Kevin McReynolds: 1988 N.L. Eastern Champion Mets Out Fielder (1987 - 1991)

Walter Kevin McReynolds was born October 16, 1959, in Little Rock Arkansas. His father was a mechanic in the US Army & the family lived on Camp Robinson, a National Guard base.

Kathryn McReynolds stayed at home taking care of Kevin, his two brothers & their sister.

Kevin was a star athlete at Sylvan high school, at Little Rock. Eventually The Kevin McReynolds Sports Complex there would be named in his honor.

The six-foot right-hand hitter attended the University of Arkansas & was the San Diego Padres first round pick in 1981. He went on to win back-to-back minor league MVP awards in both the California League & Pacific Coast League batting over .350 both times.

MLB Debut: In June 1983, He was brought up briefly by the Padres, hitting a HR in his first career game. Overall, in 34 games he hit 4 HRs batting .221.

In the 1984 Padres NL Championship season he was their everyday center fielder, leading all N.L. out fielders in assists (18) put outs (422) & was third in fielding (.991%). 

The Padres had a strong line up made up of young guys like McReynolds & Tony Gwynn, along with veterans Steve Garvey, Craig Nettles, & Gary Templeton. McReynolds hit 20 HRs with 26 doubles, 75 RBIs, a .278 batting average & a .465 slugging %.

1984 Post Season: In the NLCS win over the Chicago Cubs he hit .300 (3-10).

In Game #3 he hit a 6th inning three run HR off George Frazier in the Padres 7-1 win. In Game #4 he got inured & missed the rest of the series & the World Series loss to the Tigers as well.

After the Pennant: In 1985 he led all N.L. centerfielders in assists with 13 posting a .993 fielding % (third in the NL). He dropped off with the bat, to 15 HRs & 24 doubles & a .234 average.

In 1986 he returned to top form, as he drove in 96 runs (6th in the NL) slugged 26 HRs, hit over 30 doubles for the first time of three consecutive seasons, and batted .299. He moved over to play more left field and posted a .982 fielding percentage at both center & left field positions.

After the Mets won the 1986 World Series, they believed rookie Kevin Mitchell was a bad influence on Daryl Strawberry & Dwight Gooden. 

Since the latter two were All Stars, Mitchell was the odd man out, especially since he was a native of San Diego. 

Mets Career: In the off season the Mets got McReynolds in a trade for Kevin Mitchell, and two top prospects; Sean Abner & Stan Jefferson.

Quiet Low-Key Guy:  The quiet, soft-spoken McReynolds came to New York on a raucous ballclub & managed to stay out of the spotlight. The media hated him, because he didn’t them anything interesting to quote him on. McReynolds mined his own business & didn't cause any drama.

McReynolds had some good years with the Mets but never got the credit he deserved. As it seemed he never produced enough for the media or the fans.

1987: Mets manager Davey Johnson felt McReynolds was the guy they needed & helped protect Darryl Strawberry in the lineup.

On Opening Day 1987, he went 0-3 as the Mets main leftfielder, batting sixth. 

HRs in Three Straight Games: From April 9th to April 11th. McReynolds hit HRs in three straight games. On April 9th, he went back-to-back with Darryl Strawberry in the bottom of the 2nd inning, off the Pirates Doug Drabek in a 4-2 Mets win.

In the next two games he hit HRs in games with the Atlanta Braves.

The Dead Bird Game: In a game against the Atlanta Braves, Mcreynolds was playing left field when a flyball by Dion James hit a dove flying overhead. The ball & the dove dropped in front of McReynolds, with the bird lying there dead. Kevin fielded the ball that ended up being a double. It was the first time a bird was actually struck & killed during play.

On April 23rd his 8th inning HR off the Pirates Logan Easley ended up being the winning run in an 8-7 win. The next day his base loaded infield grounder scored Keith Hernandez in what was the winning run in a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.

Multi- Three RBI Game: On April 30th, McReynolds hit a two run HR off the Expos Jay Tibbs. He also added an RBI sac fly which gave him the first of ten multi-RBI games where he drove in at least three runs.

In his first series against his old Padres teammates, he was held hitless in the first game, then got three hits & drove in two runs over the next two games as the Mets took two of three.

