The 1986 World Series will go down as one of the most memorable Fall Classics in history. The Boston Red Sox jumped out to a 2-0 series lead with road wins at Shea Stadium, before the New York Mets bounced back to take the next two games at Fenway Park in Boston. After the Red Sox won the pivotal Game 5, the Series shifted back to Shea Stadium, where one of the most bizarre sequences decided the infamous Game 6.

With the Sox plating two runs in the top of the 10th inning and getting the first two outs of the bottom of the 10th, Hall of Famer Gary Carter started the hit parade with a single, followed by a single from pinch-hitter Kevin Mitchell, a single from series MVP Ray Knight that scored Carter and advancing Mitchell to third. The Red Sox brought in reliever Bob Stanley to face Mookie Wilson-, who threw a wild pitch on a 2-2 count that scored Mitchell to tie the game. After a lengthy at-bat, Wilson hit a slow grounder to first that got under the glove of Bill Buckner, scoring Ray Knight from second and the Mets forced a Game 7. The Mets would close out the series, winning Game 7 by a score of 8-5 to win the franchise’s second and to-date last World Series title.

Offered here is the on-deck circle used at Shea Stadium for the Boston Red Sox. This thick rubber mat is white with the Red Sox logo painted on in red and navy. The on-deck circle is 5-feet in diameter and displays heavy usage. There are numerous scratches and surface abrasions present, along with toning of the white paint. There are two cuts at approximately 4 and 5 o’clock on the front. The back of this on-deck circle is brown and shows much wear. This incredible piece of history comes with a LOA from Grandstand Sports.

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