A History Of The Mets' 17-Run Games Against The Cubs

Yesterday's trouncing of the Cubs was the eleventh time in franchise history that the Mets scored 17 or more runs in a game. They played five of those games against the Cubs, all of which took place at Wrigley Field. Let's have a look at what happened in each of the four games.

May 26, 1964, Mets 19, Cubs 1: Unlike yesterday's home run derby, the Mets only hit one over the ivy. They did rack up 23 hits, however, as everyone in the lineup except for right fielder Joe Christopher had at least two hits. Dick Smith led the way with a 5-for-6 afternoon, and Ron Hunt went 4-for-5 with a walk. Charley Smith, who hit sixth in the lineup that day, went 3-for-6 with 5 RBI, including a three-run home run in the ninth inning.

Jack Fisher, who had a 4.12 ERA in four season with the Mets, threw a complete game with 3 strikeouts and 1 walk. The Mets' 18-run margin of victory in the game still stands as the largest in team history. There weren't many witnesses, though, as just 2,503 people were in attendance at Wrigley for the game.

August 16, 1987, Mets 23, Cubs 10: The Mets set what is still the franchise record for most runs scored in a game. They only hit three home runs, with one a piece from Lenny Dykstra, Darryl Strawberry, and Howard Johnson. Strawberry went 4-for-5 on the day with 5 RBI, 2 doubles, 1 triple, and the aforementioned home run, which is better than just hitting for the cycle.

Ron Darling made the start for the Mets, but he struggled with control and surrendered 5 runs in the fourth inning. Jesse Orosco gave up 4 runs in his lone inning of work, and Jeff Innis gave up 1 run over the final two innings. This time, there were 32,731 people in attendance.

June 12, 1990, Mets 19, Cubs 8: Kevin McReynolds hit two home runs, and Dave Magadan hit one in the rout. Magadan went 4-for-4 with a couple walks and 6 RBI, and McReynolds went 3-for-4 with a pair of walks and drove in 4 runs. Dwight Gooden made the start for the Mets, who blew the doors off the game early, but gave up 6 runs in 7 innings of work. As the Mets continued to pour on the runs, Jeff Musselman gave up a couple more to the Cubs in the ninth.

September 5, 2010, Mets 18, Cubs 5: The Mets took a twenty-year hiatus between games but clobbered Ryan Dempster and the Cubs' bullpen. Ike Davis went 4-for-6 with a home run and 3 RBI, and Ruben Tejada went 2-for-4 with a home run and 5 RBI. Mike Hessman made the start for the Mets at third base, and he hit fifth in the team's starting lineup. Jon Niese, who allowed five runs to the Cubs, went 2-for-4 and drove in a couple of runs to help atone for his pitching performance. Elmer Dessens, Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell, and Manny Acosta pitched in relief to finish off the game.

June 27, 2012, Mets 17, Cubs 1: The Mets' 16-run margin of victory tied the second-best mark in franchise history, and there's plenty to read about the game in our recap.