METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE AUGUST 14, 1985 GAME:
Bob P
July 4, 2004
This was a very frustrating loss on a hot, humid, breezeless Wednesday night at Shea. I was in my regular seat in Loge section six, row E.Kevin Gross and Ron Darling were locked in a 0-0 pitcher's duel through six innings. Rick Schu drove in a run with a single in the seventh and then Kevin Gross drove in the insurance run in the ninth. The Mets came back to score one in the ninth but they should have at least tied it, and probably should have won it in their last at bat. Gross walked Howard Johnson and pinch-hitter Rusty Staub to start the inning. Don Carman relieved Gross and pinch-hitter Ron Gardenhire bunted. Carman threw the ball away and a run scored. The tying run was at third and the winning run at second with nobody out. Tom Paciorek batted for Dykstra and was intentionally walked. But Wally Backman, who finished 1985 with a .122 batting average and a .212 on base percentage vs LHP, grounded into a force play at the plate, and then Keith Hernandez grounded into a 4-6-3 DP. The Mets left eleven runners on base in the game. Eight Mets walked to go along with their six hits, but they only got the one run, and that was because of an error. The Mets had at least one baserunner in every inning except the fourth. They grounded into two double plays and also might have run themselves out of a big inning in the bottom of the first when Lenny Dykstra was caught stealing third base as Keith Hernandez struck out.
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