Keith Hernandez’s best Mets moments: Breaking the cycle

World Series champion and beloved SNY analyst Keith Hernandez will have his No. 17 retired by the Mets on July 9, becoming the fourth player, plus managers Casey Stengel and Gil Hodges, in club history. franchise to receive this honor. It is the third in a 10-part daily countdown of Hernandez’s greatest moments and accomplishments after his 1983 arrival from Flushing.

#8: Break the Cycle

The game is best remembered for going 19 innings, starting July 4, and for opposing reliever Rick Camp hitting a game-tying home run in the bottom of the 18th.

But Keith Hernandez also hit for the cycle for the only time in his 17-year career that night in Atlanta, a wild 16-13, 19 innings win for the Mets in a game that began July 4, 1985 and ended at nearly 4 a.m. on July 5.

Sure, Hernandez benefited from 11 board appearances in the marathon affair, but he finished the cycle – one of 11 in franchise history – with just one left-hander Terry Forster top of the 12th inning. .

« What I remember most is the third inning, I should have had the singles, and I would have gotten the cycle in regulation nine innings, » Hernandez told The Post earlier this week. « Dale Murphy, the Braves center fielder, came in and dove and missed the ball, but he rolled to the side and the ball was under him and the second base umpire didn’t see it.

« Dale turned around and quickly put him back in his glove. I could see him from first base, but they called me. Terry Tata was the first base umpire and he kinda laughed, and I I said, ‘Well, can’t you undo it?’ There was no replay at the time, obviously.The single was my last hit, in extra innings, so it could have been a cycle a lot sooner.

Hernandez doubled against Braves starter Rick Mahler in the first inning, tripled against reliever Jeff Dedmon in the fourth and hit Steve Shields in the eighth, finishing the game 4-for-10 with a walk and three RBIs. The hat-trick was one of 10 Hernandez had in seven seasons with the Mets.

« There was also a lot of rain, and the triple, Claudell Washington tried to do a full dive on a line, » Hernandez said. “He missed it and he went to the wall, and I was on my way. Only cycle of my career.