1998 New York Mets season

1998 New York Mets
League	National League
Division	East
Ballpark	Shea Stadium
City	New York
Record	88–74 (.543)
Divisional place	2nd
Owners	Nelson Doubleday Jr., Fred Wilpon
General managers	Steve Phillips
Managers	Bobby Valentine
Television	WWOR-TV/Fox Sports New York (Ralph Kiner, Tim McCarver, Fran Healy, Howie Rose, Gary Thorne)
Radio	WFAN (Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, Ed Coleman) WADO (spanish) (Juan Alicea, Billy Berroa)
Seasons

The 1998 New York Mets season was the 37th regular season for the Mets. Like the previous season, they finished the season with a record of 88–74. Despite placing second in the National League East, the Mets fell one game short of playoff contention following a catastrophic collapse during the final week of the season. They were managed by Bobby Valentine. They played home games at Shea Stadium.

Offseason

• November 24, 1997: John Olerud was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
• December 18, 1997: Dennis Cook was acquired from the Florida Marlins in exchange for Fletcher Bates and Scott Comer.
• February 6, 1998: Al Leiter and Ralph Milliard were acquired from the Florida Marlins in exchange for A. J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez, and Robert Stratton.

Regular season

Despite their collapse toward the end of the season, the 1998 season was notable for the Mets due in large part to the acquisition of All-Star catcher Mike Piazza. The Mets were in need of a catcher due to an injury suffered by their own star catcher Todd Hundley, and took advantage of both Piazza's disagreement over a new contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the ongoing salary dumping by the defending World Series champion Florida Marlins; unable to negotiate a deal, the Dodgers traded Piazza to the Marlins, who turned around several days later and dealt Piazza to the Mets for outfield prospect Preston Wilson, among others. Piazza contributed a .348 average with 23 home runs and 76 RBI during his time with the Mets and once again was voted to the National League All-Star team. Hundley, meanwhile, attempted to make a move to left field when he rejoined the team, but it did not work. His tenure with the Mets ended when he was traded to the Dodgers after the season.

John Olerud was again the hitting star for the Mets. He recorded a .354 average, the second best in all of baseball behind Larry Walker, and once again led the team with 93 RBI, to go with his 22 home runs. On the pitching side, another Marlins castoff made his presence felt as Al Leiter had his career best marks as a starter. Leiter won a career high seventeen games and added a 2.47 ERA. Rick Reed continued his career renaissance by adding sixteen wins of his own.

Opening Day starters

• Edgardo Alfonzo
• Carlos Baerga
• Bernard Gilkey
• Butch Huskey
• Bobby Jones
• Brian McRae
• John Olerud
• Rey Ordóñez
• Tim Spehr

The Mets played an unforgettable opening day game at Shea Stadium on March 31 against their division rival Philadelphia Phillies. Both of them were involved in the longest scoreless opening day game in the National League and the longest one in MLB since 1926 when the Washington Senators beat the Philadelphia Athletics 1–0 in 15 innings. The Mets won the game 1–0 in 14 innings when backup catcher Alberto Castillo delivered a full-count, two-out, pinch-hit single to right with the bases loaded off Philadelphia closer Ricky Bottalico. This was the first regular season baseball game played in New York in March.

Notable transactions

• May 10, 1998: Steve Decker was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
• May 22, 1998: Mike Piazza was traded by the Florida Marlins to the New York Mets for Preston Wilson, Ed Yarnall, and Geoff Goetz (minors).
• June 16, 1998: Rich Becker was selected off waivers by the Baltimore Orioles from the New York Mets.
• July 3, 1998: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a free agent with the New York Mets.
• July 31, 1998: Tony Phillips was traded by the Toronto Blue Jays to the New York Mets for Leo Estrella.
• July 31, 1998: Bill Pulsipher was traded by the New York Mets to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Kinkade.

