Kevin McReynolds revisits the Mets NL East championship team twenty-five years later

Kevin McReynolds figured prominently in the New York Mets' quest for the National League pennant in 1988. The 28-year-old left fielder was in his second season with the Mets after a trade in December 1986 brought him to New York in exchange for Shawn Abner, Stan Jefferson, and Kevin Mitchell. Coming to the Mets fresh off of their World Series victory, he had lofty expectations for his time in Flushing.

Kevin McReynolds / N. Diunte

“You had high hopes with a team that strong,” said McReynolds during an appearance at a baseball card show at Hofstra University this Saturday. “[They] had great pitching at the time. You think it was going to be … almost like a dynasty in the making. You look back now; of course it didn’t turn out to be that. It was always an interesting team and [there was] a lot of good baseball too.”

McReynolds, who was known for his private nature off the field, came out in a major way in 1988, finishing third in the MVP voting behind teammate Darryl Strawberry and the Kirk Gibson of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He blasted 27 home runs, drove in 99 runs, and set the single-season record for the most stolen bases without a single caught stealing, going a perfect 21-21.

“They just saw a fat ol’ white boy over there, so they didn’t pay attention to me,” McReynolds joked. “As long as I didn’t run in situations where I could hurt us with an out … they gave me the green light.”

The Mets faced off with the Dodgers in an unforgettable National League Championship Series, with the Mets taking the first two of the three games. During Game 4, McReynolds launched a fourth inning home run to put the Mets up 3-2. Going in to the ninth inning leading 4-2 with Dwight Gooden on the mound, Mets fans felt confident that the potential for a series clinching Game 5 would take place at Shea Stadium; however, Dodgers’ catcher Mike Scioscia had plans otherwise.

After a leadoff walk in the top of the ninth inning, Scioscia blasted a home run to right field to tie the game, hushing the boisterous Shea Stadium crowd. The two teams battled in extra innings, until Gibson homered off of Roger McDowell in the top of the 12th to put the Dodgers in front 5-4. The Mets would not go quietly, as they put the first two batters on base with consecutive singles off of Dodgers reliever Tim Leary, forcing manager Tommy Lasorda to bring in ex-Met Jesse Orosco. The lefty specialist walked Keith Hernandez and recorded the second out of the inning when Strawberry popped up to second base.

Just as McReynolds approached the plate with the bases loaded, Lasorda summoned Orel Hershiser, who pitched seven innings in the Dodgers' loss the night before. He encountered a pitcher in Hershiser who refused to give in. He flew out to center field ending the four-and-a-half hour marathon.

“I ended up making the final out," he said. "We had beaten LA so many times during that year, but Hershiser was on that phenomenal streak at the time. You always hate to be the last guy to make the last out, but unfortunately someone has to win and someone has to lose.”

The Mets lost Game 5 at Shea Stadium, but forced the deciding game in Los Angeles when David Cone pitched a complete game 5-1 victory aided by a McReynolds home run. Hershiser was too much for the Mets to handle in Game 7 and the Dodgers advanced to the World Series, which they won in convincing fashion over the Oakland Athletics.

McReynolds played with the Mets through 1991 when he was traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of the Bret Saberhagen deal. He played two seasons in Kansas City until the Mets reacquired him in 1994 in exchange for Vince Coleman. He played half of the 1994 season before knee injuries ended his baseball career.

Spending the bulk of his major league career in New York, McReynolds said the fans captured his attention while playing in Queens.

“There were always a lot of fans, [but] they weren’t always fans for you at times," he said. "They were always very verbal and they [expected] a good product on the field. [The fans] were just one of the things to look forward to.”

The 53-year-old McReynolds lives in Little Rock Arkansas, and when he is not playing golf, he is pursuing a wide range of business interests.

“I play golf a lot, run a commercial duck hunting operation during the winter time, and a couple of friends and I own some pizza restaurants in Memphis.”

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Why Mookie Wilson is forever endeared to Shea Stadium

For Mookie Wilson, he will always find comfort in the confines of Shea Stadium. For 10 years, Wilson was a fixture in center field, tracking down balls far and wide to the delight of the New York Mets faithful. It is no surprise that despite spending time as a coach for the Mets in their new digs at Citi Field, he remains loyal to its predecessor.

Mookie Wilson at Citi Tuesdays - N. Diunte

“It’s interesting that you use the word home because that’s what Shea was," Wilson said while making an appearance Tuesday afternoon as part of the Mets Citi Tuesdays promotion at Citibank in Lower Manhattan. "To me, Shea was home. Don’t get me wrong, Citi Field is a beautiful ballpark; I think that it is fan friendly. I would have loved played at Citi Field, but you can’t replace Shea. That was home for us. It was old, [and] yes, it needed repairs, but it was home and we loved and enjoyed playing there. I don’t think you can compare the two. Shea has its history and Citi Field is in the process of making its own history and it’s going to take time.”

The 56-year-old Wilson, while no longer part of the coaching staff remains on the books as an ambassador for the club, a position he enjoys.

“I think my role basically is to greet Mets fans, mainly to let them know that the Mets are still part of the community and that the Mets have partnered with Citibank and have some great promotional things going on,” he said. “I do encourage everyone to take advantage of the discounts are provided through this. It’s an effort by the Mets to show that their fans come first and they want to provide for them the best they possibly can.”

Mets fans were deeply saddened when the charismatic Wilson was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in the middle of the 1989 season. He figured that he would have finished his playing career in a Mets uniform.

“I was shocked,” he said. “I think that most players think initially that they’re going to remain with the team that they start [with]. New York’s my home. I enjoyed it and the fans embraced me, welcomed me into the city, and claimed me as a New Yorker, one of their own. … Although I had yelled about it before about being traded, I think nobody wants to be traded. When it was actually happening, I was actually shocked because I didn’t think I would ever leave New York, but as the business goes, sometimes things happen.”

Leaving New York provided Wilson the opportunity to compete in the postseason two more times, as the Blue Jays lost to the Minnesota Twins in the 1989 ALCS and the Oakland Athletics in the 1991 ALCS. Even though the Blue Jays did not pick up his option for their 1992 World Series Championship run, Wilson felt that he had some small part in its development.

“I thought that in ‘89, ‘90, [and] ‘91, we should have won it,” he said. “That team [was] a very good team. We had everything, pitching, power, [and] speed; everything was in place and we fell short. We lost to two great teams, Minnesota [Twins] and the Oakland A’s. There’s no complaining about that. It was right around the corner. I was supportive of the championship club and I think I was part of putting those players on the right track.”

While Mets fans might see Wilson on the back fields of spring training giving advice to younger players as a part-time instructor, he is optimistic that he will return to full-time coaching in the near future.

“I do hope to get back into coaching at some point. I think that once baseball is in you, in your blood, and you spend most of your life in baseball, it’s very hard to just put it on the side and retire from it. I don’t think I’ll ever will.”

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