Multi- Three RBI Games: On May 22nd, McReynolds hit his seventh HR of the season, a two-run shot off the Dodgers Fernando Valenzuela. He added an RBI later in the game to give him his third multi-RBI game of the season in a 6-4 Mets win at Shea. On June 16th he hit a three run HR off the Expos Bob Sebra in a 7-3 win at Shea Stadium.

HRs in Three Straight Games: From June 18th to June 20th, he hit HRs in three straight games for the second time on the year.  On June 18th he went back-to-back with Darryl Strawberry once again in a 10-7 win over the Expos. 

On June 20th, Kevin hit a 5th inning solo HR off the Phillies Bruce Ruffin for his 14th HR of the year. In the bottom of the 9th, with the score tied 2-2 & Lenny Dykstra on third base, he hit a sac fly to right field scoring Dykstra for the game winning walk off run over Philadelphia.

For June he batted .313 with seven HRs. In July he drove in 22 runs & batted .294 with five HRs.

Multi- HR Games: On July 10th, McReynolds hit two HRs off Mets 1986 NLCS nemesis, Mike Scott. It was his sixth multi- three RBI game of the season in a 7-3 win over the Astros at the Astrodome. 

On July 18th, he had his second multi- HR game of the year as he hit two HRs off the Reds Ted Power in a 7-3 win at Shea Stadium.

Walk Off Hits: On July 19th, in a Sunday matinee at Shea, the Mets & Reds went at it tied up 5-5 until the 11th inning. In the bottom of the 11th, Red's pitcher Bill Scherr walked both Bill Almon & Darryl Strawberry. Then Keith Hernandez added a base hit to load the bases. McReynolds recorded an infield base hit to short stop, scoring Almon with the walk off winning run.

From July 25th to August 7th, he had a 13-game hit streak, hitting .352 with 12 RBIs in that stretch, raising his season average to .294.

Walk Off Hit: On August 6th the Mets & Cubs were tied 6-6 going into the bottom of the 9th, McReynolds again came up with the bases loaded in a game winning spot. He singled off closer Lee Smith driving in Lee Mazzilli with game winning run.

From August 10th to August 20th, he drove in runs in seven of nine games for a total of nine RBIs. On August 11th he homered off Montreal's Randy St. Claire to reach the 20 HR mark for the third time in his career.

On September 5th, he hit a two run HR off Fernando Valenzuela in Los Angeles, helping the Mets in a 4-2 win, keeping them 2.5 games behind the Cardinals. Mcreynolds hit three HRs against the Dodgers on the season, with two coming off Valenzuela.

In the final 12 games of the season, McReynolds had eight extra base hits with hit 4 HRs & 13 RBIs.

Multi- HR Game: On September 25th at Shea, he had his third multi- HR game of the season, hitting a pair while driving in three runs in a 10-2 win over the Pirates. 

Multi- Four RBI Game: On September 27th in a 12-3 win at Shea Stadium, McReynolds hit a three run HR off the Pirates Bob Kipper. He added an RBI double, his 29th two bagger of the season later on to give him a season high four RBI game. McReynolds hit seven HRs against the Pirates that season, the most of any team.

The Mets were still 2.5 games back with six left to play. They lost two of three in Philly & by the time they got to St. Louis for a three-game set they were five games out & finished for the year not able to defend their championship reign.

Overall, on the 1987 season, McReynolds hit .276 with 29 HRs (9th in the NL) 32 doubles, 5 triples 86 runs scored & 95 RBIs. He also stole 14 bases in 15 attempts. McReynolds struck out 70 times with 39 walks, posting a .319 on base % & .813 OPS. In 150 games in left field, he made four errors posting a .987 fielding % & had eight assists.

1988 NL Eastern Champion Season: McReynolds started out 1988 with a huge Opening Day in Montreal. 

Four Hit Multi- HR Game: He had the first of three four hit games on the season. McReynolds also had his first multi- HR game of the year with HRs off the Expos Jeff Parrett & Randy St. Clair with four RBIs in the 10-6 Mets win. The Mets hit six HRs that Opening day as McReynolds & Darryl Strawberry both hit two each.

On April 17th he tied up a game against the St. Louis Cardinals with an 8th inning single off Todd Worrell, the Mets went on to a 3-2 win with Kevin Elster's walk off base hit. 

