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Sunday, September 14, 1969

Steve Blass pitched his way around 11 hits and broke the Mets’ 10-game winning streak.

New York battled back to tie the game after trailing 3-0, but Blass himself singled in the go-ahead run for Pittsburgh and then made the lead hold up.  Starter Nolan Ryan took just his second loss of the season.

Bud Harrelson tallied three hits in the leadoff spot for the Mets, while Ed Charles and Jerry Grote had two hits apiece and all three men scored once.

Pirates 5, Mets 3.  W: Blass (15-9)  L: Ryan (6-2)

Chicago’s Ken Holtzman and St. Louis’s Bob Gibson both carried a pitcher’s duel into the 10th inning, when Lou Brock won it for the home team with a walk-off home run. Gibson held the Cubs to just seven hits, two by Holtzman and two by recently acquired centerfielder Jimmie Hall.

Despite pitching well, Holtzman fell to 0-3 in the month of September.

Cardinals 2, Cubs 1 (10 inn.).  W: Gibson (18-11)  L: Holtzman (16-11)

***

NL EAST                               W    L    T   PCT    GB 
New York Mets                   88   58    0  .603     -  
Chicago Cubs                     85   62    1  .578   3.5 

Saturday, September 13, 1969

Ron Swoboda struck a grand slam in the eighth inning off reliever Chuck Hartenstein to power the Mets to a comeback win, their tenth straight victory. Tom Seaver went the distance to win his seventh consecutive decision.

Mets 5, Pirates 2.  W: Seaver (22-7)  L: Walker (2-6)

Meanwhile, Fergie Jenkins fell apart in the eighth in St. Louis as the Cardinals mounted their own four-run rally, with Joe Torre and Tim McCarver knocking in two runs apiece on singles. 

Jim Hickman and Randy Hundley had each homered for Chicago, while Billy Williams went 2 for 5 with an RBI.

Cardinals 7, Cubs 4.  W: Grant (8-11)  L: Jenkins (19-11)  SV: Hoerner (15)

BONUS GAME

With four teams all within 3.5 games of each other atop the National League West coming into Saturday, the Astros and Braves locked in an epic matchup. Houston’s Larry Dierker hurled an amazing 12 scoreless innings, nearly matched by Phil Niekro’s11 shutout frames. The Astros looked to have won it when Jimmy Wynn singled in two runs off Cecil Upshaw in the top of the 13th, but then closer Fred Gladding was touched for a single, double, walk, and single and was eventually charged with the loss when Wade Blassingame walked Bob Aspromonte to force in the winning run. The extra-innings win kept Atlanta in first place by one game over Cincinnati in the West.

Braves 3, Astros 2 (13 inn.).  W: Doyle (2-0)  L: Gladding (3-7)

***

NL STANDINGS

EAST                             G    W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets                  145   88   57    0  .607     -   576  496
Chicago Cubs                   147   85   61    1  .582   3.5   668  544
St. Louis Cardinals            145   78   67    0  .538  10.0   534  490
Pittsburgh Pirates             143   76   67    0  .531  11.0   635  591
Philadelphia Phillies          143   57   86    0  .399  30.0   576  652
Montreal Expos                 146   46  100    0  .315  42.5   521  718

WEST                             G    W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
Atlanta Braves                 146   81   65    0  .555     -   615  582
Cincinnati Reds                143   78   64    1  .549   1.0   724  709
Los Angeles Dodgers            143   78   65    0  .545   1.5   593  488
San Francisco Giants           145   79   66    0  .545   1.5   645  592
Houston Astros                 143   75   68    0  .524   4.5   625  589
San Diego Padres               145   45  100    0  .310  35.5   404  665

Saturday, September 12, 1969

Jerry Koosman and Don Cardwell were a pair of one-act men for the Mets in Pittsburgh.

Koosman tossed a three-hit shutout in game one of a doubleheader at Forbes Field and also chipped in with an RBI single in the fifth inning to score the only run of the game.

Not to be outdone, Cardwell threw eight shutout innings in the nightcap and also produced the only run of the game with his second inning single to drive in Bud Harrelson. Cardwell got out of a jam in the eighth, after his wild pitch moved the potential tying run to third, by striking out pinch-hitters Jose Pagan and Roberto Clemente. Tug McGraw then came on to pitch a scoreless ninth and preserve the doubleheader sweep.

