Keith Hernandez (Part Two)- The Mets Championship Years (1986 -1989)
Quotes- Keith Hernandez: "I've played 12 years, if you don't know pitchers by then & where to play against different hitters then you haven't learned anything. I don't have the raw talent of other guys. I have to be prepared".
In 1986 Championship everything went right for the Mets as they rolled into first place in April & stayed there all season long.
On opening day in Pittsburgh, Keith's 1st inning double brought home Len Dykstra with the first run of the year. In the 7th, Keith would drive in another run with an RBI single, in the 4-2 Mets win.
On May 29th, his two-run 7th inning double off Fernando Valenzuela gave the Mets some insurance as they went on to a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers.
Overall, in May Keith batted .363 with 37 hits & 17 RBIs. He had ten multi-hit games, with four multi-three hit games, raising his season average to .325 by June. That month he collected six more multi-hit games.
On July 5th, in the next game, Keith hit his sixth HR of the year, the only run the Mets got off the Astro's tough Bob Knepper, as he defeated Bobby Ojeda 2-1.
On July 22nd at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinatti, the Mets were down 3-1 in the 9th inning. With two men on, Keith hit a flyball to Dave Parker in right field. Parker dropped the ball allowing two runs to score tying the game with Keith safely reaching second base.
Keith was all the way down the first base line, then charged the bunt along the third base line, fielded the ball threw to third to get the out at third & Gary Carter (playing third base) threw to first to complete an amazing 3-5-4 double play.
1986 All Star: At the break, Hernandez was batting .287 with 6 HRs & 38 RBIs. Keith was voted
to start at first base for the National League in the All-Star Game held at the Houston, Astrodome. It was his first & only start in an All-Star game playing in the shadow at first base of the Dodgers Steve Garvey, a longtime favorite & NL started. Hernandez went 0-4 in the 3-2 AL win.
As the Mets were riding high in first place, Keith entered August batting .286 with 43 RBIs not the usual Keith Hernandez statistics. But he would have his best month in August, batting .368 with 42 hits, 11 doubles 26 RBIs, 22 walks, a .464 on base % & a 1.008 OPS. From August 5th to August 24th, he hit safely in 19 of 20 games.
He began that month with RBIs in two straight games of a three-game sweep over the Expos at Shea.
He drove in runs in the next two games as well. Keith earned himself his third career Player of the Week Award.
By September the Mets were counting down their Magic Number to clinch the NL Eastern Division.
12th Multi- Three Hit Game: On September 10th, Keith had his twelfth multi- three hit game of the season, as he hit his 12th HR & reached the 75 RBI mark for the season in a 6-1 victory of the Expos at Shea. The Mets Magic Number was now one.
On September 17th, the Mets returned to Shea Stadium, hosting the Cubs, but Hernandez was hurting with an injury & would not be in the lineup. A young Dave Magadan filled in, collecting three hits & driving in two runs. Behind Dwight Gooden, the Mets went to the 9th inning, with a 4-2 lead. Davey Johnson put Keith at first to be there for the final out & celebration.
Gooden got the Cubs, Chico Walker to ground out to second & Hernandez gloved the last out as The Mets won the game & clinched their first divisional title in 13 years.
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Keith Hernandez closed out the 1986 regular season leading the league in walks (94) & posting the league's second best on base % at .410%.
Defensively he won his ninth straight Gold Glove at first base. He led the league in fielding for the second straight year & was second in assists & double plays turned.
He was his team's main cheerleader. He was a New York media favorite, as his locker was always surrounded. The post season would bring him even more attention.
He once advised Daryl Strawberry on how to break out of a batting slump. Strawberry remembered laughing Keith told him: “Go out and get totally smashed.” Strawberry also remembered when Hernandez told him he'd found the perfect drink, “you only get five or six in a night, a Dry martini."
1986 Post season- NLCS: In the Game #1 loss at the Houston Astrodome, Hernandez went 1-4 with a single & three strike outs against Mike Scott.
Scott defeated Dwight Gooden 1-0, holding the Mets to five hits. In Game #4 Scott would hold the Mets to run on three hits, with Hernandez going another 0-4. The Mets hitters would accuse Scott of scuffing the baseball throughout the series. He would become known as "Mike Scuff".
The Astros tied the game in the 7th inning. Lenny Dykstra won it with an exciting walk off HR off Dave Smith in the bottom of the 9th.
Hernandez had one hit (1-4) a 7th inning single & drew a walk. In the bottom of the 12th, with one on & one out, Hernandez was walked intentionally. The Mets won the game in the next at bat on Gary Carter's Walk off RBI single.
With New York ahead in the series three games to two, it was back to Houston, for what was to be a classic 16 inning epic game for the ages. NLCS Game #6, is the game Keith said was the greatest game he ever played in. Hernandez had just one hit in seven at bats, but it was a big one.
In the top of the 9th inning, the Mets were down 3-0 & facing the fact that they'd have to face Mike Scott in Game #7. Len Dykstra led off with a triple & Mookie Wilson brought him in with a base hit. With one out, Hernandez doubled to centerfield off Bob Knepper, bringing in Mookie Wilson to make it a 2-1 game.
In the bottom of the 16th, Jesse Orosco then gave up RBI singles to Billy Hatcher & Glenn Davis, bringing the Astros to within a run.
1986 World Series: In the 1986 World Series the Mets faced off against the AL Champion Boston Red Sox.
In Game #1 at Shea Stadium, Keith went 0-3 as the Mets suffered a heart breaking 1-0 loss. In that game Ron Darling pitched seven innings allowing one run (unearned) on three hits, walking three & striking out eight.