To start the season, he had nine hits in the first three games & was batting over .400 thru his first nine game. He ended April batting .318 with ten RBIs.

On May 11th in Houston, McReynolds singled off Dave Smith in the top of the 10th inning, scoring Howard Johnson with the was to be the games winning run.

From May 25th to May 29th, he had three multi- RBI games. On the season he had twenty multi- RBI games with ten games of three or more RBIs & three five RBI games. 

Walk Off Hit: On June 4th in a wild game at Shea, Gary Carter tied the game u in the bottom of the 9th inning. The Cubs retook the lead in the 11th, but the Mets tied it up when Mike Capel threw a wild pitch allowing Mookie Wilson to score in the bottom of the 11th. 

In the bottom of the 13th, McReynolds hit a walk off HR off Mike Capel to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-5. 

The next day he had three hits & drove in three runs in the 11-3 Mets win at Shea. 

Grand Slam HR: On June 21st McReynolds hit a grand slam HR off Pittsburgh’s Doug Drabek. It was his first Mets grand slam & second of his career. In the Mets five run 8th inning, he added an RBI single to give him a season high five RBI game in Ron Darling's 9-0 shutout over the Pirates, at Shea Stadium. 

From June 27th to July 18th, Mcreynolds drove in 19 runs while batting .348 with five HRs in a 16 game span. He entered July driving in runs in five straight games during an eight-game hit streak. 

HRs In Three Straight Games: In mid-July he hit HRs in three straight games on a road trip thru Houston & Atlanta. On July 10th, McReynolds hit a two-run 1st inning HR off the Astros Danny Darwin. He added another RBI game for his fourth multi- four RBI game of the year.

After the All-Star break, he picked up where he left off. On July 14th, McReynolds had a four RBI game in a 9-8 win at Atlanta. In the 4th inning he hit a three run HR off Rich Mahler giving he Mets an 8-3 win. In the top of the 10th inning, McReynolds singled off Jose Alvarez scoring Daryl Strawberry in what was the games winning run.

On July 26th on a road trip to Philadelphia, McReynolds broke a 5-5 tie with an RBI single in the top of the 7th inning in an eventual 7-5 Met win. 

In the month of July he batted .340 & drove in 22 runs while hitting six HRs. 

Multi- Five RBI Game: On July 27th, at Veterans Stadium, he matched his season best five RBI game while collecting four hits. He hit a three run HR off Dave Palmer, had an RBI double & RBI single in the Mets 10-2 win.

Grand Slam HR: On August 11th at Wrigley Field, the Mets entered the 9th inning down 6-4. Lenny Dykstra's RBI single got them within a run. After pitcher Pat Perry loaded the bases, Rich Gossage was brought in to face McReynolds. 

McReynolds launched his second grand slam of the year giving the Mets a 9-6 lead. They went on for the win. It was his third career grand slam & 17th HR of the season. 

On August 6th he hit a solo HR to tie up a game at Shea, against the Expos, leading to a 4-3 win. 

On August 24th he homered in the 7-1 opening series win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Two days later, on August 24th he helped beat the Dodgers with an 8th inning game winning sac fly off Orel Hershiser. The Mets swept the series.

When the Dodgers came to Shea the next week, he drove in the first of two Mets runs with a double off John Tudor, helping Doc Gooden in a 2-1 win over Tudor. The Mets swept this two-game set as well. 

Trivia: In the 1988 regular season the Mets took ten of eleven games from the Dodgers. 

NL Player of the Month: Down the September stretch McReynolds batted .326 collecting 30 hits, with seven HRs, six doubles & 23 RBIs, while having nine multiple hit games. 

On September 11th he drove in all three runs of Bobby Ojeda's shut out over Montreal. In the 1st inning McReynolds singled bringing in the Mets first run. In the 8th inning, he hit a two run HR off Dennis Martinez for his ninth muti- three RBI Game of the year.

From September 15th to September 24th, he drove in runs in five straight games, with RBIs in six of seven games, totaling 14 RBIs.

On September 15th, he hit his 22nd HR of the year, a two run HR off the Cubs Rick Sutcliffe in a 4-1 Mets win. The next night he drove in another run in a win highlighted by a Greg Jeffries Walk off hit.

