1. Assign a team/franchise to the position where it’s placed stars (HOFers, MVPs, All-Stars & Cy Youngs) throughout its history.

2. Use each team/franchise just once.

3. Arrange the franchise positions into a batting order based on each’s composite offensive skills.

1. SS Pittsburgh Pirates (Vaughn, Wagner, Groat)

2. 2B St. Louis Cardinals (Hornsby, Schoendienst, Herr)

3. LF Boston Red Sox (Williams, Yaz, Rice, Ramirez)

4. CF New York Yankees (Combs, DiMaggio, Mantle)

5. 1B NY/San Francisco Giants (Terry, Mize, McCovey, Clark)

6. 3B Boston/Milw./Atl. Braves (Matthews, Pendleton, Jones)

7. RF Detroit Tigers (Heilmann, Kaline, Gibson)

8. C Cincinnati Reds (Lombardi, Bench)

9. SP Brooklyn/LA Dodgers (Roe, Drysdale, Koufax, Sutton, Valenzuela, Hershiser)

RP Phila./Oakland A’s (Fingers, Eckersley, Street)

Have a better lineup?  Send it to me!

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The Chicago Cubs completed one win and then won a complete game.

The June 15 game at Crosley Field between the Reds and Cubs had been suspended after 7 innings with the Cubs leading 5-4.  The game was resumed today in Cincinnati, and Ken Johnson kept things status quo by pitching two shutout innings. Paul Popvich’s home run and three RBI back in June proved to be the difference.

For the day’s originally scheduled game, Fergie Jenkins gave up two runs and struck out seven in nine full innings. Don Kessinger doubled and homered, and both Glenn Beckert and rookie Oscar Gamble had two hits and three RBI. Pete Rose was 3 for 4 for Cincinnati. The two official wins on the day increased Chicago’s division lead to five full games.

Cubs 6, Reds 5 (1).  W: Nye (3-5) L: Arrigo (2-6) SV: Johnson (2)

Cubs 8, Reds 2 (2).  W: Jenkins (19-11)  L: Cloninger (9-15)

The Mets built a lead against the host Dodgers thanks to two home runs by slugger Don Clendenon and three hits from Ken Boswell.  New York starter Gary Gentry lasted into the ninth, when Los Angeles mounted a comeback that fell one run short when Tug McGraw came on to strike out Willie Davis with men on first and third.

Mets 5, Dodgers 4.  W: Gentry (10-11)  L: Sutton (15-13)  SV: McGraw (10)

***

NL EAST STANDINGS

                                              W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    84   52    1  .618     - 
New York Mets                  77   55    0  .583   5.0 

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Billy Williams went 2 for 3 with a home run and both Glenn Beckert and Ron Santo had two hits as the Cubs snapped their losing streak by beating the Reds.  Fergie Jenkins was dominant, striking out eight while allowing just five baserunners, all on singles.

Cubs 3, Reds 1.  W: Jenkins (18-11)  L: Arrigo (2-6)

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    79   52    1  .603     -  
New York Mets                   74   52    0  .587   2.5  

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Jerry Koosman dominated the punchless San Diego lineup, limiting the Padres to just two hits, one on Ollie Brown’s solo shot, across nine innings as the Mets won for the sixth time in a row and twelfth in thirteen games.  Koosman also singled and scored on Cleon Jones two-run double in the third inning.

With the Cubs losing, the Mets moved to within just two games of Chicago and are now tied in the loss column.

Mets 4, Padres 1.  W: Koosman (12-8)  L: Kirby (3-18)

***

Alex Johnson and Lee May each had two hits and a home run, combining for five RBI, as the Reds beat up on Ken Holtzman and the Cubs. Ron Santo hit his 27th home run of the season. Chicago has now lost four straight.

Reds 6, Cubs 3.  W: Cloninger (9-14)  L: Holtzman (15-8)  SV: Carroll (7) 

NL EAST                               W    L    T   PCT    GB 
Chicago Cubs                    78   52    1  .600     -  
New York Mets                  74   52    0  .587   2.0

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The surging New York Mets swept a doubleheader from the San Diego Padres to move within just three games of the first place Cubs and just one behind Chicago in the loss column.

In the first game, Don Clendenon struck a two-run homer and Ron Swoboda added his own roundtripper. Tommie Agee and Bobby Pfeil both had two hits and Cleon Jones drove in two. Tom Seaver went the distance to record his 18th win of the season.

Jim McAndrew kept the San Diego bats silent in the second game with a complete-game shutout, giving up just five hits and no walks while striking out six. Agee went 3 for 4, giving him five hits on the day, while Art Shamsky, Ken Boswell, and Swoboda each collected two hits.

Mets 8, Padres 4 (1).  W: Seaver (18-7)  L: Sisk (0-9)

Mets 3, Padres 0 (2). W: McAndrew (6-5)  L: Niekro (7-12)

For the second straight day, a Cubs comeback fell just short against the Reds.  Ernie Banks, Don Young, and Glenn Beckert (his first of the season) each hit home runs for Chicago, but it all came down to Ron Santo, who grounded out to third with the tying run on third and two outs in the ninth. Starter Dick Selma had a rough outing, lasting just one inning and giving up five earned runs.

Reds 8, Cubs 7.  W: Merritt (15-5)  L: Selma (12-6)  SV: Granger (17)

                                               W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    78   51    1  .605     -  
New York Mets                  73   52    0  .584   3.0

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Tony Perez hit two home runs to lead the Cincinnati Reds over the Cubs at Wrigley. The normally dependable Bill Hands gave up 11 hits and 6 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Chicago rallied for 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th but fell one run short when Paul Popvich lined out with the bases loaded.

Ron Santo had 3 RBI and Jim Hickman knocked in 2 for the Cubs.

