1986 World Series

The 1986 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's 1986 season. It was the 83rd edition of the World Series and a best-of-seven playoff between the National League champion New York Mets and the American League champion Boston Red Sox. The Mets won the series in seven games, claiming their second World Series title and their first since 1969.

The series is best remembered for its Game 6. In this game, the Mets came back from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the 10th inning. Even though they had two outs and no players on base, the Mets managed to win. The Red Sox had a chance to win the championship but made a mistake, allowing the Mets to continue. When the Mets won the series in Game 7, this moment became a famous part of baseball history.

This World Series was also notable because it was the second time a team won after losing the first two games at home. The New York Yankees did the same thing in 1996, and the Toronto Blue Jays did it in the 2025 American League Championship Series. It was also the first World Series to use the designated hitter only in games played at the American League team's stadium, a rule that stayed until 2022.

Background

See also: 1986 Major League Baseball postseason

This was the fifth time teams from Boston and New York City met for a big championship in sports. They had faced each other before in two hockey finals and two past World Series.

New York Mets

Main article: 1986 New York Mets season

The New York Mets had an amazing season, finishing with a record of 108 wins and 54 losses, the best ever for their team. They easily won their division and then beat the Houston Astros in the league championship series to reach the World Series.

Boston Red Sox

Main articles: 1986 Boston Red Sox season and Curse of the Bambino

Boston finished the season with 95 wins and 66 losses, winning their division. They had strong performances from players like Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens, who was the league’s best pitcher that year. The Red Sox made it to the World Series after a tough series against the California Angels, where they came back from behind to win.

Summary

NL New York Mets (4) beat AL Boston Red Sox (3)

†: Postponed from October 26 due to rain

Matchups

Game 1

The Mets began the World Series by losing 1–0, just as they did against Houston in the National League Championship Series. Boston’s Bruce Hurst dominated the Mets with his special pitches, allowing only four hits over eight innings to win the game. In the bottom of the sixth, Hurst prevented a Mets scoring chance by getting Ray Knight to ground into an inning-ending double play.

New York’s Ron Darling was just as strong, giving up only one unearned run in the seventh when Tim Teufel made an error, allowing Jim Rice to score. Red Sox closer Calvin Schiraldi, who used to play for the Mets, walked Darryl Strawberry to start the bottom of the ninth. But he got Knight to force out Strawberry and then got Wally Backman to fly out. With two outs, Danny Heep pinch hit for Rafael Santana. Schiraldi struck out Heep to finish the game.

Mets legend Tom Seaver, now with the Red Sox, got a big cheer from fans at Shea Stadium during the Game 1 introductions. Seaver didn’t pitch because of a knee injury.

Game 2

Game 2 was expected to be a great matchup between the Mets’ Dwight Gooden and Boston’s Roger Clemens, but neither pitcher lasted past five innings. The Red Sox scored first in the third inning when Keith Hernandez threw a ball away, allowing Wade Boggs, Marty Barrett, and Bill Buckner to drive in runs for a 3–0 lead. The Mets cut the lead to one run when Wally Backman scored Rafael Santana.

In the fourth inning, Dave Henderson hit a home run for the Red Sox, and Dwight Evans hit a two-run homer in the fifth, making it 6–2. Clemens left the game after five innings, and the Red Sox kept scoring. In the ninth, Boggs drove in another run to make it 9–3, and the Mets couldn’t catch up, giving Boston a 2–0 series lead.

Game 3

Mets manager Davey Johnson gave his team a day off to rest before Game 3, and it worked. The Mets started strong with Lenny Dykstra hitting a home run and Gary Carter and Danny Heep driving in runs for a 4–0 lead in the first inning. Oil Can Boyd settled down for Boston, but Bob Ojeda pitched well, and the Mets held on for a 7–1 win.

Game 4

Ron Darling faced Boston’s Al Nipper as the Mets tried to tie the series. Neither pitcher allowed a run until the fourth inning when Gary Carter hit a two-run home run and Ray Knight drove in Darryl Strawberry. In the seventh, Dwight Evans almost took away Lenny Dykstra’s home run but dropped the ball, and Carter hit another homer. The Red Sox scored two runs in the eighth, but the Mets tied the series at two games each.

Game 5

The Red Sox struck first when Dave Henderson tripled and scored on Spike Owen’s sacrifice fly. Dwight Evans added an RBI single, and Jim Rice tripled and scored on Don Baylor’s single. Bruce Hurst pitched over seven innings, and the Red Sox won 4–2 to take a 3–2 series lead.

Game 6

The series returned to Shea Stadium with the Mets facing elimination. Bob Ojeda pitched for New York, and Roger Clemens for Boston. The Red Sox took a 2–0 lead, but the Mets tied it in the fifth. In the seventh, Jim Rice misplayed a ground ball, allowing a run to score.

