Series.