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Wednesday, October 15, 1969

Tom Seaver pitched his best game of the postseason, Ron Swoboda made the catch of his life, and now the Mets find themselves one game away from a world championship.

After allowing 9 runs over 12 innings in two starts, Cy Young candidate Tom Seaver crafted a masterpiece in Game 4 of the World Series. The Franchise threw 10 strong frames, allowing just one run on six hits and two walks, as the Orioles and Mets went into extra innings at Shea Stadium.

Donn Clendenon’s solo home run in the second inning off Baltimore’s Mike Cuellar gave New York an early lead. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the ninth, when Seaver appeared to tire. He surrendered back-to-back hits to Frank Robinson and Boog Powell to put men on first and third with one out. Brooks Robinson sent a sinking liner into rightfielder. Swoboda, who was dubbed “Rocky” because of his defensive struggles earlier in his career, made a split-second decision and dove to his right with his body parallel to the ground and his arm reaching out as far as he could. Quoting from 1969: The Year Everything Changed:

If not for perfect timing, the ball would have skipped past Swoboda’s glove and likely gone all the way to the wall. Perhaps in some parallel universe, it did just that: Both runners scored as Robinson pulled into third with a triple, and Baltimore scored a come-from-behind win in Game Four to regain momentum in the Series. Perhaps in this alternate reality, the Orioles went on to win the Series, while the ’69 Mets had to settle for being an intriguing footnote in baseball’s long, storied history.

But Swoboda’s timing was perfect, and he caught the ball just inches above the outfield grass. Frank Robinson tagged up and scored from third to tie the game, but the Shea crowd didn’t seem to care. The fans of this miracle team had witnessed yet another miraculous catch, and one batter later, Swoboda made another fine (though not nearly as difficult) catch on a line drive to halt the Orioles rally.

After the game, commentators would compare the play to the greatest catches in World Series history. 

Swoboda made a jogging catch on Elrod Hendricks’s liner to end the inning. Swoboda’s single in the bottom of the ninth, his third of the game, pushed Cleon Jones to third with two outs, but reliever Eddie Watt got pinch-hitter Art Shamsky to ground out to second, and the game proceeded into extra innings.

Still on the mound, Seaver worked around a jam in the tenth. Davey Johnson reached on an error by Wayne Garrett, and Clay Dalrymple’s pinch hit put two on with one out. But Don Buford flew out to right, and then Seaver struck out Paul Blair.

In the bottom of the tenth, Jerry Grote led off with a flyball double that fell just out of reach of shortstop Mark Belanger in shallow leftfield. After an intentional walk to Al Weis, Pete Richert came on to face pinch-hitter J. C. Martin. Martin laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, and when Richert fielded it and wheeled to first, his throw hit Martin and bounced away. Rod Gaspar, running for Grote, came around to score the winning run.

The Orioles would argue that Martin should have been called out and the play called dead because he had been running outside the basepath when the ball struck him. But the play stood, and now this miraculous Mets team will look to close out the series on Thursday at Shea.

WORLD SERIES GAME FOUR: Mets 2, Orioles 1 (10 inn.).  W: Seaver (1-1)  L: Hall (0-1)

Friday, September 26, 1969

Playing in their first game as reigning division champs, the New York Mets beat the host Phillies on Jerry Koosman’s four-hit shutout. It was Koosman’s fifth complete game and fifth win in a row, and the twenty-seven year-old lefty has lowered his season ERA to a staff-best 2.21.

With a batting lineup that featured a number of reserves including Rod Gaspar, Bob Heise, Amos Otis, Bobby Pfeil and Duffy Dyer, the Mets put five men across the plate. Two days after hitting a pair of home runs in Wednesday’s clincher, Don Clendenon went deep with two out and one on in the first inning to give New York and early lead. Koosman took it from there and allowed just one Phillies batter to reach base (a walk to Tony Taylor) from the fifth inning onward.

Otis had two hits and drove in a run while starting in center in place of Tommie Agee.

