December 1, 1998: Charles Johnson was traded by the New York Mets to the Baltimore Orioles for Armando Benítez.
December 1, 1998: Robin Ventura was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
December 16, 1998: Rickey Henderson signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
December 18, 1998: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a Free Agent with the New York Mets.
Regular season
The Mets' 97 victories were their highest total since they won 100 games in 1988. They were led offensively by catcherMike Piazza, who compiled a.303 average with 40 home runs and 124 RBI in his first full season with the team. New third baseman Robin Ventura put together a.301 average, 32 home runs, and 120 RBI while second baseman Edgardo Alfonzo hit.304 with 27 home runs and 108 RBI. First baseman John Olerud continued his consistent hitting, hitting.298 with 96 RBI, his third straight year with 90 or more runs driven in. Offseason acquisitions Roger Cedeno and Rickey Henderson recorded the two highest batting averages on the squad at.315 and.313 respectively. Benny Agbayani, a semi-regular outfielder who got more playing time as the year progressed, contributed 14 home runs. The Mets' pitching staff was again led by Al Leiter with 13 wins. Orel Hershiser matched that total, with Masato Yoshii recording 12 wins and Rick Reed 11. Rookie Octavio Dotel went 8-3 in fourteen starts, and late season acquisition Kenny Rogers won five of six decisions while leading the team in complete games. The rotation was not as strong as keeping runs off the board; the team's four main starters recorded ERAs above 4.00. The offseason acquisition of Armando Benitez from the Baltimore Orioles ended John Franco's tenure as the team's closer. Franco did manage to record nineteen saves and broke the Major League Baseball record for saves by a left-hander, but Benitez' 1.85 ERA and twenty-two saves ensured the closer role would be his for the foreseeable future.
The next batter was Mets third baseman Robin Ventura. Ventura crushed the 2-1 pitch over the wall in right-center for a grand slam, winning the game for the Mets and driving the Mets players and fans into a frenzied celebration. Ventura, however, never reached second base as Todd Pratt, the runner who was on first, picked him up in celebration. Subsequently, Ventura was mobbed by his teammates, never finishing his trot around the bases. Because he failed to touch all four bases, the hit was officially scored a single. Roger Cedeño, the runner on third at the time, was ruled the only runner to have crossed home plate before the on-field celebration began and the Mets were awarded a 4-3 victory. Thus, Ventura was only credited with a single and one RBI. This play is now referred to as the grand slam single.
