At the end of a season that began so promisingly, the Cubs saved a little face with a win against the Mets at Wrigley in the regular season finale for both teams.

New York jumped out to two runs in the first, both on a single by Ken Boswell. Gary Gentry, the team’s projected no. 3 starter for the playoffs, gave up one run in a four-inning tuneup.  Don Cardwell took the loss, giving up four runs in two innings. Ernie Banks had a triple, home run, and three RBI for the Cubs. Ron Santo also homered. Bill Hands allowed three runs in five innings before rookie Joe Decker came on to earn his first Major League win with four scoreless innings in relief.  Chicago won despite committing four errors in the field.

Recapping from 1969: The Year Everything Changed:

During the season finale on October 2, one member of the Bleacher Bums tossed a smoke bomb onto the field near Cleon Jones that sent a stream of red smoke wafting into the air. Later, a procession of Bums left their seats, made their way past the Wrigley Field ushers, and found their way down to the top of the home and visitor dugouts, where they tried to take over the show. They eventually returned to the left-field stands, and after the last out of a meaningless win, they climbed over the ivy-covered outfield wall and jumped onto the field. Some ran around the infield and slid into bases, urged on by civilian base coaches. In the ugliness, one girl severely hurt her back and was taken to the hospital, and another girl suffered an ankle injury. Amid the commotion, the park’s organist mockingly played “Happy Days Are Here Again.” The season had come to a bitter conclusion. As one player had said before the final game, “This is just like the last day of school. I can hardly wait for it to end.”

Cleon Jones went 2 for 5 and finished third in the National League with a .340 average. Pete Rose won the batting title with a .348 mark, and Roberto Clemente finished strong at .345. Next up for Jones and the Mets: Game One of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday, October 4.

Cubs 5, Mets 3.  W: Decker (1-0)  L: Cardwell (8-10)

FINAL NL EAST STANDINGS          W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets                  100   62    0  .617     -   632  541
Chicago Cubs                    92   70    1  .568   8.0   720  611
Pittsburgh Pirates              88   74    0  .543  12.0   725  652
St. Louis Cardinals             87   75    0  .537  13.0   595  540
Philadelphia Phillies           63   99    0  .389  37.0   645  745
Montreal Expos                  52  110    0  .321  48.0   582  791

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The Mets’s had their scoreless innings pitched streak snapped, but they kept their winning streak going.

New York won 6-5 in 12 innings at Wrigley to record their 100th victory of the season. The Mets looked to have won it in the top of the 9th when Tommie Agee doubled off Cubs starter Ken Holtzman to drive in two runs. But Nolan Ryan walked the first two men he faced in the bottom of the inning, and both came around to score. Ron Taylor stranded the winning run at second, and the game proceeded into extra innings.

The game stayed knotted until the top of the 12th, when Bud Harrelson led off with a double off Dick Selma and then scored on a single from Art Shamsky. Rookie Bob Johnson took the mound for New York in the bottom of the 12th and preserved the win despite giving up a one-out double to Ernie Banks.

Tug McGraw pitched two scoreless innings for the Mets after Jerry Koosman went the first five. Bud Harrelson and Tommie Agee both went 2 for 6 with 2 RBI. Cleon Jones went 1 for 5 and now sits at .339 in the batting race.

Dick Young went 2 for 5 with a home run for the Cubs, while Paul Popovich, Billy Williams, and Ernie Banks each went 2 for 6.

Mets 6, Cubs 5 (12 inn.).  W: Taylor (9-4)  L: Selma (12-10)  SV: Johnson (1)

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With Bill Hands pitching the Cubs to a win over the Expos at Wrigley today, the Mets had to take care of business themselves if they wanted to clinch the Eastern Division of the National League.

And take care of business they did, scoring five runs out of the gate off Steve Carlton, the starting pitcher for the National League in this past summer’s All-Star game.

