OTD 2008: Óliver Pérez Shines in Mets’ Victory

On August 8, 2008, the New York Mets defeated the Florida Marlins 3-0 at Shea Stadium before more than 50,000 paying customers. The win pushed the Mets’ record to 61-54, good for second place in the Eastern Division of the National League.

Oliver Pérez took the mound for the Mets that night, and tossed seven innings of two-hit ball, allowing just two hits while striking out eight and walking three. He was relieved by Aaron Heilman, who finished the game with two innings pitched, no hits or walks allowed, and three strikeouts. Pérez and Heilman both conjure up unpleasant memories for Mets fans, but on this night, they were solid as the Mets were marching toward a run at the postseason.

On offense, David Wright got the Mets going in the bottom of the first inning, clubbing a home run to left-center field, scoring Daniel Murphy, who had reached on an infield single. That was all the combination of Pérez and Heilman would need, though the Mets added a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carlos Delgado went yard off Marlins’ starter Ricky Nolasco.

Murphy, who made his major league debut on August 2, 2008, had two hits on the night and played left field. He was replaced for defense by Fernando Tatis. The only other Met with multiple hits was catcher Brian Schneider.

August 8 was just about when the Mets went on a tear under manager Jerry Manuel. On August 13, the New Yorkers moved into a tie with the Phillies for first place, and the Mets held first place until September 16. The Mets briefly saw first place again on September 19 but then fell back into second place, where they would remain for the rest of the season.

Johan Santana pitched an epic game on the season’s second-to-last day to keep the Mets alive in the wildcard race, but the guys from Queens would lose on the season’s final day, in the last game ever played at Shea Stadium. The Milwaukee Brewers took the wild card spot in 2008, and the Mets’ season would end in disappointment for the second year in a row.

The 2024 Mets are similarly chasing a wild card spot (though there are three in each league now). Mets fans hope that the outcome of this chase will be different than that of the 2008 team.

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