The Mets' win against the Phillies Thursday night was one for the ages. It reminded me of a win from almost 50 years earlier.
The New York Mets coming back from a 6-run deficit heading into the ninth was a truly historic victory. They matched a feat the club has only accomplished three times since it came into existence. The last time it happened was in 1997. Those Mets only managed to tie the game. It would take another couple of innings before they won the damn thing. They were the home team that night, so a Bernard Gilkey 3-run homer in the 11th was a walk-off game-winner.
The first time it happened was the day of my Grandmother's epic, "I told you so." That was back on July 17, 1973. As with Thursday's win in Philly, the Mets were the road team against the Braves. They went into the top of the ninth trailing Atlanta by the identical 7-1 deficit and scored 7 runs to grab the lead. While the Mets had their closer, Edwin Díaz, to close out Thursday night's win, that victory in 1973 was secured by a pitcher named Harry Parker, who only accumulated 12 saves over his entire MLB career.
Interestingly enough, Tug McGraw, the man who would become a legendary New York Met for closing games out with his screwball, had started that game for the Metropolitans. Tug was beaten up by the Braves to the tune of 6 runs in 6 innings. McGraw had been scuffling in relief that year, blowing 5 saves before the end of June. His ERA was a horrendous 6.17 after that outing. The Mets would give Tug another start against the Astros at the end of July. That one didn't go any better.
McGraw started turning his season around in August, then went on a terrific run, saving and winning games from late August through the end of the season. Tug kept screaming, "ya gotta believe," until belief became a reality. Those 1973 Mets, who managed to come back from the dead on that July evening in Atlanta, came back from last place to win the NL East. The 82-win Mets beat a heavily-favored Cincinnati club in the NLCS, then took the A's, one of the great dynasty clubs of the seventies, to a 7th game before succumbing in the World Series.
The victory over the Braves back in July 1973 seemed to give that Mets club some momentum. They were 12 games under .500 and dead last in the division standings. That historic win began a solid 6-3 stretch for the Mets that got them back to 9 games under. But then they dropped 4 in a row at the end of July, and very few Mets fans accepted McGraw's invitation to believe.
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