Touted by some as a future Hall of Famer, Dickie Thon's career was permanently altered on April 8, 1984, when he was hit in the face by Mike Torrez's fastball. The pitch broke the orbital bone around his left eye and ended his 1984 season. He returned in 1985, but suffered from problems with depth perception that permanently hampered his potential.

Darryl Strawberry's suspensions led to many narratives about his massive potential going unfulfilled, but his Mets from 1984-1990 formed one of the premier teams in the National League, finishing either first or second in the division every year and winning a World Series in 1986.

Gilkey arguably had his strongest season in 1996. His .317 average was eighth in the National League, while his 44 doubles ranked fourth (and also set a Mets single season record).

Orosco was a throw-in on the deal, but his clutch relief pitching in the 1986 postseason was one of the key reasons the Mets won the World Series. He was on the mound for the final pitch of the final game of both the NLCS against the Houston Astros, and the World Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Before he was shagging and dropping fly balls in left field, Todd Hundley was a premier catcher who set the single-season record for catchers in 1996 with 41 home runs.

Game 1 was a match-up between postseason veterans Al Leiter and Andy Pettitte. Both pitched scoreless ball until the sixth inning when David Justice's two-run double put the Yankees on top.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Fernandez was proud of his roots and wore uniform number 50 in honor of Hawaii being the 50th state. The theme song to Hawaii Five-O was often played before his starts at Shea Stadium.

During the 2017 Astros championship season, Beltrán was the supposed leader in their illegal sign stealing scheme. The scandal broke three years later after an investigation by league officials, the commissioner and the media. Beltrán, who had recently been hired as the Mets manager, left his new job without managing a game.

The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are named for Area 51 which is located near Rachel, Nevada, about 80 miles north of Las Vegas, and the team logo jokingly depicts one of the grey aliens thought by UFO believers to inhabit that base.