There was hope the Mets would still be playing right now and we could get some new World Series highlights. Alas, that’s how the cookie crumbles and we’re still stuck looking at past Fall Classics to get the warm and tinglies.
On Halloween night in 2015, the Mets and Royals faced off in Game 4 of the World Series. New York had just come off its first World Series victory since 2000 thanks to the bat of David Wright, and they were looking to tie this particular series up at Citi Field.
Rookie Michael Conforto did the best he could by slugging two homers during this contest:
10/31/2015: Michael Conforto enjoyed a two-homer performance at Citi Field in Game 4 of the #WorldSeries. #Mets #LGM (via MLB) @MetsLegends @genymets pic.twitter.com/0CugpDCVup
— MLB Daily Dingers (@MLBDailyDingers) October 31, 2022
I don’t know about you, but I do miss Conforto’s sweet left-handed swing. Not enough for the Mets to bring him back in 2023, but it sure was pretty to watch. This performance marked just the second time in franchise history a Mets hitter slugged two homers in one World Series game. The first? That’d be Gary Carter, who did it during Game 4 of the 1986 Fall Classic.
Carter’s performance happened at Fenway Park. So, Conforto was the first Mets hitter to do it at home, and he was also the first Mets rookie to accomplish such a feat.
It obviously wasn’t enough to get New York back into this series. Kansas City won 5-3 before clinching the following night in an extra-inning affair. But still, this is worth looking back on because of the significance of it for Conforto himself.
Just by getting to play for a championship, Conforto became the third person to ever achieve the baseball World Series trifecta. He joined Ed Vosberg and Jason Varitek as the only players to participate in the Little League, College, and MLB World Series.
Conforto also made the jump straight from Double-A to the big leagues that summer. He, along with others (like Yoenis Cespedes) helped transform this offense into a true postseason contender. The outfielder slashed just .200/.235/.500 in 34 plate appearances during October. However, it was preceded by a .270/.335/.506 line and 133 wRC+ in 194 regular-season plate appearances.
Similar to 2006, we thought this was the start of a special run for the Mets. Unfortunately, we were wrong again, but this was definitely a cool moment to witness.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
