It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

It was on this date twenty years ago, August 23rd, 1987, that an eight-year old Mets2Moon attended his first Mets game at Shea Stadium, a relatively nondescript 9-2 Mets victory over the San Diego Padres. Gooden pitched and got the win, Strawberry and Ho-Jo Homered and all was right with the world.

Now, on this night, twenty years later, I will fittingly be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of my first Mets game by attending tonight's Mets game against the same (yet very different) San Diego Padres.

It has been a long, amazing, head-shaking journey to get to this point. I've seen quite a bit. From Ventura's Grand Slam Doubleheader, to Piazza's 9/11 Home Run, to Bobby Valentine's Moustache, to Wright, Delgado, Endy and Beltran delivering walkoffs in 2006, to Armando's Balkoff this year. Over the past 20 seasons, I have attended 243 Mets games at Shea Stadium (not counting a few Subway Series games at The Pit) in the Regular Season, plus another 5 Postseason games, and I thought it proper, on this day of great note, to look inside the numbers and visit the highs and the lows of those 243 games.

So, the highlights of the 243:
Won-Lost record: 144-99 (.593 winning pct)
Season most attended: 1999 (29 games)
Season least attended: 1987 (1 game)
Most victories witnessed, season: 1998 (18 victories)
Most losses witnessed, season: 1999 (12 losses)
First Night Game attended: July 2, 1988 (Mets 7, Astros 2)
First Game attended alone: June 17, 1995 (Astros 7, Mets 3)
First Doubleheader: April 20, 1997 (Mets 8, Cubs 2; Cubs 4, Mets 3)
Longest Game attended, innings: 14 Innings, 3 times (August 6, 1989, June 9, 1999, May 5, 2006)
Longest Game attended, time: 4:55, August 6, 1989
Shortest Game attended, time: 1:58, October 4, 1992
Longest Winning Streak: 8 games, 2 times (July-August 1998, April-June, 2006)
Longest Losing Streak: 4 games (August-September, 2005)
Team Most Seen: Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, 23 times
Team Least Seen (NL Only): Arizona Diamondbacks, 7 times
Team Least Seen (Non-expansion): Los Angeles Dodgers, 9 times
Most Victories Against: St. Louis Cardinals, 14 victories
Most Losses Against: Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, 11 losses
Least Victories Against (NL Only): (Tie) Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, 6 victories
Least Losses Against (NL Only): Milwaukee Brewers, 2 losses
Best Win Pct. Against: Colorado Rockies, .750 (9-3)
Worst Win Pct. Against: (Tie) Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, .500 (Cubs 7-7; Pirates 6-6)
Game #100: June 26, 1998 (Yankees 8, Mets 4)
Game #200: May 15, 2005 (Cardinals 4, Mets 2)
Victory #25: September 29, 1991 (Mets 4, Phillies 3)
Victory #50: May 13, 1997 (Mets 4, Astros 3)
Victory #75: June 8, 1999 (Mets 11, Blue Jays 3)
Victory #100: July 17, 2001 (Mets 1, Blue Jays 0)
Victory #125: August 16, 2005 (Mets 6, Pirates 2)
Loss #1: July 23, 1988 (Braves 6, Mets 1)
Loss #25: May 28, 1995 (Giants 5, Mets 1)
Loss #50: June 11, 1999 (Red Sox 3, Mets 2, 12 inn)
Loss #75: August 11, 2004 (Astros 5, Mets 4, 10 inn)

THE TEN BEST (does not include Postseason):
1) September 21, 2001 (Mets 3, Braves 2)
2) June 9, 1999 (Mets 4, Blue Jays 3, 14 inn)
3) May 5, 2006 (Mets 8, Braves 7, 14 inn)
4) August 22, 2006 (Mets 8, Cardinals 7)
5) May 19, 2006 (Mets 7, Yankees 6)
6) July 10, 1999 (Mets 9, Yankees 8)
7) August 1, 1998 (Mets 2, Dodgers 1)
8) May 29, 2007 (Mets 5, Giants 4, 12 inn)
9) April 1, 1996 (Mets 7, Cardinals 6)
9a) August 31, 1990 (Mets 4, Giants 3)
10) August 9, 1990 (Mets 5, Phillies 4)
10a) May 23, 1998 (Mets 3, Brewers 0)

THE FIVE WORST:
1) August 31, 2005 (Phillies 8, Mets 2)
2) August 7, 1999 (Dodgers 7, Mets 6)
3) September 24, 1989 (Expos 6, Mets 5)
4) June 26, 1998 (Yankees 8, Mets 4)
5) May 20, 2005 (Yankees 5, Mets 2)

THE POSTSEASON:
1) October 8, 1988 (Mets 8, Dodgers 4)
2) October 9, 1999 (Mets 4, Diamondbacks 3, 10 inn)
3) October 8, 2000 (Mets 4, Giants 0)
4) October 4, 2006 (Mets 6, Dodgers 5)
5) October 12, 2006 (Mets 2, Cardinals 0)

And so, with game #244 coming this evening, I look forward to writing another chapter in my long and storied history with the Mets. Happy Anniversary to Me and Here's looking forward to another 243 games, with many victories, and then some.