View source for 1986 National League Championship Series

{{Short description|18th edition of Major League Baseball's National League Championship Series}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox LCS
  | image =
  | year = 1986
  | champion = [[1986 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] (4)
  | champion_manager = [[Davey Johnson]]
  | champion_games = 108–54, .667, GA: 21½
  | runnerup = [[1986 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]] (2)
  | runnerup_manager = [[Hal Lanier]]
  | runnerup_games = 96–66, .593, GA: 10
  | date = October 8–15
  | MVP = [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] (Houston)
  | television = [[Major League Baseball on ABC|ABC]]
  | announcers = [[Keith Jackson]] and [[Tim McCarver]]
  | radio_network = [[Major League Baseball on CBS Radio|CBS]]<br/>[[WEPN (AM)#WHN|WHN]] (NYM)<br/>[[KTRH]] (HOU)
  | radio_announcers = '''CBS''': [[Brent Musburger]] and [[Johnny Bench]]<br/>'''WHN''': [[Bob Murphy (announcer)|Bob Murphy]] and [[Gary Thorne]]<br/>'''KTRH''': [[Gene Elston]], [[Milo Hamilton]], [[Larry Dierker]], [[Bill Worrell]], [[Jerry Trupiano]]
  | umpires = [[Doug Harvey (umpire)|Doug Harvey]] <small>(crew chief)</small><br>[[Lee Weyer]]<br>[[Frank Pulli]]<br>[[Dutch Rennert]]<br>[[Joe West (umpire)|Joe West]]<br>[[Fred Brocklander]]
}}
The '''1986 National League Championship Series''' was a best-of-seven postseason series in [[Major League Baseball]]’s [[1986 Major League Baseball postseason|1986 postseason]] between the [[NL East]] champion [[1986 New York Mets season|New York Mets]] and [[NL West]] champion [[1986 Houston Astros season|Houston Astros]]. It was the 18th [[National League Championship Series|NLCS]] and the first MLB playoff series in which the opponents were two "expansion" teams that had begun play in the same season ({{mlby|1962}}). The series was won by the Mets, four games to two, culminating with their 7–6, 16-inning triumph at the [[Astrodome]] in Game 6. New York then defeated the [[1986 Boston Red Sox season|Boston Red Sox]] in the [[1986 World Series]], four games to three.

==Background==
After falling short of the NL East title in [[1984 New York Mets season|1984]] and [[1985 New York Mets season|1985]], the Mets, managed by [[Davey Johnson]], captured first place in 1986 by posting a 108–54 record, {{frac|21|1|2}} games ahead of the second-place [[Mets–Phillies rivalry|rival]] [[1986 Philadelphia Phillies season|Philadelphia Phillies]]. The title was the third in Mets' history and first since winning the [[1973 National League Championship Series|1973 NL pennant]].

Meanwhile, Houston recorded a mark of 96–66 to capture the NL West title, clinching the crown when staff ace [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] threw a no-hitter against the [[1986 San Francisco Giants season|San Francisco Giants]], marking the first time any team had clinched a division championship with a no-hitter. It was also the first time the Astros had won a division in six seasons. Houston was managed by [[Hal Lanier]]. Heading the Astros rotation were two former New York Mets, Mike Scott and [[Nolan Ryan]]; Scott, Ryan, and [[Bob Knepper]] were utilized by Lanier as his starting pitchers, which meant that late season acquisition [[Danny Darwin]] would be saved up for a World Series start. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-05-15-9705150082-story.html | title=NOW IN HIS 20TH SEASON IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES, DANNY DARWIN KEEPS PLUGGING AWAY IN QUEST OF a WORLD SERIES RING. – Chicago Tribune | website=[[Chicago Tribune]] }}</ref>

The Mets won seven of their 12 regular-season contests against the Astros, taking five of six at home and losing four of six in Houston, including a three-game sweep in July during which New York's [[Bob Ojeda]], [[Ron Darling]], [[Tim Teufel]], and [[Rick Aguilera]] were arrested for a scuffle with off-duty cops working as bouncers.  Home field advantage, from 1969 to 1993, alternated between division winners, regardless of record.  The Mets were to have home field advantage for this series, as the Dodgers (the 1985 NL West Champions) had it the previous year, however, a [[1986 NFL season|regular season NFL game]] between the [[1986 Chicago Bears season|Chicago Bears]] and [[1986 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] made the [[Astrodome]] unavailable for October 12.  Consequently, Games 1, 2, 6, and 7, were scheduled for the Astrodome to avoid conflicts ([[Shea Stadium]] became a baseball-only facility when the [[New York Jets]] left for [[Giants Stadium]] in [[New Jersey]] after their [[1983 New York Jets season|1983 season]]). The East would host the following LCS in 1987.

