Biggest HRs in Metstory (split from "They Can Do This - Game Three Post Season IGT 10/03/24 NYM at Mil")

[G-Fafif]

Kelly Johnson and Yoenis Cespedes throttling Strasburg and Storen in the inning that altogether ended the Nationals for 2015.

Daniel Murphy, “this team doesn’t know how to lose!,” at no longer scary Turner Field, September 2015.

Straw’s last huge homer, off Drabek, as the Mets desperately chased the Bucs, September 1990.

James Loney in clinching the 2016 Wild Card.

HoJo plucking the Cardinals in April 1986 and sinking the Pirates in June 1988.

McReynolds winning a back-and-forth breath holder vs the Cubs, 13th inning, June 4, 1988.

Elster, bottom of the 8th to win 1-0 duel between Oneida and Smiley, July ’88.

Carter’s 300th, Delgado’s 400th, Sheffield’s 500th, Piazza passing Fisk, Hodges hitting the franchise’s first, Thomas going on a multiday tear, Rusty joining Ty Cobb’s exclusive before 20/after 40 club, Rick Cerone and Hubie Brooks tying and beating the Phillies in the 9th and 10th on Opening Day II in 1991.

Damion Easley tying it in the ninth in the game Endy would breathe the Rockies with a bunt; Delgado providing the blast following Benitez’s balks; Bonilla’s pair on Opening Day 1992 (what a signing!); Lindor breaking up the no-hitter and sparking the sixth-run ninth in Toronto; Todd Frazier off Sean Doolittle, setting up the shirt-tearing era of Mets celebration moments later, Piazza and Hundley for one night in Houston, living the dream they’d co-exist powerfully; Kranepool off Jenkins ahead of the Don Young meltdown; and Marv touching them all as he walked off the Pirates long before the term existed.

[Edgy MD]

I was trying to summon that Elster one.

Really, all four homeruns from May 6, 1983, the day Darryl Strawberry came up.

1. Danny Heep, who had just lost his job to Straw, breaking through against a shutout-throwing Mario Soto, hitting a pinch-hit homer with two outs in the eighth. Soto had been throwing a one-hitter. (José Oquendo, of all people, had the one hit.)
2. Dave Kingman, who would soon lose his job to Hernandez, tying the game against that same Mario Soto, hitting a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth.
3. Hubie Brooks, who had just seemingly lost his job to Tucker Ashford, coming up on the same day as Straw and getting the start over the slump-mired Hubie, tying the game again off Tom Hume with two outs in the tenth.
4. George Foster hitting a three-run shot to win it off of Frank Pastore — just brought in specifically to face Foster — with two out in the 13th.

None may have taken the fans' breath away that day as much as a foul ball by Straw that seemed to go 500 feet.

Also, about half of Jordany Valdespin's 12 career Met homers.

[dinosaur jesus]

June 14, 1980. With two outs in the ninth, Steve Henderson hits a walkoff three-run homer, a line drive that sneaks over the right-field fence. The Mets were down 6-0 after five innings and 6-2 after 8. After starting the season 10-18, they were now 26-27, and would finally reach .500 a month later. They'd finish the season on a 24-52 run, but it sure was fun for a while.

[MFS62]

The game winner Jim Hickman hit to end Craig Anderson's losing streak.
It caromed off the upper deck scoreboard into the lower left field stands.
And I have it. The crowd was so sparse that it was just lying in the aisle as I was walking out,
Later

[whippoorwill]

So what are some of the biggest HR's in Mets history, besides the one Alonso hit last night? The first two that immediately came to my mind both involved Todd Pratt: his walk-off HR over the outstretched arms of Steve Finley against the DBacks in the playoffs and Robin Ventura's Grand-Slam single. And of those two, the second one was, technically, not a HR.

Todd Pratt’s is my personal favorite.

Ordonez and Lopez hopping around him like little puppies

[G-Fafif]

Johnny Lewis breaking up Jim Maloney’s no-hitter in the eleventh.