Multi- Three RBI Game: On September 17th, he hit a three run HR off Montreal's Jeff Parrett, for his tenth multi- three RBI game of the season.

Record Breaker: On September 21st, in a 4-3 win over the Phillies at Shea Stadium, McReynolds drew a 5th inning walk. He then stole second base for his 21st straight stolen base of the season, setting a then MLB season record.

Trivia: Kevin always showed good speed, in his years with the Mets he stole 59 bases and only got caught ten times.

Mets Clinch the East: On September 22nd, 1988, the Mets clinched the NL Eastern Division. It was also their eighth win in a row as they reached 94 wins. McReynolds had a pair of hits, driving in a run in the 7th with a base hit. That night Ron Darling pitched a complete game win against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.

NL Player of the Week: In the week of September 20th, He also had five straight multi- hit games, earning him the NL Player of the Week Award. He also captured the NL Player of the Month Award.

On the season 1988 season, McReynolds was in the top five in the National League in both HRs
(27) & RBIs (99). He batted .288 with 30 doubles, two triples 82 runs scored & a career high 21 stolen bases. He struck out just 56 times, drew 38 walks posted a .336 on base & .832 OPS.

MVP Voting: Kevin came in third to Kirk Gibson & teammate Daryl Strawberry in the National League MVP voting. The majority of the sports writers who voted for a Mets player voted for either Strawberry or McReynolds, while anyone voting for a Dodger voted solely for Gibson.

In the outfield he helped the Mets win the Eastern title leading all left fielder with 17 outfield
assists, posting a .985 fielding %

Post Season- 1988 NLCS: In the 1988 NLCS loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers McReynolds went hitless in the first three games going 0-11 with two walks.

In Game #1 The Mets entered the 9th inning down 2-0 facing Orel Hershiser. Greg Jeffries singled & with one out Daryl Strawberry doubled, scoring the Mets first run. Hershiser was removed for Jay Howell.

McReynolds drew a walk, with two outs Gary Carter doubled scoring Strawberry & McReynolds.

Barreling Over the Solid Mike Scioscia: As McReynolds came home at full speed, he arrived at the plate the same time ball did. McReynolds raised his shoulder into Dodger catcher Mike Scioscia. He was ruled safe with the go ahead run. Scioscia was arguably one of the best in his era at blocking the plate.

Quotes- Kevin Mcreynolds: " I was pretty much zeroed in on him. I didn't make the choice; he made the choice by where he was standing".

In the Game #4 loss at Shea Stadium, he went back-to-back following Daryl Strawberry's 4th inning HR off John Tudor with a blast to deep left center field.

In the 9th inning, the Mets were leading 4-2 looking to close out the game. But Dwight Gooden served up a two run HR to Mike Scioscia tying up the game. In the 12th Kirk Gibson homered leading to the Dodger win. It turned the series around in LA's favor.

In the Game #4 Mets loss, he was 1-4.

Multi- Three RBI NLCS Game: In the Game #6 win at Dodger Stadium, McReynolds had a big game, collecting four hits, hitting a HR & driving in three of the Mets five runs.  The win tied the Series up at three games each. 

In the 1st inning his sac fly put the first run up on the board. In the 5th Kevin hit a two run HR off former Met Tim Leary putting the Mets up 4-0. They went on to a 5-1 win.

Drama: His worst moment with the media came during an interview before Game #7. When asked how he felt, his reply was "either way I'll be duck hunting tomorrow. The media & the fans didn't like that remark, especially after the Mets lost.

In Game #7, he went hitless as Orel Hershiser shut out New York on a five hitter, ending their promising season in a huge upset. 

Overall, in the 1988 NLCS he batted .250 with two HRs four RBIs, three walks & two stolen bases.

After the Playoffs: In the off season he signed a three-year deal & had the Mets help finance his
new duck hunting club. 

On Opening Day 1989 he drove in a run in the Mets Opening Day win against the St Louis Cardinals. 

RBIs In Six Straight Games:  From April 22nd to April 29th, McReynolds drove in eight runs, with RBIs in six straight games raising his average to .300. The Mets won all six games.