DH World Series Trivia: In the top of the 1st, Hernandez singled & then scored on Danny
Heep's base hit. Historically, Heep was the very first DH used in World Series history. So, Hernandez is the first runner to score on the first DH RBI in World Series history.
As the Mets began to pile up base hits to rally & tie up the game, he started heading back to the dugout, but then he realized, in baseball superstations, he couldn't leave that spot, telling himself "That chair has hits in it"!
Another Big World Series Game Seven for Hernandez: For Game #7, Shea Stadium was a sellout with an official attendance of 55,032. centerfieldmaz was there in a wild excited environment.
World Series Trivia: In Game #7 of the 1982 Game World Series, with the Cardinals down 3-1 to Milwaukee, Hernandez tied up the game with a two-run single off Bob McLure. The Cardinals would go on to a 6-3 sin clinching the Championship.
In the 8th inning, Darryl Strawberry homered & Jesse Orosco drove in a run giving the Mets the 8-5 lead. In the bottom of the 9th, Orosco finished off the Series striking out Marty Barrett.
Keith Hernndez & the 1986 Mets were World Champions.
After the Championship- Team Captain: Prior to the 1987 season, Hernandez was named the first team Captain in New York Mets history. His uniform now had a big "C" on the upper left-hand side of his chest.
In 1986 Championship everything went right for the Mets as they rolled into first place in April & stayed there all season long.
On opening day in Pittsburgh, Keith's 1st inning double brought home Len Dykstra with the first run of the year. In the 7th, Keith would drive in another run with an RBI single, in the 4-2 Mets win. On April 22nd, he had another multi- RBI game with a two run double in 7-1 win over the Pirates. He drove in a modest seven runs in April & would finish the month batting his usual .300.
Trivia: Keith would have 24 multi-RBI games in the 1986 Championship season.
From April 25th to May 7th, he went on an 11-game hit streak, collecting 17 hits & six doubles. He hit doubles in each of the first three games of May. From April 29th to May 3rd, he drove in runs five straight games as well.
On May 2nd, Keith drove in two runs with a 1st inning ground rule double off Bill Gullickson in an 8-7 win over the Reds at Riverfront Stadium. The next day he hit his first HR of the season, as his two run HR off the Reds John Denny led New York to a 4-1 victory giving him back-to-back multi-RBI games.
On May 29th, his two-run 7th inning double off Fernando Valenzuela gave the Mets some insurance as they went on to a 5-2 victory over the Dodgers.
On June 13th at Shea, Keith hit a two-run 5th inning, HR off veteran Rick Reuschel breaking up a 3-3 tie with the Pirates. Pittsburgh tied the game back up but the Mets won it on a walk off HR by Darryl Strawberry.
Hernandez drove in three runs in the four game Mets sweep during a seven-game win streak.
In an Independence Day classic at Shea Stadium, which was an NLCS preview, Keith drove in a 1st inning run with an RBI single off Houston's Nolan Ryan. The Mets went on to a 2-1 win behind Dwight Gooden's complete game one run, five hit win for his 10th victory of the year.
Mets Brawls: That month the Mets were involved in two famous brawls on the field where Keith was a part of. On July 11th in an 11-0 Mets blowout of the Braves at Citi Field, Atlanta pitcher David Palmer drilled Darryl Strawberry with a pitch after Gary Carter hit a 1st inning three run HR.
Strawberry charged the mound but was held back by catcher Ozzie Virgil as well as the home plate umpire. Hernandez the on-deck batter, charged through the crowd & got his shot a Palmer. Carter would later hit a grand slam in the game & drive in seven runs in the game.
Later in the game the Reds frustrations came out when Eric Davis slid hard into the wrong guy at third base. Mets Ray Knight shoved Davis & when he pushed back Knight dropped his glove & clocked Davis leading to an all-out brawl.
In the bottom of the 12h, with Buddy Bell on second & Parker on third, Carl Willis laid down a bunt.
Mets won the game on a Howard Johnson 11th inning three run HR.
to start at first base for the National League in the All-Star Game held at the Houston, Astrodome. It was his first & only start in an All-Star game playing in the shadow at first base of the Dodgers Steve Garvey, a longtime favorite & NL started. Hernandez went 0-4 in the 3-2 AL win.
As the Mets were riding high in first place, Keith entered August batting .286 with 43 RBIs not the usual Keith Hernandez statistics. But he would have his best month in August, batting .368 with 42 hits, 11 doubles 26 RBIs, 22 walks, a .464 on base % & a 1.008 OPS. From August 5th to August 24th, he hit safely in 19 of 20 games.
NL Player of the Week Award: RBIs in Eight Straight Games: From August 5th to August 11th, Hernandez drove in at least one run in eight straight games, with a total of 13 RBIs in the eight-game span. On August 5th & 6th he homered in back-to-back games with the Cubs.
On August 5th, he drove in three runs with a three run HR off Jamie Moyer for his ninth of the season. On August 6th, the Mets swept a twin bill at Wrigley Field. In the first game, Keith reached double digits in HRs for the eighth time in his career, his third straight season with the Mets, with a solo shot off his friend the Cubs, Ed Lynch. He also drew three walks in that 7-6 Mets win. Keith would drive in 15 runs in the first ten days of August.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On August 9th, he drove in three runs collecting two hits in a 10-8 win over the Expos in Montreal. In the top of the 6th, he hit his 24th double of the year driving in a run. In the Mets seven run 8th inning, he hit a two-run single helping the Mets come back from a 6-1 deficit to go to the win.
