4 most clutch moments in Mets history

The New York Mets have had their fair share of big-time moments throughout their team history. It is evidenced through championship and pennant winning teams that have encompassed Mets fans of all ages, so which moments stand out above the rest that give Mets fans reasons to believe at all times?

Mets clutch moment: Tommie Agee’s two run-saving catches in Game 3 of the 1969 World Series

The Mets and the 109-win Baltimore Orioles split the first two games of the 19-9 World Series in Baltimore, setting up a pivotal Game 3 at Shea Stadium, the first World Series game played in Queens, where Tommie Agee played hero.

Agee led off the game for the Mets with a home run to get things started, and the Mets built a lead from there.

In the top of the fourth inning, the Mets were ahead 3-0 with the Orioles having runners at the corners with two outs. Baltimore catcher Elrod Hendricks hit a deep fly ball into left center field where Agee ran to his right at full speed and made a brilliant running catch slamming right into the 39- sign in left center to end the inning and save two runs.

Then, with a 4-0 lead in the seventh, the Orioles loaded the bases on three straight two-out walks. Paul Blair had the chance to change the whole series with a line drive into right center field. But Agee made another brilliant catch, this time, tumbling to his left to save what could have been an inside-the-park grand slam.

The Mets won the game 5-0 on their way to one of the most improbable World Series titles in the sport’s history.

Mets clutch moment: Mookie Wilson’s at-bat in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series

Mets fans who were alive during the 198- World Series will tell you where they were when Bill Buckner committed the infamous error to end Game Six.

But what some will leave out is perhaps the most clutch at-bat in Mets history by Mookie Wilson.

After Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell, and Ray Knight all hit 2-out singles in the bottom of the 10th inning down by two runs off Boston’s Calvin Schiraldi, it was up to Mookie Wilson to make something happen at the plate against Bob Stanley with runners on first and third with two outs and a run (Carter) scored.

With the Red Sox just one out away from finally winning their first World Series since 1918, Mookie Wilson had other ideas. He fouled off the first offering from Stanley before taking two balls in a row. Wilson then fouled off three more pitches in a row, before a wild pitch allowed Mitchell to score the tying run and Knight to advance to second base.

Wilson continued to foul off pitches, two more to be exact to get the at-bat to its tenth pitch. Wilson hit a weak ground ball to the first baseman Bill Buckner only for the ball to get under his legs to score Knight from second base to give the Mets a dramatic 6-5 victory.

It was pure pandemonium at Shea that night as a raucous crowd of 55,078 saw the Mets season extend one more game, in which the Mets secured their second championship two nights later.

Mets clutch moment: John Franco strikes out Barry Bonds looking to end Game 2 of the 2000 NLDS

The Mets were on the verge of splitting the first two games of the 2000 NLDS at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco as they took a 4-1 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. But J.T. Snow clubbed a game-tying three-run homer off Armando Benitez to tie the game for the Giants, forcing the game into extra innings.

In the top of the 10th inning, Jay Payton hit a two-out RBI single to give the Mets a 5-4 lead.

In the bottom of the frame, John Franco was called in to get the final three outs, and with one out to go, he was tasked to face the most feared slugger in the sport at the time in Barry Bonds. He got Bonds to strike out looking on a 3-2 offspeed pitch to preserve the win.

The pendulum swung in favor of the Mets the rest of the way, as they won two nights later at Shea Stadium in Game 3 on a Benny Agbayani game-winning home run, and then again the following night on Bobby Jones’ one-hit shutout to close out the series.

Who knows what would have happened to both the Mets and Giants if John Franco couldn’t get Barry Bonds out on that pitch? Would Barry Bonds have made his first World Series that year? Would the Subway Series in October not have happened? It remains one of the big what-if’s in both franchises’ recent history.