1988
From The Met Wiki
The Mets had a standout season in 1988. They won 100 games and captured the National League Eastern Division title for the fourth time. The team’s .625 winning percentage (100-60) was its second highest ever.
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April
The Mets started out well in ’88. In April, they won 15 of their 21 games for a .714 percentage. The team had six home runs in a 10-6 win over the Expos on Opening Day at Montreal on April 4. In the home opener on April 12, the Mets recorded a 3-0 victory over the Expos at Shea Stadium. After finishing with a 6-2 record on their first home stand of the year, the Mets won six of seven on the road to conclude the month. The team stood one-half games behind the first place Pirates.
May
In May, the Mets continued their winning ways. The team posted a 19-9 record during the month and took over the division lead. On May 1, the Mets ended their road trip with an 11-0 triumph at Cincinnati. They had a five-game winning streak against the Braves and Reds at Shea from May 3 to May 8. The Mets concluded a road trip with seven straight wins at San Diego and Los Angeles between May 16 and May 22. They dropped two of three in consecutive series at Shea against the Giants and Padres. The team ended May with a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers on May 31 at Shea. The Mets were four and one-half games ahead of second-place Pittsburgh.
June
June was another winning month for the Mets. They chalked up 15 victories in 28 games for a .536 percentage. The team won three of four against the Cubs from June 2 to June 5 at Shea. After being swept in a three-game series at Montreal, the Mets won all three games of a series against the Cardinals at Shea from June 13 to June 15. They won two of three against both the Phillies and Pirates at Shea before losing four of seven on a road trip. The team concluded the month with a 12-6 win over the Astros at Shea on June 30 and increased their N. L. East lead to six games.
July
The Mets had a 14-12 won-lost record in July. The team began the month with four wins in seven games at Shea against the Astros and Reds. They were swept in a three-game series at Houston and, following the All-Star Break, won three of four games at Atlanta. On July 22 at Shea, the Mets swept a double header with 6-1 and 5-1 wins over the Braves. The team won its last five games of July to close the month with a 63-40 record and a division lead of five games.
August
In August, the Mets went 15-14 for a .517 winning percentage. They started the month with three losses in four games at Shea and followed up with a road trip in which they won four of seven at Pittsburgh and Chicago. At Shea on August 14, the Mets chalked up 4-3 and 4-2 wins over the Expos to sweep a doubleheader. The team began an ensuing west coast trip with a 13-6 victory at San Francisco two days later. They had a five-game winning streak from August 22 to August 27. The Mets won two of three against the Padres at Shea to conclude August. They stood seven and one-half games ahead of the second-place Pirates in the division.
September
September was a very successful month for the Mets. The team compiled a 20-6 record and won its second N. L. East Division title in three years. After winning a pair of games against the Dodgers to start the month, the Mets won five of seven on a road trip to Pittsburgh, Chicago and Montreal. From September 12 to September 22, they went 9-1 on a home stand that ended with a division-clinching 3-1 triumph over the Phillies. The Mets won three of six on a trip and concluded the month by defeating the Cardinals, 4-2, at Shea on September 30.
October
On October 1 and October 2, the Mets ended the regular season with 6-3 and 7-5 victories over the Cardinals at Shea. At Los Angeles, they began the National League Championship Series with a split of two games. On October 8 at Shea, the Mets took the Series lead with an 8-4 win over the Dodgers. They dropped the next two games at Shea before a 5-1 victory at Los Angeles on October 11 that evened the Series. One day later, the Mets suffered a 6-0 defeat to bring their season to an end.
Award Winners
- Darryl Strawberry was named a National League Silver Slugger Award Winner
- Keith Hernandez was named a National League Gold Glove Winner
- Tom Seaver was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame
- Lindsey Nelson was the recipient of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence by the Baseball Hall of Fame
