Mets crashing Red Sox's party

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Associated Press

BOSTON — The 1986 Boston Red Sox just can't seem to escape the New York Mets. The 20th anniversary of the ill-fated team that lost the World Series will be observed in a ceremony before tonight's game at Fenway Park. Wade Boggs will be there. So will Bruce Hurst, Jim Rice, Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd and others.

Oh, yes, the Mets will be there too, opening a three-game series in which Pedro Martinez faces the Red Sox on Wednesday for the first time since leaving after Boston's 2004 World Series champion- ship.

"Who decided to do this on that day? Couldn't they do it when the Angels or Toronto were in town?" Boggs said in mock anger Monday. "Hopefully, Gary Carter and all those guys won't walk on the field with us."

Carter started New York's winning rally from a 5-3 deficit in the 10th inning of Game 6 with a two-out single, and the Mets forced Game 7 with a 6-5 win. Then they won 8-5 to dash Boston's hopes of winning its first World Series since 1918.

"It still hurts. It still hurts," Boggs said. "We lost. We wanted the ring."

A new generation of Red Sox finally got their rings 18 years later when they made their own amazing comeback. They lost the first three games of the AL Championship Series to another New York team, the Yankees, then won the next four before sweeping St. Louis in the World Series.

That makes tonight's ceremony more enjoyable.

"Had the Red Sox not won in 2004, this would have been a bittersweet day," Boggs said.

Hurst pitched the seventh game of the 1986 World Series on three days rest as Manager John McNamara passed up the well-rested Boyd. The left-hander took a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth, then allowed three runs in that inning as the Mets began their title-clinching comeback.

Still, Hurst said, "it was the greatest time of my career."

He went 18-6 for Boston in 1988, then had four good seasons with San Diego, but "my heart was always here," he said.

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