The 3 best Mets wins against the Braves in team history

Best Mets win: The grand slam single game

When a game has a name, you know there is enough lore there for it to make some best lists. The grand slam single is one of those labels for a game/moment that continues to resonate with fans.

On October 17, 1999, the Mets trailed the Braves 3 games to 1 in the NLCS. Backed up against the rooms at Shea Stadium, the Mets were fighting from behind all series long. Dropping the first three games of the series, they would need a miracle to win the best of 5. A victory in Game 4 kept them alive. The even more outstanding victory in Game 5 would be the stuff of legends.

In the 15th inning of what would turn out to be a 5 hour and 46 minute game, Keith Lockhart would knock a triple to give the Braves a 3-2 lead in the top half of the inning. The Mets would get their shot in the bottom half of the inning and a Shawon Dunston single followed by a stolen base was the right way to get it started. Todd Pratt would later draw a bases loaded walk to tie the game before Robin Ventura stepped up to the plate to give this game its signature name.

Ventura took Braves pitcher Kevin McGlinchy deep for what should’ve been a home run. But because Ventura didn’t even make it to second base before his teammates locked their arms around him in celebration, the play was officially ruled a single with just one run scoring. It was all the Mets needed, though. For one more night, they were alive.