At 3:55 a.m., Mets Top Braves, 16-13, in 19th Inning
ATLANTA — The New York Mets scored five runs in the top of the 19th inning to defeat the Atlanta Braves, 16-13, Friday morning in a wild National League game that was twice delayed by rain and finally ended at 3:55 a.m. EDT after 6 hours 10 minutes of play.
The Mets rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 19th, but pitcher Rick Camp, batting only because there were no pinch-hitters left, struck out swinging with two runners on base for the final out.
A postgame Fourth of July fireworks display for the few remaining fans got under way at 4:01 a.m. EDT.
New York’s Gary Carter led off the 19th with a single off Camp (2-4). John Christensen sacrificed, and pinch-hitter Rusty Staub was walked intentionally. Ray Knight followed with an RBI double, and Howard Johnson was intentionally walked.
Danny Heep then lifted a two-run single to right. Johnson scored on an error by right fielder Claudell Washington, Heep taking second. One out later, Wally Backman singled home Heep.
Camp had belted a home run in the bottom of the 18th inning to tie the score at 11-11 after it appeared New York had the game won.
The Mets had taken a 11-10 lead in the top of the 18th on LennyDykstra’s sacrifice fly.
But with two out in the bottom of the inning Camp, who did not have a homer in his first 167 major-league at-bats, unloaded on an 0-2 pitch from Tom Gorman
Howard Johnson had hit a two-run homer in top of the 13th inning off Terry Forster, driving in Ray Knight. The switch-hitting Johnson’s homer to left field was his third of the season--and first as a right-handed batter.
But Terry Harper hit a two-out, two-run homer off the left-field foul screen to score Rafael Ramirez, who had singled to start the 13th inning against Tom Gorman, the sixth New York pitcher.
A crowd of 44,947 had dwindled to just a few thousand by the end.
The Mets had a club-record 28 hits, the Braves 18.
New York outfielder Darryl Strawberry and Manager Davey Johnson were ejected for arguing with plate umpire Terry Tata in the 17th inning.
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