On August 18th in Los Angeles, Keith homered off the Dodgers Orel Hershiser & added an RBI single leading the Mets to a 5-4 victory in Los Angeles.
Two games later he hit a 4th inning a two-run single off the Dodgers Joe Beckwick, helping New York beat L.A. 7-5.
On August 23rd, at Candlestick Park Keith came to bat with two on & the Mets down 1-0 to the Giants. With Rafael Santana on third, Kelly Down threw a wild pitch with Keith at bat scoring Santana to tie the game. Hernandez then singled driving in what was to be the games winning run in the 3-2 victory. Bobby Ojeda earned his team leading 14th win.
On August 27th, Keith drove in the winning run in a 6-5 Mets win over the Padres, with an 11th inning sac fly off Rich Gossage in San Diego. On that nine-game west coast- California road trip Keith batted .394 with 13 hits, four doubles, eight RBIs & three multi-RBI games. He closed out the month driving in runs in the last five games of August.
On September 6th, at Shea Stadium Keith tied up a game in the 8th inning with an RBI base hit off the Padres Craig Lefferts. After Keith was picked off first base, Gary Carter delivered the game winning HR.
Multi-Three hit- Three RBI Game: The next day, in the second game of a double header sweep over San Diego, Hernandez collected three RBI singles in the Mets 6-5 win. It was his third season best multi-Three RBI game.
Multi-Three hit- Three RBI Game: The next day, in the second game of a double header sweep over San Diego, Hernandez collected three RBI singles in the Mets 6-5 win. It was his third season best multi-Three RBI game.
On September 12th the Mets went on the road to Philadelphia needing just one win to clinch the NL Eastern Division, but they lost three straight games. Then they lost two of three in St. Louis, prolonging the celebration which would have to happen in New York.
On September 17th, the Mets returned to Shea Stadium, hosting the Cubs, but Hernandez was hurting with an injury & would not be in the lineup. A young Dave Magadan filled in, collecting three hits & driving in two runs. Behind Dwight Gooden, the Mets went to the 9th inning, with a 4-2 lead. Davey Johnson put Keith at first to be there for the final out & celebration.
Gooden got the Cubs, Chico Walker to ground out to second & Hernandez gloved the last out as The Mets won the game & clinched their first divisional title in 13 years.
Shea Stadium erupted & the Mets fans stormed the field in celebration. centerfieldmaz was there in attendance & on the field that evening.
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He batted .310 & scored 94 runs (both fifth most in the NL).
Keith collected 34 doubles (8th in the NL) with 171 hits (9th in the NL). He hit 13 HRs with 83 RBIs posting an .859 OPS.
Defensively he won his ninth straight Gold Glove at first base. He led the league in fielding for the second straight year & was second in assists & double plays turned.
86 Mets Reputation: The '86 Mets were known as a raucous bunch. They were wild party guys who always seemed to be in some kind of trouble. Other clubs & fans in opposing cities hated them. They had an "in your face" flashy attitude, but the Mets fans at Shea Stadium loved them.
Keith was the team leader, emotional & outspoken on the field. He would be at the top of the dugout taunting & yelling at opposing players.
Off the field, the handsome, New York bachelor was Mr. Party guy, seen at the best restaurants, spotted in the night clubs with beautiful women, models, singers & actresses as well.
He once advised Daryl Strawberry on how to break out of a batting slump. Strawberry remembered laughing Keith told him: “Go out and get totally smashed.” Strawberry also remembered when Hernandez told him he'd found the perfect drink, “you only get five or six in a night, a Dry martini."
Scott defeated Dwight Gooden 1-0, holding the Mets to five hits. In Game #4 Scott would hold the Mets to run on three hits, with Hernandez going another 0-4. The Mets hitters would accuse Scott of scuffing the baseball throughout the series. He would become known as "Mike Scuff".
In the Mets Game #2 win, Hernandez collected two hits, with two RBIs & drew two walks. In the 5th inning with the Mets already up 3-0, with two on & two outs, Hernandez tripled off Nolan Ryan, bringing in two runs making it 5-0. Bobby Ojeda held Houston to a run in the 5-1 Met win to even the series heading back to New York.
In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, 55,052 excited Mets fans filled Shea Stadium for the first playoff game there in 13 years. Keith got two more hits & scored on Daryl Strawberry's 6th inning, three run game tying HR off Bob Knepper.
In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, 55,052 excited Mets fans filled Shea Stadium for the first playoff game there in 13 years. Keith got two more hits & scored on Daryl Strawberry's 6th inning, three run game tying HR off Bob Knepper.
In Game #4 Houston tied the series behind Mike Scott. centerfieldmaz was in attendance that
night.
night.
In Game #5, the game had a delayed start due to some early rain. The game featured the classic matchup of Dwight Gooden & Nolan Ryan. Ryan held the Mets to a run in nine innings with Gooden holding Houston to a run in ten innings. centerfieldmaz was in attendance as well.
With New York ahead in the series three games to two, it was back to Houston, for what was to be a classic 16 inning epic game for the ages. NLCS Game #6, is the game Keith said was the greatest game he ever played in. Hernandez had just one hit in seven at bats, but it was a big one.
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| Hernandez crosses the plate with 9th inning tying run in 1986 NLCS Game #6 |
Reliever Dave Smith came on issuing back-to-back walks to Gary Carter & Darryl Strawberry. Ray Knights sac fly brought home Hernandez with the tying run.