From May 10th to June 3rd, he hit safely in 17 of 19 games.

Multi- Three RBI Game: On June 7th at Wrigley Field, he hit a three run HR off the Cubs Rick Sutcliffe. Earlier he had driven in a run for a four RBI game leading Doc Gooden to his seventh win, in a 10-5 win over the Cubs. He would have four games of four or more RBIs on the season.

On June 17th, he drove in the only run of a 1-0 Bobby Ojeda three hit shutout, with a 1st inning RBI double off the Phillies Larry McWilliams in Philadelphia.

In the month of June Kevin had five of his 18 multi-RBI games of the season. On July 7th, he drove in three runs, for his second game with three RBIs or more on the season. He would drive in three or more runs six times on the year.

Midway through the season, the Mets were 2.5 games back of the Montreal Expos & a game behind the Cubs in third place. McReynolds .280 batting average was one of the best on the club at that point.

Six RBI Game & Hitting for the Cycle: On August 1st, the Mets blew out the Cardinals in St. Louis 11-0. On the day McReynolds had a season high six RBIs, while hitting for the cycle.

 In the top of the 2nd, he led off with a double & then scored on Barry Lyons base hit. In the 6th, he hit a two run HR off Scott Terry for his tenth HR of the season, giving the Mets a 4-0 lead.

In the 8th inning he collected two run double & saved the hardest for last. In the 9th inning he tripled off Ricky Horton, driving in his sixth run of the game. It was his first triple of the year; he would hit two more before the season was over. He also scored three runs in the game.

The next day he broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the 9th inning, with a single scoring Juan Samuel & Howard Johnson with the game winning runs, in the 4-3 win over the Cardinals. 

Walk Off Hit: On a Sunday afternoon game on August 6th, the Mets & Expos went into a five-hour 14 inning 1-1 tie. In the bottom of the 14th McReynolds won the game with a walk off HR off Montreal's Steve Frey.

Two HRs in a Double Header: On August 10th, when the Cards came to Shea, McReynolds hit HRs in both ends of a double header sweep, driving in four runs in the twin bill.

In the month of August, he had his most productive month, driving in 24 runs.

Grand Slam: On August 30th McReynolds hit a grand slam HR off the Dodgers Tim Crews in a 9-3 Mets win at Dodger Stadium. It was the fourth grand slam of his career & third with the Mets. It was his 18th HR & he passed the 70 RBI mark for the sixth straight season.

In September the Mets started the month 2.5 games back of the Cubs. They lost four straight games starting by getting swept by the Giants in San Francisco by the eventual NL Champion champs. By mid-month they were 5.5 games back & never recovered finishing second to Chicago. 

Multi- Four RBI Game: On September 11th, McReynolds had his fourth game of the year where he drove in at least four runs. In the 1st inning he hit his 20th HR of the season, a three-run shot off the Phils Bruce Ruffin. McReynolds now had five straight twenty plus HR seasons.

In the 7th he had an RBI base hit giving Ron Darlings a 5-2 Mets win. Kevin collected three hits in a 5-2 win at Veterans Stadium. 

He closed out the year driving in runs in all three games of the final series at Pittsburgh.

On the year McReynolds hit .272 with 22 HRs 25 doubles, 3 triples 74 runs scored & 85 RBIs (second on the club to Howard Johnson & tenth most in the NL).  stole 15 stolen bases, drew a career high 74 walks, posting a .326 on base % & 775 OPS. In the left field he was second in the league with nine assists, making ten assists overall (5th most in the NL).

1990: The Mets began the year without Keith Hernandez & Gary Carter, the two aging veterans had moved on & the Mets looked different. 

Mcreynolds began the season with a HR in the second game of the year, it came at Shea in a 3-0 win over the Pirates. In the final week of April, he drove in runs in six of eight Mets games.

HRs in Three Straight Games: From May 5th to May 8th, McReynolds hit HRs in three straight games against the Houston Astros. 

On May 6th, he hit HRs in both ends of a double header sweep with the Astros. From May 5th to May 9thhe drove in runs in five straight games, with a total of eight in those games.

That May with the Mets struggling below .500, Davey Johnson was fired getting replaced by Bud Harrelson.