Season standings

NL East

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Atlanta Braves	106	56	.654	—	56‍–‍25	50‍–‍31
New York Mets	88	74	.543	18	47‍–‍34	41‍–‍40
Philadelphia Phillies	75	87	.463	31	40‍–‍41	35‍–‍46
Montreal Expos	65	97	.401	41	39‍–‍42	26‍–‍55
Florida Marlins	54	108	.333	52	31‍–‍50	23‍–‍58

Record vs. opponents

1998 National League record Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Team	AZ	ATL	CHC	CIN	COL	FLA	HOU	LA	MIL	MTL	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL	AL
Arizona	—	1–8	5–7	4–5	6–6	6–2	4–5	4–8	6–3	2–7	4–5	2–7	6–3	3–9	5–7	2–7	5–8
Atlanta	8–1	—	3–6	7–2	5–3	7–5	4–5	8–1	7–2	6–6	9–3	8–4	7–2	5–4	7–2	6–3	9–7
Chicago	7–5	6–3	—	6–5	7–2	7–2	4–7	4–5	6–6	7–2	4–5	3–6	8–3	5–4	7–3	4–7	5–8
Cincinnati	5–4	2–7	5–6	—	4–5	9–0	3–8	5–4	6–5	8–1	3–6	4–5	5–7	1–11	2–7	8–3	7-6
Colorado	6–6	3–5	2–7	5–4	—	6–3	6–5	6–6	4–7	7–2	3–6	5–4	5–4	5–7	7–5	3–6	4–8
Florida	2–6	5–7	2–7	0–9	3–6	—	3–6	4–5	0–9	5–7	5–7	6–6	3–6	4–5	0–9	4–5	8–8
Houston	5–4	5–4	7–4	8–3	5–6	6-3	—	3–6	9–2	7–2	5–4	7–2	9–2	5–4	6–3	5–7	10–4
Los Angeles	8–4	1–8	5–4	4–5	6–6	5–4	6–3	—	5–4	5–4	3–5	5–4	7–5	5–7	6–6	4–5	8–5
Milwaukee	3–6	2–7	6–6	5–6	7–4	9–0	2–9	4–5	—	6–3	1–8	4–5	6–5	3–6	5–4	3–8	8–6
Montreal	7–2	6–6	2–7	1–8	2–7	7–5	2–7	4–5	3–6	—	8–4	5–7	2–7	4–4	3–6	3–6	6–10
New York	5–4	3–9	5–4	6–3	6–3	7–5	4–5	5–3	8–1	4–8	—	8–4	4–5	4–5	4–5	6–3	9–7
Philadelphia	7-2	4–8	6–3	5–4	4–5	6–6	2–7	4–5	5–4	7–5	4–8	—	8–1	1–8	2–6	3–6	7–9
Pittsburgh	3–6	2–7	3–8	7–5	4–5	6–3	2–9	5–7	5–6	7–2	5–4	1–8	—	5–4	2–7	6–5	6–7
San Diego	9–3	4–5	4–5	11–1	7–5	5–4	4–5	7–5	6–3	4–4	5–4	8–1	4–5	—	8–4	6–3	6–7
San Francisco	7–5	2–7	3–7	7–2	5–7	9–0	3–6	6–6	4–5	6–3	5–4	6–2	7–2	4–8	—	7–5	8–5
St. Louis	7–2	3–6	7–4	3–8	6–3	5-4	7–5	5–4	8–3	6–3	3–6	6–3	5–6	3–6	5–7	—	4–9

