By Dave Mlicki (as told to Jay Horwitz)
I can’t believe that after all these years, people haven’t forgotten what happened 27 years ago this month.
When the calendar turns to June, my mailbox gets jammed with clippings, cards, balls and photos for me to sign.
I am proud of what we did that day, and I say we because it was a total team effort despite the fact that I get most of the credit. On June 16, 1997, I took the mound for the Mets at Yankee Stadium for the first ever Subway Series game. My opponent was the great Andy Pettitte.
Naturally, I will be pulling for my old team when the Series resumes a week from Tuesday at Citi Field.
Yankee Stadium was filled with over 56,000 people for that first game. Everyone thought Joe Torre’s club was the clear favorite to win. After all, they were the defending champs.
Well, my teammates and I beat the odds and silenced the doubters with a 6-0 victory. I pitched a complete-game shutout and allowed nine hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. I threw 119 pitches.
To this day, I am still the only Mets pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout vs. the Bombers. The Mets have had six other shutouts, but they were combined affairs. This also was my first complete-game shutout. I would have another one later for the Dodgers in Colorado, which was pretty cool, too.
I was thrilled when Bobby Valentine gave me the assignment. I am a real student of the game, and I knew this would be a really important night, the first regular- season meeting between the Mets and Yankees.
I was fueled that everybody thought we didn’t have a chance. I knew we had a good team, too, and I was glad we had a chance to show it
I remember walking into the Stadium, and everyone was yelling and screaming at us. The prevailing sentiment was that the Mets didn’t belong on the same field with the Yankees.
At game time I was really nervous, but it was a good kind of nerves if you know what I mean.
The guys made me relax right away when we scored three in the first. Bernard Gilkey and John Olerud had back-to-back doubles. Todd Hundley walked and Butch Huskey singled in the second run.
We got the third run when Todd and Butch worked a delayed steal and Todd stole home.
I thought that was a great omen when Todd stole home. I never thought I would see that.
I want to say a word about Todd right now. He called a great game and was with me on every batter.
One time Cecil Fielder hit a curve ball nine miles fouls, and he yelled at me to keep it down.
Getting those three in the first was just outstanding. I knew I could afford to make a mistake or two and I didn’t have to be perfect.
For me, my success that night was easy to explain. I threw first pitch strikes, and I had command of all four of my pitches.
Derek Jeter led off their inning with a single, but I ended things by striking out Paul O’Neill and Fielder.
In the Yankee third, Joe Girardi got me for a double but I fanned Jeter and Pat Kelly to get out of the jam.
Fielder had a one out double in the fourth, but I retired Tino Martinez and Charlie Hayes to keep the Yankees scoreless.
In their fifth, Girardi had a two-out single but Jeter flied to right for the third out.
I survived a walk to O’Neill in the sixth with strikeouts of Kelly and Fielder.
I changed my internal thinking when we got to the seventh. Naturally, I wanted to win but I really wanted a complete game because I knew how significant everything was. I had all confidence in our closer Johnny Franco to bail me out, but I desperately wanted to take this to the finish line myself.
We added two more runs in our half of the seventh and that really boosted my confidence. Matt Franco and Luis Lopez had singles and Gilkey walked and Mr. Clutch, John Olerud, knocked in two with a single and it was 5-0. The end was in sight.
I had a little scare in the eighth inning. With one out, Kelly and O’Neill singled but I got past Fielder and Martinez to keep them off the board again.
In our ninth Gilkey‘s sacrifice fly brought home Franco who had singled.
I can’t tell you what a great feeling it was going to the hill with three outs to go and a 6-0 lead. But that time Yankee Stadium felt like Shea. I can still hear “Let’s Go Mets” chants in the air.
The Yankees didn’t go quietly, Hayes led off the ninth with a single, but Gilk made a great play and threw him out at second. Mark Whiten singled and Girardi notched his third hit of the game. I got Derek looking and it was over.
I threw my hands in the air, and I was so proud of what we did. I was proud of my accomplishment, but I was equally as proud of the guys. We overcame the odds and beat a great Yankee team in their place.
After the game, the craziness continued. I did almost two hours’ worth of interviews in the clubhouse. We talked so long that I missed the team bus and had to take a cab back to Shea with our PR staff.
I tried not to make it all about me. I talked about Todd, Gilkey’s play and how good John Olerud was.
I couldn’t have picked a better time to pitch the best game of my career. I was 8-12 that year with a 4,00 ERA but for that particular game I was pretty good.
I happily sign all the memorabilia all the fans keep sending me. I never want to forget that night and what we did as a team.
Listen I know the Yankees probably will be favorites for the 2024 Subway Series. I just hope that our guys can rise up again and do what the Mets did June 16, 1997, at the House that Ruth built.
