Mets honor special 1986 World Series team that lived up to lofty expectations in unusual way

Mookie Wilson called the 1986 Mets squad “a special team.” Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.It’s an easy thing to say about a group of players that won 108 games in the regular season and the team’s second championship.But given that four decades have passed and the Mets are still looking for their third title, it still rings true.“The personalities were so different [and] the cultures were so different,’’ Wilson said Saturday at Citi Field.

“It’s unusual to find that many different personalities come together and play in harmony.… We found a way to win.

We all wanted to win.Teams and players in general are defined by their expectations and people expected us to win.

And we expected us to win.”Forty years later, as the organization celebrated the anniversary of its last World Series-winning team, the Mets are finding out again how hard it is to win a title, no matter how high the expectations may have been.But in 1986, after winning 98 games the year prior, manager Davey Johnson told the team in spring training they would “dominate.We’re going to blow the rest of the division away.”“I thought he was crazy,” Wilson said Saturday of the proclamation.

“I knew we had a good club.I thought it was odd Davey would say it in that manner: ‘Man, you put your foot in it.’”Johnson proved to be right and he was remembered fondly at Saturday’s ceremony after passing away in September.“That was Davey,’’ Wilson said of Johnson’s public confidence.

“I don’t think any other manager could have handled this club.Davey was one of us.

He was willing to go out on a limb.We were willing to be ourselves.”Roger McDowell was in his second season in the majors in 1986 and also credited Johnson for being a vital part of winning it all.“I don’t think anybody knew the players like Davey did,’’ McDowell said.

“We had platoo...