Game log

Legend
Mets Win	Mets Loss	Game Postponed
Bold = Mets team member

1998 Game Log (88–74) Home: 47–34; Away: 41–40
March/April: (13–12) Home: 8–7; Away: 5–5 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 1 March 31 Phillies 1–0 (14) Wendell (1–0) Bottalico (0–1) — Shea Stadium 49,142 1–0 2 April 2 Phillies 5–6 Portugal (1–0) Leiter (0–1) Bottalico (1) Shea Stadium 13,591 1–1 3 April 3 Pirates 2–1 McMichael (1–0) Peters (0–1) — Shea Stadium 15,245 2–1 4 April 4 Pirates 7–6 (13) Wendell (2–0) Peters (0–2) — Shea Stadium 17,633 3–1 5 April 5 Pirates 7–0 Yoshii (1–0) Silva (0–1) — Shea Stadium 18,205 4–1 6 April 6 Pirates 2–4 Cordova (2–0) B. Jones (0–1) Loiselle (2) Shea Stadium 13,528 4–2 7 April 7 @ Cubs 3–2 Leiter (1–1) Gonzalez (0–1) Franco (1) Wrigley Field 16,293 5–2 – April 8 @ Cubs Postponed (rain); rescheduled for July 24 8 April 9 @ Cubs 7–8 Trachsel (2–0) Reed (0–1) Beck (5) Wrigley Field 17,313 5–3 9 April 10 @ Brewers 3–5 Juden (2–0) Mlicki (0–1) D. Jones (4) County Stadium 10,330 5–4 10 April 11 @ Brewers 2–1 Cook (1–0) Wickman (0–3) Franco (2) County Stadium 24,140 6–4 11 April 12 @ Brewers 6–4 Wendell (3–0) P. Wagner (0–1) Rojas (1) County Stadium 10,459 7–4 – April 13 @ Brewers Postponed (rain); rescheduled for July 22 12 April 14 Cubs 6–0 Leiter (2–1) Gonzalez (0–2) — Shea Stadium 15,965 8–4 13 April 15 Cubs 2–1 Reed (1–1) Trachsel (2–1) Franco (3) Shea Stadium 16,012 9–4 14 April 16 Cubs 4–8 Tapani (3–1) Mlicki (0–2) — Shea Stadium 50,814 9–5 15 April 17 @ Reds 3–4 Remlinger (2–2) B. Jones (0–2) Shaw (5) Cinergy Field 21,384 9–6 16 April 18 @ Reds 5–4 (10) Rojas (1–0) Belinda (0–2) Franco (4) Cinergy Field 21,213 10–6 17 April 19 @ Reds 14–0 Leiter (3–1) White (0–2) — Cinergy Field 16,743 11–6 18 April 21 Astros 0–6 Hampton (4–0) Reed (1–2) — Shea Stadium 14,774 11–7 19 April 22 Astros 10–7 Cook (2–0) Henry (1–1) — Shea Stadium 12,772 12–7 – April 23 Astros Postponed (rain); rescheduled for April 27 20 April 24 Reds 3–2 B. Jones (1–2) Shaw (0–2) Franco (5) Shea Stadium 15,546 13–7 21 April 25 Reds 0–2 Weathers (2–1) Yoshii (1–1) Shaw (7) Shea Stadium 22,652 13–8 – April 26 Reds Postponed (rain); rescheduled for May 19 22 April 27 Astros 3–4 Nitkowski (1–1) Franco (0–1) B. Wagner (6) Shea Stadium 17,656 13–9 23 April 28 @ Astros 3–4 (10) Magnante (2–1) Hudek (0–1) — Astrodome 14,943 13–10 24 April 29 @ Astros 1–6 Lima (4–1) Mlicki (0–3) — Astrodome 14,448 13–11 25 April 30 Rockies 0–4 Kile (3–3) B. Jones (1–3) — Shea Stadium 12,599 13–12
May: (18–8) Home: 11–3; Away: 7–5 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record – May 1 Rockies Postponed (rain); rescheduled for August 18 26 May 2 Rockies 3–7 Leskanic (2–3) Cook (2–1) — Shea Stadium 19,968 13–13 27 May 3 Rockies 5–2 Reed (2–2) Astacio (2–4) — Shea Stadium 19,493 14–13 28 May 4 Diamondbacks 2–4 (11) Olson (1–1) Bohanon (0–1) — Shea Stadium 18,980 14–14 29 May 5 Diamondbacks 9–1 Mlicki (1–3) Daal (0–2) — Shea Stadium 13,205 15–14 30 May 6 Diamondbacks 8–2 Rojas (2–0) Sodowsky (1–2) — Shea Stadium 