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Today’s watch party is another relatively obscure regular season game, but the participants are quite interesting. This one is an ABC Monday Night Baseball telecast of the Mets visiting the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on June 3, 1985.
The Dodgers would win 95 games and capture the National League West that season, though they entered this tilt one game under .500. The Mets were even better in 1985, winning 98 games, though they finished three games back of St. Louis in the NL East.
Mets-Dodgers lineups
| Pos | Mets | Pos | Dodgers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Mets | Pos | Dodgers |
| CF | Wilson (S) | 2B | Sax |
| 2B | Backman (S) | RF | Landreaux (L) |
| 1B | Hernandez (L) | LF | Reynolds (S) |
| C | Carter | CF | Guerrero |
| LF | Foster | 1B | Brock (L) |
| RF | Heep (L) | C | Scioscia (L) |
| 3B | Johnson (S) | 3B | Bailor |
| SS | Santana | SS | Anderson |
| P | Lynch | P | Hershiser |
New York was a year away from winning 108 games and the World Series, and partying harder than any team ever has. This was Dwight Gooden’s magical season, at only age 20, when he posted a 1.53 ERA and won 24 games, looking like a sure lock for Cooperstown. But he didn’t start this one; Gooden would match up with Fernando Valenzuela one day later.
Ed Lynch started for the Mets in this series opener, facing Orel Hershiser, who was having a magical season of his own.
Hershiser had a career-best 2.03 ERA in 1985, the third-lowest ERA in any non-strike season in the 1980s, behind only Gooden and John Tudor (1.93) in the very same year. At home in 1985 Hershiser was phenomenal, going 11-0 with a 1.08 ERA in 19 games, including 17 starts.
Since there were six starts in which Hershiser didn’t get the win that year, I have not spoiled the outcome of this game.
Hershiser’s 1.08 home ERA in 1985 is tied for the third-lowest at Dodger Stadium (minimum 10 starts) with Clayton Kershaw (2016), behind only a pair of 1964 seasons — Sandy Koufax (0.87) and the Angels’ Dean Chance (1.07).
Many of the players in this game were the same characters in the 1988 NLCS, featured on several different watch parties this year.
The only real change in the lineup for the Dodgers in this game was Dave Anderson back at shortstop after missing five weeks with a herniated disc. Mike Ramsey (the infielder) was released to make room on the roster.
Pedro Guerrero started in center field in this game because why not? He was in the infancy stage of one of the greatest months in Dodgers history.
Darryl Strawberry was on the shelf for the Mets with a torn thumb ligament, with future Dodgers Stuntman Danny Heep starting this game in right field in his place.
We’ll watch this one on YouTube, beginning at 4 p.m. PT.