The first time the Mets walked off the Yankees was in the first Subway Series iteration at Shea Stadium, in the second year of interleague play, 1998 — Luis Lopez hit a sac fly off Ramiro Mendoza that brought home Carlos Baerga with the winning run.
The next year, Matt Franco singled home Rickey Henderson and Edgardo Alfonzo to lead the Mets to an improbable 9-8 victory over Mariano Rivera. There was a Shane Spencer walkoff fielder’s choice in 2004 against Tanyon Sturtze to bring home Kaz Matsui, then a David Wright single off Rivera that scored Paul Lo Duca in 2006. After Jason Bay singled home Scott Hairston in the 10th inning of a 2011 game against Hector Noesi, the Mets walked off Rivera in a third different decade when Lucas Duda singled in Wright for a 2-1 verdict in 2013.
The Mets didn’t hit their first walkoff homer against the Yankees until 2020, when they did it twice: Amed Rosario off Aroldis Chapman (at Yankee Stadium in a doubleheader, what a strange time) and Pete Alonso off Albert Abreu. The Mets still haven’t walked off the Yankees with a homer in front of people because next came Starling Marte’s single off Wandy Peralta last year… and then last night, the first walkoff double the Mets have ever had against the Yankees, Brandon Nimmo driving in Eduardo Escobar (who also scored last year’s walkoff run) off Nick Ramirez.
Walkoff doubles are rare because how often is someone running all the way to second base on a walkoff hit? The winning run is scoring ahead of you, and you can probably stop at first base. Last night, Nimmo’s ball hung up in the air, so he was running it out while Escobar had to hold up and make sure the ball wasn’t caught.
The Mets, in their history, have had 139 regular-season walkoff homers, and just — now — 33 walkoff doubles.
Escobar had one last year against the Phillies, hit to a similar spot in right field as Nimmo did last night. Before that, you have to go back to Austin Jackson off Javy Guerra in the 13th inning against the Marlins in 2018, and before that Justin Turner against Sean Marshall and the Cubs in 2011. Wright and Ed Kranepool are the only Mets with multiple walkoff doubles, each with two.
The major league record for career walkoff doubles is five, according to Stathead, and it’s shared by Adrián González, Chuck Klein, Hunter Pence, and Frank Robinson. Escobar has three in his career, which puts him second to Eric Hosmer among active players, and tied with a group that ranges from Henry Aaron to Don Slaught. It’s a weird sport.
We Can Pod It Out 134: Don't Pass Me By