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Friday, July 4, 1969

The Mets opened up the fireworks for a doubleheader at Forbes Field.  Al Weis went 5 for 9 on the day with 5 RBI, and Tommie Agee went 5 for 10 with a home run and 5 RBI.  Cleon Jones went 3 for 6 in the first game and Art Shamsky went 3 for 4 in the second.

Mets 11, Pirates 6 (1).  W: Seaver (13-3)  L: Veale (4-10)  SV: Koonce (5)

Mets 9, Pirates 2 (2).  W: Cardwell (3-8)  L: Ellis (4-9)  SV: DiLauro (1)

***

Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson staged an amazing pitcher’s duel in St. Louis as both men pitched into the 10th inning having given up just a single run. But Gibson faltered in the 10th, when Don Kessinger, who went 3 for 5, led off with a single, stole second, and scored after Glenn Beckert’s single and Billy Williams’s double. Ron Santo then singled in Beckert. Jenkins pitched a clean 10th for the complete-game, extra-inning win, striking out 10 on the day.  Gibson K’d 9 Chicago batters.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 1 (10 inn.)  W: Jenkins (11-5)  L: Gibson (10-6)

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    52   28    1  .650     -  
New York Mets                   44   34    0  .564   7.0

Thursday, July 3, 1969

Seven was the lucky number as Chicago’s 7-run, 7th-inning outburst led them to victory in Montreal. Don Kessinger’s double, Billy Williams’s single, and Ron Santo’s home run each drove in two runs in the rally. Dick Selma gave up 3 runs, 1 earned, through 6 innings to record his 9th win of the season.

Cubs 8, Expos 4.  W: Selma (9-3)  L: Wegener (3-6)

***

Gary Gentry looked great in St. Louis, giving up just 1 run on 5 hits in 9 full innings against the Cardinals.  Tommie Agee also kept up his hot hitting with a home run and 2 RBI. Cleon Jones was 2 for 3, and Don Clendenon went 2 for 5 with 2 runs and 2 RBI. Former Expos opening-day starter Mudcat Grant took the loss for St. Louis.

Mets 8, Cardinals 1.  W: Gentry (8-6)  L: Grant (4-9)

Wednesday, July 2, 1969

Jimmy Qualls had 2 doubles and triple and drove in 2 runs as Bill Hands went the distance in Montreal.  Glenn Beckert went 3 for 5, giving him 5 hits in his first two games back after missing a month with a broken writst. Pete Reiser managed the Cubs bench in place of the ailing Leo Durocher.

Cubs 4, Expos 2.  W: Hands (9-6)  L: Stoneman (4-11)

A long one at Busch Stadium as the Mets prevailed over the Cardinals in 14 innings.

New York led 4-0 with two outs and no one on in the bottom of the 8th.  But starter Jerry Koosman proceeded to walk the bases loaded and gave way to reliever Ron Taylor, who was greeted by pinch-hitter Vic Davaillo’s game-tying grand slam.

St. Louis loaded the bases in the 10th but couldn’t score. The game remaining scoreless until Tommie Agee collected his 4th hit of the game in the top of the 14th, stole second, and was singled in by Ken Boswell. Later, Wayne Garrett, the hitting star with 4 hits and 4 RBI, walked to force in Boswell with an insurance run.  Tug McGraw more than earned the win, pitching 6 scoreless innings in relief.

Mets 6, Cards 4 (14 inn.).  W: McGraw (5-1)  L: Willis (1-2)

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)

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)

Catching up on Recreating the Miracle Season, we find the Mets climbing the standings of the National League East at the beginning of the summer of ‘69… 

Sunday, June 22, 1969

The Cubs split a Sunday doubleheader.  Chicago’s 4-run rally in the bottom of the 9th of the first game climaxed in Jim Hickman’s game-winning 2-run homer.

Cubs 7, Expos 6 (1).  W: Selma (7-3)  L: Shaw (1-5)

Expos 5, Cubs 4.  W: Face (4-1)  L: Reynolds (0-1)  SV: McGinn (2)

***

At Shea Stadium, Gary Gentry and Jerry Koosman pitched gems as the Mets limited the Cards to just one run in a doubleheader sweep.