17,681 16–14 31 May 7 Cardinals 4–1 Yoshii (2–1) Osborne (1–2) Franco (6) Shea Stadium 14,715 17–14 32 May 8 Cardinals 9–2 Reed (3–2) Politte (2–2) — Shea Stadium 16,132 18–14 – May 9 Cardinals Postponed (rain); rescheduled for August 20 – May 10 Cardinals Postponed (rain); rescheduled for August 21 33 May 11 @ Padres 1–2 Brown (3–2) Leiter (3–2) Hoffman (10) Qualcomm Stadium 15,291 18–15 – May 12 @ Padres Postponed (rain); rescheduled for May 14 34 May 13 @ Padres 4–3 Jones (2–3) Hamilton (3–3) Franco (7) Qualcomm Stadium 14,929 19–15 35 May 14 (1) @ Padres 1–3 Boehringer (4–1) Cook (2–2) Hoffman (11) Qualcomm Stadium N/A 19–16 36 May 14 (2) @ Padres 2–6 Miceli (3–1) McMichael (1–1) — Qualcomm Stadium 26,488 19–17 37 May 15 @ Giants 2–3 Hershiser (2–3) McMichael (1–2) Nen (8) 3Com Park 14,678 19–18 38 May 16 @ Giants 4–1 Reed (4–2) Rueter (4–3) Franco (8) 3Com Park 30,131 20–18 39 May 17 @ Giants 2–4 Gardner (3–2) Leiter (3–3) Nen (9) 3Com Park 24,408 20–19 40 May 19 (1) Reds 7–3 Jones (3–3) Tomko (5–2) — Shea Stadium N/A 21–19 41 May 19 (2) Reds 5–3 Bohanon (1–1) Winchester (2–2) Franco (9) Shea Stadium 15,558 22–19 42 May 20 Reds 6–8 Harnisch (4–0) Hudek (0–2) Shaw (14) Shea Stadium 12,834 22–20 43 May 21 Reds 6–1 Yoshii (3–1) Hutton (0–1) — Shea Stadium 13,766 23–20 44 May 22 Brewers 3–2 Reed (5–2) Woodall (0–2) Franco (10) Shea Stadium 22,307 24–20 45 May 23 Brewers 3–0 Leiter (4–3) Juden (5–3) — Shea Stadium 32,908 25–20 46 May 24 Brewers 8–3 Jones (4–3) Eldred (0–4) — Shea Stadium 47,291 26–20 47 May 26 @ Marlins 10–6 Bohanon (2–1) Larkin (2–5) — Pro Player Stadium 14,760 27–20 48 May 27 @ Marlins 8–2 Yoshii (4–1) Meadows (4–5) — Pro Player Stadium 15,854 28–20 49 May 29 @ Phillies 11–0 Reed (6–2) Beech (1–3) — Veterans Stadium 21,567 29–20 50 May 30 @ Phillies 6–4 Leiter (5–3) Green (3–4) Franco (11) Veterans Stadium 30,660 30–20 51 May 31 @ Phillies 8–6 Rojas (3–0) Winston (2–1) Franco (12) Veterans Stadium 23,025 31–20
June: (12–15) Home: 6–5; Away: 6–10 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 52 June 1 @ Pirates 3–4 Schmidt (8–1) Mlicki (1–4) Rincon (4) Three Rivers Stadium 11,274 31–21 53 June 2 @ Pirates 2–5 Peters (1–3) Bohanon (2–2) Rincon (5) Three Rivers Stadium 9,040 31–22 54 June 3 @ Pirates 0–3 Lieber (3–7) Reed (6–3) Christiansen (1) Three Rivers Stadium 17,691 31–23 55 June 5 @ Red Sox 9–2 Leiter (6–3) Martinez (6–2) — Fenway Park 32,214 32–23 56 June 6 @ Red Sox 1–0 Jones (5–3) Wakefield (6–3) Franco (13) Fenway Park 32,545 33–23 57 June 7 @ Red Sox 0–5 Avery (3–1) Yoshii (4–2) — Fenway Park 30,630 33–24 58 June 8 Devil Rays 3–0 Reed (7–3) Springer (2–10) — Shea Stadium 24,186 34–24 59 June 9 Devil Rays 4–5 (11) Mecir (2–0) Hudek (0–3) R. Hernandez (12) Shea Stadium 30,336 34–25 60 June 10 Devil Rays 3–2 Leiter (7–3) White (0–3) Rojas (2) Shea Stadium 21,682 35–25 61 June 11 @ Marlins 5–3 Jones (6–3) Sanchez (3–3) Franco (14) Pro Player Stadium 14,003 36–25 62 June 12 @ Marlins 3–4 Mantei (1–0) Bohanon (2–3) — Pro Player Stadium 35,652 36–26 63 June 13 @ Marlins 7–4 Reed (8–3) Meadows (4–6) Franco (15) Pro Player Stadium 31,887 37–26 64 June 14 @ Marlins 4–5 Mantei (2–0) Hudek (0–4) — Pro Player Stadium 23,924 37–27 65 June 16 @ Expos 2–0 Leiter (8–3) Hermanson (4–6) — Olympic Stadium 12,662 38–27 66 June 17 @ Expos 4–5 Urbina (4–2) Rojas (3–1) — Olympic Stadium 7,606 38–28 67 June 18 @ Expos 6–7 Bennett (2–3) Yoshii (4–3) Urbina (17) Olympic Stadium 8,788 38–29 68 June 19 Marlins 2–3 Meadows (5–6) Reed (8–4) Mantei (1) Shea Stadium 32,738 38–30 69 June 20 Marlins 3–8 L. Hernandez (5–4) Nomo (2–8) — Shea Stadium 44,355 38–31 70 June 21 Marlins 3–2 Leiter (9–3) Fontenot (0–5) Franco (16) Shea Stadium 30,673 39–31 71 June 22 @ Orioles 2–7 Mussina (6–4) Jones (6–4) — Oriole Park at Camden Yards 45,535 39–32 72 June 23 @ Orioles 6–3 Hudek (1–4) Rhodes (3–3) Franco (17) Oriole Park at Camden Yards 46,385 40–32 73 June 24 Orioles 6–3 Reed (9–4) Smith (3–4) Franco (18) Shea Stadium 29,789 41–32 74 June 25 Orioles 3–2 Cook (3–2) Benitez (2–2) — Shea Stadium 35,156 42–32 75 June 26 Yankees 4–8 Mendoza (5–1) Leiter (9–4) Rivera (19) Shea Stadium 53,404 42–33 76 June 27 Yankees 2–7 Pettitte (9–5) Jones (6–5) — Shea Stadium 53,587 42–34 77 June 28 Yankees 2–1 Cook (4–2) Mendoza (5–2) — Shea Stadium 53,749 43–34 78 June 30 @ Blue Jays 3–6 Clemens (9–6) Reed (9–5) — SkyDome 30,322 43–35
July: (13–15) Home: 7–9; Away: 6–6 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 79 July 1 @ Blue Jays 10–15 Plesac (3–2) Rojas (3–2) — SkyDome 37,252 43–36 80 July 2 @ Blue Jays 9–1 Jones (7–5) Hentgen (9–5) — SkyDome 27,325 44–36 81 July 3 @ Braves 2–3 Glavine (12–3) Bohanon (2–4) Ligtenberg (9) Turner Field 48,757 44–37 82 July 4 @ Braves 1–4 Millwood (10–4) Yoshii (4–4) — Turner Field 47,900 44–38 83 July 5 @ Braves 2–3 (11) Seanez (1–0) Franco (0–2) — Turner Field 40,430 44–39 69th All-Star Game in Denver, Colorado 84 July 9 Expos 8–9 (11) Maddux (2–2) Franco (0–3) Urbina (21) Shea Stadium 27,193 44–40 85 July 10 Expos 6–8 Bennett (3–3) Franco (0–4) Urbina (22) Shea Stadium 36,538 44–41 86 July 11 Expos 8–4 Reed (10–5) Pavano (2–3) — Shea Stadium 48,006 45–41 87 July 12 Expos 5–2 Tam (1–0) Vazquez (3–7) Cook (1) Shea Stadium 51,568 46–41 88 July 14 Braves 2–4 Smoltz (7–2) Jones (7–6) Ligtenberg (11) Shea Stadium 38,000 46–42 89 July 15 Braves 1–12 Neagle (10–7) Yoshii (4–5) — Shea Stadium 41,347 46–43 90 July 16 Phillies 2–4 Portugal (5–2) Reed (10–6) M. Leiter (20) Shea Stadium 20,283 46–44 91 July 17 Phillies 6–0 Nomo (3–8) Loewer (4–2) — Shea Stadium 23,298 47–44 92 July 18 Phillies 7–0 A. Leiter (10–4) Green (6–6) — Shea Stadium 37,208 48–44 93 July 19 Phillies 6–7 (10) M. Leiter (3–7) Cook (4–3) — Shea Stadium 29,520 48–45 94 July 20 Pirates 1–3 Cordova (8–8) Yoshii (4–6) Rincon (11) Shea Stadium 18,088 48–46 95 July 21 Pirates 4–0 Reed (11–6) Schmidt (8–7) — Shea Stadium 22,844 49–46 96 July 22 (1) @ Brewers 7–5 Cook (5–3) Wickman (3–6) Franco (19) County Stadium N/A 50–46 97 July 22 (2) @ Brewers 6–1 Nomo (4–8) Patrick (4–1) — County Stadium 23,920 