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.

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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