Don Clendenon got the scoring started in a big way with his first inning home run, after Bud Harrelson had lead off with a single and Tommie Agee reached on a walk.  Two batters latter, Ed Charles went deep with a two-run shot to knock Carlton out of the box, and the Shea Stadium crowd could sense that this was the Mets’ night.

From there, rookie Gary Gentry kept the Cardinals at bay, allowing just four hits on the night. Clendenon homered again in the fifth inning, his fifteenth roundtripper of the season, to give the Mets another insurance run.

Gentry carried the shutout into the ninth. Lou Brock and Vic Davalillo both singled to open the inning. But Gentry struck out Vada Pinson for the first out, and the next batter, Joe Torre, bounced a tailor-made groundball to Harrelson. The Mets shortstop threw to Al Weis for the out at second, and Weis turned and fired to Clendenon for the final out of the game.

I recount what happened next in 1969: The Year Everything Changed:

Mets announcer Lindsey Nelson officially proclaimed: “At 9:07 on September 24th, the Mets have won the championship of the  Eastern Division of the National League!”

As the Mets players ran into the dugout and began spraying champagne inside the locker room, fans stormed the field to celebrate an event that had seemed unthinkable in the team’s first seven years. In what the Associated Press called “one of the most incredible souvenir-snatching safaaris in baseball history,” the Shea crowd tore up as much as 1,500 square feet of sod. The AP quoted a police report the next day that summarized the festive damage: “They celebrated by  breaking three wheels off the batting cage and stripping the netting off it. They celebrated by tearing up the all-weather matting in the coaches’ boxes behind first and third base. They celebrated by taking pieces of the scoreboard. They celebrated by stealing home plate.” Fans also sprayed graffiti across the wall in centerfield and stole the stadium’s American flag from atop its outfield post.

The Mets now await the winner of the National League West, which the Atlanta Braves currently lead by 1.5 games over the San Francisco Giants and 3 over the Cincinnati Reds.

Cubs 6, Expos 3.  W: Hands (19-14)  L: Renko (6-7)

Mets 6, Cardinals 0.  W: Gentry (12-12)  L: Carlton (17-11)

***

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets*                  96   61    0  .611     -   615  531
Chicago Cubs                    90   67    1  .573   6.0   706  595
Pittsburgh Pirates              82   73    0  .529  13.0   691  632
St. Louis Cardinals             82   74    0  .526  13.5   567  527
Philadelphia Phillies           62   92    0  .403  32.5   624  711
Montreal Expos                  52  105    0  .331  44.0   574  762
* clinched division

NL WEST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
Atlanta Braves                  89   68    0  .567     -   667  613
San Francisco Giants            87   69    0  .558   1.5   690  619
Cincinnati Reds                 85   70    1  .548   3.0   771  750
Los Angeles Dodgers             82   74    0  .526   6.5   628  538
Houston Astros                  78   76    0  .506   9.5   652  638
San Diego Padres                50  106    0  .321  38.5   447  716

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The Mets trailed the Cardinals 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth, but Art Shamsky singled in Tommie Agee to tie the game.  Four innings of scoreless relief from Tug McGraw carried the game into the bottom of the eleventh. Ron Swoboda singled off starter Bob Gibson with one out, Jerry Grote’s hit moved him to second, and Bud Harrelson punched a single into leftfield to score Swoboda with the winning run. New York’s Jim McAndrew started and gave up just two unearned runs in seven innings before leaving in favor of a pinch-hitter.

With the win and Chicago’s loss, the Mets’s magic number is down to 1.

Mets 3, Cardinals 2 (11 inn.).  W: McGraw (9-3)  L: Gibson (18-13)

Ken Holtzman’s second-half struggles continued, as he lasted just three innings and gave up five runs to visiting Montreal. Bob Bailey drove in three runs, and both Rusty Staub and Ron Fairly went deep for the Expos.

