It has been exactly 39 years since the New York Mets’ last coronation. On October 27, 1986, the Queens franchise won the seventh game of the World Series against the Boston Red Sox and won the second title in its history, to give way to its longest drought since its emergence in 1962.
That victory is very much present in the memory of the Metropolitans, not only because of the time that has passed without repeating, but also because of the way in which they managed to come back – more than once – when they were practically dead.
To get an idea, the New Yorkers lost the first two games of that Fall Classic at home. They then recovered and leveled the action with two wins at Fenway Park, but lost again in the sixth and were on the brink of defeat. Then, with their backs against the wall, they left the Red Sox with honey on their lips at Shea Stadium.
The miracle of the sixth game
In the 10th inning of Game 6 between the Mets and Red Sox, the New Yorkers trailed 5-3 with two outs on the scoreboard. Boston was about to win its first title since 1918, but something surreal happened.
Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Ray Knight hit consecutive singles to make it 5-4. Mookie Wilson then came up to bat against reliever Bob Stanley, who threw a wild pitch to tie the game. Then, with the game in full swing, Wilson hit a grounder to first base on which Bill Buckner inexplicably made an error, letting the ball slip through his legs.
I don’t remember the last time I missed a ball like that, but I’ll always remember this one.
“I don’t remember the last time I missed a ball like that, but I’ll always remember this one,” said Buckner, whose error led to one of the most spectacular comebacks in World Series history.
The final assault
Despite such a dramatic defeat, the Red Sox came out in Game 7 determined to take revenge. As early as the second inning they were up 3-0, while from the mound Bruce Hurst walked five scoreless innings. The Mets seemed to be sinking again, but another resurrection came.
Between the sixth and eighth innings, they scored eight runs with home runs from Ray Knight and Darryl Strawberry, and three RBIs from Keith Hernandez. The madness took over Shea Stadium, which never vibrated in the same way again. The Mets won their first World Series since 1969, while the Red Sox prolonged their “Curse of the Bambino,” which did not end until 2004.
The reality of the Mets
After their victory in 1986, the Mets have only reached the postseason eight times in 39 years, with just two World Series appearances. In 2000 they lost to the Yankees in the memorable Subway Series, while in 2015 they could not cope with the inspired Kansas City Royals.
Of the rest of their playoff appearances, three were brief (eliminated in the Wild Card or Division Series) and three others reached the National League pennant, but fell against the Atlanta Braves (1999), St. Louis Cardinals (2006) and Dodgers (2024).
In recent years, the team has made heavy investments, spending money ruthlessly. In 2025, they had a payroll of more than $340 million, with at least seven players exceeding the $20 million threshold in salaries. Within that group are the contracts of Juan Soto ($765 million) and Francisco Lindor ($341 million). In just two players, the franchise has invested more than $1 billion that will drag down its payroll for the next decade.
Despite these expenses, in 2025 they did not even make it to the postseason, eliminated in the last week between the Marlins and the Reds, two teams that together do not even come close to the Mets’ economic arsenal.
This failure calls into question the project of Steve Cohen and David Stearn, who will have to reformulate their strategies to balance the squad and try to be more competitive in the immediate future. Right now, there are more doubts than certainties about the process and fans have the feeling that they are a little further away from repeating that World Series title won on October 27, 1986.
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