1998 New York Mets season
| 1998 New York Mets | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | East |
| Ballpark | Shea Stadium |
| City | New York |
| Record | 88–74 (.543) |
| Divisional place | 2nd |
| Owners | Nelson Doubleday Jr., Fred Wilpon |
| General manager | Steve Phillips |
| Manager | Bobby Valentine |
| Television | WWOR-TV/Fox Sports New York (Ralph Kiner, Tim McCarver, Fran Healy, Howie Rose, Gary Thorne) |
| Radio | WFAN (Bob Murphy, Gary Cohen, Ed Coleman) WADO (spanish) (Juan Alicea, Billy Berroa) |
The 1998 New York Mets season was the 37th regular season for the Mets. Like the previous season, they finished the season with a record of 88–74. Despite placing second in the National League East, the Mets fell one game short of playoff contention following a catastrophic collapse during the final week of the season, losing their final five games of the season. They were managed by Bobby Valentine. They played home games at Shea Stadium.
Despite the collapse, the season is most remembered for the trade acquisition of All-Star and future Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza in May from the Florida Marlins (Piazza had been just traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Marlins a week earlier before his Mets trade). Upon the trade to New York, Piazza instantly became the team's best player and face of the franchise.