The game went tied to the 16th inning. In the top of the 16th the Mets put up three runs with Ray Knight & Len Dykstra collecting RBI singles. A wild pitch from Jeff Calhoun brought in the third Met run.
As Orosco struggled with curve balls, Hernandez walked over to the mound & told Orosco "if you threw another curveball we're going to fight!". Orosco nodded his head, listened to Keith's advice & struck out Kevin Bass to end the game.
The Mets won the pennant & advanced to the World Series for the first time since 1973.
In the NLCS, Hernandez went 7-26 (.269) with a double, triple, three runs scored & three RBIs. He struck out six times, drew three walks, posted a .346 on base % & .729 OPS.
In the NLCS, Hernandez went 7-26 (.269) with a double, triple, three runs scored & three RBIs. He struck out six times, drew three walks, posted a .346 on base % & .729 OPS.
In Game #1 at Shea Stadium, Keith went 0-3 as the Mets suffered a heart breaking 1-0 loss. In that game Ron Darling pitched seven innings allowing one run (unearned) on three hits, walking three & striking out eight.
In the Game #2 loss, Keith had one hit, a 5th inning single off Roger Clemens. He also walked & drove in a run on a ground out in the 9-3 loss. The Mets shockingly headed up to Boston down two games to none.
In Game #3 win at Fenway Park, Keith got two hits as the Mets won their first 1986 World Series game 7-1 led by Gary Carter's two HRs. On the mound former Red Sox Bobby Ojeda shut down his former teammates in his return to Fenway Park.
In Game #3 win at Fenway Park, Keith got two hits as the Mets won their first 1986 World Series game 7-1 led by Gary Carter's two HRs. On the mound former Red Sox Bobby Ojeda shut down his former teammates in his return to Fenway Park.
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| Keith Congratulates Roger McDowell After Mets Win Game #3 of 1986 World Series at Fenway Park Boston |
Heep's base hit. Historically, Heep was the very first DH used in World Series history. So, Hernandez is the first runner to score on the first DH RBI in World Series history.
In the Mets 6-2, Game #4 win in Boston, Keith went hitless (0-3) & drew a walk.
In Game #5 he went 1-4 in the Met loss.
In the classic Game #6, Hernandez had a 6th inning single off Roger Clemens but was left stranded on second base. He drew an intentional pass in the 8th inning as well.
In the top of the 10th, the Red Sox went ahead 5-3 on a Dave Henderson HR & Marty Barrett RBI single.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Mets were facing elimination down to their final outs. Hernandez made the second out of the inning flying out to deep centerfield. After the out he went into the locker room, sat on a chair sulking & had himself a beer. He said could not bear to watch from the dugout the Red Sox celebrate on the Mets home infield.
Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell & Ray Knight hit consecutive. Then Mooke Wilson had his miraculous at bat where Bob Stanley threw a wild pitch scoring Mitchell to tie the game. Then his "little roller up along first" got by Bill Buckner scoring Knight with the game winning walk off run.
There was absolute bedlam at Shea Stadium, as the rafters were shaking & everyone was jumping, yelling & hugging each other in celebration. centerfieldmaz was there in attendance for the greatest Mets game of them all.
There was absolute bedlam at Shea Stadium, as the rafters were shaking & everyone was jumping, yelling & hugging each other in celebration. centerfieldmaz was there in attendance for the greatest Mets game of them all.
The Mets won the Game 6-5 forcing a Game #7.
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| Keith's Big Game Seven Base Hit |
Keith would collect just one hit, but it was one of the biggest of the Mets entire season.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Mets were down 3-0. Lee Mazzilli & Mookie Wilson both singled off the tough lefty Bruce Hurst. Tim Teufel then drew a walk to load the bases.
Hernandez came to bat & electrified the Shea Stadium crowd, lining a single to centerfield scoring both Mazzilli & Mookie putting the Mets within a run.
Hernandez came to bat & electrified the Shea Stadium crowd, lining a single to centerfield scoring both Mazzilli & Mookie putting the Mets within a run.
In the next at bat, Gary Carter's sac fly scored Teufel to tie the game.
In the bottom of the7th inning, the Mets went ahead on Ray Knights HR & Rafael Santana's RBI single. Hernandez added an RBI sac fly to make it a 6-3 New York lead.
Keith Hernndez & the 1986 Mets were World Champions.
World Series Stats: Overall, in the World Series, Keith hit .231 going 6-26 with four RBIs & a run scored. He drew five walks posting a .344 on base % & .575 OPS.
The next day, Keith joined the team in a victory Parade down "the Canyon of Heroes" at Broadway to New Yorks City Hall. There, Keith & Gary Carter lifted the World Series trophy for all of New York City.
The next day, Keith joined the team in a victory Parade down "the Canyon of Heroes" at Broadway to New Yorks City Hall. There, Keith & Gary Carter lifted the World Series trophy for all of New York City.
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| Hernandez & Carter Raise the Trophy at City Hall |
Gary Carter was named the co-captain, something that most likely hurt Carter. Keith would later say he felt upset for Carter about the situation.
He began the first week slow, then went on a 13-game hit streak with five multi- hit games thru the end of the month.
On April 24th at Shea, down 1-0 to the Cardinals, Keith tied the game in the 6th inning with an RBI single off Greg Mathews. He would score on Kevin McReynolds sac fly, with the winning run as Sid Fernandez went on to a 2-1 complete game win.
On June 7th, in the first game of a Sunday doubleheader, his 8th inning RBI single off the Pirates John Smiley, led a Mets comeback in an extra inning win, where Lee Mazzilli hit a walk off double.
