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Wednesday, October 1, 1969

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)

Sunday, September 21, 1969

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    -

Tuesday, September 2, 1969

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 

Friday, July 11, 1969

The Cubs let things get away in their first game back at Wrigley.

RBI singles from Paul Popvich and Glenn Beckert gave Chicago a 5-3 lead over the Phillies going into the top of the 9th. But after reliever Hank Aguirre was greeted with a home run by Johnny Briggs, his second in consecutive at-bats, Ted Abernathy came in and poured gasoline on the fire by giving up hits to 4 of the 5 batters he faced, including a roundtripper to Ron Stone.

Billy Williams went 3 for 5 and both Don Kessinger and Beckert went 2 for 4, who lost despite pounding out 11 hits.

Phillies 7, Cubs 5. W: Boozer (1-0)  L: Abernathy (4-2)  SV: B. Wilson (4)

***

Jim McAndrew, Danny Frisella, and Jack DiLauro combined for the dubious distinction of surrendering 11 runs on 15 hits to the expansion Montreal Expos at Shea. Art Shamsky went 2 for 3 with a home run, and rookie Bobby Pfeil also had 2 hits for New York.  Expos starting pitcher Mike Wegener not only got the win but was his team’s hitting star, going 3 for 4 with 4 RBI.

Expos 11, Mets 4. W: Wegener (4-7)  L: McAndrew (2-3)  SV: Radatz (2)

Sunday, June 29, 1969

Bob Gibson struck out 10 batters but Fergie Jenkins got the win Sunday afternoon at Wrigley.

Jenkins gave up just 3 hits and 1 run, while Willie Smith was the hitting star for Chicago, going 3 for 4 with a homerun and 2 RBI.

Game two was a blowout. The Cubs pounded out 12 runs while starter Dick Selma got a complete-game,10-strikeout win. Ernie Banks hit a 3-run homer in the 1st. Ron Santo was 3 for 4 with a homerun and 5 RBI.  And Billy Williams was 4 for 5 with a double, triple, 3 runs and 3 RBI. Williams appeared in his 895th and 896th straight game to break Stan Musial’s NL record.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 1 (1).  W: Jenkins (10-5)  L: Gibson (10-5)

Cubs 12, Cardinals 1 (2). W: Selma (8-3)  L: Grant (4-8)

***

With Tom Seaver on the mound, 7 Mets runs were plenty against Pittsburgh. Recent acquisition Don Clendenon, who came into the day hitting just .118 as a Met,  went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI, and Cleon Jones and Ed Charles both knocked in 2. Tommie Agee scored twice.

Mets 7, Pirates 3.  W: Seaver (12-3)  L: Veale (4-9)

Team Name                        G    W    L    T   PCT    GB   

Chicago Cubs                    76   49   26    1  .653     -  

New York Mets                   71   39   32    0  .549   8.0  

Saturday, June 28, 1969

Bill Hands gave up just 3 hits and 1 run to St. Louis at Wrigley. Willie Smith and Don Young both homered for the Cubs.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 1.  W: Hands (8-6)  L: Giusti (3-7)

***

A 5-run Pirates rally in the 8th inning broke open a Saturday night game at Shea. Cleon Jones went 3 for 4, scored twice, and drove in a run in a losing effort. Ed Kranepool had 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Al Weis added 2 hits and an RBI.

Pirates 7, Mets 4.  W: Bunning (7-5) L: Gentry (7-6)  SV: Gibbon (4)

Friday, June 27, 1969

The Cubs rapped out 10 hits but managed only 1 run against Steve Carlton and the Cardinals. The St. Louis lefty tossed a complete game and worked around trouble by striking out 12 Chicago batters. Ken Holtzman gave up jst 2 runs in 7 innings but took his second loss of the season. Ron Santo went 2 for 4 and knocked in Paul Popovich for the only Cubs run.

Cardinals 3, Cubs 1.  W: Carlton (8-5)  L: Holtzman (10-1)

***

Steve Blass outpitched Jerry Koosman in a pitcher’s duel at Shea Stadium. The Mets managed only 3 hits, with J.C. Martin driving in Art Shamsky for the sole New York tally.

Pirates 3, Mets 1.  W: Blass (8-4)  L: Koosman (5-5)  SV: Gibbon (3)

Sunday, June 15, 1969

Don Drysdale and the Dodgers were one better than Jack DiLauro and the Mets.

In just his second start, the rookie DiLauro gave up 3 runs in 6 innings. Tommie Agee went 3 for 4 and scored once for the Mets, but seven-time All-Star Drysdale and reliever Jim Brewer held the Mets to just 2 runs in the game.

Dodgers 3, Mets 2  W: Drysdale (2-2)  L: DiLauro (0-1)  SV: Brewer (7)

***

The Cubs got one ‘F’ and one ‘incomplete.’

In the opener of a doubleheader in Cincinnati, the Reds and Cubs played another eventful contest. Ron Santo had 3 hits, including his 12th home run of the season, and Don Kessinger had his 7th and 8th hits of the series. But Tony Perez went 4-for-4 with a 2-run shot, also his 12th of the season, and Johnny Bench scored 3 times to lead Cincinnati to a 7-6 win.  Bobby Tolan’s single scored Jimmy Stewart with the winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

In the second game, second baseman Paul Popovich had 2 hits and 3 RBI, pacing the Cubs to a 5-4 lead after seven innings. Afer the Reds scored 3 runs in the bottom of the inning make it a one-run game, the game was suspended. (It would be completed on September 2.)

Reds 7, Cubs 6 (1) W: Carroll (8-3)  L: Regan (7-4)

Reds 5, Cubs 4 (2) Game suspended after 7 innings.

Friday, June 13, 1969

On Friday the 13th, the Cubs emerged with the win in a wild, back-and-forth affair at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field.

Don Kessinger had 3 hits and 3 RBI, while Paul Popovich, substituting for the injured Glenn Beckert, also had 3 hits for the Cubs. Ron Santo had 2 hits and 3 RBI, and both Ernie Banks and Billy Williams homered. Chicago scored 4 runs in the first 3 innings off Reds starter George Culver, but Fergie Jenkins all 4 runs back to Cincinnati in the third.

The Reds knocked Jenkins out with 2 more in the fifth to take the lead, but the Cubs tied it 2 in the top of the sixth. Chicago looked to win in regulation with 2 in the ninth off Wayne Granger, but Phil Regan blew the chance for the save and allowed the Reds to tie the game again. But the Cubs roared back in the top of the tenth, sending nine men to bat and plating 6 runs off Jose Pena.

Cubs 14, Reds 8 (1o inn.)  W: Regan (6-2)  L: Pena (1-1)  SV: Nye (1)

***

The Mets lost to the Dodgers 1-0 as neither team scored an earned run.

The only run of the game came in the second inning, when Manny Mota singled off Jerry Koosman and advanced to second on Art Shamsky’s error. Jim Lefebvre then singled Mota in. Both Dodgers went 2 for 3 in the game.

Koosman pitched well, allowing just the one marred run in seven innings, but LA’s Alan Foster was better. The 22-year-old went the full nine, allowing 7 hits and walking just one, to earn his first win of the season.   New York came that close to scoring in the fifth, when Ed Charles tried to score from second on Jerry Grote’s single but was thrown out by Mota at home.

Wayne Garrett went 2 for 3 for the Mets.

Dodgers 1, Mets 0  W: Foster (1-4)  L: Koosman (3-4)

***

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB 
Chicago Cubs                    39   18    1  .684     -  
New York Mets                  29   25    0  .537   8.5