Both franchises came into the league together in [[1962 MLB expansion|1962]]. The Astros held an 111–59 lifetime record against the Mets in Houston, which was a topic of debate leading into the NLCS considering the Astros held home-field advantage.

==Summary==

===Houston Astros vs. New York Mets===
{{MLB Playoff Summary
| summary =
| winner = New York
| score = 4–2
| score1 = New York Mets – 0, '''Houston Astros''' – 1
| date1 = October 8
| loc1 = [[Reliant Astrodome|Astrodome]]
| time1 = 2:56
| att1 = 44,131
| ref1 = <ref name="Game1">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10080HOU1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 1 - New York Mets vs. Houston Astros|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score2 = '''New York Mets''' – 5, Houston Astros – 1
| date2 = October 9
| loc2 = Astrodome
| time2 = 2:40
| att2 = 44,391
| ref2 = <ref name="Game2">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10090HOU1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 2 - New York Mets vs. Houston Astros|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score3 = Houston Astros – 5, '''New York Mets''' – 6
| date3 = October 11
| loc3 = [[Shea Stadium]]
| time3 = 2:55
| att3 = 55,052
| ref3 = <ref name="Game3">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10110NYN1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 3 - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score4 = '''Houston Astros''' – 3, New York Mets – 1
| date4 = October 12
| loc4 = Shea Stadium
| time4 = 2:23
| att4 = 55,038
| ref4 = <ref name="Game4">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10120NYN1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 4 - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score5 = Houston Astros – 1, '''New York Mets''' – 2 <small>(12)</small>
| date5 = October 14
| loc5 = Shea Stadium
| time5 = 3:45
| att5 = 54,986
| ref5 = <ref name="Game5">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10140NYN1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 5 - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
| score6 = '''New York Mets''' – 7, Houston Astros – 6 <small>(16)</small>
| date6 = October 15
| loc6 = Astrodome
| time6 = 4:42
| att6 = 45,718
| ref6 = <ref name="Game6">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/B10150HOU1986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Game 6 - New York Mets vs. Houston Astros|access-date=September 13, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref>
}}

==Game summaries==

===Game 1===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Wednesday, October 8, 1986
|Time=7:25{{nbsp}}pm ([[Central Time Zone|CT]])
|Location=[[Astrodome]] in [[Houston]], [[Texas]]
|Road=New York|RoadAbr=NYM
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=0|RH=5|RE=0
|Home='''Houston'''|HomeAbr=HOU
|H1=0|H2=1|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=X|HR=1|HH=7|HE=1
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] (1–0)|LP=[[Dwight Gooden]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]] (1)
||Other={{convert|73|F|C}}, dome}}

Game&nbsp;1 featured a pitching duel between eventual [[NLCS Most Valuable Player]] [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] and Mets ace [[Dwight Gooden]]. Scott allowed just five hits and walked one while striking out 14 in a complete-game effort as the host Astros prevailed 1–0. Gooden allowed one run in his seven innings, getting Scott to ground into a double play to end an Astros threat in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Houston first baseman [[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]] hit a long home run leading off the second inning, producing the game's lone run. Scott struck out [[Wally Backman]] and [[Keith Hernandez]] to escape a jam in the top of the eighth inning. With one out in the top of the ninth inning, [[Darryl Strawberry]] singled, stole second and reached third on a [[Mookie Wilson]] groundout. However, Scott struck out [[Ray Knight]] to end the game.<ref name="Game1" />

===Game 2===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Thursday, October 9, 1986
|Time=7:20{{nbsp}}pm (CT)
|Location=Astrodome in Houston, Texas
|Road='''New York'''|RoadAbr=NYM
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=2|R5=3|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=5|RH=10|RE=0
|Home=Houston|HomeAbr=HOU
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=1|H8=0|H9=0|HR=1|HH=10|HE=2
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Bob Ojeda]] (1–0)|LP=[[Nolan Ryan]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=
||Other={{convert|73|F|C}}, dome}}

Game&nbsp;2 saw the Mets tie the series at one game apiece as New York scored two runs in the fourth inning and then got three more in the fifth innings against Astros' starter [[Nolan Ryan]] en route to a 5–1 victory.

