Led by All-Star catcher Mike Piazza, who hit a career-high-tying 40 home runs during the regular season, Bobby Valentine's Mets survived a one-game tiebreaker against Cincinnati to earn an NLDS berth, then won a postseason series for the first time in 13 years (including the canceled 1994 postseason).

The D-backs reached the postseason in only their second year of existence, the fastest in modern Major League history.

Randy Johnson, for all his career greatness in the past and to come, entered the series in the midst of a rough postseason stretch. This marked the third consecutive Division Series in which the big left-hander was unable to lead his teams to victory, representing his third different club during that time (previously the Mariners in the 1997 ALDS and the Astros in the '98 NLDS).

Game 1 was Johnson's only start for Arizona in this series, and he gave up seven runs while pitching into the ninth inning of an 8-4 loss at home. Four runs in the ninth by the Mets decided it, keyed by Edgardo Alfonzo's three-run, first-inning homer. It was one of three homers Alfonzo hit in the NLDS.

Arizona easily took its first postseason victory with a 7-1 rout in Game 2 at home, behind Steve Finley's five RBIs. Back in New York, a city on fire with playoff excitement as the Yankees were on their way to another World Series crown, Shea Stadium hosted Games 3 and 4 and the Mets took them both. After a 9-2 blowout in Game 3, the Mets clinched the series when Greg Swindell blew a save in the bottom of the eighth, then unlikely hero Todd Pratt sent everyone home with a walk-off homer off Matt Mantei in the 10th. The ball was just out of the reach of center fielder Finley, who mistimed his jump and seemed surprised not to come down with the ball.

The Mets would go on to meet the mighty Braves in the NLCS, but an anticipated Subway Series would have to wait another year.

Path to the NLDS:?New York (97-66) won the NL Wild Card; Arizona (100-62) won the NL West by 14 games

Managers: Bobby Valentine, NYM; Buck Showalter, ARI