So believe it or not, the 1986 World Series didn't end on Bill Buckner's blunder on the Mookie Wilson grounder to first. That walk-off error just tied the '86 Series between the Mets and Red Sox at three games apiece and considering the World Series is a best-of-seven series, one more game was played. Yes, it was a bit anticlimactic compared to the thrilling ending to Game Six, but let me tell you a little bit about Game Seven of the 1986 Fall Classic.
Game Seven featured a great starting pitching matchup: All Star Bruce Hurst for the Sox against All Star Ron Darling for the Mets. Hurst was actually already 2-0 in the Series coming into that seventh game, while Ron was 1-1 and the one game that he lost during the 1986 World Series was against Hurst. Anyway, the game took place on October 27, 1986 in Shea Stadium in New York. A crowd of 55,032 fans watched to see if the Red Sox could finally put the Curse of the Bambino to rest.
The Red Sox opened up the scoring on Darling in the top of the second inning. Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman hit back-to-back homers and later in the inning, Hall of Famer Wade Boggs hit an RBI single, scoring Dave Henderson. Ron Darling went another inning and two-thirds, but then was relieved by Sid Fernandez (pictured below), an All Star in '86 who was a part of a very good Mets starting pitching staff. There was no scoring on either side until the bottom of the sixth, when the Mets finally got on the scoreboard. Keith Hernandez had a 2-RBI single, scoring Lee Mazzilli and Mookie Wilson. Later on in the inning, Hernandez scored on an RBI groundout by Hall of Fame catcher, Gary Carter. So, after six innings, the game was tied at three runs apiece.
New York quickly grabbed the lead in the bottom of the seventh, this time facing Boston pitcher, Calvin Schiraldi. Ray Knight cracked a solo homer to give the Mets the lead, 4-3. Then, Rafael Santana smacked a Lenny Dykstra-scoring single to right field, which was followed up by a Keith Hernandez sacrifice fly. But the game was not over. In the top of the eighth, Dwight Evans collected his second and third runs batted in on the game on a two-run double off Mets reliever Roger McDowell.
The Mets had a slim lead, 6-5, but they knew they needed insurance runs and insurance runs they got. Long-time Met, Darryl Strawberry, cracked a dramatic solo home run to right, giving the Amazins a two-run the cushion. But the runs didn't stop there for New York. Three batters after Strawberry, Mets closer, Jesse Orosco, singled to center field, scoring Ray Knight! The Mets now had a pretty comfortable lead on Boston and let Orosco finish off the Series, which he did in the top of the ninth. The Mets won the game 8-5 and the Series in seven games. It was their second Fall Classic championship and the Red Sox's fourth World Series loss since 1918.
This game is very overlooked due to the dramatics of Game Six, but it was just as important. It was a must-win game for both clubs, but the Mets came out on top in the end. Thanks for reading this post and I hope you enjoyed it. Check back soon for more of "all the buzz on what wuzz."
That game has never been overlooked. I know because I was there!
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