Lefty [[Bob Ojeda]] went for a complete game on a ten-hitter for the Mets, who were aided by an RBI double by [[Gary Carter]] and a sacrifice fly by [[Darryl Strawberry]] in the fourth inning. [[Wally Backman]] and [[Keith Hernandez]] combined for three RBIs in the fifth inning. The only Astros run came on a [[Phil Garner]] single in the seventh inning.<ref name="Game2" />

===Game 3===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Saturday, October 11, 1986
|Time=12:10{{nbsp}}pm ([[Eastern Time Zone|ET]])
|Location=[[Shea Stadium]] in [[Queens, New York]]
|Road=Houston|RoadAbr=HOU
|R1=2|R2=2|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=1|R8=0|R9=0|RR=5|RH=8|RE=1
|Home='''New York'''|HomeAbr=NYM
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=4|H7=0|H8=0|H9=2|HR=6|HH=10|HE=1
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Jesse Orosco]] (1–0)|LP=[[Dave Smith (pitcher, born 1955)|Dave Smith]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Bill Doran (second baseman)|Bill Doran]] (1)|HomeHR=[[Darryl Strawberry]] (1), [[Lenny Dykstra]] (1)
||Other={{convert|55|F|C}}, overcast}}

Game&nbsp;3 was a back-and-forth contest won by the Mets when [[Lenny Dykstra]] hit a two-run, walk-off homer against Astros' reliever [[Dave Smith (pitcher, born 1955)|Dave Smith]] in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving New York a 6–5 victory and 2–1 series lead on a Saturday afternoon at [[Shea Stadium]].

Houston broke through with four runs in the first two innings against Mets' starter [[Ron Darling]], highlighted by [[Bill Doran (second baseman)|Bill Doran]]'s two-run home run in the second.

Darling then threw three scoreless innings and the Mets came back by scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth innings as [[Darryl Strawberry]]'s three-run homer off Houston starter [[Bob Knepper]] tied the game 4–4. Years later, Strawberry said that part of the credit for the home run came from [[Keith Hernandez]], who was on second base during the at-bat, and that Hernandez signaled to Strawberry that Knepper was going to try to pitch him inside and to keep his right shoulder (the shoulder facing the pitcher) down when swinging at the inside pitches, which led to the home run.

However, the Astros struck back against reliever [[Rick Aguilera]] in the top of the seventh as a throwing error by [[Ray Knight]] led to an unearned run that came home when [[Denny Walling]]'s fielder's choice scored Doran for a 5–4 lead. Knight's gaffe was the only error committed by the Mets in the series.

With the Astros still leading in the bottom of the ninth, closer Smith allowed a lead-off bunt single to Wally Backman. The Astros argued afterward that Backman ran out of the baseline running to first while trying to avoid a tag from Smith. However, the umpire declared that Backman stayed close enough to the basepath while trying to avoid the tag that it was allowed. Backman advanced to second on a passed ball, and [[Danny Heep]] then flew out to center field for the inning's first out. The next batter was Dykstra, who won it for New York by lacing a Smith pitch over the right-field fence for a two-run homer. Dykstra's homer was the first come-from-behind, walk-off home run in postseason history.

