1986 TIM CORCORAN POSTCARD
The 1986 Mets scored 783 runs, and if you’re over 40, there’s a good chance that you have fond memories of at least 700 of them.
Perhaps you recall game 26 of that magical season, a matchup between Sid Fernandez and Rick Mahler. Fernandez was dominant for seven innings, striking out ten, while allowing only four hits, one walk, and no runs. But Mahler’s junk got him into the 7th unscathed, at which point he handed it off to the Braves bullpen.
Ray Knight led off the bottom of the 9th in a scoreless game with a double, and then Tim Teufel (German for “devil”) singled off Paul Assenmacher (German for, um, “ass maker” I guess) to give the Mets a 1-0 walk-off win and a 21-5 record.
Or maybe you’re partial to the three runs that Mookie Wilson scored on July 17. Wilson entered this eventual blowout against the Astros as a pinch hitter, and then managed to score in each of the final three innings. And he did so without logging a single official at bat, drawing walks off Nolan Ryan, Charlie Kerfeld, and infielder Craig Reynolds.
But there’s a good chance that you don’t recall the third run scored in an eventual 10-4 victory over the Pirates on June 6.
This was the second game of a doubleheader at Three Rivers Stadium. Rick Rhoden had outdueled Ron Darling 7-1 in the first game, and Davey Johnson rested some of his regulars in the nightcap, starting Danny Heep, Ed Hearn, and at first base, Tim Corcoran.
In the top of the 4th, Corcoran drew a walk off Pirates starter Jose DeLeon, and scored in front of a home run by pitcher Rick Aguilera.
The 33-year-old journeyman Corcoran never appeared in another major-league game after this one. He finished the 1986 season with a total of nine plate appearances for the Mets, a .000 batting average, and that single run scored…
I was going to get all fake upset about them not waiting the appropriate time before recirculating Craig Swan’s uniform number but I see that Wes Gardner wore it the same year as Swan’s last season and in ’85, too. They were eager to see that one back in circulation, as Stan Jefferson wore it in ’86, as well.
yep, for the past 28 yrs, i’ve been telling met fans that if we had only held onto Tim Corcoran, we coulda won a few more rings.
i still remember june 10th,1986 like it was yesterday, when Tim Corcoran pinch hit a grand slam to win the….. oh wait, that was tim teufel.
ok, what about may 27, 1986, when he had that fight with tom niedenfuer. that really fired up the whole team. it was at that moment when i became a lifelong Tim Corcomerl fan…… hmmmm, now that i think about it, it mighta been ray knight. perhaps another beer will clear the cobwebs.
july 22nd, 1986, yet another day that lives in infamy, when Tom Choncheta brawled with eric davis and…….. wait a minute, that was ray knight again too. y’know, for a super religious guy, knight didn’t turn the other cheek all too much. heads starting to hurt, need more beer…..
ok, how about Game 6, when Tam Cockaroach hit that slow roller thru buckner’s legs. why is everyone mooing at him?? he’s not at all overweight. i don’t underst…..aw damn, now i remember, that was mookie wilson. such a small insignificant forgettable moment, i can see how easy that mix up is. off subject, it’s great how vodka mixes with almost anything.
and finally, to validate my point, what about Game 7, when Tab Concelearera came in to relive ron darling, and held the red sox at bay, giving the mets the time they needed to win the world series. why, if it wasn’t for Tib Coppercoacha , the sox woulda won it all in 86. wait, what? sid fernandez? oh yeah. well, they both had a mustache, so anyone could make that mistake. on a side note, if any of you take pills for back pain and don’t like the taste, swallow them with a few glasses of wine, and you won’t taste em at all.
to finish, why are you writing a piece about Moonlight Czechoslovakia?? i’m probably the only guy who even remembers him. there are plenty of fans who’d love to read a lengthy piece on how the 2015 mets never get to the world series without the overlooked efforts of Eric O’flaherty.
why, if it wasn’t for Elmer……..
Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
lol. i’ll send it right over as soon as it’s off the press. i hope you got a chuckle or two from my reply. when i read your last line in this piece of how he never again appeared in a major league game, well, my sense of humor just kicked into overdrive. i check ths site weekly, daily during the season, and while i don’t often leave replies, i very much enjoy the varied mets articles all you fellas write. i look forward to your ” mets card of the week”, as your pieces bring back my memories of being a mets fan from days gone by. i especially enjoyed your piece on yogi berra last month. thanks again for the great reads.
Outstanding site I am a life long Phillies and remember the Phils having a winning record against the 108 win Mets that season! I hated Jesse Orosco he was unhittable!