Why the 1969 New York Mets Would Beat the 1986 World Champion Mets

The New York Mets won the World Series in 1969 and again in 1986.

The '69 Mets were 100-62 and finished eight games ahead of the second place Chicago Cubs. They swept the Atlanta Braves in the best-of-five playoff round and beat a Baltimore Orioles team that had won 109 games during the regular season to become world champions.

The '86 team won 108 games while losing only 54. They were never challenged and finished 21.5 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets beat Houston in six games to win the pennant and followed that by defeating the Boston Red Sox in the World Series.

The 1969 team was the greatest team in Mets history.

The '86 team scored more runs (783 to 632), hit more home runs (148 to 109) and were clearly the superior offensive team.

But while the '86 Mets had Dwight Gooden and four other fine starters named Ron Darling, Bob Ojeda, Sid Fernandez and Rick Aguilera, the '69 Mets had Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan and Don Cardwell.

In the 1986 World Series, the Red Sox hit .278/.356/.399, averaging 3.9 runs per game. In the 1969 World Series, the Orioles batted .146/.220/.210, averaging 1.8 runs per game.

Don't give me "it was a different era." The 1969 Mets' pitching would have dominated in any era. They would have shut down Lenny Dykstra, Keith Hernandez, Gary Carter and company.

Look what they did to the 1969 Orioles.

Ironically, Seaver was the only pitcher the Birds beat. After losing the Series opener, he came back to start Game 4, worked 10 innings, gave up one run and won the game.

Koosman was virtually untouchable in the second game, but the key was that Gentry and Ryan shut out the Orioles, thanks to a pair of great plays by center fielder Tommie Agee to win the third game.

Ryan pitched in relief the way he would pitch after he was traded for Jim Fregosi.

Gooden was no Tom Seaver after 1985 and, although they were good, Darling, Ojeda and Fernandez in the 1986 World Series didn't dominate the way Seaver, Koosman, Ryan and Gentry dominated.

The truth is that both Mets' teams had fine pitching during the season, but when it counted the most, the 1969 team's pitching was really amazing.

Each of us is entitled to his or her own values, but as a New York Yankees fan, the World Series is the best way to measure a team's greatness.

Few teams in history, including many world champion Yankees teams, could beat the 1969 New York Mets.

From my Yankees' perspective, when it comes to the 1969 Mets, all I can do is paraphrase the great Chester A. Riley.

"What a revoltin' development that was."