[[Jesse Orosco]] won the game in relief for New York by working two scoreless innings.<ref name="Game3" />

===Game 4===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Sunday, October 12, 1986
|Time=8:20{{nbsp}}pm (ET)
|Location=Shea Stadium in Queens, New York
|Road='''Houston'''|RoadAbr=HOU
|R1=0|R2=2|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|RR=3|RH=4|RE=1
|Home=New York|HomeAbr=NYM
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=1|H9=0|HR=1|HH=3|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] (2–0)|LP=[[Sid Fernandez]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=[[Alan Ashby]] (1), [[Dickie Thon]] (1)|HomeHR=
||Other={{convert|57|F|C}}, overcast}}

Astros' ace [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]], pitching on three days rest, was dominant once again in Game&nbsp;4. The right-hander again pitched a complete game on a three-hitter to earn his second victory of the series in Houston's 3–1 triumph.

Mets' starter [[Sid Fernandez]] allowed just three runs in six innings, but surrendered a two-run home run to [[Alan Ashby]] and a laser-beam home run to [[Dickie Thon]] to account for all the offense the Astros needed.

[[Danny Heep]] drove in [[Mookie Wilson]] with a sacrifice fly in the eighth to account for the Mets' only run. Gary Carter came to bat as the tying run in the bottom of the ninth, but flied out to center as the Astros tied the series 2–2.<ref name="Game4" />

===Game 5===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Tuesday, October 14, 1986
|Time=1:05{{nbsp}}pm (ET)
|Location=Shea Stadium in Queens, New York
|Road=Houston|RoadAbr=HOU
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=1|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=0|R10=0|R11=0|R12=0|RR=1|RH=9|RE=1
|Home='''New York'''|HomeAbr=NYM
|H1=0|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=1|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|H10=0|H11=0|H12=1|HR=2|HH=4|HE=0
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Jesse Orosco]] (2–0)|LP=[[Charlie Kerfeld]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Darryl Strawberry]] (2)
||Other={{convert|64|F|C}}, drizzle}}

After rain postponed Game&nbsp;5 to a noon start on October 14, the Mets took a 3–2 series lead as Gary Carter's single off [[Charlie Kerfeld]] in the bottom of the 12th innings scored Wally Backman with the winning run for a 2–1 victory.

Game&nbsp;5 was a pitchers' duel between Dwight Gooden and [[Nolan Ryan]] as Gooden allowed just one run in 10 innings with Ryan also surrendering a single run on two hits while striking out 12 in nine innings.

With no score in the top of the second, Gooden surrendered consecutive singles to [[Kevin Bass]] and [[José Cruz]], putting runners on the corners with nobody out. He then struck out Alan Ashby on a full count, and induced [[Craig Reynolds (baseball)|Craig Reynolds]] to ground into a double play to escape the jam. Replays showed that Reynolds appeared to beat out the play at first base, but he was called out by umpire [[Fred Brocklander]], negating a potential run from Kevin Bass that would have given the Astros a 1–0 lead.

The Astros eventually did take a 1–0 lead in the fifth when Ashby doubled, took third on a single by Reynolds, and then scored on [[Bill Doran (second baseman)|Bill Doran]]'s ground-out. However, the Mets came right back and tied it in the bottom half when [[Darryl Strawberry]] smashed a homer for the Mets' first hit of the game and his second bomb of the series.

The Astros had a runner reach second base in the eighth and tenth innings. However, in the eighth, with one out, Gooden got [[Denny Walling]] to fly out to [[Mookie Wilson]] in left field, where Wilson doubled off Doran from second base to end the inning. In the 10th inning, with two out, Gooden gave up a single to pinch hitter [[Terry Puhl]], who then stole second base, and walked Doran. He got [[Billy Hatcher]] to fly out to right field to end the inning with no damage done.

The game stayed tied until the 12th when with one out Backman got an infield single off Kerfeld. Backman then took second on Kerfeld's errant throw on a pick-off attempt. Houston manager Lanier opted to intentionally walk Hernandez and pitch to Carter, who had been just 1-for-21 in the series, but the catcher came through, lashing a single to center to give the Mets the win and a one-game lead as the series shifted back to Houston.

