SNY has the same tired rotation of games for Mets Classics that we have seen, oh, about 100 million times.
Cone K's 19 against the Phillies in 1991 or Agbayani hits the Grand Slam in Japan to give the 2000 Mets their first win of the season.
To quote the legendary New Jersey Nets player Derek Coleman: “Whoop de damn do.”
No offense to those games, they are in their own way classic Mets moments, but it's time to put them out to retirement and show some new stuff.
Now I could make this list all post-season games but that would not be much fun. Classic games happen in the Regular Season too.
So I have decided to come up with 10 Playoff and 10 Regular Season games that I think the Mets and SNY should be showing fans on a more regular basis
(Side Note: You wanna be the person that tells me that SNY doesn't have the rights to these games or whatever. Fine, be that way. I personally don't care and they should still figure it out to get said rights to show these games.)
Regular Season Classics
1. 10/4/1999: Mets vs. Reds: Mets win 5-0
Al Leiter throws a complete game two hit shutout against the Reds in Cincinnati to give the Mets their first playoff appearance since 1988.
2. 6/11/2005: Mets vs. Angels: Mets Win 5-3 in 10 Innings
Marlon Anderson ties the game in the 9th with an Inside the Park Home Run against Francisco Rodriguez and Cliff Floyd hits a walk off three run homer in the 10th to win it.
3. 4/10/2005: Mets vs. Braves: Mets win 6-1
Pedro Martinez out duels John Smoltz as Carlos Beltran homers in the 8th to lead the Mets to their first win of the season and the first win for new manager Willie Randolph.
4. 7/4/2004: Mets vs. Yankees: Mets win 6-5
The Mets complete their first sweep of the Yankees as Ty Wigginton takes Tom Gordon deep in the bottom of the 8th inning and win their first ever six game season series version of the Subway Series.
5. 5/28/2013: Mets vs. Yankees: Mets win 2-1
Matt Harvey tosses 8 brilliant innings but it was not until the 9th Inning where Mariano Rivera, pitching for the final time in a regular season game in Queens would blow his first save ever without recording at least one out.
6. 5/5/2006: Mets vs. Braves: Mets win 8-7 in 11 Innings
Mets trail 6-2 but tie the game with a 4 run 7th inning. Wilson Betemit homers in the 11th off Billy Wagner but Cliff Floyd homers in the bottom of the 11th to tie it. David Wright hits a walk off double in the 14th to win it.
7. 5/23/2006: Mets vs. Phillies: Mets win 9-8 in 16 Innings
Mets trail the entire game until tying it up on a Jose Reyes two run homer in the bottom of the 8th. The game ends up going into the 16 Inning until Ryan Madson, pitching his 7th inning of relief gives up a walk off home run to Carlos Beltran.
8. 8/30/2005: Mets vs. Phillies: Mets win 6-4
Mets trail 3-0 before coming to the plate in the first but battle all the way back as Ramon Castro hits a three run home run in the bottom of the 8th to help give the Mets a 6-4 lead and eventually the win. It was the biggest game played at Shea since the 2001 season.
9. 10/1/1999: Mets vs. Pirates: Mets win 3-2 in 11 Innings
Needing to sweep the Pirates to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Mets get a walk off single with two outs in the 11th inning from Robin Ventura to close the gap between them and the Reds for the NL Wild Card race to just one game.
10. 10/3/1999: Mets vs. Pirates: Mets win 2-1
The Mets complete a sweep of the Pirates and guarantee themselves at least a one game playoff with the Reds as Pirates reliever Brad Clontz throws a wild pitch on his first pitch of the game to Mike Piazza with the bases loaded in the 9th to give the Mets a dramatic win.
Post Season Classics
1. 10/5/2000 Game 2 2000 NLDS Mets vs. Giants: Mets win 5-4 in 10 Innings
Edgardo Alfonzo gave the Mets what should have been a comfortable 4-1 lead in the 9th after hitting a two run home run. Of course it did not stand up as Armando Benitez gave up a game tying three run homer to J.T. Snow to send the game to extra innings. In the 10th with 2 outs Jay Payton doubled and Darryl Hamilton drove him in to tie the game. After a lead off single knocked Benitez out of the game, John Franco came in and got the save, striking out Barry Bonds looking to end it.
2. 10/7/2000 Game 3 2000 NLDS: Mets vs. Giants: Mets win 3-2 in 13 Innings
Trailing 2-1 in the 8th inning, Edgardo Alfonzo ties the game with a two out double and then in the 13th inning, Benny Agbayani hits a walk off home run to give the Mets a 2-1 series lead.
3. 10/8/2000 Game 4 2000 NLDS: Mets vs. Giants: Mets win 4-0
Bobby Jones pitches a one hit complete game shutout and Robin Ventura hits a first inning two run homer as the Mets remain undefeated at home all time in the NLDS.
4. 10/16/2000 Game 5 2000 NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Mets win 7-0
The Mets clinch their first birth in the World Series since 1986 with a convincing 7-0 win behind a complete game shutout from NLCS MVP Mike Hampton. (Side note: Hampton left after the year to sign with Colorado, the comp pick they got from the Rockies was used to draft David Wright.)
5. 10/12/2000 Game 2 2000 NLCS: Mets vs. Cardinals: Mets win 6-5
Rick Ankiel's pitching career takes a sudden turn for the worse as his wildness gives the Mets an early lead. They eventually blow the lead and with the game tied in the 9th, Jay Payton singles in the winning run and the Mets take a 2-0 series lead back to New York.
6. 10/4/2006 Game 1 2006 NLDS: Mets vs. Dodgers: Mets win 6-5
Carlos Delgado, in his first ever playoff game, homers and in the 7th inning, singles in the go ahead run as the Mets win their first playoff game since Game 3 of the 2000 World Series.
7. 10/7/2006 Game 3 2006 NLDS: Mets vs. Dodgers: Mets win 9-5
Mets complete their first sweep of a playoff series since the 1969 NLCS as they score three runs in the 6th Inning to take the lead for good and advance to the NLCS against the Cardinals.
8. 10/17/1999 Game 5 1999 NLCS Mets vs. Braves: Mets Win 3-2 in 15 Innings
Grand. Slam. Single. Need I say more?
9. 10/5/1999 Game 1 1999 NLDS: Mets vs. Diamondbacks: Mets win 8-4
With the game tied at 4 in the 9th Inning, Randy Johnson leaves with the bases loaded and Edgardo Alfonzo with two outs hits a go ahead Grand Slam to give the Mets an 8-4 win. Their first win in the post season since Game 6 of the 1988 NLCS.
10. 10/9/1999 Game 4 1999 NLDS: Mets vs. Diamondbacks: Mets win 4-3 in 10 Innings
Todd Pratt hits a walk off solo home run off of Matt Mantei to help the Mets win their first playoff series since the 1986 World Series and becomes the first player ever to end a Division Series on a Walk Off Home Run.
Not a bad list of 20 pretty classic games. Of course you might have noticed that all of the games were between 1999 and now. But for you fans of the team since the 60's, 70's and 80's, you might remember some classic games that should be shown as well.
SNY needs a new batch of classic games and I think my list of 20 games is a good place to start so we don't have to watch Endy Chavez win a game in April of 2007 with a walk off bunt.