Mets 5, Phillies 0.  W: Koosman (17-9)  L: Fryman (12-15)

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

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

Tuesday, July 1, 1969

A pair of 5-run rallies in the 2nd and 3rd powered the Expos over the Cubs at Jarry Park. Ken Holtzman took just his 3rd loss of the season after surrendering 9 hits and getting charged with 9 runs (2 unearned) in just 3 2/3 innings.  Bob Bailey doubled twice and had 3 RBI for Montreal, while Gary Sutherland scored three times and knocked in 2.  Don Kessinger and Willie Smith each went 3 for 5 in a losing effort.

Expos 11, Cubs 4.  W: Renko (1-1)  L: Holtzman (10-3)  SV: Face (4) 

The Mets dropped a doubleheader in St. Louis. Steve Carlton pitched the Cards to a 4-1 win in the opener, allowing just 3 hits while striking out 9. Nolan Ryan had trouble finding the plate, walking 7 and suffering his first loss of the year.

In the nightcap, the Mets scored 3 runs off starter Mike Torrez in the 1st inning, but St. Louis charged back with 8 runs off starter Jack DiLauro and reliever Don Cardwell. Cleon Jones, Art Shamsky, Wayne Garrett and Don Clendenon each recorded 2 hits in the second game.

Cardinals 3, Mets 1 (1).  W: Carlton (9-5)  L: Ryan (3-1)

Cardinals 8, Mets 5 (2).  W: Torrez (2-4)  L: DiLauro (0-3)  SV: Hoerner (8)

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    49   28    1  .636     -
New York Mets                   40   34    0  .541   7.5

Monday, June 30, 1969

Dave Lemonds took the loss in his first start for Chicago after leaving with 2 outs in the 3rd.  The rookie gave up just 2 runs but allowed 4 hits and 3 walks to the host Expos before departing. Phil Regan and Ted Abernathy yielded another 3 runs over the next 3 innings, as Coco Laboy led the Montreal charge with 2 hits and 3 RBI.

Expos 5, Cubs 2.  W: H. Reed (3-1)  L: Lemonds (0-1)  SV: McGinn (3)

Jerry Grote’s 3-run blast highlighted a 6-run Mets rally in the opening innning in St. Louis. Rod Gaspar went 2 for 4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI, and  Art Shamsky added a home run. Jim McAndrew started and finished the game for New York, allowing 2 runs on just 3 hits and while also singling in 2 runs in the 6th inning.

Mets 10, Cardinals 2.  W: McAndrew (2-2)  L: Briles (6-7)

Saturday, June 7, 1969

The Cubs couldn’t hold off the Reds and then couldn’t hold off the rain.

Bill Hands and Chicago led 5-1 after 6 innings at Wrigley. But Cincinnati rallied for 4 runs over the next 2 innings, 2 of them charged to relief man Ted Abernathy, who went threw just 1/3 inning. Then, with a man on and two out in the top of the ninth, rain came pouring down and the game was eventually called at 5-5 to result in a rare tie.

Ernie Banks had a 2-run homer for the Cubs in the first, Don Kessinger was 2 for 4 with 2 RBI, and Ron Santo was 2 for 4 with an RBI.

Reds 5, Cubs 5 (tie)

***

Jerry Koosman pitched his third straight dominant game and mastered the Padres for the second time in two weeks.

After tossing 10 scoreless innings and striking out 15 against San Diego on May 28, Koosman struck out 11 and carried a shutout into the 9th inning. Rod Gaspar went 3 for 3 and Cleon Jones, Ron Swoboda, Ed Charles and Al Weis had 2 hits apiece for New York as the Mets scored one in the 4th, two in the 7th, and one more in the 8th.

New York has now won 9 straight.

Mets 4, Padres 1  W: Koosman (3-3)  L: Podres (5-4)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   R +/-

Chicago Cubs                    36   16    1  .692     -   100
New York Mets                   27   23    0  .540   8.0     5
Pittsburgh Pirates              26   26    0  .500  10.0     2
St. Louis Cardinals             25   28    0  .472  11.5     0
Philadelphia Phillies           18   30    0  .375  16.0   -32
Montreal Expos                  11   37    0  .229  23.0   -92

Friday, May 30, 1969,

Bill Hands was dominant at Wrigley Field, tossing a complete-game shutout against the first-place Atlanta Braves.

