First Off, Bill Buckner

Bill Buckner killed the Mets. After he became a Cub in 1977, Billy Buck hit .332 with 43 RBIs against the Mets over his first six years in Chicago, with four homers and 18 knocked in during 1982 alone. He petered out a little the next year against New York and was traded to the American League for Dennis Eckersley. Mets fans may have wondered, whatever happened to Bill Buckner?

With Buckner batting third in a veteran lineup, the Red Sox took the first two World Series games at Shea Stadium in 1986. The Mets powered back to win the next two at Fenway Park. Boston won Game 5 to reach the brink of its first world championship since 1918. The Red Sox beat New York's ace, Dwight Gooden, and that was Doc's last start of the Series ... and his second loss.

Bob Ojeda, hated by his Red Sox teammates (and vice versa) prior to his off-season trade to New York, was on the mound for his second Game 6 in 10 days. With the Mets having to win in the NLCS or else face nemesis Mike Scott in Game 7, Ojeda started at the Astrodome ... and promptly gave up three runs in the first inning. The Mets won in an epic 16-inning marathon. This time he looked in for the sign with Buckner at the plate in the first inning when every eye at Shea suddenly turned skyward. Michael Sergio, an actor from the soap opera Loving, parachuted onto the field near first base. A couple of policemen matter-of-factly collected Sergio, his parachute, plus his "Go Mets" banner, and led him off the field. Pitcher Ron Darling gave Sergio a high five on his way through the dugout. Buckner flied out, but a single, a walk, and then a double by Dwight Evans made it 1–0. Boston added another run in the second.

The Mets tied it against Boston's ace, Roger Clemens. Ray Knight had an RBI single, and Danny Heep, batting for shortstop Rafael Santana in the fifth inning, brought in the equalizer on a double-play ball. Knight's error in the seventh allowed Boston to take the lead. It stayed a one-run game when Jesse Orosco replaced Roger McDowell with the bases loaded in the eighth and retired Buckner on a fly out to center.

The Red Sox made a pitching change of their own in the bottom of the eighth, replacing Clemens with Calvin Schiraldi, Boston's key figure in the Ojeda deal with the Mets the previous winter. The pitcher made a bad throw to second on a sacrifice, and the Mets had two men on with none out, instead of one on and one out. The Mets tied the game on Gary Carter's sacrifice fly on a 3–0 pitch.

The tense game passed through the ninth and into the tenth inning with New York's bullpen and bench taxed. The Mets were on their third shortstop of the night, Howard Johnson (a third baseman by trade), and had gone through their top two relievers. Rick Aguilera, a starter during the season, allowed a home run to Dave Henderson to snap the tie, and then a two-out single by Marty Barrett made it a two-run lead. Buckner was hit by a pitch, presenting manager John McNamara a chance to replace the hobbled veteran with Dave Stapleton as he'd done throughout the postseason in games Boston led. But Buckner remained at first base and stayed there for the bottom of the inning. He wanted to be on the field for the celebration.

The Mets had had everything go their way all season and now this. Shea Stadium grew despondent as Wally Backman and then Keith Hernandez flew out against Schiraldi. Gary Carter was the last hope. Brought over from Montreal in an effort to finally win the World Series, Kid pulled a single into left field to keep the game alive. Rookie Kevin Mitchell, who would have a long and interesting career, carved his name into Mets lore by reaching base with a line single. Knight followed with a single to center to make it 5–4 with Mitchell going to third and Schiraldi out of the game.

Bob Stanley came in to face Mookie Wilson. Wilson had played for Mets teams that finished an average of 23 games out of first place his first four years as a major leaguer. Now here he was facing Bob Stanley, who'd pitched in Boston's 1978 one-game playoff loss against the Yankees. Something had to give.

Wilson fouled off Stanley's best stuff and watched two pitches off the plate for balls. Stanley made one bad pitch, a darting slider at Wilson's feet, but Mookie jackknifed out of the way and, as catcher Rich Gedman chased it, Mitchell scored the tying run. Shea...