The first-place Mets have now won nine games in a row. 

Mets 1, Pirates 0 (1).  W: Koosman (14-9) L: Moose (10-3)

Mets 1, Pirates 0 (2). W: Cardwell (7-9)  L: Ellis (9-16)  SV: McGraw (12)

After giving up a single run in the first inning, Chicago’s Bill Hands settled in and held the Cardinals scoreless the rest of the way at Busch Stadium. Ernie Banks led the comeback charge for the Cubs with an RBI single in the seventh and a bases-loaded double in the eighth.

The win broke Chicago’s eight-game losing streak 

Cubs 5, Cardinals 1.  W: Hands (17-13)  L: Taylor (7-3)

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                          W    L    T   PCT    GB  
New York Mets              87   57    0  .604     -  
Chicago Cubs               85   60    1  .586   2.5

Thursday, September 11, 1969

The New York Mets and Chicago Cubs are like two ships passing each other in the National League East.  The Mets are sailing upward while the Cubs are steadily sinking.

The Mets downed the Expos for the third time in two days at Shea, this time behind a dominant performance by Gary Gentry. The 22-year-old righthander hurled a six-hit shutout, striking out nine while walking only two to even his season record.  Meanwhile, New York’s leadoff man Tommie Agee collected two hits and scored twice, fellow Alabama native Cleon Jones also crossed the plate twice, and Ken Boswell, yesterday’s extra-inning hero, went 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Mets 4, Expos 0.  W: Gentry (11-11)  L: Robertson (5-13)

Meanwhile, the Cubs remained in a rut in Philly. Dick Selma carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the 8th inning, but Tony Taylor collected his third hit of the day with a leadoff double, John Briggs followed with a double to tie the game, and then slugger Dick Allen struck a home run to put the home team up by two. Willie Smith homered in the top of the ninth off starter Jeff James (who made his first appearance of the season) to draw Chicago within one, but Grant Jackson came on to get the final out.

Phillies 4, Cubs 3.  W: James (1-0)  L: Selma (12-7)  SV: Jackson (1)

Since August 13, when the Mets were in third place in the division and 9 1/2 games behind Chicago, New York has won 23 of 29 games while the Cubs have struggled at a pace of 10-17. 

NL EAST

                                             W    L    T   PCT    GB  
New York Mets                 85   57    0  .599     -  
Chicago Cubs                   84   60    1  .583   2.0

Wednesday, September 10, 1969.

The unthinkable has happened.  The New York Mets are in first place.

The Mets began play a half-game behind Chicago, which had been in first place in the National League East since the very first day of the season, and had as recently as August 13 led New York by 9 1/2 games in the standings.

The Shea Stadium crowd cheered the Amazins Wednesday evening as the home took the field for the first game of a doubleheader against the last-place Montreal Expos. New York’s Jim McAndrew worked through a rocky first and second innings, giving up a single run in each, before settling into a groove and turning in a heroic, 11-inning gem – allowing just one hit over his last nine frames. At the same time, Expos starter Mike Wegener was just as good, lasting 11 innings himself and allowing just two runs himself – one on a first-inning Art Shamsky single that scored Tommie Agee, and another when Wegener balked in Agee from third in the fifth inning.

From there, it was a nail-biting test of endurance, with neither team crossing the plate in the next six innings. Ron Taylor relieved McAndrew in the top of the 12th, and Agee threw out Remy Hermoso at the plate for the last out of the inning. In the bottom half of the 12th, the Expos’ Bill Stoneman came on for a rare relief appearance. Cleon Jones singled with two outs and moved to second on Rod Gaspar’s walk, and Ken Boswell proved the hero with a game-winning RBI single.

Mets 3, Expos 2 (1, 12 inn.).  W: Taylor (8-4)  L: Stoneman (9-17)

Meanwhile, the slumping Chicago Cubs were on their way to another loss. Starter Ken Holtzman left after seven innings with his team trailing 3-2, and reliever Phil Regan poured gasoline on the fire by allowing three more runs without recording a single out. After winning 10 of his first 11 decisions, Holtzman has now lost nine of his last 15.  Rick Wise tossed a complete game for the Phils, allowing just one unearned run.

