Yeah, Rick Camp hit a homer and Keith Hernandez hit for the cycle. But a lot of other interesting things happened in the epic Mets-Braves game on July 4 (and 5), 1985.
As we mark the anniversary of that soggy Georgia night that ended with fireworks at 4 a.m., here are 19 things you might not remember about those 19 innings that went down among the wackiest in major league history:
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19. The game probably should’ve never been played, as 2 hours, 5 minutes of rain delays left the outfield a virtual swamp. The field at Fulton County Stadium was notoriously bad anyway, and drainage systems weren’t great back in the ‘80s. Standing water brought batted balls to a halt, and when outfielders chased after them, it produced mini-explosions of water.
18. The Mets played the game under protest because manager Davey Johnson wasn’t allowed to change his lineup after replacing starter Dwight Gooden with a reliever in the third inning after the second rain delay. If Johnson’s anger ever simmered, it was rekindled a few hours later because …
17. Johnson and Darryl Strawberry were ejected in the top of the 17th inning for arguing balls and strikes. “Davey, at three o’clock in the morning, anything’s a strike,” umpire Terry Tata later recalled saying.
The ejection meant the Mets had to go to their bench, which happened a lot that night. Which is why we know …
16. Rusty Staub played in this game. Yes, Rusty Staub was still playing baseball in 1985. He entered the game as a pinch hitter in the top of the 19th and was intentionally walked. He eventually came around to score on a Danny Heep single. Staub retired after the 1985 season. Another player you might not remember still being around in 1985: George Foster. He started the game for the Mets and went 0 for 2 with three walks. He retired in 1986. On a related note …
15. The collective careers of all players in the game spanned from 1963 (Staub) to 2000 (Gooden). Staub was the oldest player in the game at 41. Gooden was the youngest at 20.
14. Future Hall of Famer Gary Carter caught all 19 innings and 305 pitches from seven pitchers for the Mets. Perhaps the delays, squatting and humidity made him light-headed because …
13. As Camp came to the plate in the bottom of the 18th, Carter emphatically waved the Mets’ outfielders in so they would be in position to catch what would surely be a weak blooper if the career .060-hitting Camp made contact.
It was the right move. To expect anything from Camp was silly, which is why …
12. Braves announcer John Sterling sort of, jokingly, predicted Camp’s homer. As Camp strode to the plate to face Tom Gorman (in his sixth inning of relief), Sterling said to partner Ernie Johnson, “Ernie, if he hits a home run to tie this game, this game will be certified as absolutely the nuttiest in the history of baseball.” Then, 25 seconds later, “nuttiest” was achieved.
As Camp crossed the plate, Sterling enthusiastically declared the festivities "the wackiest, wildest, most improbable game in history." The players apparently agreed because …
11. Astonishment is visible immediately after Camp makes contact and as he rounds the bases. The most famous is left fielder Danny Heep putting his hands on his head as the ball clears the fence, but Mets third baseman Ray Knight had the first “NOOOO!” gesture. As the camera pans left to follow the ball, Knight can be seen throwing his hands up in frustration. Simultaneously, shortstop Howard Johnson drops to his knees. As Camp nears second, Mets center fielder Lenny Dykstra is seen squatting in exhaustion and disbelief. And second baseman Wally Backman, perhaps amused, perhaps dumfounded, grins and says something to Camp as he passes by.
But long before Camp went deep …
10. It looked like eventual 1985 NL home run leader Dale Murphy would be the hero for the Braves when he hit a two-out, three-run double in the eighth that put them ahead 8-7. The stage was set for a come-from-behind win for the Bravos, but the lead was short-lived because …
9. Future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter blew the save in the top of the ninth. After striking out Ray Knight to lead off the inning, Sutter gave up three straight singles and let the Mets tie the game. It was one of 12 blown saves that season for Sutter, whose career with the Braves was injury-plagued and mostly ineffective after having led the NL in saves in five of the previous six seasons before coming to Atlanta. But one player he did retire that night was Keith Hernandez, which was noteworthy because …
8. Hernandez actually completed his cycle much earlier — that is, if replay reviews had been available in 1985. In the top of the sixth, Hernandez hit a liner to center that Murphy dove for and appeared to catch — but actually dropped. The umps ruled it an out but replays clearly showed that it should've been a single.
Therefore, Hernandez should’ve completed his cycle with his eighth-inning homer. Instead, it didn't happen until his official single in the 12th inning. While Hernandez had a good night with his four hits …
7. Braves outfielder Terry Harper did Hernandez one better. Harper, a career .253 hitter, finished the game 5 for 10 with four RBIs, including a game-tying homer in the 13th inning. It was the only five-hit game of Harper’s career. In the other dugout, Carter also racked up five hits, going 5 for 9, despite the wear and tear of playing all 19 innings. It was Carter’s first of two five-hit games. His second came almost exactly five years later on July 7, 1990, against the Cubs as a member of the Giants. But on July 4, 1985, everyone wore their hittin’ shoes because …
6. The teams combined for 46 hits, which is definitely a lot. The Mets' 28 are still a club record for an extra-inning contest. But the 46 hits were well shy of the modern MLB record for combined hits in an extra-inning game. The Indians and Athletics combined for 58 hits over 18 innings in July 1932. But that doesn’t make July 4, 1985, any less noteworthy because …
5. Eleven players collected at least three hits — seven for the Mets and four for the Braves. Each infield position for the Mets got three hits before the night was out, even though shortstop Rafael Santana went just 1 for 4. He was replaced in the top of the ninth by Howard Johnson, who then went 3 for 5. But with all those hits …
4. The teams left a combined 37 men on base. The Mets alone left 20, with half of them stranded by Ray Knight. But Knight did come up big in the 19th with a double to score Carter and put the Mets in front. Despite the loss, the Braves were better at two-out hitting than the Mets, as 10 of their 13 runs scored with two outs, compared with just four for the Mets. Knight’s 19th-inning ribby let him finally join the club. What club? This one …
3. Fourteen players recorded at least one RBI. Every Mets position except pitcher drove in at least one run in their 16-13 win. Harper led both teams with his four RBIs, while Murphy and Hernandez each had three. Seven other players contributed two apiece.
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2. Future Braves pitching coach (and "second spitter") Roger McDowell ate seven cheeseburgers during the game, visitors clubhouse manager John Holland told the New York Daily News in 2010. McDowell tossed just two-thirds of an inning that night, but that apparently set his metabolism on fire.
1. There was only one position player who didn’t get into the game: Mets backup catcher Ronn Reynolds. Poor, poor Ronn Reynolds. But it wasn’t a surprise, really. Reynolds, the only backup catcher listed on the Mets’ 1985 roster, played in just 28 games that season and came to bat just 46 times. He finished the season with a .209 average, nine hits and two RBIs. But what do you expect? His job was to back up Carter, who, as this game showed, just didn’t like to take a break. Reynolds left the Mets after the 1985 season and retired in 1990 as a member of the Padres and with a career average of .188. Sorry, Ronn.
Bonus: In terms of total elapsed time, including rain delays, the event equaled more than an entire workday, clocking in at 8 hours 15 minutes — setting a major league record. The 3:55 a.m. final out also set a record for the latest-ending game, but it was eclipsed in 1993 when the Phillies and Padres finished the second game of a rain-delayed double-header at 4:40 a.m., according to “Baseball’s Longest Games: A Comprehensive Worldwide Record Book.”