51–46 98 July 23 @ Brewers 6–5 McMichael (2–3) Myers (2–2) Franco (20) County Stadium 27,046 52–46 99 July 24 (1) @ Cubs 5–0 Reynoso (1–0) Gonzalez (7–7) — Wrigley Field N/A 53–46 100 July 24 (2) @ Cubs 7–3 Cook (6–3) Adams (7–6) — Wrigley Field 40,684 54–46 101 July 25 @ Cubs 2–3 Tapani (12–6) Franco (0–5) Beck (30) Wrigley Field 40,436 54–47 102 July 26 @ Cubs 1–3 Wood (10–5) Reed (11–7) Beck (31) Wrigley Field 40,329 54–48 103 July 28 Padres 7–3 Nomo (5–8) Ashby (14–6) McMichael (2) Shea Stadium 21,005 55–48 104 July 29 Padres 7–6 Rojas (4–2) Wall (4–3) Franco (21) Shea Stadium 23,694 56–48 105 July 30 Padres 1–3 (10) Miceli (8–4) Cook (6–4) Hoffman (34) Shea Stadium 22,882 56–49 106 July 31 Dodgers 3–4 Osuna (6–0) Franco (0–6) Shaw (32) Shea Stadium 49,407 56–50
August: (20–12) Home: 10–6; Away: 10–6 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 107 August 1 Dodgers 2–1 Reed (12–7) Shaw (2–5) — Shea Stadium 42,224 57–50 108 August 2 Dodgers 9–3 Reynoso (2–0) Bohanon (4–7) — Shea Stadium 33,843 58–50 109 August 3 Dodgers 5–8 Mlicki (6–5) McMichael (2–4) Shaw (33) Shea Stadium 24,416 58–51 110 August 4 Giants 7–6 (10) Cook (7–4) Mesa (5–5) — Shea Stadium 32,943 59–51 111 August 5 Giants 4–6 Ortiz (1–1) B. J. Jones (7–7) Nen (29) Shea Stadium 35,571 59–52 112 August 6 Giants 9–8 Wendell (4–0) Nen (7–3) — Shea Stadium 36,920 60–52 113 August 7 @ Rockies 8–7 Reed (13–7) Astacio (10–11) Franco (22) Coors Field 48,365 61–52 114 August 8 @ Rockies 4–3 Reynoso (3–0) B. M. Jones (5–5) Franco (23) Coors Field 48,312 62–52 115 August 9 @ Rockies 4–11 Kile (8–14) Nomo (5–9) — Coors Field 48,014 62–53 116 August 10 @ Cardinals 4–2 Leiter (11–4) Morris (3–2) Franco (24) Busch Stadium 41,252 63–53 117 August 11 @ Cardinals 8–3 B. J. Jones (8–7) Mercker (8–9) — Busch Stadium 34,489 64–53 118 August 12 @ Cardinals 4–5 (14) Frascatore (2–3) Franco (0–7) — Busch Stadium 34,260 64–54 119 August 14 @ Diamondbacks 3–2 Reed (14–7) Telemaco (4–7) Wendell (1) Bank One Ballpark 47,562 65–54 120 August 15 @ Diamondbacks 5–4 Reynoso (4–0) Chouinard (0–2) Franco (25) Bank One Ballpark 48,307 66–54 121 August 16 @ Diamondbacks 1–6 Daal (6–7) Nomo (5–10) — Bank One Ballpark 44,537 66–55 122 August 18 (1) Rockies 6–2 Leiter (12–4) Astacio (11–12) — Shea Stadium N/A 67–55 123 August 18 (2) Rockies 6–3 Rojas (5–2) McElroy (4–3) Franco (26) Shea Stadium 21,611 68–55 124 August 19 Rockies 2–1 Yoshii (5–6) B. M. Jones (5–7) Franco (27) Shea Stadium 19,395 69–55 125 August 20 (1) Cardinals 0–2 Osborne (3–2) Blair (4–16) Acevedo (3) Shea Stadium N/A 69–56 126 August 20 (2) Cardinals 5–4 Reed (15–7) Oliver (7–9) Wendell (2) Shea Stadium 45,308 70–56 127 August 21 (1) Cardinals 5–10 Morris (4–3) Nomo (5–11) — Shea Stadium N/A 70–57 128 August 21 (2) Cardinals 1–0 Reynoso (5–0) Aybar (3–6) Franco (28) Shea Stadium 52,320 71–57 129 August 22 Diamondbacks 9–4 B. J. Jones (9–7) Benes (11–12) — Shea Stadium 42,654 72–57 130 August 23 Diamondbacks 3–4 Anderson (9–12) Leiter (12–5) Olson (22) Shea Stadium 36,039 72–58 131 