I was thinking about Johan Santana and .....

[metirish]

Late September 2008 his shutout against the Marlins specifically sticks in my mind, that period up until that time might have been my peak Mets fandom , and we had a great few years , Santana was such a gamer and this outing on three days rest was magnificent , the Mets needed Johan and he kept us alive for one more day , we all know how that season ended but wow , perhaps one of the great pitching performances ever for the Mets gets lost maybe in a second straight collapse





Box score

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/280927121


https://youtu.be/BeX14gycLxQ?si=Wc5Xd3gvpmS8GGu9

For some reason the last out is not one this link

https://youtu.be/YEcg7_IeiLQ?si=GOhUV4f6H-bj6lIK

Here it is though

I wish he was around the Mets more

iGT from that day ?

[kcmets]

IGT -- archives/10200/f14_t10285.shtml

[Benjamin Grimm]

I don't remember the "R. MARTINEZ" who played second base for the Mets that day.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Wonder what kind of flip phone they used to shoot that last out back in 2008

[metirish]

Ramon Martinez, I can just about see him in the minds eye

[metirish]

Last week of Shea too

[cal sharpie]

2 run lead in the ninth and Santana gives up a one-out double and he stays in to finish the game. No chance that would happen now or even that he would still be in there in the 9th in the first place.

[Edgy MD]

I don't remember the "R. MARTINEZ" who played second base for the Mets that day.

Ramón Martinez was a veteran AAAA infielder who suddenly became a regular in Jerry Manuel's lineup at crunchtime. Between injuries and his doghouse, he had cycled through higher-profile options. He supposedly called around to his connections around the league to ask after his own player (Jerry never really paid attention to who the organization had at AAA) and was told Martinez was a "guy who could give you a tough at-bat."

[Fman99]

I was there, as someone who only gets to make one trip per year to Queens for a game, I will tell you that it was maybe the greatest game I ever attended live. My son's first in person major league game (Fgirl stayed with my parents in Ulster County for the day). And now at age 18 and a freshman in college, he can tell people that he was at the last ever Mets victory at Shea Stadium, though I do not think he recalls it.

The stadium was sold out and electric. We were in the mezzanine, behind the plate, pretty good seats if I recall.

Pic taken that morning at my parents' house.

[ashie62]

I remember that very day for you and us here

[ashie62]

Great family, good people

[ashie62]

Last week of Shea too

I got physically sick when Seaver took the rubber home

[metirish]

Great stuff Fman

[MFS62]

I've been looking at this thread title since it was posted and realized I don't remember much about the Santana era, at all*. My main memory of those Mets years was liking Carlos Delgado and not much else.

Later

* = other than that game