1987 All Star: Keith made his fifth & final All-Star team but lost out to the Cardinals Jack Clark in the starting first base position. Keith got two at bats, striking out & collecting a 10th inning base hit off the Blue Jays Tom Henke in the 13 inning, 2-0 N.L. win in Oakland.
Walk Off HR: The next night, the Mets were back at Shea & went to the bottom of the 11th
inning in a 2-2 tie with the Phillies. Keith hit a walk off HR off closer Kent Tekulve for an exciting 3-2 Mets win. It was his first & only walk off HR in his Mets career.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On August 11th, he would have his fifth, multi- three RBI game of the season in a 6-2 victory over the Expos at Shea. In the bottom of the 1st, he hit a two run double off Floyd Youmans, then in the 2nd inning, was hit by a pitch from Youmans with the bases loaded.
Hernandez hitting streak, ended in San Francisco by the Giants in next series & he began September at the .300 mark. The Mets began the month five games out of first place behind the Cardinals.
The next night he hit a two run HR off Ed Whitson in the 4-3 win over the Padres. It was his 15th HR of the season, matching his 1984 Mets season high of 15 HRs.
That night the Mets pulled within 1.5 games of the first place Cardinals, the closest they'd get the rest of the way. The Mets were still in the pennant race until the final week of the season but finished up losing three of the last six games, finishing up second, three games behind the Cardinals.
At first base, he won his tenth straight Gold Glove. He led the NL with 149 assists, as his .993 fielding % & 1298 put outs were second most.
It would be Keith's last year playing a full season (he appeared in 154 games) as back problems would shorten his career.
Hernandez struggled early on in the season, as a bad back & age were creeping up on him. He hit just .203 the first month
He drove in a run in each of the next two wins over the Braves at Shea Stadium.
On May 31st, at Shea Stadium the Mets were trailing the Dodgers 4-2 in the 10th inning. Keith singled off Jay Howell scoring Lenny Dykstra with the game tying run. Kevin Elster won it with a walk off HR.
In June his back issues became a big problem. From June 6th to June 22nd, he missed over two weeks of action. He returned for just two games, going out for another six weeks until early August.
On August 24th Orel Hershiser held the Mets scoreless into the 8th inning clinging to a 1-0 lead. Mookie Wilson led off with a triple & Hernandez tied the game with an RBI hit. In the inning, Kevin McReynolds sac fly led the Mets to the 2-1 win.
Multi- Three RBI Games: On September 7th, Keith hit a three run HR off the Cubs Jeff Pico at Wrigley Field in a 9-8 Mets loss.
He then missed ten more days of action, injured, but returned as the Mets magic number of a divisional clinch was at one.
From September 26th to October 2nd, he closed out the regular season with three more multi- hit games. Keith would have 30 multi- hit games in the 95 games he played in on the season.
1988 Post Season-NLCS: In the 1988 NLCS the Mets went against the Los Angeles Dodgers whom they had beaten up in the regular season 10-1. The post season was literally a whole new ball game & did not turn out as expected.
In Game #1 at Dodger Stadium, Dwight Gooden & Orel Hershiser went at it in a highly anticipated match up. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead into the 9th inning. Doubles by Darryl Strawberry & Gary Carter won it for the Mets. Keith went 1-4 with a base in the 3-2 Mets win.
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In Game #2 at Dodger Stadium with the Mets down 5-0, Hernandez hit a two run HR off Tim Belcher. The Mets lost the game 6-3 as the series was even heading back to New York.
In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, Keith went 1-2 with three walks & an RBI. In the 6th inning he started the inning with a lead off base hit but was thrown out at third base trying to advance on Daryl Strawberry's base hit.
In the Mets five run 8th inning, Keith drew a bases loaded walk, off former Mets teammate Jesse Orosco, bringing in the Mets seventh run in the 8-4 win.
In Game #4, Hernandez had two hits in the 5-4 Dodgers win. In this game Mike Scioscia hit a game tying, 9th inning HR off Dwight Gooden. It is looked at, at the point that turned the series around. In the 12th inning, Kirk Gibson homered off Roger McDowell leading the Dodgers to the win.
1989 Spring Training-Keith vs. Darryl Fight: During Spring Training 1989, Darryl Strawberry & the Mets were having highly publicized contract problems. Straw was telling the press he wanted to renegotiate& extend his contact. Keith had made some comments saying, "a deal is a deal, if Darryl wants an extension, he should keep it out of the press".
The two were put in the same row for the photo but with Howard Johnson & Gary Carter between them.
Keith's Final Mets Season: On Opening Day 1989 Hernandez went 0-4 in the Mets 8-4 win over the Cardinals at Shea.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On May 10th, in an 11-4 win over the Reds at Shea, Hernandez had a
pair of RBI singles to give him his second multi-three RBI game of the season.
In his return on July 13th, he drove in a run in a 5-1 win over the Braves in Atlanta. That month he missed another week of action from July 18th to July 25th. On July 30th, at Wrigley Field, Keith's 7th inning two run single off Mitch Williams tied up the game. The Mets lost the game on a walk off hit by Mark Grace.
It was clear that Keith Hernandez's best days were behind him. At age 35 he was suffering from back issues as well as age & was in the final days of his contract. It appeared his Mets days were numbered.
Keith is eleventh in RBIs (468). Keith is tied for tenth in sac flies (31) fourteenth in doubles (159) & runs scored (455). He is thirteenth in hits (939).