Expos 7, Cubs 3.  W: Stoneman (11-18)  L: Holtzman (17-12)

***

NL EAST                              W    L    T   PCT    GB    M#
New York Mets                  95   61    0  .609     -       1
Chicago Cubs                    89   67    1  .571   6.0     -

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The Mets rebounded after getting no-hit the day before to sweep a Sunday doubleheader at Shea and take a big step toward claiming the National League Eastern Division title.  Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell gave the New York bullpen the day off by each going nine full innings.  Art Shamsky went a combined 4 for 7 with a home run, 4 runs scored, a two RBI; and Ken Boswell went 3 for 6 on the day. 

The Mets’ magic number is now 4. 

Mets 5, Pirates 3 (1).  W: Koosman (16-9)  L: Ellis (10-17)

Mets 6, Pirates 1 (2).  W: Cardwell (8-9)  L: Blass (15-10)

Fergie Jenkins has been a workhorse for the Cubs in ‘69, and on Sunday he threw his 22nd complete game and collected his 21nd win. Reserve shortstop Paul Popovich went an impressive 3 for 3 and scored twice, and Randy Hundley hit a two-run shot for Chicago.

Cubs 4, Cardinals 3.  W: Jenkins (21-14)  L: Taylor (7-5)

***

NL EAST                             W    L    T   PCT    GB   M# 
New York Mets                   93   61    0  .604     -      4 
Chicago Cubs                    89   66    1  .574   4.5    -

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The Mets may be in first place, but the Pirates are looking like the top team in the East right now.

Bob Moose threw a no-hitter at Shea, giving Pirates their third win in two days against New York. Moose walked 3 and struck out 6. After walking Rod Gaspar to lead off the ninth, Moose got Tommie Agee to pop up, retired Wayne Garrett on a ground out to third, and then secured the no-hitter when Art Shamsky grounded out to second.

Pirates 4, Mets 0. W: Moose (12-3)  L: Gentry (11-12) 

Errors by All-Stars Ron Santo and Glenn Beckert opened the door for four Cardinals runs as St. Louis emerged with a victory in Wrigley, despite a triple and home run from Jim Hickman.

Cardinals 4, Cubs 1.  W: Carlton (17-10)  L: Hands (18-14)  SV: Grant (7)

Friday, September 19, 1969

Looking for something to build off next year, the improving Pittsburgh Pirates jumped on the streaking New York Mets to sweep a doubleheader at Shea. Matty Alou led the charge in game one by going 4 for 4 with 3 RBI, and Willie Stargell was 3 for 5 with a home run and 2 RBI in the second game. New York’s Al Weis went a combined 4 for 7 on the day and Jerry Grote a combined 3 for 6.

Pirates 8, Mets 2 (1).  W: Veale (13-12)  L: Ryan (6-3)

Pirates 8, Mets 0 (2). W: Walker (3-6)  L: McAndrew (6-7)

Both Ken Holtzman and Bob Gibson recorded extra-inning complete games in the front end of a doubleheader at Wrigley, and Jim Hickman touched Gibson for a double with two outs bottom of tenth to drive in Billy Williams with the winning run.  The Cardinals struck back with 5 runs, 3 unearned, off the Chicago bullpen to pull away in game two.

Cubs 2, Cardinals 1 (1, 10 inn.).  W: Holtzman (17-11)  L: Gibson (18-12)

Cardinals 7, Cubs 2.  W: Torrez (9-4)  L: Selma (12-9)

***

STANDINGS AT CLOSE OF PLAY ON 9/20/69

NL EAST                              W    L    T   PCT    GB 
New York Mets                   91   61    0  .599     - 
Chicago Cubs                    88   66    1  .571   4.0
Pittsburgh Pirates              82   70    0  .539   9.0 
St. Louis Cardinals             82   70    0  .539   9.0
Philadelphia Phillies           61   91    0  .401  30.0 
Montreal Expos                  50  104    0  .325  42.0

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Tom Seaver stayed in his groove, going the distance in a five-hit shutout while striking out nine Expos hitters. Ed Kranepool homered and singled to drive in both runs of the game. Seaver has now won eight consecutive games while lowering his season ERA to 2.33.