Reds 9, Cubs 8.  W: Nolan (4-5)  L: Hands (15-11)  SV: Ramos (1)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team                                    W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    78   50    1  .609     -  
New York Mets                  71   52    0  .577   4.5

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Friday, August 8, 1969

The Mets split a doubleheader in Atlanta. In the first game, Cleon Jones doubled in the go-ahead run in the ninth and singles from Don Clendenon and J.C. Martin plated insurance runs; Jerry Koosman pitched a complete game. In the second, both lineups seemed tired as neither team scored in the first nine innings. Ron Reed bested Gary Gentry’s nine shutout innings with ten of his own. In the bottom of the tenth, Clete Boyer led off with a single off Ron Taylor and scored on a single from Felipe Alou.

Mets 4, Braves 1 (1).  W: Koosman (9-7)  L: Pappas (5-9)

Braves 1, Mets o (2, 10 inn.). W: Reed (10-8)  L: Taylor (6-3)

The Dodgers’s Bill Singer two-hit the Cubs in a series opener in Los Angeles. Fergie Jenkins gave up 4 runs (1 unearned) in 5 innings of work.

Dodgers 5, Cubs 0.  W: Singer (14-7)  L: Jenkins (15-10)

Thursday, August 7, 1969

Both the Mets and Cubs had off.

Wednesday, August 6, 1969

The Mets scored 2 runs in the first but went scoreless the rest of the game as the host Reds won 3-2. Ron Swoboda had 3 of the team’s 10 hits.  Jim Merritt settled down after the opening frame and went the distance for the win.

Reds 3, Mets 2.  W: Merritt (11-5)  L: McAndrew (3-4)

Don Kessinger singled to drive in Jim Hickman with the tying run, and Jimmy Wynn’s error allowed Nate Oliver to score the go-ahead run on the play, as well. Rich Nye made a spot start and got the win desite giving up 4 runs in 6 innings.  Dick Selma went 3 innings to finish out the game.

Cubs 5, Astros 4.  W: Nye (3-5)  L: Billingham (4-6)  SV: Selma (1)

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Tom Seaver lasted just three innings as the Reds took a second straight game from the Mets in Cincy. Art Shamsky had three hits, including a two-run homer, and Cleon Jones also had three hits for New York.

Reds 8, Mets 5 (1).  W: Gary Nolan (2-3)  L: Seaver (15-7)  SV: Carroll (5)

In the second game, the Mets erupted for eight runs in the third inning, and Nolan Ryan pitched a complete game while striking out 7. Don Clendenon had the big hit with a three-run home run, and Tommie Agee added a solo shot.  Agee, Clendenon, Ron Swoboda and Jerry Grote had 2 hits apiece.

Mets 10, Reds 1 (2).  W: Ryan (4-1)  L: Arrigo (2-3)

***

In Houston, Bill Hands pitched 6 2/3 of solid ball as the Cubs cruised by the Astros with 16 hits, including 3 from Ron Santo.

Cubs 5, Astros 2.  W: Hands (13-8)  L: Lemaster (8-11)  SV: Regan (13)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    69   41    1  .627     -  
New York Mets                   59   46    0  .562   7.5

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The Mets arrived in Cincinnati for a series with the Reds but apparently left their bats back in New York. Starter Jim Maloney limited the Mets to just 2 hits in 8 2/3 innings. Jerry Koosman was the hard-luck loser, allowing 1 run in 7.0 innings.

Reds 1, Mets 0.  W: Maloney (5-2)  L: Koosman (8-7)  SV: Granger (15)

***

Glenn Beckert’s 5 hits, Don Kessinger’s 4 runs, and Randy Hundley’s 4 RBI powered the Cubs over the Astros in the first game of a series in Houston. Fergie Jenkins went the distance and struck out 12 Astros.

With the Mets’s loss, the Cubs’s lead in the division increased to 7 games.

Cubs 9, Astros 3.  W: Jenkins (15-9)  L: Griffin (7-5)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB  
Chicago Cubs                    68   41    1  .624     -  
New York Mets                   58   45    0  .563   7.0

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Dodgers 6, Cubs 2.  W: Drysdale (5-3)  L: Jenkins (13-9)  SV: Mikkelsen (1)

Jenkins comes back on one day’s rest, gives up 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Reds 6, Mets 3.  W: Arrigo (1-2)  L: Cardwell (3-9)  SV: Granger (13)

Bobby Tolan and Tony Perez each drive in 2.

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB 
Chicago Cubs                    61   39    1  .610     -  

New York Mets                   55   41    0  .573   4.0  

Saturday, July 26, 1969

Cubs 3, Dodgers 2 (11 inn.)  W: Regan (11-5)  L: Brewer (3-4)

Billy Williams doubles and scores on Randy Hundley’s single for the game winner.

Mets 3, Reds 2.  W: Seaver (15-5)  L: Cloninger (7-13)

Seaver strikes out 8 in a complete-game victory. Agee’s single drives in 2 in the 5th.

Friday, July 25, 1969

Dodgers 4, Cubs 2.  W: Osteen (13-8)  L: Jenkins (13-8)  SV: Brewer (16)

The two teams combine for 25 hits. Jenkins leaves early after being hit in the hand by a line drive.

Mets 4, Reds 3.  W: Taylor (5-2)  L: Carroll (12-5)

J.C. Martin hits a 2-run shot as Mets rally for 3 in the 8th. 

Thursday, July 24, 1969

Cubs 5, Dodgers 3.  W: Holtzman (12-5)  L: Sutton (12-10)  SV: Regan (10)

Two RBIs from both Al Spangler and Randy Hundley.

Reds 4, Mets 3 (12 inn.).  W: P. Ramos (4-3)  L: McGraw (5-2)

Tony Perez homered in the top of the 12th.

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