European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday october 17,1986 the stars and stripes Pago 21 sports it s mets is. Botox in series new York nips astros in 16 innings by Joseph Durso Houston not the mets won their first National league Pennant in 3 years wednesday when they rallied three limes to defeat inc Houston astros 7-6, in a 16-inning, 4 i hour game that set records for drama and duration. It was the longest postseason game in baseball history and one of inc most gripping and it put an elegant finishing touch to six years of rebuilding the mets from last place to first. They won 108 games in the regular season they held first place every Day from april 23 and they marched into the world series wednesday when they won a classic playoff four games to two. They will meet the Boston red sox in Trie series which opens saturday night at Shea stadium. It was he third pc Nail for the mets in their 25 years in the league and they won this one with soap opera twists. They started by falling three runs behind in he first inning. But three outs and still three runs from losing they rallied for three runs and a tie in the ninth. Then they look the Lead with another run in the 14th, but Tost it in the Bottom of the inning when Billy Hatcher hit a Home run with one Down for Houston. Finally the acts seized the Lead again with three runs in the top of inc 16lh, and then had to hang on desperately because the astros charged Back with two of their own the Day s drama did not end until winning Pitcher Jesse Orosco struck out Kevin Bass on a 3-2 Pilch for the  crowd in the Astrodome stood and applauded both learns for a rare performance. It was a performance filled with he Rocs and villains. Bob Ojeda the mets Best Pitcher this year unaccountably yielded the three runs at the outset. Bob Knupper the astros Best left hander then muzzled the mets on one hit into the eighth inning. Darryl Strawberry walled and scored the potential winning run in inc 14th inning. But Hatcher s Home run which hit the left Field foul pole evened mailers and extended Houston s season. Then Strawberry looped a Little pop Fly that fell into Center Field untouched for a double in the Ifill scored on a single by Ray Knight and gave the mets their final Lead of me Day a wild pitch eventually scored Knight and a single by Len Dykstra put across the run that made it and eventually stood up As the Pennant winning score. A photo new York s Jesse  final strikeout in the first inning the astros lore Inlo Ojeda for four hits and three runs lop lunge the mels Inlo deep trouble. Bill Doran opened with a single through he Middle and was forced out at second by Hatcher. Bui Phil game lined a double Inlo left Center and the mets were one run Down. Glenn Davis followed with a single through the mid dle and they were two  Ojeda walked Kevin Bass on four pitches and the 45,7is fans under the great dome were in an uproar. There was still Only one Oul and big thing were happening. In the mets bullpen. Rick Agullera began warm ing up. Next came Jose Cruz who singled Over first base and now the mels trailed by three. At that things might have grown worse for them because the astros then tried a suicide squeeze bunt. But Alan Ashby missed the Ball and Bass was run Back toward third by Gary Carter and tagged out by  pattern and the problem for the mets was the same at it had been in the third game of the playoff last saturday. In thai one the astros got to Ron Dar Ling for four runs in two innings and Knepper protected his Lead with Preci Sian pitches. However the mets eventually caught him in the sixth inning that Day when they scored four runs to lie the game. They won in in the  time Knepper who beat them see mets on Page 24 new Yak times photo Boston s Jim Rice. Homer put in out of reach Rice says it s Worth wait of 11 years Boston a Jim Rice Boston s usually reserved Veteran outfielder whooped it up and joined in the Cham pagne popping party wednesday night after helping the red sox win the Ameri can league Pennant this is great just  Rice said with a big Grin after being douse with Champagne by teammates. Its been a Long Long time for me but it s Worth waiting 1 years for Rice whose Thiec run Homer in the fourth inning helped Boston Lake an 8-1 Victory Over California in the seventh an deciding game of the playoffs admitted i Haven Tycen Myshir in the playoffs. I be been pressing but the team came through said the big slugger who had Only five hits in