Howard Johnson’s 1986 Time Machine — Episode 22

August 18–24, 1986

Welcome back to the Howard Johnson 1986 Time Machine on KinersKorner.com, where we travel back 40 years to relive one week at a time from the unforgettable 1986 New York Mets season.

This week, the Mets were beginning to make the National League East standings look like a typo.

Starting the week 78-41 and 17 games ahead the Mets swept the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium, taking down **Orel Hershiser, Fernando Valenzuela and Dennis Powell** on three consecutive nights.

Then they headed to San Francisco and won the first two games against the Giants, including a **5-3 victory behind Dwight Gooden** and a **3-2 win behind Bob Ojeda**.

Five straight wins later, the Mets were **82-41 with a staggering 20-game lead**.

Then came Sunday.

The Giants jumped all over Rick Aguilera, beating the Mets **10-1** and handing them one of their worst losses of the season.

Final tally for the week: **5 wins, 1 loss, an 82-42 record and a 19-game lead.**

Joining us to break it all down are two members of that legendary team:

⚾ **Howard Johnson** — two-time World Champion, two-time All-Star, three-time 30-30 Club member and one of the most exciting players of the 1980s.

And joining HoJo this week:

🔥 **Jesse Orosco** — All-Star, World Series champion and one of the most important pieces of the 1986 Mets bullpen. Orosco would eventually set the Major League record for pitching appearances, but in 1986, his job was simple: **get three outs.**

We talk with Howard and Jesse about:

• Facing Orel Hershiser and Fernando Valenzuela in Dodger Stadium

• Why the Mets were so difficult to beat in so many different ways

• The confidence inside the pitching staff

• Bob Ojeda's brilliant 3-2 victory over San Francisco

• The different pressure of pitching in close, low-scoring games

• How the bullpen handled a 10-1 blowout

• Whether a 19-game lead changed the clubhouse mentality

• The defined roles that made the Mets bullpen so effective

• When the players began thinking about October

• And the moment Jesse and Howard realized the 1986 Mets might be something truly special

Because the 1986 Mets weren't great because they never lost.

They were great because **one bad day never made them forget just how good they were.**

And with the Mets sitting at **82-42, 19 games ahead**, there was still plenty of baseball — and one unforgettable October — still to come.

**Subscribe to KinersKorner.com** and follow along every week as Howard Johnson takes us back inside the 1986 Mets season, one week at a time.

#Mets #1986Mets #HowardJohnson #HoJo #JesseOrosco #NewYorkMets #MetsHistory #MetsFans #KinersKorner #1986Baseball #MLBHistory

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LET'S TALK METS

What is YOUR favorite memory of the 1986 New York Mets?

Who was the most important player on that championship team?

And if you could spend one more day inside the 1986 Mets clubhouse, what would you want to see?

Tell us in the comments.

Because 40 years later...

They're still walking together.

And we're still talking about them.

# 1986 NEW YORK METS | METS HISTORY | HOWARD JOHNSON | RAFAEL SANTANA | 1986 WORLD SERIES

#Mets #LGM #1986Mets #NewYorkMets #HowardJohnson #HoJo #RafaelSantana #MetsHistory #1986WorldSeries #BaseballHistory #KinersKorner #TimeMachine #MetsFans

The 1986 New York Mets may have won 108 games, but one team gave them everything they could handle all season—the Houston Astros.

In Episode 20 of **Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine**, host **Mark Rosenman** and two-time World Series Champion **Howard Johnson** are joined by **1986 National League Manager of the Year Hal Lanier**, who led the Astros to 96 wins and the NL West title in his rookie season as a big league manager.

Together, they look back at the week of **July 7-13, 1986**, when the Mets hit a rare bump in the road, losing three straight to the Cincinnati Reds before responding with a dominant four-game sweep of the Atlanta Braves. Meanwhile, Lanier's Astros entered the All-Star break just one game behind the San Francisco Giants, setting the stage for an unforgettable second half.

The conversation includes:

⚾ The Mets' surprising three-game losing streak and immediate turnaround

⚾ The close regular-season battles between the Mets and Astros

⚾ How Hal Lanier built Houston around pitching, speed, and defense

⚾ Lessons learned coaching under Whitey Herzog's Cardinals

⚾ Managing Nolan Ryan, Mike Scott, and one of baseball's best pitching staffs

⚾ Howard Johnson's memories of facing the Astros during the summer of 1986

⚾ Comparing the 1986 Mets with the great San Francisco Giants teams of the 1960s

⚾ What life was really like around the All-Star break during a pennant race

Long before their legendary National League Championship Series, these two clubs were already pushing each other to the limit.