Jesse Orosco again earned the win for New York by hurling two perfect innings.<ref name="Game5" />

===Game 6===
{{Linescore|
|Date=Wednesday, October 15, 1986
|Time=2:05{{nbsp}}pm (CT)
|Location=Astrodome in Houston, Texas
|Road='''New York'''|RoadAbr=NYM
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=0|R5=0|R6=0|R7=0|R8=0|R9=3|R10=0|R11=0|R12=0|R13=0|R14=1|R15=0|R16=3|RR=7|RH=11|RE=0
|Home=Houston|HomeAbr=HOU
|H1=3|H2=0|H3=0|H4=0|H5=0|H6=0|H7=0|H8=0|H9=0|H10=0|H11=0|H12=0|H13=0|H14=1|H15=0|H16=2|HR=6|HH=11|HE=1
|RSP=|HSP=
|WP=[[Jesse Orosco]] (3–0)|LP=[[Aurelio López]] (0–1)|SV=
|RoadHR=|HomeHR=[[Billy Hatcher (baseball)|Billy Hatcher]] (1)
||Other={{convert|73|F|C}}, dome}}

In one of the most famous games in baseball history, the Mets defeated Houston at the [[Astrodome]] 7–6 in 16 innings as [[Jesse Orosco]] struck out [[Kevin Bass]] on a slider for the final out with runners at first and second, and New York advanced to its third World Series in franchise history.

Houston took a 3–0 lead in the first inning against [[Bob Ojeda]] with an RBI double by [[Phil Garner]], plus RBI singles from [[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]] and [[José Cruz|Jose Cruz]], giving Astros' starter [[Bob Knepper]] an early advantage. They were unable to add more runs as Bass was thrown out at third base following [[Alan Ashby]]'s botched attempt to lay down a suicide-squeeze bunt and then Ashby lined out to shortstop to end the inning.

That lead held up for most of the game as Knepper was dominant, allowing no runs through the first eight innings. Meanwhile, Ojeda allowed nothing more through his next four frames, after which [[Rick Aguilera]] tossed three scoreless innings.

This set the stage for a Mets' comeback in the top of the ninth that started when [[Lenny Dykstra]] tripled against Knepper to lead off. [[Mookie Wilson]] singled in Dykstra to cut it to 3–1 and then with one out, [[Keith Hernandez]] doubled to score Wilson and end Knepper's night as the left-hander was replaced by [[Dave Smith (pitcher, born 1955)|Dave Smith]], who walked [[Gary Carter]] and [[Darryl Strawberry]]. [[Ray Knight]] then hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Hernandez and tie the game before [[Danny Heep]] struck out swinging with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Mets manager [[Davey Johnson]] used his bullpen aggressively, as Mike Scott, eventual series MVP, was scheduled to start in Game 7 and nobody on the Mets wanted to face him again. They had scored one run off of Scott in eighteen innings in his previous two outings, and several Mets players have since openly acknowledged that they considered this game a deciding game, playing it more like a Game 7 than a Game 6 because they were playing (despite the cockiness and arrogance that had characterized the team for most of the season) with the barely concealed belief that they would lose to Scott again if it got to Game 7.  [[Roger McDowell]] came in to pitch for New York and allowed just one hit through five scoreless innings. Meanwhile, Houston pitchers Smith and [[Larry Andersen]] held the Mets hitless until the top of the 14th inning when Carter singled, Strawberry walked, and with one out [[Wally Backman]] singled off [[Aurelio López]] to plate Strawberry with the go-ahead run as Bass' throw home sailed high. The Mets still had the bases loaded before Wilson struck out to end the threat.

The Mets were now three outs away from going to the World Series, but with one out in the bottom of the 14th inning [[Billy Hatcher]] homered off the left-field foul pole against Orosco to tie the game 4–4.

However, in the top of the 16th inning Strawberry doubled to lead off against López, followed by Knight's single that scored Strawberry to put the Mets ahead again. [[Jeff Calhoun (baseball)|Jeff Calhoun]] then replaced López and threw two wild pitches, the second scoring Knight to put New York up by two. Dykstra then singled in Backman, who had walked, for a 7–4 Mets' advantage.