Mets 5, Cards 1 (1)  W: Gentry (7-5)  L: Carlton (7-5)  SV: Koonce (4)

Mets 1, Cards 0 (2)  W: Koosman (5-4)  L: Torrez (1-4)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    42   25    1  .627     -  
New York Mets                   36   28    0  .563   4.5 

Saturday, June 21, 1969

The Expos edged the Cubs by one run. Ernie Banks drove in Chicago’s only 2 runs.

Expos 3, Cubs 2.  W: Reed (2-1)  L: Jenkins (8-5)  SV: Shaw (1)

***

Jack DiLauro gave up just 2 runs in 6 innings but Nelson Briles and the Cards prevailed over the Mets.

Cardinals 5, Mets 3.  W: Briles (6-5) L: DiLauro (0-2) 

Friday, June 20, 1969

The Cubs got just 4 hits but won as Bill Hands tossed a 5-hit shutout in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Cubs 2, Expos 0.  W: Hands (6-6)  L: Robertson (1-4)

***

Agee and Boswell both went 2 for 4 as the Mets jumped out to a lead against Bob Gibson and held on for the win.

Mets 4, Cardinals 3.  W: Ryan (3-0)  L: Gibson (9-4)  SV: McGraw (5)

Thursday, June 19, 1969

Art Shamsky homered in the 6th and then again in the 8th, and then Ken Boswell’s 2-out single in the 9th scored the tying and go-ahead runs in a thrilling Mets comeback.

Mets 6, Phillies 5.  W: Taylor (3-1)  L: Raffo (0-2)  SV: McGraw (4)

Wednesday, June 18, 1969

In Pittsburgh, Roberto Clemente answered Ron Santo’s 2-RBI triple in the top of the 8th inning with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the inning. Clemente then doubled and later scored the winning run in the 10th.

Pirates 3, Cubs 2 (10 inn.).  W: Gibbon (2-3)  L: Regan (7-5)

Jerry Koosman evened his record at 4-4 with a 4-hit shutout of the Phils. Agee, Garrett and Jones each had 3 hits for New York.

Mets 2, Phillies 0.  W: Koosman (4-4)  L: Wise (6-6)

Tuesday, June 17, 1969

The Mets split a doubleheader in Philadelphia’s Connie Mack Stadium. In the first game, J.C. Martin singled in Ken Boswell in the 7th for the only run of the game. Gary Gentry pitched a 2-hit shutout, striking out 9.  In the nightcap, the Phillies jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first against Don Cardwell and cruised to a 7-3 win,

Mets 1, Phillies 0 (1)  W: Gentry (6-5)  L: Champion (1-2)

Phillies 7, Mets 3 (2)  W: Cardwell (2-7)  L: Jackson (6-2)

 ***

Meanwhile, the Cubs dropped played a twinbill in Pittsburgh. Fergie Jenkins was the hard-luck loser in the first, striking out 11 but losing 1-0. The bullpen couldn’t hold a lead in the second game, as the Pirates scored 3 runs in the final 2 innings to prevail 4-3.

Pirates 1, Cubs 0 (1).  W: Veale (4-7)  L: Jenkins (8-4)  SV: Dal Canton (3)

Pirates 4, Cubs 3 (2).  W: Blass (7-3)  L: Abernathy (4-1)

CUBS LOSE 3RD STRAIGHT AT HOME

The Cubs went into hibernation after the 1st inning against the Cardinals at Wrigley on Thursday.

St. Louis scored in the top of the first when second baseman Julian Javier reached on one of his four hits on the day and scored on Mike Shannon’s RBI single.  Chicago struck back with 2 in the bottom of the inning, as Ernie Banks’s sac fly scored Don Kessinger and Randy Hundley drove in Billy Williams with a single. The Cubs had a chance to score more but Cardinals starter Dave Giusti picked Ron Santo off second base to end the inning.

Javier started another rally in the 3rd with a leadoff double. Tim McCarver’s bases-loaded single scored Javier, and Vada Pinson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Joe Torre for the go-ahead run. From there, Giusti took over and pitched a masterful game and gave up only 3 hits through 9 innings while working around 3 St. Louis errors. Cubs starter Ken Holtzman took his first loss of the season.