If you love baseball history, the 1986 Mets, the Houston Astros, or hearing untold stories from the people who lived them, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

👍 Please Like, Subscribe, and hit the Notification Bell so you never miss an episode of **Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine**.

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Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine – Episode 19 | Keith Hernandez on Leadership, Team Chemistry & the 1986 Mets

What made the 1986 New York Mets one of the greatest teams in baseball history?

Was it talent...or was it leadership?

In Episode 19 of **Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine host Mark Rosenman is joined by two-time World Series Champion Howard Johnson and special guest Keith Hernandez—11-time Gold Glove winner, National League MVP, World Series Champion, Mets Hall of Famer, broadcaster, and one of the greatest leaders the game has ever seen.

This week's episode goes beyond the box score.

The Mets went 6-1 during the week of June 30 – July 6, 1986 sweeping the Cardinals in St. Louis before taking three of four from Houston to improve to 55-22 and build an 11½-game lead in the National League East.

But instead of focusing on statistics and analytics, we examine something far more difficult to measure:

Leadership.

Topics include:

* What leadership really looked like inside the legendary 1986 Mets clubhouse

* How Keith Hernandez earned the respect of his teammates

* Davey Johnson's role in empowering veteran leaders

* Gary Carter's evolution as a clubhouse leader

* Holding teammates accountable vs. being liked

* Whether superstars should be treated differently

* Juan Soto and the modern leadership debate

* Team chemistry in today's increasingly diverse MLB clubhouses

* How social media would have changed the 1986 Mets

* Can analytics ever measure leadership?

* Can great leadership overcome injuries and roster flaws?

* What Keith sees when he watches today's Mets

This is one of our deepest baseball conversations yet, exploring the human side of championship teams and asking whether a club like the 1986 Mets could even exist in today's game.

If you love Mets history, baseball strategy, clubhouse stories, and conversations that go beyond the numbers, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

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#Mets #NewYorkMets #KeithHernandez #HowardJohnson #1986Mets #MLB #Baseball #WorldSeries #MetsHistory #Leadership #TeamChemistry #DaveyJohnson #GaryCarter #JuanSoto #LGM #KinersKorner #BaseballPodcast #SportsTalk #BaseballHistory

🎙️ Howard Johnson’s 1986 Time Machine – Episode 18 | The 1986 Mets Pitching Staff Through Modern Analytics

Could modern analytics have made the greatest pitching staff in Mets history even better?

In Episode 18 of Howard Johnson’s 1986 Time Machine, Mark Rosenman and two-time World Champion Howard Johnson welcome back former Mets Assistant GM Zack Scott for a fascinating discussion that bridges baseball's past and present.

⚾ Would today's pitching labs have tried to "fix" Dwight Gooden?

⚾ Was Bob Ojeda's breakout season sustainable, or would modern models have predicted regression?

⚾ Did Sid Fernandez succeed because of his unusual mechanics—or in spite of them?

⚾ Are today's teams pulling starters too early and protecting bullpens too much?

⚾ Could Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco survive modern workload restrictions?

⚾ And how would legendary architect Frank Cashen and manager Davey Johnson thrive in today's analytics-driven game?

Along the way, the panel revisits the week of June 23, 1986, when the Mets stood at 49-21 and continued their march toward a championship.

This episode explores:

🔹 Pitching analytics explained (Spin Rate, Stuff+, Location+, tunneling, vertical approach angle and more)

🔹 Dwight Gooden's evolution from strikeout machine to complete pitcher

🔹 Bob Ojeda's transformation after arriving in New York

🔹 Why Sid Fernandez was an analytics dream—and nightmare

🔹 Ron Darling and the disappearing art of pitching deep into games

🔹 Roger McDowell and Jesse Orosco versus modern bullpen management

🔹 Frank Cashen's genius and whether analytics would have made him even better

🔹 Davey Johnson's pioneering use of data and how he'd manage in 2026

A spirited debate about:

📊 Numbers vs. instincts

🖥️ Models vs. memory

🏆 And how one championship team managed to make both work.

Featuring:

⭐ Howard Johnson – Two-time World Champion, Two-time All-Star, three-time 30-30 club member

⭐ Zack Scott – Former New York Mets Assistant General Manager and former General Manager

⭐ Mark Rosenman – Host, Kiner's Korner

👇 Tell us in the comments:

Would modern analytics have improved the 1986 Mets—or would they have gotten in the way?

