World Series champion and beloved SNY analyst Keith Hernandez will have his No. 17 retired by the Mets on Saturday, becoming just the fourth player, plus managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges, in the history of the franchise to be bestowed that honor. This is the last of a 10-part daily countdown of Hernandez’s greatest moments and accomplishments following his 1983 arrival in Flushing.
No. 1: Eighty-sixing the Sox
Much of Keith Hernandez’s importance to the 1986 Mets was because he’d been there before, but even No. 17 was thinking “you have to be kidding me” while in the on-deck circle in the sixth inning of Game 7 of the World Series against the Red Sox.
Four years after driving in the tying runs for the Cardinals in the sixth inning of their championship clincher against the Brewers, Hernandez delivered another key two-run single off Boston’s Bruce Hurst before the Mets tied the score in the sixth inning of their 8-5 win in Game 7 of the 1986 Fall Classic.
“What was so ironic about it was I’d had the same situation in ’82 against Milwaukee off of Bob McClure, another left-hander,” Hernandez told The Post last week. “I had to get a base hit, and I tied it up, and George Hendrick followed with a single to put us ahead.
“My hit against Hurst got us within one, and [Gary] Carter drove in the next run [with a groundout]. But it was nearly the identical situation.”
After superstitiously watching the Mets’ miraculous 10th-inning uprising two nights earlier in Game 6 from manager Davey Johnson’s office, the All-Star first baseman came through in Game 7, which had been postponed a day by rain.
Boston had grabbed a 3-0 lead in the second inning on homers by Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman off Mets starter Ron Darling. Sid Fernandez came in and slammed the door with four strikeouts over 2 ¹/₃ scoreless relief innings, but Hurst maintained his shutout bid into the sixth.
One-out singles by pinch-hitter Lee Mazzilli and Mookie Wilson and a walk to Tim Teufel loaded the bases for Hernandez, who lined an 0-1 pitch to center to make the score 3-2. Carter’s groundout, homers by World Series MVP Ray Knight and Darryl Strawberry and an RBI single by closer Jesse Orosco provided most of the winning margin.
“McClure had pitched around Gene Tenace and walked him on a 3-2 curveball to get to me in ’82. And Hurst pitched carefully to Teufel and walked him on a curveball,” recalled Hernandez, who added a sacrifice fly in the seventh. “I was in the on-deck circle thinking you have to be kidding me. It’s my second World Series, also Game 7, the same scenario.
“Hurst led me off with a curveball, but I knew he’d come back in with a fastball. I felt like all I needed was a single to get us back in the game. I just was looking to hit a line drive, but I knew he was going to come back in on me. When he did, he didn’t get it in enough, and the rest is history.”