AP Photo/Mark LennihanMatt Franco's game-winning hit versus the Yankees made our list.This is the fifth in a series of lists we will be generating related to the history of the New York Mets. Today and tomorrow, we'll cover the top 10 singles in Mets history (we'll explain why in a moment).
We've previously covered the Mets' most notable home runs (part 1|part 2), best pitching performances (part 1|part 2), best defensive players (part 1|part 2), and fastest baserunners (part 1|part 2).
We received more than a few gripes from readers after we published our list of the best home runs in Mets history. Most questioned our decision to exclude the "Grand Slam Single" hit by Robin Ventura to conclude Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS.
My take on that: Had he touched all four bases, I'd have put it on the list, but since it was not ruled a home run, I would not include it as such.
But something I can do: Come up with another Top 10 list to try to satisfy the masses. This is a list of the top 10 singles in Mets history.
We'll cover Nos. 6-10 today and write about the top five (including Ventura) tomorrow.
10. Jesse Orosco, 1986 World Series, Game 7
This one is a little gimmicky, but I like having it on the list because of the oddity of it. I certainly wouldn't object if it was discarded in favor of Keith Hernandez's two-run single from earlier in the game (which is noted in the honorable mentions).
Orosco was no Hernandez, but he was no slouch with the stick, either. The relief pitcher, who threw left-handed but batted right-handed, recorded 10 hits and a .208 batting average in the 1986 regular season.
He padded what was a two-run lead in the eighth inning by pulling the bat back and chopping a base hit past the helpless Red Sox drawn-in infield.
Three outs later, Orosco would be on the mound as the Mets clinched their most recent World Series title.
Did you know? Orosco is the last relief pitcher to get an RBI hit in a World Series game. He's the only reliever to have one in a Game 7.
9. Willie Mays, 1973 World Series, Game 2
Getty ImagesWillie Mays' final hit was a notable one for the Mets.
Had the Mets won the 1973 World Series, this hit probably would have been held in higher regard. Mays stumbled to the finish in his final major league season, hitting .211, struggling to catch balls in center field, and not playing in the regular season's final three weeks.
But the legendary center fielder still had a couple of good moments in him. He played in a game for the first time in a month in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Reds, and had a key hit that extended a one-run lead to two in a 7-2 Mets win.
In Game 2 of the World Series, the Mets and Athletics were tied in the 12th inning. The Mets had runners on first and third with no outs, but Wayne Garrett and Felix Millan failed to get the go-ahead run in. Mays did, singling in Bud Harrelson to give the team a lead it would not relinquish. The Mets would win 10-7 and even the series at 1-1.
Did you know? Willie Mays had 3,283 regular-season hits and 22 career postseason hits. This was the final hit of his major league career.
8. Ron Hodges, 1973 regular season, versus Pirates
If you were a Mets fan in 1973, the words "Ball on the Wall" have special meaning to you.
They tell the story of a memorable Mets win from the final days of that season -- a game in which the Mets trailed by a run in the eighth inning, and then again in the ninth inning, and fought back to tie each time.
In the top of the 13th, the Pirates had a chance to take another lead, but Dave Augustine's potential homer instead hit the very top of the fence and bounced back to Cleon Jones, who threw Richie Zisk out at the plate to keep the score even.
The Mets would win in the 13th on two walks and an RBI hit by rookie catcher Ron Hodges (who made the tag play to end the top of the 13th). It was Hodges' second big hit in as many days. He also had a key hit in a ninth-inning rally against the Pirates two days earlier.
Did you know? Hodges was among those who aided in the recruiting of Billy Wagner to the Mets when he signed as a free agent during the 2005-06 offseason.
7. Al Weis, 1969 World Series, Game 2
Honorable Mentions
Weis put the Mets in position for their first World Series win as the game's unlikely hero. With the score tied 1-1 in the ninth inning, Weis had the last of three straight two-out hits for the Mets against Orioles starter Dave McNally, an RBI single to left field that put them ahead 2-1.
The Mets would go on to win by that score, then win the next three games to win their first World Series title.
Did you know? Weis was a career .191 hitter in 653 at-bats with the Mets. That's the lowest batting average of anyone who had at least 250 at-bats with the team. Yet Weis ended up on two of these lists because of his 5-for-11 World Series (he hit a home run in Game 5 of the 1969 World Series).
6. Matt Franco, 1999 regular season, vs. Yankees
I've placed this one high on the list because of its popularity among younger fans. The Mets won one of the most exciting regular-season games in their history, beating the Yankees 9-8.
The Mets rallied from deficits of 2-0, 6-4 and 8-7, surviving a barrage of home runs from Yankees hitters.
The game came down to a classic confrontation between pinch hitter Matt Franco and Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning and the Yankees ahead by a run.
Rivera got ahead in the count 1-2, but couldn't finish off Franco, who lashed a base hit to right field, scoring Rickey Henderson to tie the game and Edgardo Alfonzo for the win.
Did you know? Franco holds the major league record for pinch-hit walks in a season with 20 in 1999.
Tomorrow: The top five, which will include the Grand Slam Single, as well as multiple moments from the 1986 season.