The Mets needed each of those three runs as Houston rallied once again when with one out, [[Davey Lopes]] drew a pinch-hit walk, followed by [[Bill Doran (second baseman)|Bill Doran]]'s single. Hatcher then singled in Lopes to make it 7–5, after which [[Denny Walling]] hit into a fielder's choice for the second out. Davis followed with a single to centerfield that landed in front of a charging Dykstra, that brought home Doran to cut it to 7–6 and moved Walling into scoring position. Now the tying run was in scoring position and the winning run was at first base, and would-be Game 7 starter [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] was waiting in the wings. Orosco, opposite Kevin Bass, eventually found himself at a full count. A strike away from a pennant, and simultaneously a misplaced pitch away from loading the bases, Orosco struck out Bass to end the threat, the game and the series and sent the Mets to a World Series duel with the Boston Red Sox, winning them their first pennant in [[1973 World Series|13 years]]. According to Orosco, prior to the at-bat against Bass, Keith Hernandez ordered him to throw nothing but breaking balls to Bass, telling Orosco, "If you throw another fastball, we're gonna fight."

Orosco pitched three innings for his third win of the series, marking the first time a reliever had won three games in a postseason series. The time of the game was 4 hours and 42 minutes and the 16 innings was the most that had been played in a postseason contest at that time. The Mets and Astros had also played a 15-inning contest that lasted 5 hours and 29 minutes during the regular season, which Houston won 9–8.<ref name="Game6" />

In 2011, [[MLB Network]] ranked this as the fifth greatest game of the preceding 50 years.<ref name="MLB's 20 Greatest Games">{{cite web|url=http://mlb.mlb.com/network/games_airdates/|title=MLB's 20 Greatest Games|access-date=November 26, 2011|publisher=MLB}}</ref>

This was the last game in which the Astros wore their "tequila sunrise" (or "rainbow guts") uniform top, which the franchise introduced in 1975 and became one of the most iconic, if infamous, uniforms in MLB history. The Astros demoted the tequila sunrise top to alternate status in 1984, and instead designated a white version of their restrained cream-colored road top as the official home top.

==Composite box==
1986 NLCS '''(4–2): [[New York Mets]]''' over [[Houston Astros]]
{{Linescore
|Road='''[[New York Mets]]'''
|R1=0|R2=0|R3=0|R4=2|R5=4|R6=4|R7=0|R8=1|R9=5|R10=0|R11=0|R12=1|R13=0|R14=1|R15=0|R16=3|RR=21|RH=43|RE=1
|Home='''[[Houston Astros]]'''
|H1=5|H2=5|H3=0|H4=0|H5=2|H6=0|H7=2|H8=0|H9=0|H10=0|H11=0|H12=0|H13=0|H14=1|H15=0|H16=2|HR=17|HH=49|HE=7
|TotalAttendance=299,316 |AveAttendance=49,886
}}

==Series statistics==
Astros' pitcher [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] was named the series' Most Valuable Player after going 2–0 with a 0.50 earned-run average, allowing one earned run on eight hits and one walk in 18 innings. Also for Houston, [[Nolan Ryan]] went 0–1 with a 3.86 ERA, striking out 17 through 14 innings, and [[Bob Knepper]] posted an ERA of 3.52 with no decisions in his two starts. The Astros' bullpen allowed seven runs and took three of the losses in the series as [[Dave Smith (pitcher, born 1955)|Dave Smith]] (9.00 ERA), [[Charlie Kerfeld]] (8.10), and [[Aurelio López]] (2.25) dropped decisions.

For the Mets' pitching staff, lefty reliever [[Jesse Orosco]] went 3–0 with an ERA of 3.38 in the series, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks in eight innings. He was the first reliever ever to win 3 games in a playoff series, setting a record. Ojeda notched New York's other victory and was 1–0 with a 2.57 ERA in his 14 innings of work. [[Dwight Gooden]] went 0–1 with an ERA of 1.06 in 17 innings and [[Ron Darling]] had no decisions with a 7.20 ERA with [[Sid Fernandez]] going 0–1 with a 4.50 ERA as they each made one start. Right-hander [[Roger McDowell]] allowed no earned runs and one hit in seven innings of relief work.

The Astros' offense saw [[Billy Hatcher]] bat .280 with three walks, a home run, and two RBI and three stolen bases for the series. [[Glenn Davis (baseball)|Glenn Davis]] hit .269 with a home run and three RBI, [[Kevin Bass]] batted .292 with two doubles and four walks, and [[Bill Doran (second baseman)|Bill Doran]] had a homer with three RBI. Houston hit .218 with five home runs in the six games.