Mets 2, Expos 0.  W: Seaver (23-7)  L: Stoneman (10-18)

The Cubs strung together 3 runs in the bottom of the seventh to temporarily take the lead, only to see Philadelphia answer back with 3 runs in the top of the eighth off Rich Nye and Phil Regan to regain the lead. Chicago rookie Joe Decker started and gave up two runs in six solid innings.

Phillies 5, Cubs 3. W: Jackson (16-13)  L: Regan (12-6)

***

NL EAST                             W    L    T   PCT    GB  
New York Mets                   91   58    0  .611     - 
Chicago Cubs                    87   64    1  .576   5.0

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Fergie Jenkins recorded his 20th win of the season despite allowing 12 hits and 4 walks in 7 1/3 innings to the Phillies at Wrigley. The Cubs seemed to break open a tie game with 5 runs in the bottom of the sixth, highlighted by Jenkins’ own triple with the bases loaded, and another in the seventh. But Philly struck back with 4 in the top of the eighth before Rich Nye righted the ship with 1 1/3 scoreless innings to close out the game. Ron Santo went 3 for 3 with a 2-run homer and 3 RBI, and Billy Williams was 3 for 4 with a home run and scored three times.

Cubs 9, Phillies 7.  W: Jenkins (20-14)  L: Champion (5-10)  SV: Nye (3)

Jerry Koosman was untouchable on the mound in Montreal, tossing a six-hit shutout against the Expos. Leadoff man Wayne Garrett had two hits and two RBI for the Mets, Ken Boswell was 2 for 3 and scored a run, and Al Weis was 2 for 5 and knocked in a run.

Mets 5, Expos 0.  W: Koosman (15-9)  L: Waslewski (2-9)

NL EAST                               W    L    T   PCT    GB   
New York Mets                   90   58    0  .608     -  
Chicago Cubs                    87   63    1  .580   4.0

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Someone old and someone new helped make Expos fans blue.

Billy Williams, owner of the National League consecutive games record, struck a two-run shot and rookie Oscar Gamble hit his first Major League home run as the Cubs edged Montreal.  Glenn Beckert also went 3 for 5 for Chicago.

Bill Hands pitched well for seven innings but gave up a two-run home run by Mack Jones to cut the Chicago lead to one run and then walked ex-Met Kevin Collins to put the trying run on first. But after Phil Regan came on in relief, catcher Randy Hundley caught pinch-runner Remy Hermoso stealing, and Regan then retired the next four Expos hitters to close out the game.

Cubs 5, Expos 4.  W: Hands (18-13)  L: Robertson (5-14)  SV: Regan (17)

The first-place Mets were idle today.

***

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB
New York Mets                   89   58    0  .605     -
Chicago Cubs                    86   63    1  .577   4.0

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Dick Selma lost his fourth straight decision as the host Expos, who sit in the NL East cellar with 100 losses, pummeled the second-place Cubs. First baseman Ron Fairly went 3 for 3 with a home run and 4 RBI, and second baseman Gary Sutherland was 4 for 5.

Expos 8, Cubs 2.  W: Wegener (5-12)  L: Selma (12-8)

Two days after hitting a game-winning grand slam, Ron Swoboda clubbed a pair of two-run homers to lead the Mets over the Cardinals in St. Louis. His second blast came in the eighth inning off starter Steve Carlton to give New York the lead for good. Tug McGraw took over for Gary Gentry in the seventh and pitched three shutout innings for the win.

Mets 4, Cards 3.  W: McGraw (8-3)  L: Carlton (16-10)

***

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets                   89   58    0  .605     -   583  504
Chicago Cubs                    85   63    1  .574   4.5   671  554
St. Louis Cardinals             79   68    0  .537  10.0   539  495
Pittsburgh Pirates              77   69    0  .527  11.5   644  600
Philadelphia Phillies           59   87    0  .404  29.5   584  663
Montreal Expos                  48  100    0  .324  41.5   536  722

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