Cards 3, Cubs 2  W: Giusti (2-1) L: Holtzman (2-1)

***

The Mets were idle on Thursday as they awaited the beginning of a four-game series with the Cubs at Shea.

***

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 24

Team Name                        W    L   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    11    5  .688     -
Pittsburgh Pirates              10    5  .667   0.5
New York Mets                    6    8  .429   4.0
Montreal Expos                   6    9  .400   4.5
St. Louis Cardinals              6    9  .400   4.5
Philadelphia Phillies            5    8  .385   4.5

CUBS SPLIT TWINBILL IN CANADA

Fergie Jenkins struck out 10 Expos in Game One of a doubleheader Sunday at Jarry Park. After 5 innings, the Cubs had touched pitchers Carl Morton and Steve Shea for 6 runs, and Jenkins made the lead stand as he threw a complete game. Ron Santo scored 3 runs and Al Spangler knocked in 3 for Chicago.

In Game Two, Donn Clendenon’s touched Joe Niekro for a 3-run homer in the 1st inning. Second baseman Gary Sutherland collected 3 hits for Montreal, and Coco Laboy tallied 2. Expos rookie Mike Wegener went 7 2/3 innings for the win. 

Cubs 6, Expos 3 (1) W: Jenkins (2-1) L: Morton (0-1)

Expos 4, Cubs 2 (2) W: Wegener (1-0) L: Niekro (0-1) SV: McGinn (1)

***

CATCHER GROTE LIFTS METS OVER CARDS

Mets bats busted out in a big way at Busch Stadium on Sunday.

The Cardinals came out swinging and put up a 3-spot in the first inning off New York starter Jim McAndrew. St. Louis would never score again, but the Mets did. Jerry Grote got his team started with an RBI double in the top of the 2nd. Then in the 5th, his leadoff walk sparked a rally that included a home run from Kevin Collins and 2-run homer from and Ron Swoboda. By the end of the frame, the Amazin’s had batted around and rung up 5 runs off St. Louis starter Nelson Briles. New York scored exploded for 5 more runs in the final three innings. In the 9th, the Mets catcher’s opposite field double with the bases loaded scored all 3 runners.

A Mets lineup that had been sluggish in the early season recorded 14 hits in the game.   Cleon Jones went 3 for 4 and scored 4 runs, Grote was 3 for 4 with 4 RBI, and Ed Kranepool and Swoboda combined for 5 RBI. Fastballer Nolan Ryan came got the win by pitching 4 2/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Mets 11, Cardinals 3  W: Ryan (1-0) L: Briles (0-2) SV: Koonce (3)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 20

Team Name                        W    L   PCT    GB
CHICAGO CUBS                    11    2  .846     -
Pittsburgh Pirates               8    4  .667   2.5
Montreal Expos                   5    7  .417   5.5
NEW YORK METS                    5    7  .417   5.5
St. Louis Cardinals              4    8  .333   6.5
Philadelphia Phillies            3    8  .273   7.0

NORTH SIDERS WIN NORTH OF THE BORDER

The Cubs went into extra innings in their first game outside of the United States.

Trailing 2-0 after 4 innnings, Chicago exploded for 5 runs against the Montreal Expos in the top of the 5th. Ron Santo homered after a Billy Williams single, and then the Cubs loaded the bases to keep things going in Jarry Park.  From their, Maury Wills’s error on Don Young’s ground ball, Ken Holtzman’s RBI grounder, and a Don Kessinger single produced the 3rd, 4th, and 5th runs off starter Mudcat Grant. Chicago’s Ken Holtzman held the lead until the 7th, when he surrendered 2 singles followed by a home run by catcher John Bateman.

From then on, it was a battle of the bullpens. Ted Abernathy and Phil Regan held the Expos scoreless for the next 5 innings. Montreal’s Carroll Sembera nearly matched them with 4 shutout innings of his own. Don Shaw got through the 10th but then yielded an RBI single to pinch-hitter Jim Hickman to score Billy Williams with what proved to be the winning run.

