By BRIAN COSTELLO
May 25, 2008
As both New York baseball stadiums prepare to close, The Post looks back at the 25 most memorable moments in the history of Shea. This week: No. 17.
Oct. 17, 1999
In Mets' lore, it is simply known as the "Grand Single." Robin Ventura's 15th inning blast over the right field wall that would have been a grand slam had he made it around the bases before his teammates mobbed him kept the Mets alive in the 1999 NLCS with the Braves.
The hit was ruled a single because Ventura never made it past second base, where his teammates jumped on him in celebration, but it gave the Mets a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 5 of the NLCS, forcing the series back to Atlanta with the Braves leading the series, 3-2.
Ventura had been 1-for-18 in the series with an achy knee when he came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. The game was 5 hours, 46 minutes old at that point, the longest game in postseason history. Kevin McGlinchy was on the mound for Atlanta. Ventura took his 2-1 pitch and drilled it through the rain and into the Mets history book. Matt Franco crossed home with the winning run before the celebration began at second base.
The longest single in history was part of a remarkable inning for the Mets and continued their improbably run through the playoffs. They needed a one-game playoff to get in and Todd Pratt's home run against Arizona in the first round to get there. Now they had rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win two games in a row and force the series back to Atlanta.
The game was tied 2-2 in the fourth inning and stayed there until the 15th. The Braves stranded 19 base runners and missed a chance to take the lead in the 13th when Keith Lockhart was thrown out trying to score from first on a double.
Octavio Dotel was the Mets' ninth pitcher of the night, and he stumbled in the 15th when Lockhart tripled to score Walt Weiss.
His teammates saved him in the bottom of the inning with Shawon Dunston getting a single, followed by a Franco walk, Edgardo Alfonzo sacrifice, intentional walk to John Olerud and a Pratt walk that tied the game. Ventura then finished the rally in grand fashion.
