Entering June, the New York Mets were 24-33, and it looked as though it might be a bleak season for fans. But the summer brought an incredible turnaround that led to an 89-73 regular-season finish, a Wild Card playoff berth, and now, a spot in the National League Championship Series (NLCS). Along for the ride has been Chris Majkowski, a 1989 Fordham College at Rose Hill graduate who has been the engineer for Mets radio broadcasts—more than 5,000 and counting—since 1993.
As the Mets take on the Los Angeles Dodgers and look to move ahead to the World Series, Majkowski, who launched his sports broadcasting career at Fordham’s public media station, WFUV, looks back at five of his most memorable moments working in the booth.
5. The 2015 NLCS Sweep of the Chicago Cubs | October 2015
When did Citi Field become home? Maybe the loudest I’ve heard it before these last couple games [against the Philadelphia Phillies in this year’s National League Division Series] was when they played the Cubs in that 2015 NLCS. And then we went to Chicago and they clinched there.
4. Regular-Season Series vs. the Washington Nationals | July 31 – August 2, 2015
It was right after the [Yoenis] Céspedes trade. The Nationals came in and the Mets beat them at Citi Field—the Sunday night game, they hit three home runs in five pitches.
And then we went back down to Washington [in September]. Maybe the Nationals had a chance to make a last stand. They had a lead, I think, every game. And the Mets came back on, putting the nail in the coffin, so to speak, for Washington.
3. Game 5 of the 2000 World Series vs. the New York Yankees | October 26, 2000
Even though the Mets lost, Game 5 of the 2000 World Series against the Yankees [is very memorable]. I had Mike Francesa sitting next to me in the booth, and when the ball first came off of Piazza’s bat against Mariano [Rivera in the ninth inning], you thought, “Oh, maybe it’s going to go,” and even Mike—he probably wouldn’t admit it, but he even had a little start.
From a producing standpoint, we had to do a postgame show. And because it was on FAN, they wanted us to incorporate both sides of the story, with Suzyn Waldman down on the Yankee side and Eddie Coleman in the Mets’ clubhouse, which was obviously, after losing the World Series, not an easy task.
That’s something I’ve always been proud of, because we balanced both sides of that story very well, I believe.
2. First Game at Shea Stadium After 9/11 | September 21, 2001
After 9/11, we were in Pittsburgh, and we ended up busing back to New York, and we came over the George Washington Bridge and you could just see [the World Trade Center site] in the distance. Coming back to Shea for that first game back … that was something.
1. Robin Ventura’s “Grand Slam Single,” Game 5 of the NLCS | October 17, 1999
I’ve always had my greatest affinity for that team, that 1999 and 2000 bunch—Robin and Johnny Franco and Al Leiter and all the guys there. I got to know them a bit more than some of the other teams along the way. Just so many players on those teams have always been my favorites.
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