Twenty-five years in the past this week, the Mets and Yankees performed for actual for the primary time, video games that counted not simply in followers’ souls or homeowners’ minds, however within the standings, too. The beginning of interleague play, which has provided annual bragging rights ever since — typically over somebody in your personal residence — delighted this metropolis, crystallized a yard rivalry and began a practice of compelling baseball between the groups, regardless of their fortunes.
In a three-game Subway Series at Yankee Stadium from June 16-18, 1997, the Mets gained a stunning opener behind Dave Mlicki, an unheralded righty who threw the primary of two profession shutouts. But the Yanks took the ultimate two video games, the finale on a walk-off single by Tino Martinez in opposition to a Met who grew up within the metropolis and nonetheless calls it residence. Talk about narrative.
Three sellout crowds by no means stopped howling. A complete of 168,719 jammed into the previous ballpark for this newfangled idea. The Mets aspired to make a press release in opposition to Derek Jeter, Joe Torre and the defending World Series champs. The Yankees had been on the lookout for, no less than, the aid {that a} sequence victory would convey.
This yr’s Yankees and Mets don’t meet for the primary time till July 26-27 at Citi Field. Whet your urge for food for the rivalry with a visit again to the primary time it mattered, 25 years in the past, within the phrases of a few of these concerned.
Brian Cashman (Yankees assistant GM on the time, now the GM): “When we played them, especially early on, it was for all the marbles. That was the height of the George [Steinbrenner] era. He killed us about the Mets. Bottom line was, you could not lose to them. You’d lose the city. It was about making sure we kept them down.”
Bobby Valentine (Mets supervisor): “It kind of marked us, let the Mets come of age, I think. We probably weren’t quite ready for it, but we were close, and it was spectacular. We wanted to treat it like another ballgame, which it wasn’t. It was just another game … Not really!”
Todd Hundley (Mets catcher): “When the first game started, every single pitch, it was cheering or booing. Every single pitch. You’re thinking, ‘Maybe this will last a couple of innings.’ It went the whole series.”
David Cone (Yankees pitcher): “It was unique — Yankee Stadium filled up with almost half Mets fans. That had never happened before.”
Valentine: “We dressed at Shea Stadium — didn’t think it’d be safe to dress [at Yankee Stadium] and have our cars there, in case we won. We had a motorcade to get to the Bronx. We stopped all the traffic during rush hour, our buses scooting down the highway. As we approached the Stadium, all the people were along the streets. It was amazing.”
John Franco (Mets pitcher): “Their fans saw our bus and knew who it was. We got a lot of ‘No. 1′ signs.”
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Mlicki, who completed his 10-year profession with a 66-80 document and a 4.72 ERA, had hoped for the reason that schedule got here out that he’d be part of it. Per week earlier than the opener, Valentine instructed him he was beginning in opposition to Andy Pettitte. The Mets scored three runs within the first inning— for certainly one of them, Hundley stole residence whereas the Yanks had Butch Huskey in a rundown — and Mlicki threw a nine-hit shutout in a 6-0 win that left each groups 37-30. Mlicki held the Yankees to 0-for-11 with runners in scoring place. At one level afterward, Jeter requested reporters to substantiate tips on how to pronounce Mlicki’s surname.
Mlicki: “Walking in the Stadium, I can still smell it and see it. It was my first time there. I went out to Monument Park, walked through, thinking of all the players that were in that building. It was 15-20 minutes to clear my head. I was super nervous and so excited, but eerily calm, too. I had a ton of confidence that day. Who knows why?”
Valentine: “Dave had a great curveball. He was throwing it for strikes and when it wasn’t a strike, they were still swinging. He didn’t have command most days. That day, he did.”
Martinez: “He was not an overpowering guy, but he was pinpointing his pitches. His curve was good. He wouldn’t give in and give us a chance.”