Phillies 6, Cubs 2.  W: Wise (13-11)  L: Holtzman (16-10)

With the second game of the Mets-Expos doubleheader underway, the home fans took to watching the out-of-town scoreboard. When the electronic “F” flashed to signal the end of the Cubs game, the Mets fans began to dance in the aisles.  Regardless of the outcome of the nightcap, the Mets were now assured of waking up the next morning in first place. The scoreboard operator ran a celebratory message that seemed aimed just as much to the rest of the league as it was to the Shea faithful: LOOK WHO’S NO. 1.

In the third inning of game two, Jerry Grote’s leadoff double sparked a 6-run rally, and Nolan Ryan made the lead hold up en route to a 7-1 blowout. Ken Boswell recorded three hits, with Art Shamsky and Bud Harrelson each tallying two. When John Bateman flied out to Rod Gaspar for the final out, the Mets had moved into a full-game lead in the National League East.

Mets 7, Expos 1 (2).  W: Ryan (6-1)  L: Reed (6-6)

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                                 W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets                   84   57    0  .596     -   565  494
Chicago Cubs                     84   59    1  .587   1.0   656  532

Tuesday, September 9, 1969

A black cat visited the Chicago Cubs dugout, and now the Cubs are wondering if it’s an omen for their 1969.

As Don Kessinger stepped into the batter’s box, a stray black cat in circled Glenn Beckert in the visitor’s on-deck circle, hissed at manager Leo Durocher, and then scampered back under the stands of Shea Stadium.

Are the Cubs jinxed?  Some people might say so, as Chicago’s division lead has now shrunk to just one-half game with the Mets 7-1 victory on Tuesday night. 

Ken Boswell got the scoring started with a two-run double in the bottom of the first inning. Two innings later, Art Shamsky was picked off by Fergie Jenkins but remained alive when Chicago’s Glenn Beckert botched the run down. Don Clendenon followed with a two-run shot to give the Mets a 4-0 lead.

New York starter Tom Seaver allowed the Cubs’s only run of the game on a Ron Santo single in the fourth. But the Mets added single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh to pull away. Art Shamsky hit a solo homer, and both Tommie Agee and Jerry Grote went 2 for 4.  Seaver went the distance in a masterful effort, giving up just five hits while striking out five.  His counterpart tallied nine strikeouts but proved very hittable, allowing ten hits and seven runs (two unearned) in seven innings of work.

With New York’s two-game series sweep of the Cubs, Chicago leaves town with the slimmest of leads in the division and actually one more loss on the season than the (for the moment) second-place Mets. Next up, the last-place Expos come to Shea for a three-game series, while the Cubs remain on the road and head to Philadelphia.

Can the New York Mets, baseball’s loveable losers for the past seven seasons, move into first place?  Tune in tomorrow to find out…

Mets 7, Cubs 1.  W: Seaver (21-7)  L: Jenkins (19-13)

***

                                              W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    84   58    1  .592     -  
New York Mets                  82   57    0  .590   0.5  

Monday, September 8, 1969

Jerry Koosman answered Bill Hands’s knockdown pitches and the Mets stood up to the Cubs in the opener of their crucial two-game series at Shea.

Hands, looking to deliver a message to the pesky Mets, knocked down leadoff batter Tommie Agee not once but twice in the first inning. But Koosman responded by drilling Cubs leader Ron Santo to begin the second inning, and then the lefthander proceeded to strand Santo on first by striking out the next three batters.

In the bottom of the third, Agee got his own measure of revenge. With two outs and Bud Harrelson standing on first, Agee drove a Hands offering over the fence to give the home team a 2-0 lead.

Koosman faltered in the top of the sixth. He gave up a run by surrendering singles to Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert, and Billy Williams to begin the inning, and then Ron Santo’s sacrifice fly tied the game.

But again, New York answered back. Agee led off the bottom of the inning with a double and came around to score on Wayne Garrett’s single.