For New York, [[Lenny Dykstra]] batted .304 with a double, triple, home run, and three RBI. [[Keith Hernandez]] hit .269 with three RBI and Strawberry homered twice with five RBI to go with 12 strikeouts. The Mets batted .189 with three homers for the series.<ref name="Mets Stats">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/UNYN21986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Stats - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=November 10, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref><ref name="Astros Stats">{{cite web|url=http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1986/UHOU21986.htm|title=1986 NLCS Stats - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=November 10, 2009|publisher=Retrosheet}}</ref><ref name="1986 NLCS Stats">{{cite web|url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1986_NLCS.shtml|title=1986 NLCS Stats - Houston Astros vs. New York Mets|access-date=April 28, 2011|publisher=Baseball Reference| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110514011215/http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1986_NLCS.shtml| archive-date= May 14, 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref>

Despite losing, the Astros outplayed the Mets for most of the series. The Astros were tied or leading in 55 of the 64 innings played in the six-game series. Houston's pitching also dominated. The Mets struck out 57 times and had the lowest team batting average, .189, of any National League Championship Series winner.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Briley |first=Ron |title=The Greatest Game Ever Played? October 15, 1986 – Society for American Baseball Research |url=https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-greatest-game-ever-played-october-15-1986/ |access-date=2022-05-07 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Aftermath==
Like [[1980 National League Championship Series|1980]], the Astros came up once again on the wrong end of a classic series. In all, four of the games in the NLCS came down to one run, and two runs decided a fifth game. The series featured a pair of extra-inning games that combined for a postseason record 10 innings of extra play. Despite only going six games, [[Fangraphs]], via a mathematical formula, named it the 6th best playoff series in MLB history in 2011.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The top ten postseason series of all-time|url=https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-top-ten-postseason-series-of-all-time/|access-date=2020-12-13|website=The Hardball Times}}</ref> The Mets would win another instant-classic series a week and a half later when they beat the Boston Red Sox in seven games to win their second [[1986 World Series|World Series]] in franchise history.

During and years after the '86 NLCS, Mets players expressed belief that Astros' ace pitcher [[Mike Scott (baseball)|Mike Scott]] was illegally [[Emery ball|scuffing the ball]] during his Cy Young award winning season. In spring training of 1987, [[Gary Carter]] even stated the defending champion Mets had "unfinished business" when discussing Scott's performance against them in the NLCS. Scott performed well in 1987, posting 3.23 earned run average against a 16-13 record, but his strikeout rate fell from 10 [[Strikeouts per 9 innings pitched|strikeouts per 9]] to 8.5. Scott posted a loss to the Mets twice in 1987, losing a pitcher's duel in April at New York and getting roughed up in a start in Houston in July. Overall, the Mets were still one of the best teams in baseball in 1987, but finished three games behind the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] in the [[NL East]], thus being unable to qualify for the postseason. In an [[MLB Network|MLB Network’s]] documentary about the 1986 season in 2011, Mike Scott finally admitted to "doctoring" the baseball during that season for the first time publicly.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Calcaterra |first1=Craig |title=Knock me over with a feather: Mike Scott admits to scuffing baseballs |url=https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2011/11/04/knock-me-over-with-a-feather-mike-scott-admits-to-scuffing-baseballs/ |website=MLB NBC Sports |access-date=6 May 2022 |date=4 November 2011}}</ref> 

The Astros chances at a pennant and World Series slipped away in the subsequent seasons after 1986.  Mike Scott continued to perform as one of the best pitchers in baseball until an arm injury in 1991 forced him to retire. [[Nolan Ryan]] left Houston after a contract dispute following the 1988 season and signed with the [[Texas Rangers (baseball)|Texas Rangers]], where he stayed until his retirement at the age of 46. Ryan returned to the Astros in 2014 as an executive adviser under owner [[Jim Crane]], a position he held until 2019. The Astros did not make the postseason again until 1997.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/1986_NLCS.shtml 1986 NLCS at Baseball Reference]

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[[Category:National League Championship Series]]
[[Category:1986 Major League Baseball season|National League Championship Series]]
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