In the ninth, Mlicki gave up three hits, however the Yanks nonetheless couldn’t rating. Some within the crowd had been chanting, “Let’s go, Mets.” On the mound, Mlicki thought, “This is awesome.” He struck out Jeter for the ultimate out after which did so many post-game interviews that he missed the Mets’ bus; he shared a $50 cab journey again to Shea with Jay Horwitz, then the Mets’ director of media relations.
Mlicki: “I went out on the field for one last interview and the Stadium was empty. I grabbed a scoopful of dirt from the mound. I have that dirt with the ball from the last out, the one I struck out Jeter with, in a little case in my basement. The next morning, I got up — we lived in Bronxville and we’d always go to a diner. I went with my wife, Annie, and so many people there were talking about the game. They had no clue I was there. We were both kind of smirking. The next day was surreal — I remember giving an interview and Cone runs by and says, ‘Nice game.’ I didn’t even know he knew who I was.”
Valentine: “After the first game, incredibly, I got a handwritten note from George on his white stationery. It just said, ‘You should’ve taken my offer. Great job getting here.’ I still have it somewhere. I don’t think I told anyone at the time that he actually did that after his team lost. He had offered me a job to manage his rookie league team 100 years before. I had just opened my restaurant in Stamford. I couldn’t go. Every time I saw him the next 15-20 years, he said, ‘Bad decision.’”
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Game 2, a 6-3 Yankees’ victory through which David Wells threw eight innings and Mariano Rivera closed, was much less memorable. There was a backdrop of drama, although — Wells needed to make up with Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre earlier than the sport. They had been indignant that he had gotten ejected after one inning in his earlier begin, a sport that was ultimately rained out. Against the Mets, Wells survived a third-inning scare through which he practically let a four-run lead slip away. After he gave up a two-run homer to Bernard Gilkey — the primary homer in Subway Series historical past, trivia followers — he retired 15 straight.
Martinez: “Wells did that a lot for us, if he had a bad outing or there was something negative, he always came out to prove a point.”
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In the third sport, Cone took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Yanks led, 2-0, on homers by Chad Curtis and Cecil Fielder. John Olerud led off the seventh with a double to interrupt up Cone’s no-hit bid and Olerud ultimately scored on a Carlos Baerga grounder. One inning later, Cone balked in Steve Bieser from third and the rating was tied.
Hundley: “I remember thinking, ‘Coney is going to no-hit us. This can’t happen.’”
Cone: “If I could’ve gotten by Olerud, maybe it could’ve been interesting. And, being a former Mets pitcher, it meant a lot. We were all aware that no Met pitcher [at the time] had thrown a no-hitter. That thought ran through my mind, maybe throwing one against them.”
In the underside of the tenth, the Yankees put runners on first and third with one out in opposition to Greg McMichael. Franco, born in Brooklyn, got here in to face Martinez and Martinez rapped a single to left, ending the sequence.
Franco: “I made a nice pitch to Tino. You tip your cap. I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t mean anything to me. It was the Yankees, not another game.”
Martinez: Johnny had nice stuff. I instructed myself, ‘Don’t attempt to pull him. Just hit a ball onerous the opposite means.’ I didn’t crush it, however I hit a line drive. I knew the sport was over. It was a aid.”
Jeff Nelson (Yankees reliever): “It was probably a relief for Torre that we won the series. He wouldn’t have to hear from George, his displeasure.”
Cone: “There was definitely relief for me. You don’t want it to be known as the Balk Game. Here I am, trying to throw a no-hitter, and then I balk in the tying run. Tino’s hit took the narrative away from that. And winning the series took pressure off us.”
Valentine: “After the third game, I got another note from George. It said: ‘The best team won. Good luck.’”
Mlicki: “I still get fan mail about it. The other day, someone sent the back page of the Daily News and they wanted me to sign it. I have a copy of that back page in my basement, too.”
Valentine: “There was nothing larger than that sequence, at the moment. Nothing extra explosive than the discuss radio — this was proper in Mike and the Mad Dog’s candy spot. Dueling newspapers, the again pages had been nonetheless the place to go.
“Those beginning days of the Subway Series were timed perfectly.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com