[metirish]

This has gone from biggest HR and veered into favorite HR. At this rate, this thread will have every HR ever hit by a Mets player. So I'll add


Jose Reyes first career HR was a grand slam against the Angels

[batmagadanleadoff]

Hobie Landrith's only Met HR -- a come from behind walk-off game winning HR against future Hall-of-Famer and future Met Warren Spahn. Ol' Case interrupted Landrith's at-bat to approach him at home plate and whisper in Landrith's ear: "Go and hit a HR". And Landrith did. From wikipedia:

Landrith's only home run as a Met came when he pinch hit in the bottom of the ninth inning with the Mets down 2–1 against the Milwaukee Braves and all-time pitching great Warren Spahn. When Landrith reached the batter's box, Stengel called time out, going to the batter's box and whispering something in Landrith's ear. On the first pitch, Landrith hit a game-winning two-run home run. After the game, Stengel remarked, "I told him to hit a home run." In typical Mets form for the inaugural season, the win was almost voided when Rod Kanehl, pinch runner for Gil Hodges, failed to touch third base after the home run. Third base coach Solly Hemus gave Landrith a sign to slow down, then escorted Kanehl back to third base. If Landrith touched third base before Kanehl, Rod would have been called out and the Braves would have gained a win on a walk-off home run by the opposing team.

[ashie62]

Ventura Pratt and Agbayani just because I was there for all three

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mo Vaughn bouncing one off the Budweiser ad on the Shea scoreboard.

[metirish]

Big Mo got his arms extended on that HR

[G-Fafif]

This has gone from biggest HR and veered into favorite HR. At this rate, this thread will have every HR ever hit by a Mets player.

Every Met home run at the moment of contact and impact is the greatest…and my favorite.

[metirish]

Absolutely 💯

[Edgy MD]

This has gone from biggest HR and veered into favorite HR. At this rate, this thread will have every HR ever hit by a Mets player.

Every Met home run at the moment of contact and impact is the greatest…and my favorite.

Yeah, bigness and favoriteness are inextricably linked.

Also, we are totally and gargantuanly repeating ourselves.

[MFS62]

No list of my favorite homer games would be complete without the one when not one, but TWO, future Mets all stars (or so we were told), Victor Diaz and Craig Brazell went deep. We thought we were looking at the future.
Sigh.
Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Proud to have attended the Piazza 9/11 game, the Todd Pratt game, the Mo Vaughn game and the Brazell-Diaz game.

[Lefty Specialist]

Proud to have attended the Piazza 9/11 game, the Todd Pratt game, the Mo Vaughn game and the Brazell-Diaz game.

Was at the Pratt game, and 53,000 people holding their breath and then exploding is one of the most amazing things I've experienced live. Even Gary Cohen hesitated for a split second on the radio call.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Proud to have attended the Piazza 9/11 game, the Todd Pratt game, the Mo Vaughn game and the Brazell-Diaz game.

Been to all of those games other than the Brazell-Diaz one.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ventura Pratt and Agbayani just because I was there for all three

Me too.

[dgwphotography]

Proud to have attended the Piazza 9/11 game, the Todd Pratt game, the Mo Vaughn game and the Brazell-Diaz game.

I can’t believe Piazza’s home run on September 21, 2001 isn’t the first one mentioned in this thread.

[G-Fafif]

Thought of the Dom Smith season-ender earlier today. Definitely in that Diaz-Brazell class of hindsight deflating its long-term significance, but when it happened, oh boy.

In the personally valued because I was there category, Esix Snead's one and only to beat the Expos in extras at the tail end of otherwise loathsome 2002.

[ashie62]

Tim Teufel had a bigee in 1986. Fourth of July or something

[G-Fafif]

Tim Teufel had a bigee in 1986. Fourth of July or something

It absolutely took place on a date beginning with”Ju” — June 11 walkoff grand slam vs the Phillies.

[Benjamin Grimm]

My first Mets homer in person was a three-run shot by Jim Fregosi, on June 27, 1972, the day my dog was born.

I think the only really famous one I was present for was Carter"s Opening Day walkoff in 1985.

I was there for some bad ones, including Terry Pendleton in 1987 and Mike Scioscia in 1988.

Has anyone in this thread mentioned Tim Harkness? That was a big homer from the Mets early years.

[Edgy MD]

Tim Teufel had a bigee in 1986. Fourth of July or something

It absolutely took place on a date beginning with”Ju” — June 11 walkoff grand slam vs the Phillies.

Any day we beat the Phillies, by default, becomes the Fourth of July.