October 25, 1986 - Shea Stadium, Queens, New YorkThe visitor’s locker room had already been covered in plastic, in preparation for the celebration. The scoreboard in Shea Stadium had even accidentally flashed a message, congratulating Boston on their 1986 World Series victory.
Entering the bottom of the 10th inning, the Red Sox were leading 5-3, and after two quick outs, the title was seemingly inevitable. Three straight singles from the Mets made it 5-4, but still, all Boston needed was one out for their first World Series win since 1918. But then Bob Stanley uncorked a wild pitch, allowing the Mets to tie the game at five. Mookie Wilson followed, and hit a slow-bouncer down the first-base line, and it looked like, finally, the Sox were out of the inning, and onto the 11th. All Bill Buckner had to do was field the ball and toss it to first…
For nearly 20 years, Buckner was vilified and, perhaps unfairly, marked as the goat of the 1986 World Series.