August 24 Diamondbacks 5–9 Telemaco (5–8) Yoshii (5–7) Banks (1) Shea Stadium 29,850 72–59 132 August 25 @ Giants 3–7 Ortiz (2–3) Reed (15–8) — 3Com Park 20,916 72–60 133 August 26 @ Giants 4–1 Nomo (6–11) Hershiser (9–9) — 3Com Park 18,227 73–60 134 August 27 @ Giants 3–11 Darwin (8–10) Reynoso (5–1) — 3Com Park 17,823 73–61 135 August 28 @ Dodgers 5–4 (10) Cook (8–4) Shaw (3–7) Franco (29) Dodger Stadium 52,154 74–61 136 August 29 @ Dodgers 4–3 Leiter (13–5) Shaw (3–8) Franco (30) Dodger Stadium 49,181 75–61 137 August 30 @ Dodgers 2–4 Mlicki (8–6) Yoshii (5–8) — Dodger Stadium 44,746 75–62 138 August 31 @ Dodgers 8–3 Reed (16–8) Park (11–8) — Dodger Stadium 37,806 76–62
September: (12–12) Home: 5–4; Away: 7–8 # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Location Attendance Record 139 September 1 @ Padres 8–9 Myers (2–2) Wendell (4–1) Hoffman (45) Qualcomm Stadium 18,489 76–63 140 September 2 @ Padres 4–1 Reynoso (6–1) Ashby (16–7) Franco (31) Qualcomm Stadium 17,565 77–63 141 September 4 Braves 2–1 Leiter (14–5) Glavine (18–6) — Shea Stadium 34,617 78–63 142 September 5 Braves 5–4 Wendell (5–1) Seanez (4–1) Franco (32) Shea Stadium 43,573 79–63 143 September 6 Braves 0–4 Smoltz (14–3) Reed (16–9) — Shea Stadium 40,311 79–64 144 September 7 Braves 8–7 McMichael (3–4) Rocker (1–2) Franco (33) Shea Stadium 22,953 80–64 145 September 8 @ Phillies 4–16 Byrd (3–2) Nomo (6–12) — Veterans Stadium 18,661 80–65 146 September 9 @ Phillies 6–2 Reynoso (7–1) Schilling (14–13) Franco (34) Veterans Stadium 16,193 81–65 147 September 10 @ Phillies 7–5 Leiter (15–5) Green (6–10) Franco (35) Veterans Stadium 16,715 82–65 148 September 11 @ Expos 1–5 Pavano (5–8) Jones (9–8) Urbina (30) Olympic Stadium 10,584 82–66 149 September 12 @ Expos 3–5 M. Maddux (3–3) Reed (16–10) Urbina (31) Olympic Stadium 22,047 82–67 150 September 13 @ Expos 1–0 Blair (5–16) Telford (3–6) Franco (36) Olympic Stadium 15,152 83–67 151 September 14 @ Astros 7–4 (13) McMichael (4–4) Magnante (4–7) Franco (37) Astrodome 24,241 84–67 152 September 15 (1) @ Astros 5–6 (12) Powell (7–5) Tam (1–1) — Astrodome N/A 84–68 153 September 15 (2) @ Astros 8–4 Leiter (16–5) Powell (7–6) Wendell (3) Astrodome 40,835 85–68 154 September 16 @ Astros 4–3 (11) McMichael (5–4) Bergman (12–9) Wendell (4) Astrodome 24,269 86–68 155 September 18 Marlins 6–7 Edmondson (4–4) Franco (0–8) Mantei (9) Shea Stadium 34,862 86–69 156 September 19 Marlins 4–3 Yoshii (6–8) Sanchez (7–9) Franco (38) Shea Stadium 52,062 87–69 157 September 20 Marlins 5–0 Leiter (17–5) Meadows (10–13) — Shea Stadium 52,767 88–69 158 September 22 Expos 3–5 Thurman (4–5) Reynoso (7–2) Urbina (33) Shea Stadium 32,467 88–70 159 September 23 Expos 0–3 Pavano (6–8) Jones (9–9) Urbina (34) Shea Stadium 29,728 88–71 160 September 25 @ Braves 5–6 Martínez (4–6) Reed (16–11) Rocker (2) Turner Field 48,443 88–72 161 September 26 @ Braves 0–4 Neagle (16–11) Leiter (17–6) — Turner Field 48,117 88–73 162 September 27 @ Braves 2–7 G. Maddux (18–9) Reynoso (7–3) — Turner Field 48,685 88–74

