GIANTS TOO BIG FOR CUBS
Friday, May 9, 1969
The San Francisco Giants didn’t need their best hitter to beat up on the Chicago Cubs.
With slugging first baseman Willie McCovey sitting out with an injury, the Frisco lineup was still able to pound the Chicago staff for 11 runs in an ugly rout at Wrigley. Leadoff man Don Mason went 3 for 6 with 3 RBI, Ken Henderson also went 3 for 6 while knocking in 2, and Bob Burda had 4 RBI including a 3-run homer in a 5-run outburst in the 7th that broke the game open for the Giants.
Cubs starter Bill Hands gave up 10 hits and 4 runs through 5 innings and suffered the loss. Leo Durocher was a frequent visitor to the mound, as the Chicago manager summoned 5 pitchers from the bullpen. After Ted Abernathy allowed three runners without recording an out in the 6th, Rich Nye was touched for 4 runs in just 2/3 of an inning. Phil Regan only made things worse by giving up 2 runs over 2 innings pitched.
Ironically, the top three men in the Chicago lineup – Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, and Billy Williams, were on base all day with 7 hits between them. But the Cubs managed just one run, on Willie Smith’s solo shot in the 4th off winning pitcher Bobby Bolin.
Giants 11, Cubs 1 W: Bolin (2-2) L: Hands (3-4) SV: Gibbon (2)
***
The idle New York Mets picked up a half-game in the standings and remained in fourth place in the division.
NL EAST STANDINGS
Team Name W L PCT GB Chicago Cubs 19 11 .633 - Pittsburgh Pirates 16 12 .571 2.0 Philadelphia Phillies 12 13 .480 4.5 New York Mets 12 15 .444 5.5 St. Louis Cardinals 12 16 .429 6.0 Montreal Expos 10 17 .370 7.5
“RECREATING THE MIRACLE SEASON” is a look back at the storied division race between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets in 1969. Keep checking back throughout the 2009 season to get the game stories from 40 years ago to the day. This on-going feature is brought to you by the book 1969: The Year Everything Changed, available now from Skyhorse Publishing.
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Tags: 1960s, 1969, Bill Hands, Billy Williams, Chicago Cubs, Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, Leo Durocher, Phil Regan, Rich Nye, Rob Kirkpatrick, San Francisco Giants, Ted Abernathy, Willie Smith
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