Knight forever in Mets lore after heroics in 1986 title run

November 2nd, 2023

NEW YORK -- Former Major League third baseman Ray Knight played two-plus seasons for the Mets from 1984-86. But it was his final season in New York that made him a legendary figure.

¡°I like it because we were World [Series] champions,¡± Knight said. ¡°My most memorable event was the World Series, playing well and us winning it.¡±

Knight was an integral part of the 1986 Mets team that defeated the Red Sox in the Fall Classic. It was Games 6 and 7, in which he went a combined 5-for-8 with one homer and three RBIs, that earned him MVP honors.

It was Oct. 25. Boston was already up, 3-2, in the series and needed one more victory to win its first World Series title since 1918. At first, it looked like Knight was going to be one of the goats of Game 6. His throwing error in the seventh inning helped Boston score one of its five runs.

But baseball is a game of redeeming features. It was the 10th inning. The Mets were down, 5-3, and one out away from losing the series. But New York had its own core four -- Knight, Gary Carter, Kevin Mitchell and Mookie Wilson -- who had other ideas.

With closer Calvin Schiraldi on the mound for Boston, Carter kept the inning alive with a single to left field. Mitchell, who came in as a pinch-hitter for right-hander Rick Aguilera, followed and singled to center field to put runners on first and second.

Knight followed, but before he stepped into the batter¡¯s box,?he?looked up into the stands and noticed that his?then-wife, golf legend Nancy Lopez, was crying. She obviously thought there was a possibility that Knight was going to make the final out of the series.

¡°It looked like she was scared to death, and I put my hand up and I said, ¡®I¡¯m OK. I got it. I¡¯m all right,¡¯¡± Knight said. ¡°... Not to lessen the situation, I was calm. I wanted an at-bat. That¡¯s what it was about with me. I loved the challenge.¡±

Knight was behind in the count, 0-2, but he blooped a single to center field, scoring Carter to make it a one-run game and moving Mitchell to third. Red Sox manager John McNamara made a pitching change and gave the ball to Bob Stanley, who proved to be no better than Schiraldi.

Wilson was in the batter¡¯s box when Mitchell scored on a wild pitch to tie the score at 5. Wilson was the sixth hitter in the inning. He worked the count full and then hit a slow roller that went through Bill Buckner¡¯s legs at first base, allowing Knight to score the winning run and tie the series at 3.

As his team piled on him after scoring the winning run, Knight felt a shocking sensation in his lower back, and it appeared he was about to collapse once he sat down in the dugout.

¡°I thought I messed something up,¡± Knight said. ¡°When they grabbed me at home plate and had me contorted in so many different ways, I was hurting. So I made it to the bench, and I¡¯m slumping down, and [then third-base coach] Buddy Harrelson came to me and asked, ¡®Buddy,?what¡¯s?wrong?¡¯ I said, ¡®Buddy, I messed my back?up.'"

Knight¡¯s back turned out to be OK by Game 7 two days later. New York won the game, 8-5, and the title with Knight highlighting the scoring with a homer that gave New York a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning.

After taking a curtain call,?Knight?then blew a kiss to Lopez. He credits Lopez for his success in?1986. According to Knight, Lopez always brought a positive attitude to the table. He was coming off his worst season in the big leagues in 1985, hitting .218, and found himself platooning at third base with Howard Johnson.

¡°Nancy was a great professional, winner and very positive,¡± Knight said. ¡°We talked and supported each other during our marriage. We had a talk that night [before the season] and she said to me, ¡®You make this season whatever it is. You worked hard.¡¯ She saw how hard I worked for that winter.¡±

The platoon between Knight and Johnson was over by April 25. By then, Knight had a .394 batting average with six home runs. Manager Davey Johnson told him he would be the everyday third baseman. By the time the season ended, Knight?had compiled a .298 average?with 11 home runs and 76 RBIs.

¡°I wasn¡¯t going to end my career with two bad years in New York City. I was going to win that job from Howard Johnson. I had to think that way,¡± Knight said.

Knight was also known as one of the tough guys on the team. His most famous brawl came against the Reds on July 22 at Riverfront Stadium. Cincinnati outfielder Eric Davis was pinch-running for Pete Rose in the 10th inning. With Eddie Milner at the plate, Davis stole third base and bumped into Knight.

After a few shoves, Knight punched Davis in the face and both benches emptied.

Thirty-seven years later, Knight has regret in his voice. It should be noted that Knight and Davis later became friends, with Knight managing Davis when both were with the Reds 10 years later.

¡°I thought the world of Eric Davis,¡± Knight said. ¡°[The fight in ¡®86] was a weird deal that night. He called me a name. It wasn¡¯t the contact, because it wasn¡¯t that much contact. He felt that I was leaning on him. I don¡¯t know. It was just the course of the game.

¡°I took it as if he was mad at me or something and he said these words to me. I look him in the eye, and I¡¯ve been in enough tussles that you feel like you know when somebody is going to unload on you. So, I unloaded on him first.

"I regretted it. I don't want to fight and do all of that. But I will -- probably not anymore. It was never a thought process; it was just a reaction. I talked to my father [Charlie] about it. He told me it was all about my competitiveness and my desire to win. Certainly, to stand my ground.¡±

After the World Series ended, Knight wanted to retire as a member of the Mets, but he was offered a one-year deal with a $5,000 raise. Instead, he became a free agent and signed with the Orioles.

Knight¡¯s playing career ended after the 1988 season. It was a 13-year career that included stints with the Reds, Astros, Orioles and Tigers. He later became a coach and manager with the Reds and worked in broadcasting with ESPN and the Nationals.

Knight is now retired and living in Georgia. But it¡¯s his time with the Mets that made him an unforgettable figure with the fans.

"There are no fans greater [than New York]. They really recognize their players,¡± Knight said. ¡°You can walk into any restaurant in downtown Manhattan and they know who you are. They feel like they are a part of you. They come up and they talk to you. They show great respect.¡±

seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com