Ultimate Mets Database: Game of September 23, 2001

THE ULTIMATE METS DATABASE IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE NEW YORK METS OR MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.

- All-Time Roster Every Met player... EVER!
- Mug Shots The pretty ones and the ugly ones -- we have them all!
- Player Awards Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame, and more.
- Transactions Over a thousand player transactions -- in chronological order!
- Managers & Coaches The men who have led the Mets, and the men who helped them.
- Mets Staff Executives, General Managers, Broadcasters, and more. (And Jane Jarvis too!)
- Birth Places Perfect for planning your Mets pilgrimages!
- Oldest Living Mets See which Mets players have spent the most time walking the Earth.
- Necrology Mets players and personnel who are no longer with us.

- Game Results
  All the wins, all the losses. Includes box scores and score cards!
- Opening Day
  The first day of each season! See the starting lineups, who started at each position year-by-year, and leaders by position.
- Walkoff Wins & Losses
  Interactively search for the happiest and saddest endings to Mets games.
- Postseason Games How the Mets have fared in the games that count the most!
- No-Hitters & One-Hitters See a list of every no-hitter and one-hitter pitched by the Mets, or against them. One of these categories was frustratingly empty for over fifty years, but not anymore!
- All-Star Games Mets who have appeared in baseball's Mid-Summer Classic
- Opponents & Ballparks See the Mets won-lost record against every team, and in every ballpark in which they've played!
- Daily Standings What was the Mets' pennant outlook on any given day in past seasons?
- Yearly Finishes The heights and the depths: the Mets won-lost record at the end of each season.
- Mayor's Trophy Games A look back at the long-ago annual series between the Mets and their Bronx rivals.

- Leaderboards Career, season, and individual game leaders at your fingertips!
- Team Leaders Players who led the Mets in various categories, from season to season.
- Decade Leaders Mets history broken down into ten-year chunks!
- Post-Season Leaders Mets leaders, by category, in post-season games

- Ultimate Mets Scrapbook The history of the Mets, as it was reported when it happened!
- Forum Visit the Crane Pool Forum to discuss the Mets and just about anything else!
- Fan Memories Insightful. Poignant. Thrilling. Somber. Nutty. Our visitors have submitted thousands of thoughts and memories of the Mets and the games they've played.
- Mets Uniforms It's more than just laundry! Trace the evolution of the Mets official uniform over the years.
- Uniform Numbers In association with Mets By the Numbers, we present a full history of who wore what number, and when!/li>
- Baseball Cards Our collection of home-made baseball cards, in the style of the classic Topps cards of the 1970's.
- This Date in Mets History Births, Deaths, Transactions, Newspaper Covers

- Contact Us
- FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Previous Game:
September 22, 2001
Mets 7, Braves 3 2001 Regular Season Game 150
September 23, 2001
Braves 5, Mets 4 Next Game:
September 25, 2001
Mets 2, Expos 0

Click to view scorecard

National League Standings, September 23, 2001

Box Score Game Memories Scorecard Mets Stats
Thru This Game

METS FANS SHARE THEIR MEMORIES OF THE SEPTEMBER 23, 2001 GAME:

Sasha Karma
March 20, 2002
Damn you, Armando! We we're so close. Why can't you just blow your saves in less significant looking situations?

Anthony
August 8, 2003
This just may have been the most agonizing game I have ever watched. At least starting from the top of the ninth inning. We had to get a new portable phone because the volume adjuster came off from me throwing it in anger. I felt sort of bad my folks bought a new one. The phone was fine except for the volume adjuster. I told them they should have sent the bill to Armando Bumnitez. Whoops, I mean Benitez. Note my sarcasm in the previous sentence. I think Bobby V. should have brought John Franco or someone else in right after Brian Jordan hit the home run to make it 4-3. But, as he has done a lot, he stayed with a pitcher too long.

Russell J. Lydon
May 26, 2004
Worse then the Pendleton game in 1987. I was sitting in the upper deck. I never heard Shea get so quiet since I've started watching baseball again in 1998. Worse feeling ever leaving a ballpark.

Lee
March 17, 2006
This was when the Mets needed a win, they had a lead, and Benitez blew it by giving up a homer to Brian Jordan and then giving up more runs.

Louis
January 26, 2007
I remember this game clearly. It was the first, and only time I caught a foul ball. It was hit off B.J. Surhoff's bat in the 10th or 11th inning. Even though the Mets lost (horribly!), I'll never forget this game.

Art
December 9, 2011
I caught the foul ball with my 11 month old baby in my arms. I am looking for the video of this game to share with her. I hope someone can help

DC
July 1, 2020
The Mets are on a 22-5 tear heading into this game, to cut what was a 13.5 game deficit as late as August 18th to 3.5.

Yes, this is part of the Braves run of division titles but they were reeling heading into this game. Lost 3 of 4 to the second place Phillies right before this series, and were on the cusp of getting swept here. I really thought this was the year that streak was coming to an end; if the Mets win they are 2.5 games back of the first-place... Phillies. Yes, 2001 was a weird year.

Al Leiter throws his best game of the season (in addition to how big the game felt his game score backs this up) and the Braves are down by 3 down to their last out. Armando Benitez has just froze Chipper Jones for a called strike and a sweep is all but inevitable.

Now let's pause for a second. A runner on first, down 3 with two outs in the ninth means the Mets win probability is at 99%. You can give up a home run and still be in the driver's seat, which Benitez promptly does to Brian Jordan to cut the lead to 4-3. Not ideal but the win probability is still at 96%. Dave Martinez walks on a 3-2 pitch , 92%. Andrew Jones pokes a 1-2 single into left field, still 86%.

BJ Surhoff then ties the game on a 0-2 liner to centerfield and in a matter of 15 pitches and despite the Braves being down to their last strike on three consecutive hitters this game is tied. John Franco miraculously keeps it that way after striking out Eddie Perez but that half inning was when the Mets resuscitated 2001 season began to die.

You know how this one ends; John Smoltz throws three dominant innings, Jordan hits another home run in the 11th to give the Braves a lead they wouldn't lost and after all the emotion and momentum from the first two games of this series, it ends on the bitterest of notes.

Now it's your turn! Tell us what you remember of this game:

Please note:
We're looking for your comments about this specific game. We've had people use this space to share their thoughts on how the current season is going, or on ways that the Mets can improve the team. Such comments, unless in the context of this particular game, will be considered off-topic and will be removed.

Example One
The Mets suck! They need to trade Smith and get somebody like Jones.
This comment is off-topic and will be removed. It has nothing to do with any specific game. But here's an acceptable alternative:

Example Two
The Mets suck! Smith made three errors in this game, and hit into a double play, and the Mets blew a 5-0 lead. They need to get rid of Smith and get somebody like Jones.
See the difference? Here you're getting the same point across, but it's in the proper context. We wouldn't consider this message to be off-topic, and we would let it remain.

We do appreciate anybody who takes the time to share their thoughts on our site, and we hate to remove anybody's postings. But if we didn't take steps to ensure that only on-topic messages were retained, The Ultimate Mets Database would become a confusing jumble of unrelated comments, and would thus be less enjoyable to visitors like you.

Thank you!