Career Stats: In his 17-year career, Hernandez hit. 296 with 2182 hits (187th all time) 162 HRs 426 doubles (138th all time) 60 triples 595 RBIs (225th all time) & a .384 on base % (138th all time).
He has 1070 career walks (88th all time) 1124 runs scored (231st all time) with 1534 singles (183rd all time). He has been on base 3284 times (140th all time) with 646 extra base hits (233rd all time).
At first base he won eleven Gold Gloves, played 2014 games (19th all time) posting a .994 fielding % (37th all time) making 115 errors (92nd all time) in 19706 chances, turning 1654 double plays (9th all time). He made 17909 put outs (21st all time) with 1682 assists (4th all time).
Opening Day at Shea- Raising the Championship Banner: On April 7th, 1987, the Mets raised the World Championship banner at Shea to a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hernandez had two hits on the afternoon including a double.
He began the first week slow, then went on a 13-game hit streak with five multi- hit games thru the end of the month.
On April 24th at Shea, down 1-0 to the Cardinals, Keith tied the game in the 6th inning with an RBI single off Greg Mathews. He would score on Kevin McReynolds sac fly, with the winning run as Sid Fernandez went on to a 2-1 complete game win. HRs in Three Straight Games: From April 27th to April 30th, closed out the month hitting HRs in three games. The first was the only run of an 11-1 loss to the Astros at Shea. On April 29th, Keith hit a solo HR & an RBI single off the Astros, Mike Sott, nemesis of the 1986 NLCS, in a 2-1 Mets win. Sid Fernandez shut out Houston for seven innings, with Jese Orosco giving up the sole run in the 9th. The next day he hit a three-run shot off the Expos Jay Tibbs, in an 11-3 win over the Expos at Shea.
Multi- Three Hit Games: In May he would bat .340 while gathering up 34 hits. In the month he would collect five multi- three hit games & have nine multi- hit games overall, raising his season average to .322
On May 29th, Keith broke a 4-4 tie in San Diego with a solo HR off Craig Lefferts for what was to
be the game winning run.
be the game winning run.
From June 10th to June 14th, he drove in eight runs with at least one RBI in four straight games.
Multi- HR Game: On June 10th, Keith had the first multi-HR game of his Mets career, & the first since his 1980 season. He drove in three runs in the Mets 13-2 blow out of the Cubs at Wrigley Field. His first came in the 3rd inning, with one on off Scott Sanderson & the other a 6th inning solo shot off Mike Mason.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On June 29th in St. Louis, Keith hit his tenth HR of the season, a three-run shot off Danny Cox. The Mets lost the game 8-7 but took two of three in the series.
Thru the first half of the season, The World Champion Mets were struggling trying to defend their title, they were 47-40, 9.5 games behind the rival Cardinals in the NL East. Keith was batting .287 with 10 HRs & 42 RBIs.
After the All-Star break, Keith would go into August on a 12-game hit streak with six multi-hit games.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On August 2nd, he hit a pair of RBI doubles off the Expo's Bob Sebra & drove in three runs in a 7-4 win in Montreal.
inning in a 2-2 tie with the Phillies. Keith hit a walk off HR off closer Kent Tekulve for an exciting 3-2 Mets win. It was his first & only walk off HR in his Mets career.
Hitting in 33 of 35 Games: From August 10th to August 28th, he went on another hit streak, this time a 17-game streak where he collected 22 hits with 13 RBIs & batted .344 with four multi-hit games. Dating back to July 22nd, he hit safely in 33 of 35 games with 45 hits, 23 RBIs & batting .357 with 11 multi-hit games.
As the Mets went to Wrigley Field for a four-game series, Hernandez drove in runs in all four games, although the Mets dropped three of four. On August 23rd, in the series finale' he had three hits & drove in a pair of runs in the Mets 23-10 blowout. It was the seventh time he had a three-hit game on the season.
On August 24th at Shea Stadium, his 4th inning RBI single off L.A.'s Shawn Hillegas, was the only run of a 1-0 Mets victory over the Dodgers. Rick Aguilera shut out the Dodgers into the 8th inning, with Randy Myers & Roger McDowell combining on the four-hit shutout.
Two days later on August 26th, his 6th inning HR off Bob Welch was the difference in a 3-2 Mets win over L.A. as well. It was his 13th HR of the season, matching his total of the previous year.
Hernandez hitting streak, ended in San Francisco by the Giants in next series & he began September at the .300 mark. The Mets began the month five games out of first place behind the Cardinals. HRs in Three Straight Games: From September 1st thru September 4th, Keith hit HRs in three straight games, for the second time on the season.
Multi- Four RBI Game: On September 1st, Keith hit a 5th inning, three run HR off the Padres Jimmy Jones. In the top of the 9th, he added an RBI single in the Mets four run inning of the 9-1 win at San Diego. It was his first four RBI game of the season.
On September 4th at Dodger Stadium, Keith had his third straight HR game, with a two-run shot coming off Shawn Hillegas, in a 5-1 Mets win. It was his 16th of the year, matching his career high set back in 1980 with the Cardinals.
From September 6th- September 8th, he drew walks in four straight games for a total of nine walks. In those first two games he drew three bases on balls in back-to-back games.
Grand Slam HR: On September 19th, Keith he hit his sixth career grand slam HR, it came in Pittsburgh, off the Pirates Vicente Palacios helping New York to a 5-4 win. It was his first Mets career grand slam & his first since June of 1981. The HR was his 17th of the season, a new personal season high. He would hit his 18th career high HR in the final game of the season.
