4. April 11, 2005
While this game was a home-opener for the Mets, it marked what was supposed to be the inception of something quite noteworthy.
This day was the first home game for New York of the Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez Era in Queens.
The Mets scored five runs in the 8th inning to win the game by a score of 8-4. Former beloved Met closer turned Houston Astro, John Franco, made his return to Shea, and conceded a two-run single to Cliff Floyd in that fateful eighth frame.
That offseason, while the Yankees were heavy favorites to sign Beltran, Mets General Manager Omar Minaya made a power move and put pen to paper with the slugger to the tune of 7-years, $119 million, the largest in franchise history at the time.
Yet, Minaya wasn’t done just yet.
Coming off of a season that concluded with a Boston Red Sox World Series Championship, Martinez, the Hall of Fame pitcher, signed a 4-year, $53 million contract, bringing him to the big city.
This day was expected to be that which revived the New York Mets.
Oh, what could have been.
They should have commanded the National League for years to come. What began with a dominating 2006 season, ended with a heartbreaking loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 7 of the NLCS.
Everyone knows what happens next: The Mets look halfway decent in 2007 and 2008, but both end with miserable late-season collapses, keeping New York from another playoff appearance.
This era ended with more questions left than answers.