Grand Slam: On May 21st he hit the fifth career grand slam HR, the fourth with the Mets. It came at Dodger Stadium off Mike Morgan in a 12-3 Mets win, behind a Dwight Gooden victory.

On June 5th his 8th inning HR tied the game up against the Montreal Expos, setting the stage for an extra inning walk off HR from Tom O'Malley. 

Multi- HR Four RBI Game: On June 12th, in a slugfest at Wrigley Field, McReynolds hit HRs off Mike Bielecki, a two-run shot & a solo shot off Dean Wilkins. It was the first of four multi- HR games on the season. He reached ten HRs on the season. He drove in four runs in the 19-8 Mets win over the Cubs.

He drove in a run in all four games of the series. 

Next week he hit HRs in back-to-back games in wins over the Cardinals at home.

Four Hit Games: In July McReynolds collected two four hit games, driving in a run in each game. On August 25th he would have his third muti- four hit game of the season.

Multi- HR Six RBI Day: On August 19th in San Francisco, he hit 4th inning two run HR off Mike Lacoss. In 5th, he connected off Lacoss again with a three-run shot giving the Mets a 7-2 lead. In the 6th inning, he singled through the hole driving his sixth run in the Mets 10-9 win. It was his only six RBI Day of the year matching a career high.

As the road trip in California continued, he hit a pair of HRs in a tight 3-2 win at Dodgers Stadium. 

He began September hitting HRs in back-to-back games, collecting four RBIs in the series with the Giants.

with actress Susan Lucci

Multi- Four RBI Game: On September 3rd, he collected his fourth game of the season where he
had four or more RBIs.  

In the 9th inning he hit his 20th HR of the season, coming off St. Louis' Tom Niedenfuer, a three-run shot giving the Mets a 9-0 lead. Mcreynolds now had five straight 20 plus HR seasons.

Multi- HR Game: On September 24th, McReynolds had his fourth multi-HR game of the year, coming in a 4-3 loss to the Cubs in Wrigley Field. He collected his 80th RBI that game giving him five straight seasons of 80 or more RBIs.

Since Bud Harrelson had taken over, the team went 71-49. The Mets won 91 games that year but fell to second place again, four games behind the Pittsburgh Pirates.

At the plate he hit .269 with 24 HRs 23 doubles 75 runs scored & 82 RBIs. He struck out 61 times & drew 77 walks. That year he posted his best on base % in his time in New York (.353%) & had a .808 OPS.

NL Leader in Outfield Assists: In 1990 he led all outfielders in assists with 14 as well as fielding % (.988%). 

1991: Things were different in New York by 1991. Most of the stars from the Championship year, just five years prior were gone. Darryl Strawberry had just signed as a free agent with the Dodgers. Howard Johnson & McReynolds were the biggest offensive guys. 

Between a staff of Dwight Gooden, David Cone & Frank Viola no one won more than 14 games & with the exception of Gooden (13-7) the rest of the staff was .500 or worse. Bud Harrelson led the Mets to a fifth-place finish, their worst in almost a decade.

Multi- Four RBI Game: On April 24th, at Veterans Stadium, he had the first of his two four RBI games of the season. In the 7th inning, he broke a 3-3 tie by hitting a three run HR off Darrel Akerfields. In the 7th he then had an RBI double off Mitch Williams in the 7-3 win over the Phillies.

McReynolds didn't hit over .200 until mid-May

On June 11th, McReynolds drove in both Mets runs, hitting a two run HR off the Braves Charlie Leibrandt in a Frank Viola 2-1 victory at Shea. 

Walk off Grand Slam: On June 25th the Mets entered the bottom of the 9th inning down 5-4 to the Expos. With the bases loaded & two outs, McReynolds hit a grand slam walk off HR off Scott Ruskin. It was his second four RBI game of the season.  

Mets Trivia: McReynolds was the fifth Mets player in franchise history to hit a walk off grand slam HR. He joined Tim Harness (1963) Jim Hickman (1963) Mike Jorgensen (1980) & Tim Teufel (1986).

Walk Off Win: On July 11th, in a three-hit game with his former Padres at Shea, McReynolds game to bat in the bottom of the 9th in a 3-3 tie. He drove an RBI single into centerfield off San Diego's Larry Andersen for the walk off victory. It was his second walk win of the season.