Trivia: In 1977 Hernadez hit three grand slam HRs with the Cardinals.
In 1987, Keith batted .290, his lowest average since 1976. It was the first time he did not bat over .300 since coming to the Mets & playing a full season.
He did hit a career high 18 HRs & led the team with 170 hits. He hit 28 doubles, with two triples, 87 runs scored & 89 RBIs (which was fourth on the club). He drew 81 walks, posted a .377 on base % & .813 OPS.
At first base, he won his tenth straight Gold Glove. He led the NL with 149 assists, as his .993 fielding % & 1298 put outs were second most.It would be Keith's last year playing a full season (he appeared in 154 games) as back problems would shorten his career.
1988 NL Eastern Champions: After a disappointing 1987 season, the 34-year-old Hernandez & his Mets entered the season with high expectations.
Multi HR- Grand Slam & Seven RBI Game: On April 26th, Keith had a season high seven RBI game a 13-4 Mets win at Atlanta. In the top of the 5th, inning with the Mets down 4-2, Keith tied the game with a two run HR off Tom Glavine. In the 7th he added an RBI on a ground ball out.
In the top of the 8th, in the Mets seven run inning, Hernandez hit his seventh career grand slam coming off a former Met Charlie Puleo. It was his second as a Mets player & the final grand slam of his career.
The next night, Hernandez would HR in back-to-back games with a two-run shot off Paul Assenmacher in a 5-2 win, as he killed the Braves with nine RBIs over the two games.
On April 29th in Cincinnati, the Mets & Red were tied 4-4 in the 9th inning. With two outs & Tim Teufel on second, Hernandez singled off Rob Murphy bringing in what was to be the game's winning run. It was his third straight multi-hit game; he would have thirty multi-hit games on the season.
Keith would begin May with a nine-game hit streak, driving in runs in the first three games as well as seven of the first ten games of the month.
Multi- Three RBI Game: On May 1st, he hit a solo HR off Dennis Rasmussen & later added a two run double in the Mets 11-0 win.
On May 7th, he collected what was a game winning RBI with a 5th inning double off the Reds Don Robinson in a 2-1 win. Hernandez drove in a run in three straight games.
On May 11th in Houston, he drew two walks & had an RBI hit off Mike Scott in an exciting 9-8 win over the Astros.
From May 17th to May 19th, in a four-game sweep at San Diego, on the early West Coast Road trip, Keith had three straight multi-hit games, with back-to-back three hit games. On May 18th, he hit a two run HR off the Padres Jimmy Jones & had a three RBI game leading the Mets to a 5-3 win. In the series he collected eight hits & four RBIs.
From May 17th to May 19th, in a four-game sweep at San Diego, on the early West Coast Road trip, Keith had three straight multi-hit games, with back-to-back three hit games. On May 18th, he hit a two run HR off the Padres Jimmy Jones & had a three RBI game leading the Mets to a 5-3 win. In the series he collected eight hits & four RBIs.
The Mets went on a seven-game win streak, sweeping Dodgers in Los Angeles as well, Keith collected five hits & drove in three runs in that series.
In June his back issues became a big problem. From June 6th to June 22nd, he missed over two weeks of action. He returned for just two games, going out for another six weeks until early August.
Dave Magadan saw the majority of the playing time at first base, hitting .277 in Hernandez's absence.
Return to Lineup with a HR: On August 5th, Hernandez returned in dramatic fashion. In Pittsburgh, he hit a 7th inning two run HR off Dave Rucker, leading the Mets to a 3-2 win over the Pirates.
But over the next two weeks he drove in just one run & saw his average fall to .280 as the back problems continued.
Regular Season Sucess over the Dodgers: When the Mets went to Los Angeles they swept another series with the Dodgers. On the season the Mets would take ten of the eleven games played against the Dodgers. The post season would be another story.
Regular Season Sucess over the Dodgers: When the Mets went to Los Angeles they swept another series with the Dodgers. On the season the Mets would take ten of the eleven games played against the Dodgers. The post season would be another story.
On August 22nd, Keith hit a two run HR off John Tudor as Dwight Gooden & the Mets beat LA 7-1. The next night, he had his second multi-two hit game in a row & drove in another run in the 5-1 win.
He then missed ten more days of action, injured, but returned as the Mets magic number of a divisional clinch was at one. On September 10th, David Cone won his 16th game of the year (16-3) in a shutout in Montreal. Hernandez hit his tenth HR of the year, a 9th inning two run HR off Tim Burke. It was his sixth straight season with double digits in HRs.
Mets Clinch the NL East: On September 22nd at Shea Stadium Ron Darling pitched a complete game 3-1 win over the Phillies to clinch the Mets second title in three years. Keith went 0-4 in the game.
On the last day of the regular season, he gave another blow to his old Cardinal teammates hitting a HR off Steve Peters in the Mets 7-5 win at Shea Stadium.
Hernandez finished up 1988 playing in 95 games, the lowest amount in his career since he had become a regular player. He hit .276 his lowest average since the 1978 season. He had 96 hits with 11 HRs 16 doubles 43 runs scored & 55 RBIs. He walked 31 times, posted a .333 on base % (his lowest since 1975) & a .750 OPS (his lowest since 1978).
Hernandez finished up 1988 playing in 95 games, the lowest amount in his career since he had become a regular player. He hit .276 his lowest average since the 1978 season. He had 96 hits with 11 HRs 16 doubles 43 runs scored & 55 RBIs. He walked 31 times, posted a .333 on base % (his lowest since 1975) & a .750 OPS (his lowest since 1978).