Hands yielded just 5 hits and no walks while striking out 6. Ron Reed held the Cubs scoreless through 6 innings but then Randy Hundley led off with a bunt single in the 7th. The play seemed to unravel Reed, who hit the next batter, Don Young, with the pitch, and committed an error on Hands’s sacrifice attempt to load the bases with no outs. Hundley scored on Don Kessinger’s infield grounder and Young crossed the plate on Glenn Beckert’s single.

In the top of the inning, Felix Millan had led off with a double but then Hands retired the nos. 3, 4, and 5 hitters in the Atlanta lineup on two strike outs and a groundout.

Beckert and Billy Williams both went 2 for 4 for the Cubbies.

Cubs 2, Braves 0  W: Hands (4-5) L: Reed (5-3)

***

Trailing 3-0 to the visiting San Francisco Giants after 6 innings, the Mets rallied for 4 runs to give Tom Seaver his 7th win of the season.

Willie McCovey got the scoring started with a towering home run, his 14th, off Seaver in the 2nd inning.  Ron Hunt’s RBI single in the 3rd and a sacrifice fly from McCovey in the 6th pushed Frisco’s lead to 3 runs.

But Ron Swoboda homered in the 7th off Giants starter Mike McCormick, and Rod Gaspar had a round-tripper in the 8th. Immediately following Gaspar’s shot, Tommie Agee, Cleon Jones, Swoboda, and pinch-hitting Duffy Dyer collected consecutive hits to plate the tying and go-ahead runs. Ron Taylor came in to strike out future Hall of Fame Willies Mays and McCovey and got the save.

Mets 4, Giants 3  W: Seaver (7-3)  L: Linzy (2-2) SV: Taylor (2)

NATIONAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

NL EAST

Team Name                        W    L    PCT    GB    RS   RA
Chicago Cubs                    31   16   .660     -   226  145
Pittsburgh Pirates              23   23   .500   7.5   194  201
St. Louis Cardinals             21   24   .467   9.0   145  148
New York Mets                   20   23   .465   9.0   166  174
Philadelphia Phillies           18   23   .439  10.0   170  181
Montreal Expos                  11   31   .262  17.5   144  212

NL WEST

Team Name                        W    L    PCT    GB    RS   RA
Atlanta Braves                  28   15   .651     -   193  168
Los Angeles Dodgers             26   18   .591   2.5   189  152
Cincinnati Reds                 23   19   .548   4.5   230  187
San Francisco Giants            24   21   .533   5.0   188  170
Houston Astros                  24   25   .490   7.0   197  225
San Diego Padres                19   30   .388  12.0   145  224

“Recreating the Miracle Season” is brought to you by the book 1969: The Year Everything Changed.

Sunday, May 4, 1969

Mark this date on your calendar, for the Mets showed their first signs of life in the 1969 baseball season on Sunday.

New York swept a doubleheader at Wrigley Field and left Chicago with a split of the four-game series with the first-place Cubs.  Tom Seaver and Tug McGraw turned in gems on the mound, both of them giving the bullpen the afternoon off while notching complete-game victories. 

In the first game, Rod Gaspar, Ken Boswell and Ed Kranepool collected 2 hits each as the visitors got 3 runs off starter Bill Hands, who departed for a pinch-hitter after 5 innings. Seaver gave up just 2 runs and struck out 7 batters.  Don Kessinger, Randy Hundley, and Al Spangler each went 2 for 4 for Chicago.

McGraw, usually a reliever, started the second half of the twinbill and equaled Seaver’s feat. After a rocky first inning, in which he gave an early 2-run advantage right back to the Cubs, McGraw settled in and held the home team scoreless the rest of the way. In the 7th, Ron Swoboda scored what proved to be the winning run when he scored on Dick Selma’s wild pitch. Wayne Garrett and Boswell each knocked out 3 hits in the Mets’s second 3-2 win of the day. Boswell’s 5 hits on the day raised his average to .299.

