Mets Spring Training Countdown: 20 Days

The Getty Images description of this photo is as follows:

Howard Johnson of the New York Mets celebrates after scoring at home plate during the Mets 8-5 win over the Boston Red Sox in game 7 of the World Series at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. The Mets won the series 4 games to 3.

That sounds nice. However, as any astute Mets fan will tell you, Howard Johnson didn't appear in Game 7 for the Mets. Check out the boxscore for yourself. What's more, Johnson didn't score any runs in the World Series, nor did he so much as reach base safely in any of his five trips to the plate. He went 0-for-4 in Game 2 and 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter in Game 6, the latter of which is the true source of the photo.

Of course, Johnson isn't celebrating his pinch-strikeout in the bottom of the ninth. After batting for Kevin Elster, Hojo stayed on for the tenth and would have been the seventh man to bat in the bottom of the tenth if only the game had lasted long enough for him to do so. He only made it as far as the on-deck circle, though his proximity to the plate allowed him to be first on the scene to congratulate Ray Knight as he scored the winning run in the Mets' unforgettable 6-5 win.

Just 20 days until pitchers and catchers report.