Keith won his 11th straight Gold Glove at first base, the last of his career. At the time he was the seventh highest paid played in MLB at $1.85 million.
In Game #1 at Dodger Stadium, Dwight Gooden & Orel Hershiser went at it in a highly anticipated match up. The Dodgers took a 2-0 lead into the 9th inning. Doubles by Darryl Strawberry & Gary Carter won it for the Mets. Keith went 1-4 with a base in the 3-2 Mets win.
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In Game #3 at Shea Stadium, Keith went 1-2 with three walks & an RBI. In the 6th inning he started the inning with a lead off base hit but was thrown out at third base trying to advance on Daryl Strawberry's base hit.
In the Mets five run 8th inning, Keith drew a bases loaded walk, off former Mets teammate Jesse Orosco, bringing in the Mets seventh run in the 8-4 win.
In Game #4, Hernandez had two hits in the 5-4 Dodgers win. In this game Mike Scioscia hit a game tying, 9th inning HR off Dwight Gooden. It is looked at, at the point that turned the series around. In the 12th inning, Kirk Gibson homered off Roger McDowell leading the Dodgers to the win. Keith had just one hit in the final two games, as the Dodgers upset New York four game to three. They then went on to further upset the mighty Oakland A's winning the World Series.
Overall, in the 1988 NLCS, Keith Hernandez went 7-26 (.269) with six walks for a .406 on base %.
Overall, in the 1988 NLCS, Keith Hernandez went 7-26 (.269) with six walks for a .406 on base %.
During the 1989 team picture photo shoot, Mets P.R. man Jay Horowitz told Keith to sit next to Darryl Strawberry. When Straw refused to sit next to Keith, Hernandez commented "why don't you grow up you big baby". Straw shot back "I've been tired of you for years" he went to punch Hernandez but missed. The rest of the team broke it up before anything else came of it.
Afterward the two met in a private session & worked thing out. The next day the two even kissed & smiled for another press photo op.
Quotes- Keith Hernandez: "Everything is straight, we met, we talked & straightened out our differences, if there were any".
Gary Carter had also commented on Darryl's renegotiation attempts. After the picture was taken, he joked "let's take another picture".
In the final two weeks of April, he hit three HRs. On April 17th, he hit a solo shot off the Phillies Don Carman in a 5-2 win at Shea. On April 17th, he hit a solo shot off the Cubs Greg Maddux in a 3-1 win at Shea as well.
Multi- Four RBI Game: On April 28th, Keith hit a three run HR off veteran Rick Rhoden in a 7-3 win at the Astrodome. In the 8th inning, he added an RBI single to give him a season high four RBI game.
But overall, he had one of his worst starts to any season, as he was batting just .236 by May 1st. He had a good start to May & would hitting safely in 9 of 11 games, getting his average above .280.
pair of RBI singles to give him his second multi-three RBI game of the season.
On May 17th, Keiths back set him down again, as he went on the DL missing two months of action. When he went down the Mets were up in first place by a game. When he returned, they were four games in third place out behind the Expos & Cubs.
In August he saw sporadic play, appearing in just 16 games driving in just one run collecting six hits. On September 5th, he drove in his 17th run of the year, coming in a 3-2 win over the Cubs at Shea. The Mets were 3.5 games behind the Cubs but in fourth place.
Last Mets Career HR & RBIs: On September 15th, Keith hit a two run HR off the Expos Dennis Martinez in a 5-0 David Cone shut out win in Montreal. It was to be his final HR & RBIs in his Mets career
Hernandez finished 1989 playing in just 75 games, batting a career low .233, with 4 HRs 8 doubles 19 RBIs. He posted a .333 on base % & .649 OPS.
All Time Mets Leaderboard: Hernandez is the Mets all-time leader in on base % (.387%).
He is second all-time in Mets history in games played at first base behind Eddie Kranepool with 854. Hernandez played in 880 Mets games (18th all time).
He is seventh on the Mets All Time list in walks (471) eighth in intentional walks (59) ninth in singles (690).
He is seventh on the Mets All Time list in walks (471) eighth in intentional walks (59) ninth in singles (690).
Post Mets Career: That off season, he was granted free agency & signed with the Cleveland Indians for the 1990 season. It was a strange sight to see Keith in the Indians uniform. In his first game with Cleveland, he collected a hit off Eric Plunk in a loss to the AL New York team.
Last Career HR: On April 25th, he had hit his final career HR, it came off the Blue Jays Todd
Stottlemyer, in a 5-3 loss at Toronto.
Stottlemyer, in a 5-3 loss at Toronto.
Last Career Hit: On July 20th, in his next to last career game, his final career hit came off the Angels, Bert Blyleven in a 9-4 loss at Anaheim.
That season, he played just 42 games for the Indians batting .200 (130 at bats) with one HR two doubles & eight RBIs.
He has 1070 career walks (88th all time) 1124 runs scored (231st all time) with 1534 singles (183rd all time). He has been on base 3284 times (140th all time) with 646 extra base hits (233rd all time).
At first base he won eleven Gold Gloves, played 2014 games (19th all time) posting a .994 fielding % (37th all time) making 115 errors (92nd all time) in 19706 chances, turning 1654 double plays (9th all time). He made 17909 put outs (21st all time) with 1682 assists (4th all time).
Mets Post Season Stats: In two post seasons with the Mets, Hernandez played in 20 games going 20-78 batting .256. He had a double, triple, HR six runs scored & 12 RBIs. He struck out 14 times, drew 14 walks posted a .366 on base % & .699 OPS.
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