Triva: In his career Kevin McReynolds had eight Mets walk-off game winning hits. With one in each of his first five Mets seasons.

In the month of July he had three multi- Three RBI games, hitting HRs in each of those games. On the season he collected twenty multi- RBI games overall with three or more seven times.

On September 13th in St. Louis, he came to bat in the top of the 10th inning with Howard Johnson on base & two outs facing Willie Fraser. McReynolds hit a two run HR which led the Mets to the 4-2 win. On October 1st & 2nd he hit HRs in back-to-back games at Pittsburgh, driving in three runs in each contest. It was the only time on the year he had back-to-back HR games.

Mcreynolds's fell to a .259 batting average that year, although he still hit 16 HRs with 32 doubles for his fourth 30 plus doubles season. He had twenty or more doubles in five straight seasons. He scored 65 runs with 74 RBIs posting a .322 on base % & .738 OPS.

More Negative Press: By now the fans were restless & once again they took it out on McReynolds. The media critiqued him as well, saying his slow demeanor, was a sign of laziness & not caring.

Blockbuster Trade: In the 1991 off season, he was involved in a blockbuster deal, getting traded to the Kansas City Royals along with Greg Jeffries & Keith Miller for Cy Young Award winning Pitcher Bret Saberhagen & Bill Pecota.

Post Mets Career: He played two seasons in Kansas City but at age 31 he seemed to be winding down in his career as his skills were clearly fading. 

In two years in Kansas City, he hit a best .247 the first season with 13 HRs 49 RBIs & .776 OPS. He put up his career best on base % (.357) since his big 1986 year in San Diego (.357%). He also drew 67 walks, second most in his career. In 1993 he batted .245 with 11 HRs 42 RBIs & a .316% on base %.

Return to Mets: In the winter of 1994 he was sent back to the New York Mets in exchange for Vince Coleman. 

The Mets had finally had enough of the ridiculous Coleman & his antics, especially the throwing of an M-80 fire work in the parking lot of Dodger Stadium that injured a child.

On Opening Day 1994, McReynolds had two hits with an RBI for the Mets at Wrigley Field. On May 7th he drove in the only run of the game with aground rule double against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Multi HR Game: On June 12th, he hit two HRs off Expo pitchers, Gabe White & Mel Rojas giving him his first multi-HR game since the 1990 season. In 8th inning he broke a 44 tie with a solo HR off Rojas, leading to the 5-4 win. In that game he also tripled, collecting three extra base hits.

He had Knee problems & injuries that limited him to just 51 games. The injuries would end his career as well by the age 33. McReynolds played in 51 games in that strike shortened season, batting .256 with 4 HRs 11 doubles & 21 RBIs. 

Mets Career Stats: McReynolds played six seasons in New York appearing in 787 games (24th most in Mets history). 

In left field he is second to Cleon Jines with 758 games played.

He batted .265 with 791 hits (18th on Mets all-time list). He hit 122 HRs (11th on Mets all-time list).

McReynolds has 153 doubles (15th on Mets all-time list) 14 triples 405 runs scored & 456 RBIs (12th on Mets all-time list). He also posted a .331 on base % & .790 OPS. He has 33 sac flies (9th on Mets all-time list) & 67 stolen bases (20th on Mets all-time list).

Career Stats: In his 12 season MLB career McReynolds played in 1502 games, was a lifetime .256 hitter, with 1439 hits 211 HRs 284 doubles 35 triples 727 runs scored & 807 RBIs. He struck out 707 times, with 522 walks. He posted a .328 on base % & .775 OPS. 

He stole 93 bases in 125 attempts. He also had 66 sac flies.

In the outfield he played 1069 games in left (61st all time) with 1469 games at all outfield positions.

McReynolds made 100 outfield assists posting a .987 fielding %. His .985 fielding % in left field in 41st all time. 

 In left field his .985 fielding % is 45th all time & his 67 assists in that position is #56 all time.

Family: Kevin met his wife Jackie while in high school. In 1988 they were married & have two daughters. They reside in Little Rock.

Retirement: McReynolds is an avid fisherman & duck hunter. He ran the Double Deuce Duck Club in Arkansas for thirty years.