the seven games against inc Angels. I Haven been at my Besl but tonight i came  Rice who missed the 1975 playoffs and world series As a Rookie because of a broken wrist suffered in late september said he is looking Forward to the world see Bice on Page 23 Boston foils Angels bid in 8-1 Romp  Boston up the Boston red sox overcoming a history of late season Tail ure surged Inlo Llic world scribe wednesday with an 8-1 win Over califor Nia denying Angels manager Gene Mauch s bid for his first pc Nail. Roger Clemens allowed four hits Over seven plus innings Wade Boggs ripped a two run single and Jim Rice added a three run Homer sending the red sox up against inc new York in acis in a shuttle  comp acting a comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win their firs american league pc Nail in 11 years the red sox scored three runs in the second inning and four in the fourth. As if to symbolic California s utter collapse All seven of those runs were unearned. A Fenway Park crowd of 33,001, warmed by Victory despite temperatures near so knew by the seventh inning stretch it was saluting a Pennant  team raced onto the Field when re Liever Calvin Schiraldi Slick out Jerry Narron for the final out. Mounted policemen Rode onto Thefield to restrain the fans. Maucini still seeking his first world series berth in 25 years As a big league manager stared in silence at the com motion. The red sox became inc seventh team to win a Busl of so Van series after trailing 3-1. They did it after trailing by three runs in the ninth inning of game s they were Ai one Point one strike away from elimination. The world series is scheduled 0 begin in new York s Shea stadium on sat urday with the acts Ron Darling opposing left hander Bruce Hurst of bos ton. The red sox have not won a world series since 1918, the decision extended Mauch s reputation for losing the big ones he has presided Over three of the biggest col lapses in big league baseball history inc 1964 Phillies the 1982 Angels and now ibis year s Angels. One out from Victory in game 5, he replaced starter Mike win with Gary Lucas. The strategy backfired. In Fol the red sox Back into the series and that proved to be a mistake. Clemens coming off a late season Elbow injury was pitching on three Days rest for the second straight game and had thrown 277 pitches in his two pre Vious appearances. In hardly mattered. The Angels Seldom made a serious bid see Boston Page 23 score. I i new York had a prayer and Houston did to n 1 in.  a a mis to Oivino inc we were never taking anything i Houston a Ray Knight and Gary Carter have played in Many game and been through Many pressure situations. But both needed a Imle extra help wednesday and each turned us Atten Tion to a higher authority. Relief in t the word hid pig try who drove in the winning run m the 1��inning of new York s 7-6 Victory Over Houston sending the mels to their third world series. I m nol ashamed 10 say this but said a prayer after two were out Knight s sacrifice Fly in the ninth capped a three run rally by toe mels and his single in the 16th scored Darryl Strawberry with the go ahead run. Break ing a 4-4 deadlock. It was the most  game said Carter who won game 5 with a 1 lib inning single. But then that s How Thia whole series went. I Don t know How to describe in. I m so relieved and  the astros tested the mels nerves with a two ran rally in the Bottom of the6lh and Kevin Bass was at the plate with two on and two out. You were on pins and Needles on. Every Pilch Carter said. Bass swung and missed giving the mets the  did t know what to do when i caught that last Ball Carter said. I threw my mask off. It was Unbeha Eneable. I was just praying everything was going to work  game was the longest Ever in Post season play in terms Ofinn Ings and time. It also supplied As Many thrills As any game in memory. To come Back and a re three in the ninth it was unbelievable said Roger Mcdo red who pitched five innings in Relief limiting the astros to one bit. A for granted he said. In the 16th, we were so High. Thought no Way they were com ing  then the astros scored Ike to close to within one run. I thought jeez. They be got to be Down " Mcdowell said. It was a  Len Dykstra Pinch Hilling for Rick Aguilera to Lead off the ninth nil a triple in the Gap in right Center. I thought we needed a Little spark Dykstra said who scored the first new Yolk run when Moosic Wilson looped a single Over second baseman Bill Doran s outstretched Glove