"It's wonderful to have a mayor at Citi Field on a day that we're not playing the Red Sox"- New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson takes a dig at rival Boston Red Sox
The New York Mets and Boston Red Sox have long been part of the sport rivalries between the cities of New York and Boston. Other notables include the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in baseball, the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in hockey, and the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in basketball.
The rivalry between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox dates back several decades. New York Mets team president Sandy Alderson spoke at Citi Field alongside the newly-elected mayor of New York City, Eric Adams. Alderson did not hold back in taking a dig at former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, who claimed he was a Red Sox fan despite being the mayor of New York City.
"It's wonderful to have a mayor at Citi Field on a day that we're not playing the Red Sox"
- Sandy Alderson https://t.co/t1e9aWUokD
"'It's wonderful to have a mayor at Citi Field on a day that we're not playing the Red Sox' - Sandy Alderson" - @ SNY
Being a Boston Red Sox fan as the Mayor of New York City is about the worst idea ever. The Red Sox and the city of New York do not go together well. It's wild to think about the former mayor of the city being a fan of the Red Sox. How did a Boston Red Sox fan become the Mayor of New York?
Red Sox fan de Blasio skips Yankees opening day — again trib.al/blfyICs https://t.co/t09zX3qCSO
"Red Sox fan de Blasio skips Yankees opening day — again" - @ New York Post
All jokes aside, the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox may not have the extensive history that the Red Sox and Yankees have, but they do share an important part of baseball history many fans across the league remember well.
New York Mets and Boston Red Sox history
The New York Mets and Boston Red Sox have a small but impactful head-to-head history that dates back to 1986. In 1986, the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox faced each other in what would become one of the greatest World Series of all time.
The World Series went to seven games and would ultimately be won by the Mets in dramatic fashion. While the Mets won the series in seven games, the most memorable game was game six of the series. This game is remembered by many as the Buckner Game.
The Boston Red Sox had a three games to two lead on the Mets going into game six as the series shifted back to Shea Stadium. The Boston Red Sox held a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Gary Carter hit a sac fly with the bases loaded with one out to tie it up.
Tied at 3-all, the game would headed into extra innings. The top half of the 10th inning brought great excitement to Red Sox fans as the team pushed across two runs to a 5-3 lead. Were the Boston Red Sox about to break the Curse of the Bambino?
The Red Sox would go into the bottom of the 10th inning with a 5-3 lead. They got the first two batters out and were just one out away from winning it all. Then everything changed.
Catcher Gary Carter started the two-out rally with a line-drive base hit to left field. The Mets would then have back-to-back hits to make the score 5-4. Following this, the Mets had runners on first and third with still two outs. The Red Sox then threw a wild pitch that tied the game back up at 5.
With a runner on second and two outs, Mookie Wilson hit a slow rolling ground ball to first baseman Bill Buckner. This appeared to be a sure out, but Buckner let the ball go under his glove and into right field. Ray Knight scored from second, and the Mets won the game. Watch the at-bat below.
The Mets would go on to win game seven. The series is widely regarded as the greatest World Series of all time. While the Mets and Red Sox do not have the extensive history that other rivalries have, the teams do share an important piece of baseball history. Here's the entirety of fame six below.