Houston Advances To WS After Defeating Mets In 7 Game Thriller

 Subject: Re: ARAIGBB86 - League Championship Series - Mets at Astros

 

Houston and the Mets split the first two games at the Astrodome. The series now moves to NY, with manager Joey Scigliano taking the reins for the next three games.

Game One: A great pitching matchup between Dwight Gooden and Mike Scott. But Gooden is the only one who pitches a great game, going the distance and only allowing one run. Scott is hammered, with Mookie Wilson doing much the damage with a double, triple and two runs scored. Lenny Dykstra adds a two-run homer in a 3-for-5 day. Mets 7, Astros 1. 

Game Two: The second game is a back-and-forth affair won with a walkoff homer. Starters Bob Ojeda and Nolan Ryan each pitch respectively, both allowing four runs in six innings. But with the score knotted at 4 all in the bottom of the ninth, Houston's Glenn Davis knocks a game winning, two run homer off Randy Niemann. It's Davis's second homer of the series, as he drives in three runs total for the game.

Off to Shea!

Game 3: 

Houston took game 3 at Shea. The Astros pushed across 3 runs in the 2nd inning to take an early lead. Then, in the top of the seventh inning, Houston expanded their lead with a a three-run homerun delievered by Denny Walling. Ron Darling's next pitch nailed Glenn Davis in the back. Davis charged the mound and a scuffle onsued.  After the fight was broken up, both Darling and Davis were ejected. Randy Niemann was the next pitcher. Niemann's first pitch to Kevin Bass was way in side and high. Words were exchanged between the players and home plate umpire booted Rand Neimann. Houston went on to win 8-1.

Game 4: 

Game was halted in the 5th inning due to rain. The delay lasted 46 minutes as both teams were knotted at one a piece. However once the game resumed, both teams had trouble scoring runs. Houston took the lead in the top of the ninth inning when pinch hitter, Ty Gainey clubbed a 3-run blast to give Houston a 4-1 margin heading to the last of the ninth inning.  Matters were bleak for the Mets until Gary Carter tied the game with a 3 run shot of his own.  The game went into extra innings.  Howard Johnson lead off the Met 13th with a single. Lenny Dykstra bunted him to second. Then Keith Hernandez lined a one out single to center that easily scored Johnson with the winning run. New York won 5-4 (13)

Game 5:

Denny Walling put the Astros on the board first with his second homerun of the series to give Houston a 2-1 lead. The Mets battled back on a Mookie Wilson 2-run tater in the Mets' second.  Glenn Davis hit a 2 run blast later in the game.(His third of the series) to increase the Astro Lead. Houston went on to win game 5 by the score of 6-3

Houston leads the series 3 games to 2 as we head back to Houston's Astrodome for Game 6.

The Astros may have won 111 games in the regular season, but it took an entire seven game series for them to defeat the tough, pesky New York Mets team and advance to the World Series.

The Mets made things close by winning game six, behind a great outing from Bob Ojeda. After the red-hot Glenn Davis doubled home a run off Ojeda in the first, the Met's Tim Teufel responded with a two-run blast off Bob Knepper to make it 2-1 Mets. The see-saw battle continued when Billy Doran tied it with a single in the fifth. But in the eighth, former Astro Ray Knight doubled and scored on a single from Rafael Santana to make it 3-2. Mets closer Roger McDowell did the rest, nailing down the win in the ninth. 

In Game 7, the Astros sent to the mound Cy Young candidate Mike Scott, who won 26 games in the regular season, against Ron Darling. It was another tense game, with runs hard to come by for both teams. Alan Ashby doubled home two runs in the first off Darling, but those were the only runs Houston would score off him all day.

However, Scott was unbeatable, even while pitching on three days rest. Outside of a Keith Hernandez RBI single that scored Lenny Dykstra in the sixth, the Mets didn't threaten. 

The Astros rested their bullpen, as Scott went the distance, striking out 15 (!) while only allowing two hits and three walks. He was brilliant, with the ace carrying the Houston team on his back and taking them to the World Series. The Astros win the clincher, 2-1.

Joe Pryweller