NLCS Have Mets Leading Cincy 3 Games to 2. Back To Shea Stadium For Game 6.

 Oct 4, 1988  GAME ONE         1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E                                                                                     

1988 Cincinnati 1-0           2 0 0   0 0 0   0 0 0      2  8  1                                                                                     

1988 New York (N) 0-1         0 0 0   0 0 0   0 0 1      1  9  2 

 

Good pitchers duel between the Mets Dwight Gooden and the Reds Danny Jackson, goes to the Reds as Jackson allows only 1 run over 8 innings before John Franco came on in the 9^th to snuff out a Mets rally and get the save. The Reds got all the runs they needed in the first on an RBI double by Chris Sabo and an RBI single by Kal Daniels.

Gooden pitched 8 solid innings, scattering 8 hits, walking none and fanning NINE.

                                                                                   

 

 

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GAME TWO

Oct 5, 1988                   1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E                                                                                     

1988 Cincinnati 1-1           1 0 0   0 0 0   0 0 0      1  6  0                                                                                     

1988 New York (N) 1-1         0 1 1   0 0 3   0 0 -      5 11  1 

 

Mets even the series as Ron Darling goes 8 /23 allowing only 1 run on 6 hits with NINE Ks. Lenny Dykstra hit a 2 run HR and Darryl Strawberry and Howard Johnson each hit solo HRs to lead the Mets to victory. Jose Rijo started for the Reds and pitched well before tiring and leaving the game in the 5^th, trailing 2-1. The Reds bullpen gave up 3 on two Mets HRs in the 6^th to break the game open  

  

                                                                               

 

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GAME 3

Oct 8, 1988                  1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E                                                                                     
1988 New York (N) 2-1        0 0 3   0 0 5   1 0 0      9 10  0                                                                                     

1988 Cincinnati 1-2           0 0 3   0 0 0   1 0 0      4  9  2   

 

The series moves to Cincinnati for GAME 3. Keith Hernandez hit a 3 run HR in the third to put the Mets ahead, before Cincy got three of their own in the bottom of the frame to tie it. The Mets broke things open with a FIVE RUN 6^th. Strawberry homered for the second straight day to put the Mets ahead 4-3. Kevin Elster singled in one, Mookie Wilson doubled in two and Tim Teufel singled in one as the Mets took an 8-3 lead after 5 1/2.  Eric Davis hit a solo HR for Cincy in the 7^th but it was too little too late.

Bobby Ojeda got the win, striking out TEN in 7.2 innnings. Tom Browning started and was the loser       

                                                                          

 

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GAME 4

Oct 9, 1988                   1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E                                                                                     

1988 New York (N) 3-1         1 1 0   1 0 0   0 0 0      3  4  0                                                                                     

1988 Cincinnati 1-3           0 0 0   0 0 0   2 0 0      2  7  0  

 

The Mets take a 3-1 series lead winning a nail biter. Mookie Wilson led off the game with a HR to put the Mets ahead after one. In the second inning, Mookie walked with the bases loaded to make it 2-0. A squeeze bunt by Mets pitcher Sid Fernandez made it 3-0 in the 4^th. El Sid was brilliant through 6 but then faltered in the 7^th as the Reds sent 8 men to the plate scoring two on a double by Ron Oester. The Mets bullpen then took over and got out of the jam before David Cone pitched a shutout 9^th for the save. Danny Jackson started for the Reds and was the hard luck loser. Eric Davis made 3 great plays in center for the Reds.   

                                                                               

 

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Oct 10, 1988 GAME 5           1 2 3   4 5 6   7 8 9      R  H  E                                                                                     

1988 New York (N) 3-2         0 0 0   0 1 3   0 3 0      7 10  2                                                                                     

1988 Cincinnati 2-3           2 0 0   2 0 2   3 1 -     10 13  0   

 

The Mets have a chance to eliminate the Reds and advance to the World Series but Cincy wasn’t going down easily. The Reds took a 4-0 lead after four against Ron Darling. Red hot Kal Daniels singled in the first run before Nick Esasky’s sac fly drove in the second. Ground out RBIs by Paul O Neill and Ron Oester made it 4-0. The Mets got one back in the 5^th on an RBI single by Mookie Wilson. Then in the 6^th Howard Johnson hit a dramatic 3 run HR to tie the game. MO-MENTUM had shifted to the Mets but not for long, as the Reds scored two in the bottom of the 6^th to take the lead for good. Esasky got his second Sac Fly RBI to drive in what proved to be the winning run before O’Neill singled in another. Cincy added three insurance runs in the 7^th with Esasky and O’Neill again each driving in a run, this time with singles. The Mets came back to make it 9-7 in the 8^th but that was as close as they got as the Reds live to play another day, as the Series will return to Shea for Game 6 and a possible Game 7.

                                                                                 

Eric Davis was 3-3 with 2 doubles and 3 runs scored. Barry Larkin also scored three,going 3-5.

 

Norm Charlton started for the Reds and got the win, going 6 innings. Franco got his second save of the Series. Terry Leach was the loser in relief, for the Mets.