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Francisco Lindor’s playoff home run is among the Mets’ best ever
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Francisco Lindor’s playoff home run is among the Mets’ best ever

You’ll be talking about Mets 8, Braves 7 for years to come: astride water coolers, in bars, when you’re in the company of other Mets fans. And it is likely that this will lead to other adjacent topics of great interest.

Was that the best regular season game in Mets history? You could choose to exhaustively search all 9,963 Mets games on Retrosheet to figure that one out, or just go with what’s pretty obvious: Yep, it definitely was.

Was Francisco Lindor’s one-out, two-run, ninth-inning home run Monday the biggest home run in Mets history? That’s a bit more subjective. Here is one man’s list and one man’s order. I’m happy to hear what will almost certainly be completely different lists than yours:

Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets hits a game-winning two-run home run against the Braves. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post

10. Daniel Murphy, Game 5, NLDS 2015

His solo blast off Zack Greinke, Game 5 of the 2015 NLDS at Dodger Stadium, was the swing that won the Mets that series.

9. Darryl Strawberry, Game 5, NLCS 1986

Hits a seed on Nolan Ryan, allowing them to push the Astros to overtime and a crucial victory.

8. Lenny Dykstra, Game 3, NLCS 1986

Brought the Mets back with a two-run walk-off blast over Houston’s Dave Smith, putting them at 2-1 in games.

The Mets’ Lenny Dykstra hits a home run in the second half
the ninth to win game 3 of the NLCS.

7. Al Weis, Game 5, 1969 World Series

Also the most unlikely because he hit only seven other home runs in a ten-year career. But it tied the game at 3 in the seventh and made the miracle happen.

6. Benny Agbayani, Game 3, NLDS 2000

Gives the Mets a 3-2 walk-off victory in the 13th inning against the Giants’ Aaron Fultz, which clinched the game the next day.

5. Mike Piazza, September 21, 2001

Less baseball significance than any other, but in a category unto itself for the greater impact.

Mike Piazza watches his two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. AP

4. Robin Ventura, Game 5, NLCS 1999

Technically not a homer because Todd Pratt interrupted his triumphant run around the bases, but everyone saw the ball go over Shea’s right field wall.

3. Pratt, Game 4, NLDS 1999

He replaces an ailing Piazza and wins the series for the Mets against Arizona with a homer off Matt Mantei to center Shea.

2. Lindor, Monday

Given the stakes, given the way the team was kneecapped in the previous inning. Maybe it’s recency bias. Time will tell.

1. Ray Knight, Game 7, 1986 World Series

All Knight did in the seventh inning over Calvin Schiraldi was win the Mets a World Series. Until there is another one, this one has to be #1.

Ray Knight is congratulated by third base coach Bud Harrelson after hitting a home run in the 7th inning against the Boston Red Sox in game 7 of the 1986 World Series. Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

(Honorable mention: Donn Clendenon, 1969, an inning before Weis and immediately after the Cleon Jones “shoe shine” incident; Strawberry off clock in St. Louis, 1985; Kirk Nieuwenhuis/Kelly Johnson vs. the Nats, September 2015; Wilmer Flores’ “tears of joy” vs. Washington, July 31, 2015; Brandon Nimmo in the eighth inning (Monday).