Pop Pop Epistle # 43 – About October 26, 1986 and Those Miracle Mets

Dear Grandkids,

It is World Series time and once again the Boston Red Sox find themselves in the Fall Classic. They are hoping to win their 4th championship in the last 15 years but there was a time when it had been for-e-ver since they had won. 100 years ago, way back in 1918, when Babe Ruth played for the Sox they were winners. Then they traded him away to the Yankees and endured the “Curse of the Bambino” for 85 years. My favorite year to relive the curse is 1986 when my favorite team, the New York Mets, wrote an awesome chapter in the storied history of the BoSox.

It was about 1 AM when I woke Christy (aka Mom, aka aunt) up because I was screaming with exuberant delight. She was only about 7 months at the time but she and her mom have not forgotten the reason for the scream. History.com tells the story like this…

Boston was one out away from the championship in the sixth game of the 1986 series against the Mets, when the Sox defense managed to bungle a series of easy plays so badly that they lost the game. At the bottom of the 10th, Boston had a 5-3 lead. Pitcher Calvin Schiraldi retired the first two Mets who came to the plate. But then Gary Carter hit a single; so did Kevin Mitchell; and then Ray Knight did, too. The score was 5-4. Bob Stanley came in from the Red Sox bullpen and immediately fired off a wild pitch. Mitchell scored, and the game was tied. Then outfielder Mookie Wilson stepped to the plate. On the 10th pitch of the at-bat, after he’d knocked six pitches foul, Wilson poked a ground ball right to Buckner at first. Buckner bent to field the ball, but it bounced right over his glove and kept rolling down the right-field line. Knight headed gleefully for home. The Mets had won.

And that’s when I screamed. At 1 AM. With my heart racing wildly. With no one else around me. It was a great day to be a Met’s fan. It was a very sad to be a Red Sox fan. Just ask your great uncle Kent. It was another epic reason why the Met’s were called the Miracle Mets.

Victory is always just one miracle away. One of the things that is great about sports is that there is so much hope. Hope at the beginning of a new season. Hope at the beginning of each game. Hope even when your team is down to their last strike. There is always hope until it is over. And that is one of the great things about the faith that we believe in Jesus. There is always hope. And Scripture tells us that “hope does NOT disappoint.” We know this because even when we are down to OUR last strike our hope is the greatest. 1 Corinthians 15:55-56 says this:

Every day I face my own mortality. But one day I will stand face to face with Jesus and my mortality will be a distant memory because I will have victory in Jesus. Tonight might be a good time for your parents to sing you “that” song as you get ready for bed.

Never forget that you are very loved!

Pop Pop