#Mets #1986Mets #HowardJohnson #DwightGooden #SidFernandez #BobOjeda #RonDarling #ZackScott #FrankCashen #DaveyJohnson #MLBAnalytics #NewYorkMets #BaseballHistory #KinersKorner #LGM #MetsPodcast #BaseballAnalytics #JesseOrosco #RogerMcDowell #DocGooden

Drop your questions for part 2 in the Comments

#1986Mets #NewYorkMets #HowardJohnson #HoJo #ZackScott #KeithHernandez #DarrylStrawberry #GaryCarter #LennyDykstra #WallyBackman #MookieWilson #BaseballAnalytics #SABR #MLBHistory #MetsHistory #BaseballPodcast #WorldSeriesChampions #MarkRosenman #MetsFans #BaseballHistory

⚾ Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine – Episode 16 ⚾

This week on Howard Johnson's 1986 Time Machine, we travel back 40 years to June 9–15, 1986, when the New York Mets continued their domination of the National League, going 6-1, sweeping the Pittsburgh Pirates, taking two of three from Philadelphia, and extending their division lead to 10½ games.

Joining Mets Hall of Famer Howard Johnson and host Mark Rosenman is 1986 World Champion pitcher Randy Niemann, whose remarkable journey to the championship roster included injuries, trades, winter ball, years in the minor leagues, and an inspiring comeback that eventually led to a World Series ring.

Randy shares stories about:

⚾ Fighting back from career-threatening injuries

⚾ Rebuilding his career in Puerto Rico and Tidewater

⚾ Earning a spot on one of baseball's deepest teams

⚾ Life as a reliever behind the legendary Mets rotation

⚾ The importance of role players on championship clubs

⚾ Lessons learned from pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre

⚾ His transition from player to longtime pitching coach

Howard Johnson and Randy also discuss how their coaching careers changed the way they view the 1986 Mets, the influence of great coaches like Mel Stottlemyre and Bill Robinson, and the players they coached who reminded them of teammates from that unforgettable championship season.

If you're a Mets fan, baseball history enthusiast, or simply love great baseball stories, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

🔹 Hosted by Mark Rosenman

🔹 Featuring Mets Hall of Famer Howard Johnson

🔹 Special Guest: 1986 World Series Champion Randy Niemann

Please Like, Subscribe, and Share to help us continue preserving the stories of Mets history.

Visit KinersKorner.com for more great Mets content.

#Mets #NewYorkMets #1986Mets #HowardJohnson #RandyNiemann #WorldSeries #MetsHistory #BaseballHistory #KinersKorner #LGM #MetsPodcast #MLB #TomSeaver #DwightGooden #KeithHernandez #GaryCarter #MetsFans

Step inside the clubhouse of one of the greatest teams in baseball history.

In Episode 15 of Howard Johnson’s 1986 Time Machine, Howard Johnson and Mark Rosenman go beyond the box scores and take fans inside the 1986 Mets locker room — the personalities, chemistry, rituals, leadership, and stories that helped shape a World Championship season.

This week’s episode covers:

⚾ The Mets’ dominant late-May/early-June stretch in 1986

⚾ Sweeping the Dodgers at Shea Stadium

⚾ The energy of Shea during the peak of Mets Mania

⚾ What made the 1986 clubhouse different

⚾ Gary Carter’s leadership and how it complemented Keith Hernandez

⚾ Stories about El Sid, Lee Mazzilli, Bobby Valentine, and more

⚾ Hojo’s memories from coaching and managing in the Mets organization

⚾ A fun rapid-fire “1986 Locker Room Edition”

The conversation also looks back at the recent inductions of Lee Mazzilli and Bobby Valentine into the New York Mets Hall of Fame.

Whether you lived through 1986 or are discovering the magic for the first time, this episode brings fans closer to the people behind one of baseball’s most unforgettable teams.

📍 Howard Johnson will appear at The Main Event in Farmingdale for a special Meet & Greet Dinner on Friday, June 5th. Check the comments for ticket information.

Be sure to:

👍 Like the video

🔔 Subscribe to the channel

🎧 Listen on all major podcast platforms

💬 Drop your favorite 1986 Mets memory in the comments

#Mets #1986Mets #HowardJohnson #NewYorkMets #LGM #MetsPodcast #GaryCarter #KeithHernandez #SheaStadium #BobbyValentine #LeeMazzilli #DocGooden #DarrylStrawberry #BaseballHistory