When rotations where set this matchup was the one everyone pointed to. The Mets in an almost must win game send 20 yr old Dwight Gooden (24-4 1.53 Grade 25XYZG) to the mound against Fernando Valenzuela (17-10 2.45 19XG).
The Mets losing both games at home and in desperate need of a win get on the board first. In the 3rd, Keith Hernandez squares up on a Valenzuela fast ball to homer to center. In the 4th the Mets would play small ball as Mookie Wilson would single, Gooden would sacrifice him to second and late lineup replacement Lenny Dykstra would single in Wilson. In the 5th that tandem would do it again as Wilson would double and Dykstra would double him in for a 3-0 advantage.
The Mets would finally get to Gooden in the 7th as with runners on 1st and 2nd, pinch hitter Terry Whitfield would single in Greg Brock. The Mets would get 2 more insurance runs in the 8th via RBI by Dykstra and Wally Backman and Gooden would take care of the rest. Mets win the game and the series is now 2-1 Dodgers.
Final Score: Mets 5, Dodgers 1
WP: Dwight Gooden (5-1)
LP: Fernando Valenzuela (4-1)
HR’s: Mets – Keith Hernandez (2)