NBC Sports: MLB 1987-GOW-6/06-Los Angeles Dodgers @ Cincinnati Reds: Full Game

Source:The New Democrat   

The 1987 Cincinnati Reds were similar to the Reds of the 1980s and I call them the New York Yankees of the National League as far as a team that looks pretty good going into the season and would look like contenders up until the All Star break or so and then would fade back in the middle of the pack. They did that in 87, 86 and 88 and 81 and 80 to use as examples. And in the 1980s contending in your division wasn’t good enough to make the MLB Playoffs. You won your division or you were going home.   

The Dodgers of the 1980s post 1985 had trouble being good in back-to-back seasons. They won the AL West in 83 and the struggled in 84. Won the NL West in 1985 and then struggled in 86 and 87. Won the MLB World Series in 88 and then had a losing record in 1989. And didn’t get back to the NL Playoffs until 1995. Tommy Lasorda is a Hall of Fame manager as he should be, but in the 1980s he struggled to win in back-to-back seasons, despite having roughly the same that was successful in one year, but then would struggle the next year.

Classic SF Giants: MLB 1987- 8/18 - San Francisco Giants @ New York Mets

Source:Classic SF Giants- New York Mets pitcher Dwight Gooden, pitching against the San Francisco Giants, at She Stadium in New York, in 1987.

Source:The New Democrat 

"1987 08 18 Giants at Mets KTVU" 

From Classic SF Giants 

A great Giants-Mets matchup late in the 1987 MLB season, because both clubs were still deep in the pennant races. The Giants tied for first place in the NL West and the Mets just a few games behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL East.

The Mets and Cardinals won four straight NL East divisions titles from 1985-88 and took turns winning those titles. One of the best MLB rivalries in the mid and late 1980s.

The Giants woke up from the dead in 1986 under Roger Craig after perhaps being the worst team in MLB in 1985. Bounced back in 1986 and had a winning season for the first time in a while. So 1987 they wanted to prove that they were back and at the very least contend for the NL West.

The Mets won the MLB World Series in 1986 and obviously wanted to do that again in 1987.

Reds-TV: MLB 1986-7/22-New York Mets @ Cincinnati Reds: Full Game

The Reds were solid contender in the 1980s a divisional contender for most of that decade. They actually finished in the mid and late 1980s in second place several seasons in a row in that decade. But never quite good enough to win their division. The Mets obviously winning the World Series in 1986 and were very good in the mid and late 1980s. So this was a matchup of consistent 1980s contenders, with the Reds failing to ever win their division. The Reds never seemed to have enough pitching to win the NL West in the 1980s, which is where they played until 1994, but were generally very good offensively. And the Mets coming damn close to winning the NL East in 1985 and arguably had a better team than the St. Louis Cardinals in 85. But in 1986 is where they put everything together as a team. They had great pitching and consistent offense and defense and had all of those things for most of that season. 

Source:The New Democrat

ABC Sports: MLB 1986- NLCS Game 3- Houston Astros @ New York Mets: Full Game

Source:ABC Sports- New York Mets CF & leadoff hitter Lenny Dykstra.

Source:Real Life Journal

“Houston Astros 5 at New York Mets 6, F — Game 3 in a series tied 1-1 are always critical momentum changers. Mets’ starter Ron Darling was shaky early, allowing four runs in the first two innings, but settled down after that. The Mets got back into the game in the 6th, tying it on Darryl Strawberry’s three-run shot. Ray Knight committed the Mets’ only error of the series in the 7th, allowing the Astros to regain the lead, 5-4, and it stayed that way until the bottom of the 9th. With Astros’ closer Dave Smith on the mound, Wally Backman bunted his way on, benefiting from a controversial runner-out-of-the-baseline call. He advanced to second on a past ball, but it would not matter. One batter later, up stepped fan favorite, firebrand Lenny “Nails” Dykstra, who struck out in his first at-bat as a pinch-hitter in the 7th. Not known as a power hitter, Nails got ahold of one and enjoyed the two-run walk-off, as the Mets took the game 6-5, and lead in the series, 2-1.”

From MLB Vault

An interesting matchup in the 1986 NLCS, because it sort of looked like a miss-match on paper. The Mets clearly looked like the best all around team in MLB in 1986 and dominated the National League. One of the best teams since divisional play started in MLB in 1969. They had great pitching, starting and the bullpen. A very good defense and very good, deep and balanced lineup offensively, as well as a very good bench. They had both speed and power in their lineup and Davey Johnson was their manager. All of these qualities for one team tend to equal MLB World Series champion.

The 1986 Astros sort of reminds me of the 1969 Mets: very good pitching, very good defense and a lineup that only seemed to produce enough hits and runs for the team to win. This would’ve been a miss-match had the Astros not of gotten the pitching and defense that they did in this series. And they got a lot of timely hitting Kevin Bass in this series who had a career year and didn’t do much pre-86 or after 86. Which sounds like several New York Mets of 1969. The Astros did enough in 86 to make this series one of the best NLCS’s of all-time.