Last Updated: June 17th, 2026 by Michael Griffin
Let’s be honest here, especially if you’re a Mets fan in your 50s or older: 1986 is receding VERY quickly in the rear view mirror. 2026 will mark 40 years since that incredible season. Fans who were born that year are old enough to have their own families. Yeah. It’s been rough. Here are 10 times that show just how painful being a fan of this franchise can be:
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The Scioscia Shot: 1988’s Heartbreak Heard in Queens
I was at this game, in the highest seats at Shea, pressed up against that wall. Most of the time, we were screaming happily as it looked like the Mets were going to take a commanding lead in the NLCS. Then it went south in the ninth. Davey Johnson tried to let Dwight Gooden finish it instead of bringing in Randy Myers. Mike Davis walked, and then Mike Scioscia sent a Doc Gooden offering out to tie the game. The Mets had many chances in extras, but then Kirk Gibson hit another homer, and they lost. The series went 7, and the Dodgers won and then went on to shock the A’s. All that teenage me was left with was a winter of “What If.”
Tom Seaver Traded: When Dad Cursed at the TV
June 15, 1977: While I was alive when this happened, I had also just turned five and was hazy on the whole “trade” thing. Still, looking back on it nearly 50 (!) years later, it was a horrible moment that made many Mets fans furious. It was even worse when he threw a no-hitter the next year.
Terry Bleeping Pendleton
Sept. 11, 1987 — This is one I remember vividly. The Mets were looking to claw within a half game of the Cardinals for the National League East lead. They had shown a lot of malaise after their ’86 domination, but they seemed to be coming around. Shea was rocking and Roger McDowell was looking to lock the game down. Instead, Terry Pendleton hit an offering to straightaway centerfield, making me suffer an irrational hatred of players who wore batting helmets with ear coverings on both sides. The Mets never recovered and faded the rest of the season.
The Bobby Bonilla Payday: July 1st, Every Year, Forever
Can you blame Bobby Bonilla for smiling in this photo? He’s getting paid through 2035. We’re not mad at him — this slide ties in with another one a bit down the line. You’ll know it when you see it.
The 2007 Collapse: When the Phillies Laughed and We Cried
Seventeen games left. Seven-game lead. What could go wrong? For people of a certain age, it might seem eerily reminiscent of what happened to the 1964 Phillies. This time, though, it was Mets pitchers who couldn’t hold leads, and a gassed bullpen that just completely collapsed. Not even Tom Glavine could save them, getting knocked around in the first inning of the final game of the season. Sigh.
Trading Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi: Oops, Our Bad
Nolan Ryan: future Hall of Famer. Jim Fregosi: a nice guy who played third base for a hot minute. While it might be debatable if Ryan would have been as dominating as he was had he stayed at Shea, it was still something that haunts Mets fans.
Harvey’s Ninth & Duda’s Throw: 2015’s World Series Gut Punch
It was the nightmare ninth inning for the Flushing faithful. Matt Harvey, who had been dealing all night, begged to stay in the game. Terry Collins listened to his heart and not his head, leaving the right-hander in. Then he took him out too late. To compound matters, after a groundout, Eric Hosmer broke from third base. Lucas Duda’s subsequent throw to the plate was wide, allowing Hosmer to score the tying run. The worst thing? Having to watch the Royals celebrate their World Championship at Citi Field.
Carlos Beltrán Freezes: Curveball Heard ‘Round Queens
2006 NLCS, Game 7. In case you haven’t figured it out — I don’t screengrab the actual moment. It’s too painful. Here’s Adam Wainwright about to uncork that curveball, and Beltrán … just … doesn’t … swing. Sigh. Mets fans know why I don’t go into more detail.
Luis Castillo Drops It: Bronx Pop-Up Nightmare
I’m usually one to not like teammates showing up other teammates, but I understand K-Rod here. He’d gotten Alex Rodriguez to hit a harmless pop-up to second, which should have ended the game. Instead, Luis Castillo tried to one-hand the ball and dropped it, allowing both Johnny Damon and Jorge Posada to score, ending the game. Yeah, I don’t blame the closer for that reaction.
The Wilpon Years: Waiting for Madoff’s “Investment” to Pay Off
Yeah, this one’s tied to the Bonilla slideshow. Wilpon was one of the main victims of the Bernie Madoff scandal, and then held on to the team reins for far too long before finally selling to Steve Cohen. In the interim, Mets fans had to watch him run a major-market franchise like a small-market one.