Roster

1998 New York Mets
Roster
Pitchers 43 Rigo Beltrán 46 Willie Blair 46 Brian Bohanon 49 Brad Clontz 27 Dennis Cook 31,45 John Franco 43 John Hudek 28 Bobby Jones 22 Al Leiter 36 Greg McMichael 38 Dave Mlicki 16 Hideo Nomo 21 Bill Pulsipher 35 Rick Reed 40 Armando Reynoso 51 Mel Rojas 36,38 Jeff Tam 99 Turk Wendell 21,29 Masato Yoshii		Catchers 30 Alberto Castillo 12 Jorge Fábregas 31 Mike Piazza  7 Todd Pratt 33 Tim Spehr 39 Rick Wilkins Infielders 13 Edgardo Alfonzo  8 Carlos Baerga 15 Matt Franco 12 Shawn Gilbert 18 Todd Haney 33 Mike Kinkade 17 Luis López 26 Ralph Milliard  5 John Olerud 10 Rey Ordóñez 18 Craig Paquette 19 Jim Tatum		Outfielders 39 Benny Agbayani 23 Jermaine Allensworth  6 Rich Becker 23 Bernard Gilkey 19 Lenny Harris  9 Todd Hundley 42 Butch Huskey 11 Wayne Kirby 56 Brian McRae 25 Jay Payton  6 Tony Phillips 11 Preston Wilson		Manager  2 Bobby Valentine Coaches 34 Bob Apodaca (pitching) 20 Bruce Benedict (bench) 52 Randy Niemann (bullpen) 53 Tom Robson (hitting)  4 Cookie Rojas (third base)  1 Mookie Wilson (first base)

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Mike Piazza	109	394	137	.348	23	76
1B	John Olerud	160	557	197	.354	22	93
2B	Carlos Baerga	147	511	136	.266	7	53
SS	Rey Ordóñez	153	505	124	.246	1	42
3B	Edgardo Alfonso	144	557	155	.278	17	78
LF	Bernard Gilkey	82	264	60	.227	4	28
CF	Brian McRae	159	552	146	.264	21	79
RF	Butch Huskey	113	369	93	.252	13	59

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Luis López	117	266	67	.252	2	22
Tony Phillips	52	188	42	.223	3	14
Lenny Harris	75	168	39	.232	6	17
Matt Franco	103	161	44	.273	1	13
Todd Hundley	53	124	20	.161	3	12
Rich Becker	49	100	19	.190	3	10
Alberto Castillo	38	83	17	.205	2	7
Todd Pratt	41	69	19	.275	2	18
Jermaine Allensworth	34	54	11	.204	2	4
Tim Spehr	21	51	7	.137	0	3
Jim Tatum	35	50	9	.180	2	13
Jorge Fábregas	20	32	6	.188	1	5
Wayne Kirby	26	31	6	.194	0	0
Jay Payton	15	22	7	.218	0	0
Preston Wilson	8	20	6	.300	0	2
Craig Paquette	7	19	5	.263	0	0
Rick Wilkins	5	15	2	.133	0	1
Benny Agbayani	11	15	2	.133	0	0
Todd Haney	3	3	0	.000	0	0
Shawn Gilbert	3	3	0	.000	0	0
Mike Kinkade	3	2	0	.000	0	0
Ralph Milliard	10	1	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Rick Reed	31	212.1	16	11	3.48	153
Bobby Jones	30	195.1	9	9	4.05	115
Al Leiter	28	193.0	17	6	2.47	174
Masato Yoshii	29	171.2	6	8	3.93	117
Hideo Nomo	17	89.2	4	5	4.82	94
Armando Reynoso	11	68.1	7	3	3.82	40
Dave Mlicki	10	57.0	1	4	5.68	39

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Brian Bohanon	25	54.1	2	4	3.15	39
Willie Blair	11	28.2	1	1	3.14	21

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
John Franco	61	0	8	38	3.62	59
Dennis Cook	73	8	4	1	2.38	79
Turk Wendell	66	5	1	4	2.93	58
Greg McMichael	52	5	3	1	4.02	44
Mel Rojas	50	5	2	2	6.05	41
John Hudek	28	1	4	0	4.00	28
Bill Pulsipher	15	0	0	0	6.91	13
Jeff Tam	15	1	1	0	6.23	8
Rigo Beltrán	7	0	0	0	3.38	5
Brad Clontz	2	0	0	0	9.00	2

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Norfolk Tides	International League	Rick Dempsey
AA	Binghamton Mets	Eastern League	John Gibbons
A	St. Lucie Mets	Florida State League	Howie Freiling
A	Capital City Bombers	South Atlantic League	Doug Davis
A-Short Season	Pittsfield Mets	New York–Penn League	Roger LaFrançois
Rookie	Kingsport Mets	Appalachian League	Tim Foli
Rookie	GCL Mets	Gulf Coast League	John Stephenson

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: St. Lucie, Capital City

External links

• 1998 New York Mets at Baseball Reference
• 1998 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com