Everything was good about that series. The Mets rally in the top of the ninth in Game One. The Dodgers smackdown of David Cone in Game Two, after Cone wrote this about Orel Hershiser, the Game One starter for the Dodgers and Dwight Gooden, the Game One starter for the Mets:
Justice. Yes, there has to be justice in this universe. Ever heard the saying: Better to be lucky than good? Trash it, because Hershiser was lucky, Doc was good. Look what happened to luck in the ninth inning last night.
It's called justice--catching up to luck and pummeling it into the ground.
We knew about Orel's 59 zeroes, but none of us thought he was invincible. Shoot, Doc pitched a much better game. Trouble is, Orel was lucky for eight innings.
Game Three had another late Met rally and reliever Jay Howell getting caught with pine tar in his glove in front of National League President Bart Giamatti.
Game Four had the Dodgers down 4-2 into the top of the ninth. But, Mike Scioscia tied the game with a two-run homer off Gooden to tie the game. Then, Kirk Gibson homered with two out in the twelfth for a 5-4 lead. The Mets loaded the bases in the bottom of the twelfth, but Hershiser, who started Game Three, got the final out of the game to tie the series at two games apiece.
Game Five saw the Dodgers take a 6-0 lead, with Gibson providing another home run (a three-run shot).
In Game Six, the Mets took the lead and Cone never let it go to force a Game Seven.
Hershiser would start Game Seven, his fourth appearance of the NLCS, for the Dodgers. The Mets thought that would hurt the Dodgers. Hershiser shutup the Mets with a complete game shutout to send LA on to the World Series.
That NLCS win by the Dodgers ended any talk of the Mets as a dynasty and gave baseball fans one of the most memorable World Series moments a few days later.
Thank the baseball gods for that.
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