1984
From The Met Wiki
The 1984 season marked the beginning of the most successful period in Mets history. The team had a 90-72 won-lost record for their first of seven consecutive years of winning records and standing positions no lower than second in the National League East. Managed by Davey Johnson, the Mets made a 22-game improvement for their second-best record ever and the fourth-highest winning percentage (.556) in the major leagues.
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April
The Mets got off to a good start in ’84. They won 12 of 20 games in April despite playing at home only six times. After losing on Opening Day for the first time in 10 years, the Mets won six straight games at Cincinnati, Houston and Atlanta. The team came up with an exciting 5-4 victory over the Expos at Shea Stadium on April 18. The Mets defeated Expos again, 7-6, one day later on a two-run homer by Hubie Brooks in the eighth inning. They completed the month with 4-3 and 6-2 wins over the Phillies at Shea on April 28 and April 29, respectively. The Mets were tied with the Chicago Cubs for first place in the N. L. East.
May
The Mets had some difficulty in May. They compiled a 10-13 won-lost record and dropped back in the division. The team won its first three games of the month before losing four of five to finish a home stand. At Los Angeles on May 11, the Mets began a west coast trip with a 2-0 victory over the Dodgers. They closed the California journey with a 4-2 win in 10 innings at San Diego to stop a three-game losing streak. The Mets ended May with five losses in seven games at Shea. The team held a 22-21 record and was third in the division behind the Phillies and Cubs.
June
In June, the Mets began to show that they were a pennant contender. The team went 16-12 for the month and spent some time at the top of the division. Entering a road trip with a 23-23 record, the Mets won six consecutive games at Pittsburgh and Montreal. From June 14 to June 16, they outscored the Cardinals 15-1 in three straight wins at St. Louis. The Mets recorded a 10-7 victory over the Phillies on June 21 at Shea to go atop the N. L. East. However, they lost their last four June games to finish the month back in third place.
July
The Mets had a whopper of a month in July. They raced to a 21-9 won-lost record and legitimized their contender status. From July 1 to July 14, the Mets won 12 of 13 games to reach the 50-win mark for the season. The team had a seven-game winning streak between July 20 and July 27 to increase its division lead to four and one-half games. They ended the month with five straight defeats, but still maintained a half-game edge over the second-place Cubs.
August
The Mets continued to drop in August. Winning 15 of 32 games during the month stuck the team even further behind Chicago. The Mets began the month with a pair of defeats that extended their losing streak to seven games. They followed up with three wins in Pittsburgh, but then got swept in a four-game series at Chicago. The Mets split a four-game series with the Pirates at Shea from August 9 to August 12. On an ensuing west coast trip, the team had a 5-5 record against the Dodgers, Giants and Padres. At Shea on August 26, the Mets began a four-game winning streak with an 11-6 triumph over the Giants. They ended the month with a doubleheader split with the Padres at Shea on August 31. With a season record of 74-59 and five and one-half games behind the Cubs, the Mets clung to second place in the Eastern Division.
September
The Mets played well, but fell short, in September. They won 16 and lost 13 in their unsuccessful quest for a title. At Shea on September 2, the Mets defeated the Padres for the fourth straight time with a 3-2 victory in 12 innings. The team lost three of four on the road and began a home stand on September 7 with a one-hit shutout by rookie star Dwight Gooden for a 10-0 win over the Cubs. Gooden recorded sixteen strikeouts and set a major league rookie record for a season in a 2-0 Mets win over the Pirates on September 12 at Shea. After losing four of six at Chicago and Philadelphia, the Mets swept a three-game series against the Expos at Shea from September 21 to September 23. The team followed up with a three-game sweep of the Phillies at Shea. At Montreal on September 29, the Mets chalked up their 90th win with an 8-4 victory over the Expos. They concluded the season with their first ever second place finish.
Award Winners
- Gooden was named the National League Rookie of the Year
- Hernandez was named a National League Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Award Winner
- Ralph Kiner, Bob Murphy and Lindsey Nelson were inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame
