1998
From The Met Wiki
The 1998 season marked a return of contender status for the Mets. The team compiled an 88-74 won-lost record for a .543 percentage on the season. The team finished second in the National League Eastern Division and was in the hunt for the N. L. Wild Card until the season's final week.
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March/April
The Mets started the '98 season with 13 wins in their first 25 games. For the first time ever, they played their season opener before the month of April began. On March 31, the team defeated the Phillies, 1-0, in 14 innings at Shea Stadium to start the year. The Mets swept a three-game series against the Pirates at Shea from April 3 to April 5. They won their fourth straight game with a 2-1 victory over the Cubs at Shea on April 15. The Mets won two of three games at Cincinnati before losing six of eight to end April. The team was in second place in the division, four game behind the Braves.
May
The month of May was a merry one for the Mets. The team recorded 18 victories and a percentage of .692 and added a key component. The Mets won four games in a row against the Diamondbacks and Cardinals at Shea between May 5 and May 8. After going 2-5 on a western road trip, they won three of four against the Reds at Shea. On May 22, the Mets acquired Mike Piazza in a trade with the Florida Marlins. The team began a three-game sweep of the Brewers with a 3-2 victory at Shea that night. They concluded the month with an 8-6 triumph at Philadelphia on May 31 for their ninth consecutive win. The Mets stood with a 31-20 season record and were five games behind the Braves in the N. L. East.
June
The Mets fell back a little in June. They posted a 12-15 record for the month. After starting June with three straight defeats at Pittsburgh, the Mets won six of their next nine games. The team stopped a four-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over the Marlins at Shea on June 21. The Mets won four of eight interleague games to close out the month. They remained in second place in the division, but dropped to eight and one-half games in back of the Braves.
July
In July, the Mets' struugles continued. The team won only 13 of its 28 games for the month. After dropping four of their first five July games, the Mets split four games with the Expos at Shea from July 9 to July 12. They went 3-5 against the Braves, Phillies and Pirates between July 14 and July 21 at Shea. In a doubleheader at Chicago on July 24, the Mets chalked up 5-0 and 7-3 victories over the Cubs to extend a team winning streak to six games. They defeated the Padres, 7-3 and 7-6, on July 28 and July 29, respectively, at Shea. The Mets ended July fourteen games behind the Braves and trailing the Wild Card-leading Cubs by four.
August
The Mets turned things around in August. They recorded 20 wins while losing 12 during the month. On August 1, the Mets began the month with a 2-1 win over the Dodgers at Shea. The team won five of its next seven and chalked up a pair of wins in a three-game series at St. Louis from August 10 to August 12. At Shea between August 18 and August 22 the Mets won six of eight against the Rockies, Cardinals and Diamondbacks. They won three of four at Los Angeles from August 28 to August 31. The Mets closed out the month in a tie with the Cubs atop the N. L. Wild Card standings.
September
In September, the Mets played at the break-even mark. The team had a 12-12 record in the season's final month. After splittin two games at San Diego, the Mets won three of four against the Braves from September 4 to September 7 at Shea. They won six and lost four on an ensuing road trip to Philadelphia, Montreal and Houston. The Mets won a pair of games against the Marlins at Shea on September 19 and September 20. The team followed with a five-game losing streak to end the season. The Mets ended up eighteen games behind the division-winning Braves. They also finished one game in back of the Cubs and Giants, who tied for the Wild Card.
Award Winners
- Rey Ordonez won a National League Gold Glove Award
- Piazza won a National League Silver Slugger Award