Koosman hung tough from there. Chicago threatened in the eighth when Beckert and Williams opened the inning with consecutive singles, but then Koosman induced Santo to ground into a double play, short to second to first. Ernie Banks stepped in the box with the tying run 90 feet away, but Koosman retired him on strikes and then worked around a Randy Hundley single in the ninth by notching his eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth strikeouts of the game.

The Mets’ victory drew the team to within just 1.5 games of first, the closest they’ve been all season.

Mets 3, Cubs 2.  W: Koosman (13-9)  L: Hands (16-13)

***

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                             W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
Chicago Cubs                    84   57    1  .596     -   653  519
New York Mets                  81   57    0  .587   1.5   548  490

Sunday, September 7, 1969

Don Kessinger’s error on Al Oliver’s batted ball in the 11th inning opened the door for two runs, and the Pirates triumphed over the Cubs in a contest that featured a combined 25 hits. Jim Hickman’s two-run homer had given Chicago the lead in the bottom of the 8th, but Willie Stargell’s home run off Phil Regan in the top of the 9th sent the game into extra frames. Billy Williams had 3 hits for the Cubs, who were swept in the three-game series at Wrigley.

Pirates 7, Cubs 5.  W: Dal Canton (8-2)  L: Johnson (1-3)

Tied 3-3, the New York Mets rallied for two runs in the 7th and four more in the 8th to win going away against the Phillies. Nolan Ryan picked up the victory by throwing three scoreless innings to close out the game.

In the 7th, Art Shamsky’s sac fly and Ken Boswell’s triple plated two runs. Then in the 8th, Tommie Agee and Rod Gaspar (Shamsky’s defensive replacement) both recorded 2-RBI singles to put the game away.

The win moved the Mets to within 2.5 games of the Cubs, who now travel to Shea Stadium for a two-game series.

Mets 9, Phillies 3.  W: Ryan (5-1)  L: Champion (5-8)

***

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                              W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    84   56    1  .600     -  
New York Mets                  80   57    0  .584   2.5

Saturday, September 6, 1969

The Pirates manhandled Fergie Jenkins en route to a 19-hit attack and a second straight rout of the Cubs at Wrigley. Jenkins lasted just 2 1/3 innings, allowing 8 hits and 6 runs. Don Nottebart fared even worse in relief, getting touched for 3 runs while retiring just one batter. Ted Abernathy also gave up 4 runs in 3 innings of work. Matty Alou, Gene Alley and Al Oliver each had 3 RBI, and Carl Taylor went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI for Pittsburgh. Bobby Veale, meanwhile, pitched a complete game and struck out 10 Cubs.

Pirates 13, Cubs 4.  W: Veale (17-11)  L: Jenkins (19-12) 

Don Cardwell and Tug McGraw combined on a shutout of the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea. Eighth-place hitter Bud Harrelson was  for 3 and scored twice and Jerry Grote homered for the Mets.

Mets 3, Phillies 0.  W: Cardwell (6-9)  L: Johnson (6-12)  SV: McGraw (11)

***

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                            W    L    T   PCT    GB   

Chicago Cubs                  84   55    1  .604     -  
New York Mets                79   57    0  .581   3.5  

Friday, September 6, 1969

Billy Williams had a monster day for the Cubs, going 4 for 4 with two home runs. Unfortunately for Chicago, Pirates starter Steve Blass no-hit the rest of the lineup as his team routed the Cubs. Blass himself provided the biggest punch in the Pittsburgh lineup, as he went 4 for 5, homered, and drove in three runs. Don Kessinger was the only Cubs player beside Williams to reach base – twice on walks.

Pirates 9, Cubs 2.  W: Blass (14-8)  L: Holtzman (16-9)

Tom Seaver won his 20th game of the season and Jerry Grote hit a two-run home in Game One against the Phillies at Shea. Seaver and Al Weis also notched RBIs.

Rick Wise outpitched Jim McAndrew in Game Two, striking out 11 Mets in 9 innings.

Mets 5, Phillies 1 (1).  W: Seaver (20-7)  L: Jackson (12-14)

Phillies 4, Mets 2 (2).  W: Wise (12-11)  L: McAndrew (6-6)

***

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                               W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
Chicago Cubs                    84   54    1  .609     -   642  496
New York Mets                  78   57    0  .578   4.5   533  485