On June 18, 1989, after a Mets–Phillies game, the Phillies traded Samuel to the Mets for McDowell and Lenny Dykstra. Dykstra was a career .278 hitter with the Mets and had not equaled his 1986 season when he hit .295. Dykstra flourished in Philadelphia and went on to be named to three All-Star teams in six full seasons with the Phillies, finish in the top ten in National League Most Valuable Player voting twice, and help lead the Phillies to the 1993 National League pennant. McDowell saved 45 games for the Phillies in parts of three seasons and became a fan favorite. The trade was a bust for the Mets as Samuel hit only .228 for the Mets in 1989 and was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1989 season. It signaled an ascent of the Phillies which culminated in their 1993 National League pennant and the demise of the Mets in the early 1990s. "Sports Illustrated" writer and Mets fan David Vecsey counts the Dykstra trade as one of the five worst in Mets history, writing, "Never mind that Dykstra was better than Samuel, this trade was devastating to Mets fans on a purely personal level. With one phone call, GM Joe McIlvaine gutted the team of its heart." The trade also ushered in a period of bad blood between the two teams.