Bone Daddy’s 1986 NLCS Houston Astros vs New York Mets General Collection Pieces

DOG ASIDE:

After Mike Scott pitched the Astros to a brilliant victory in Game 4….to tie the NLCS at 2 – 2….Bone Daddy was ready for bear at Shea in NYC for Game 5….but as life tends to deal hands that affect the outcome of certain events….Mother Nature handed the Astros a rain-out for Game 5….which moved the game to the early television slot on October 14 at 12 noon….having a significant effects on diminishing the momentum the Stros were carrying into the game…..so,Game 5 became a pitching duel between Mets Dwight Gooden and Astros Nolan Ryan…..as Gooden allowed just one run in 10 innings…..with Ryan also surrendering a single run on two hits while striking out 12 in nine innings.

With no score in the top of the second, Gooden surrendered consecutive singles to Kevin Bass and José Cruz, putting runners on the corners with nobody out. He then caught Alan Ashby looking on a full count….and induced Craig Reynolds to ground into a double play to escape the jam.  The Astros took a 1–0 lead in the fifth when Alan Ashby doubled, took third on a single by Craig Reynolds, and then scored on Bill Doran’s ground-out. However, the Mets came right back and tied it in the bottom half when Darryl Strawberry took Ryan deep for the Mets’ first hit of the game and his second homer of the series. The Astros reached second base in the eighth and tenth innings. However, in the eighth Gooden got Denny Walling to fly out to Mookie Wilson in left field….where Wilson doubled off Bill Doran from second base to end the inning. In the 10th inning, Gooden gave up a single to pinch hitter Terry Puhl….who then stole second base,…so           he then walked Bill Doran….getting Billy Hatcher to fly out to right field to end the inning with no damage done.

The game stayed tied until the 12th when with one out Wally Backman got an infield single off Kerfeld. Backman then took second on Kerfeld’s errant throw on a pick-off attempt. Houston manager Hal Lanier opted to intentionally walk Keith Hernandez and pitch to Gary Carter, who had been just 1-for-21 in the series, but the catcher came through, lashing a single to center to give the Mets the win and a one-game lead as the series shifted back to Houston.

Jesse Orosco again earned the win for New York by hurling two perfect innings.

Hernandez would reveal in 2011 that he had stepped off the bag as the first baseman in the top of the second inning, when the Astros had runners on first and third and one out, and the Mets tried to turn a double-play on batter Craig Reynolds’ grounder to second. Hernandez would say, “[Reynolds] clearly beat it, but I cheated and we got the call.” Had Reynolds correctly been called safe, Kevin Bass would have scored from third and the Astros would have taken an early 1–0 lead.