In the eighth, Dave Henderson reached base, and after a sacrifice bunt, Mike Greenwell struck out. Wade Boggs walked, and Barrett loaded the bases. Jesse Orosco came in to face Bill Buckner, who popped out to end the inning.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Mets tried to win. Mookie Wilson bunted and reached base, and Howard Johnson struck out. Then Lee Mazzilli singled, Lenny Dykstra reached base, and Wally Backman bunted to move runners. Schiraldi intentionally walked Keith Hernandez to face Gary Carter, who flew out to tie the game. Darryl Strawberry flew out to end the inning.

In the tenth, Henderson hit a home run for Boston. Boggs doubled, and Barrett singled to make it 5–3. The Mets rallied: Kevin Mitchell singled, advancing runners. Ray Knight singled to score a run, and Mookie Wilson’s ground ball went under Buckner’s glove for an error, allowing another run and tying the game at five. Knight scored on the error, giving the Mets a 6–5 win and tying the series.

Game 7

Because of rain, Game 7 was postponed to Monday, October 27. The Mets’ Ron Darling was set to face Boston’s Bruce Hurst. Boston scored three runs in the second inning on home runs by Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman, and a single by Wade Boggs.

The Mets couldn’t score against Hurst until the sixth, when Lee Mazzilli and Mookie Wilson singled, and Keith Hernandez drove in runs. Gary Carter’s fly ball was caught, but Backman scored to tie the game. The Mets took the lead in the seventh on a home run by Ray Knight and singles by Lenny Dykstra and Rafael Santana.

In the eighth, Darryl Strawberry hit a solo home run, and the Mets extended the lead. In the ninth, Jesse Orosco closed out the game, and the Mets won the World Series.

Awards and statistical summary

The World Series MVP was given to Ray Knight, who helped the New York Mets the most during the series. He had nine hits and a good average of .393. He also helped score runs with five runs batted in, just behind Gary Carter who had nine.

Marty Barrett played really well for the Boston Red Sox but his team lost. He tied a record with 13 hits and had a great average of .433. Dave Henderson had ten hits and an average of .400, while Jim Rice and Wade Boggs each got nine hits.

Even though Bruce Hurst and Ron Darling had a tough Game 7, they were the best starting pitchers for their teams in the series. Both ended up with two wins and very good ERA numbers, with Darling’s 1.35 ERA being better than Hurst’s 1.96.

Series statistics

Boston Red Sox

Batting

Pitching

New York Mets

Batting

Pitching

Postscript

Both the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox waited a long time to return to the World Series after 1986. The Red Sox finally returned in (/wiki/2004_Boston_Red_Sox_season) and won their first title since (/wiki/1918_Boston_Red_Sox_season). They have since won three more championships, most recently in (/wiki/2018_Boston_Red_Sox_season).

The Mets returned to the World Series twice since 1986. In (/wiki/2000_World_Series), they played against their New York city rivals, the New York Yankees, but lost. In (/wiki/2015_World_Series), they faced the Kansas City Royals but lost again.

Neither of the managers from the 1986 series, Davey Johnson or John McNamara, managed in another World Series. Johnson stayed with the Mets until (/wiki/1990_New_York_Mets_season), leading them to the postseason in (/wiki/1988_New_York_Mets_season) before being fired in 1990. He later managed the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals.

McNamara managed the Red Sox again in (/wiki/1987_Major_League_Baseball_season), but the team did not do well. He was fired the next year, and his successor led the team to a division title. McNamara later managed the Cleveland Indians and briefly the California Angels before retiring.

Player Bill Buckner, known for an error in the 1986 series, never won a World Series ring. He played for several teams before retiring in (/wiki/1990_Major_League_Baseball_season). He passed away in 2019 after developing health issues in his later years.

In 2020, the sports network ESPN named the 1986 World Series one of the greatest of all time. In 2021, ESPN released a documentary called Once Upon a Time in Queens about the 1986 series and the Mets' journey to it.

Composite line score

The 1986 World Series was won by the New York Mets from the National League, who beat the Boston Red Sox from the American League. The Mets won the series 4 games to 3, claiming their second World Series title.

Broadcast

NBC's broadcast of Game 6 ended very late, at 12:32 a.m. Eastern time. This caused NBC to cancel an episode of Saturday Night Live, which was hosted by Rosanna Arquette. The show was recorded earlier and aired later with a funny apology.

The broadcast of Game 7 was very popular. It had a high rating and was watched by many people, making it the most watched World Series game up to that point. Game 7 competed with a Monday Night Football game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants at Giants Stadium on ABC.

In popular culture

The 1986 World Series has been mentioned in many movies and TV shows. In the film Rounders, a character talks about a famous moment from the series. Another movie, Fever Pitch, shows a fan watching a clip from the series after a breakup.

The tough losses by the Boston Red Sox in this series led to stories about a "Babe Ruth Curse." This idea suggested that selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees many years earlier brought bad luck to the team. The phrase "Curse of the Bambino" became popular later, especially after a book by Dan Shaughnessy.

The series inspired many other works, including a film called Game 6, songs, and episodes of shows like The Simpsons and Seinfeld. In some stories, players from the series appear, and the events are used to add humor or drama.