One of the great baseball games ever played was Game 6 in the 1986 World Series.
The New York Mets versus the Boston Red Sox, this game was a classic showdown between historic rivals. Not only did the Mets achieve a win over the Red sox, but it was totally unexpected.
“I’m sitting here and I still don’t believe it,” said legendary sportswriter, Bus Saidt.
It all happened fairly according to expectations, until the eighth inning. At the bottom of the seventh inning, the Red Sox had the lead. But in the eighth inning, the Mets gathered their strength. With some clever maneuvers, like a sacrifice bunt to help runners move, the Mets were able to load up the bases. A few fumbled balls by the Red Sox, and the score was tied while heading into the final inning.
But the Red Sox regained their lead, and things looked dire for Mets fans. The dugout was quiet, and the stands were depressed.
In an unlikely series of events, where everything went exactly perfectly.
Red Sox pitcher Calvin Schiraldi delivered a scalding fastball, but Mets Ray Knight managed to get a chunk of it. This allowed one runner to score and another runner to make it to third base.
Then, getting antsy about the final play, Red Sox coach McNamara pulled his pitcher and replaced Schiraldi with Bob Stanley. After several foul balls, the Met batter sent a slow ball to first base but it went right through Bill Buckner’s legs, allowing the Mets to win and earn their place in the championship game.
Commentators couldn’t believe it. Many pointed out that McNamara could have pulled Buckner and replaced him much sooner. Jayson Stark from the Philadelphia Inquirer observed, “It was enough to make you believe there are curses that haunt this team. It was enough to make you believe that the Mets are on some highway toward destiny.”