Welcome back to Howard Johnson’s 1986 Time Machine — where we don’t just remember Mets history… we drop you right into it.

In Episode 2, we set the dial to February 24 – March 1, 1986, as Spring Training opens at historic Al Lang Stadium — the Mets’ 25th straight spring home. The sun is out. The roster is loaded. And expectations have officially arrived.

We revisit the rising pressure on Darryl Strawberry coming off injury, the October-minded acquisition of Bob Ojeda, and the strategic chess moves of manager Davey Johnson.

Inside the clubhouse, battles are brewing — Backman vs. Teufel, HoJo vs. Knight — while a clean-shaven George Foster arrives knowing his Mets future may be on the line.

Meanwhile, a cloud hangs over Keith Hernandez following the Pittsburgh drug trials, with Commissioner Peter Ueberroth yet to rule. Add in public arbitration results for Dwight Gooden and Ron Darling, and suddenly Spring Training feels like serious business.

Forty years later, we look back at a week when money, pressure, uncertainty, and opportunity all collided — and the 1986 season truly began.

Next week: competition intensifies, and a freak drill injury changes everything.

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