To this day, when baseball fans talk about the 1986 World Series, which pitted the Red Sox and Mets, the first thought on everybody's mind is Boston first baseman Bill Buckner watching helplessly as a slow roller crept under his legs with two outs in Game 6 to score the winning run.

But fans forget the Red Sox stranded 14 runners in that game.

And they forget the Mets still had to come back and win another one.

Going into the decisive Game 7, people thought the Red Sox were completely crushed after what happened in the previous contest and wouldn't be able to bounce back. But the Mets were down by three runs and would, once again, have to pull another one out of their hats.

Thanks to timely hitting and great work from their bullpen, the Mets did just that, as they defeated Boston, 8-5, in Shea Stadium en route to claiming the franchise's second World Series title.

As for the Red Sox, making their first trip to the Fall Classic in 11 years, they'd see their closest opportunity slip and were now on 69 years and counting since their last championship.

Every day from now to Spring Training, MLB.com Live will air a classic game on Baseball's Best. The Mets' World Series-clinching will be seen Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET.

Although the Sox were coming off a devastating blow, they had to like their chances in the do-or-die ballgame, as Bruce Hurst -- 2-0 in the Series -- took the bump.

They had to like it even more going into the sixth inning, when back-to-back homers by Dwight Evans and Rich Gedman, followed by an RBI single by Wade Boggs -- all coming in the second inning -- allowed the Sox to sport a 3-0 lead.

But the Mets would take complete control from there.

New York tied the game on a two-run, bases-loaded single by Keith Hernandez and an RBI groundout by Gary Carter in the bottom of the sixth. In the seventh, the Red Sox brought in Calvin Schiraldi for relief, and Ray Knight -- who hit an RBI single off him in Game 6, making it a one-run game in the 10th -- hit a solo shot to break the tie.

The Mets expanded their lead to 6-3 thanks to an RBI single by Rafael Santana and a sac fly by Hernandez in the seventh. But, after Sid Fernandez shut out the Red Sox through the middle innings, Roger McDowell came in for relief and surrendered a two-run double to Evans in the top of the eighth to make it a one-run game.

Then, the most critical juncture of the game occurred.

With the tying run for the Red Sox on second and nobody out, Mets manager Davey Johnson chose to bring in Jesse Orosco, who got Gedman to line out, Dave Henderson to strike out and pinch-hitter Don Baylor to ground out to end the threat.

That led to the bottom of the eighth, when Darryl Strawberry led off the inning with a solo homer, and Orosco hit an RBI single to give the Mets an 8-5 lead, icing the game and giving New York another championship.