Mets 3, Cubs 2 (1)  W: Seaver (3-2)  L: Hands (3-3)

Mets 3, Cubs 2 (2)  W: McGraw (3-0)  L: Selma (2-3)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    18    9  .667     -
Pittsburgh Pirates              15   10  .600   2.0
Philadelphia Phillies           11   11  .500   4.5
New York Mets                   11   14  .440   6.0
St. Louis Cardinals             10   15  .400   7.0
Montreal Expos                   9   15  .375   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.

Friday, May 2, 1969

The Mets fell to the first-place Cubs in New York’s first visit to Wrigley Field this season.

Mets manager Gil Hodges looked to shake things up in his team’s lackluster lineup. He penciled Tommie Agee, who hit only .191 in April, into the leadoff spot. The centerfielder responded by going 4 for 4 including a home run, 2 runs, and 3 RBI. Rightfielder Rod Gaspar, inserted as the number 3 hitter despite a .213 average, recorded 2 hits and 2 RBI.

But it wasn’t enough. Starting pitcher Gary Gentry gave up 4 runs in the 4th, all after there were 2 outs. Ron Santo began the game’s scoring with a home run, and three batters later, Al Spangler went deep on a 3-run shot to put the Cubs ahead 4-0. The Mets halved Chicago’s lead with 2 runs in the 5th, but reliever Al Jackson gave the runs back over the next 2 innings and the Cubs cruised to victory.

Chicago has now won 17 of its first 24 games of the season. The loss pushed New York into 5th place in the National League Eastern Division.

Cubs 6, Mets 4  W: Holtzman (3-1)  L: Gentry (2-1)  SV: Regan (2)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER MAY 2

Team Name                        W    L   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    17    7  .708     -
Pittsburgh Pirates              14    9  .609   2.5
Philadelphia Phillies            9   11  .450   6.0

St. Louis Cardinals             10   13  .435   6.5

New York Mets                    9   13  .409   7.0

Montreal Expos                   8   14  .364   8.0

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.

Wednesday, April 30, 1969

Woody Fryman allowed only one run as he dominated the Cubs on Wednesday night in Philadelphia.

Chicago’s Randy Hundley reached base on a hit-by-pitch, advanced to second on a fielder’s choice, moved to third on Don Young’s infield single, and scored on pitcher Bill Hands’s ground ball out. It was the only run the Cubs would score off Fryman through 9 innings. The Phillies, meanwhile, touched Hands for 3 runs on 8 hits in 6 innings. Dick Allen’s RBI double in the 5th put the home team ahead 2-1, and one inning later Mike Ryan added an insurance run with a solo shot.

Phils 3, Cubs 1  W: Fryman (3-1)  L: Hands (3-2) 

***

The Mets seem to enjoy playing the expansion Expos.

Behind the pitching of Tom “The Franchise” Seaver, New York won its fourth of five games against Montreal. Cleon Jones tripled in the 2nd of Mike Wegener and scored on Ed Kranepool’s sac fly. It was the lone run of the game until the catcher and eighth-place hitter John Bateman homered off Seaver in the home half of the 7th. But in the 9th, Rod Gaspar led off with a single and stole second. Ken Boswell followed with a single to put the Mets back up, 2-1. Seaver then put the Expos down 1-2-3 in the 9th to pick up the victory. The win moved New York into third place in the National League East.

Mets 2, Expos 1  W: Seaver (2-2)  L: Wegener (1-1)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 30

Team Name                        W    L   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    16    7  .696     -
Pittsburgh Pirates              13    8  .619   2.0
New York Mets                    9   11  .450   5.5
St. Louis Cardinals              9   12  .429   6.0
Philadelphia Phillies            8   11  .421   6.0
Montreal Expos                   7   13  .350   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.