The Mets and Red Sox repeatedly won heart-stopping, extra-inning playoff games to reach the World Series. In one, the Mets’ Lenny Dykstra hit a walk-off HR, and said he hadn’t done that since playing Strat-O-Matic. Another EKG, Nurse: One out from defeat in the World Series, the Mets rally to win Game 6 on Bill Buckner’s infamous error – then finish off Boston by coming from behind in Game 7.

Each of the League Championship Series had two extra-inning games. In the American League, Boston won Game Five in 11 innings. Ninth-inning home runs by Don Baylor and Dave Henderson brought the Red Sox back from a 5-2 deficit and was the first of three wins that destroyed California’s 3-games-to-1 advantage.

Five of the six games in the National League Championship Series were decided by one game. Dykstra’s two-run homer in the ninth inning that gave the Mets a 6-5 win in Game 3 became “The Shot Heard ‘Round the Strat-O-Matic World” when he excitedly told reporters that he hadn’t hit a walk-off home run since playing Strat-O-Matic: “You roll dice,” Dykstra explained. “Great game.” Then the Mets sealed the deal against the Houston Astros’ best team to date with a 12-inning win in Game 5 and the 16-inning clincher in Game 6.

The 108-win Mets won more often than anyone in 1986 with one exciting star after another: Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter, SOM-playing 1B Keith Hernandez, CF Dykstra and RF Darryl Strawberry. The flame-throwing New York pitching rotation had Dwight Gooden (17-6), SP Ron Darling (15-6), still recognizable today on nationally televised games, Bob Ojeda (18-5) and Sid Fernandez (16-6).

The star power they faced in the World Series included AL MVP Roger Clemens (24-4, 2.48, 238 Ks), Hall of Fame batting champ Wade Boggs (.357) and Hall of Fame LF Jim Rice (.324-20-110). This set also features the nearly unhittable card of Houston’s NL Cy Young winner and NLCS MVP Mike Scott (18-10, 2.22, 0.93 WHIP, 10K/9). Other superstars of the day include NL MVP Mike Schmidt (.290-37-117), NL batting.

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