Williams, Santo, and Banks all notched 3 hits and Kessinger and Al Spangler added 2 apiece for the streaking Cubs. Regan got his third straight win in relief. Glenn Beckert returned the lineup but went 0 for 6.

Cubs 6, Expos 5  W: Regan (3-0) L: Shaw (1-2)

***

TOM’S TERRIFIC AGAINST REDBIRDS

Tom Seaver came out on top against Bob Gibson this time.

Just six days after locking up at Shea, the two staff aces faced each other again at Busch Stadium on Saturday night. A 2-run Mets rally in the 3rd and a lone Cardinal run in the 8th accounted for all the scoring in this well-pitched affair. Seaver himself started the Mets rally with a leadoff walk. Ken Boswell walked two batters later, and singles by Cleon Jones and Ed Kranepool would score them both. After that, Gibson beared down and held New York scoreless the rest of the way. St. Louis cut the Mets lead in half with singles from Curt Flood, Joe Torre (who had 3 on the day) and Mike Shannon, but Seaver caught second baseman Steve Huntz looking to end the threat. He finished strong with a 1-2-3 9th inning to earn his first win of the season.

Mets 2, Cardinals 1  W: Seaver (1-1) L: Gibson (1-1)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 19

Team Name                        W    L    PCT    GB
CHICAGO CUBS                    10    1   .909     -
Pittsburgh Pirates               8    3   .727   2.0
Montreal Expos                   4    6   .400   5.5
NEW YORK METS                    4    7   .364   6.0
St. Louis Cardinals              4    7   .364   6.0
Philadelphia Phillies            2    8   .200   7.5

CHICAGO ‘HANDS’ LOSS TO CARDS

The Cubs took their show on the road and continued their winning ways Thursday night in St. Louis.

Chicago starter Bill Hands was a bit wild and walked 5 but only gave up 3 hits through 8 shutout innings. The Cubs scored in the 3rd when Don Kessinger reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and scored on Al Spangler’s single into left. A 2-out rally in the 8th plated 2 insurance runs when Kessinger and Spangler reached on a walk and single and Billy Williams doubled them both home. Phil Regan came on to pitch a scoreless 9th for the save. Spangler and Randy Hundley both went 2 for 4, as did Cardinals third baseman Mike Shannon. Dave Giusti was charged with all 3 runs in 7 2/3 innings and took the loss for the defending National League champs.

Jim Qualls went 0 for 4 subbing in for second baseman Glenn Beckert, who sat out today following his injury in Wednesday’s game. The victory gave Chicago 9 in its 10 games this season.

Cubs 3, Cardinals 0  W: Hands (2-0) L: Giusti (1-1) SV: Regan (1)

***

BUCS SHUT OUT PUNCHLESS METS

The Mets managed only 3 hits in a loss to the Pirates.

Pittsburgh starter Jim Bunning pitched 6 scoreless innings and struck out 9. New York’s Don Cardwell pitched well and gave up only 4 hits through 7. But he threw 2 wild pitches past backup catcher J. C. Martin, allowing Richie Hebner to score the first run of the game. Cal Koonce came on and pitched a rocky 8th inning. With Hebner again on second with one out, the Mets walked slugger Willie Stargell to set up a possible double play. But Al Oliver made them pay by sending a Koonce pitch over the Forbes Field fence to break the game open. Reliver Ron Kline pitched 3 hitless innings in relief for the Pirates.

Pirates 4, Mets 0  W: Bunning (1-0) L: Cardwell (0-2) SV: Kline (1)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 17

Team Name                        W    L    PCT    GB
CHICAGO CUBS                     9    1   .900     -
Pittsburgh Pirates               7    3   .700   2.0
Montreal Expos                   4    5   .444   4.5
St. Louis Cardinals              4    6   .400   5.0
NEW YORK METS                    3    7   .300   6.0
Philadelphia Phillies            2    7   .222   6.5

This is the latest installment to an the on-going recreation of the storied 1969 division race between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets, brought to you by 1969: The Year Everything Changed, available now from Skyhorse Publishing. Keep checking back throughout the season for a look back 40 years ago to the day.

WILLIAMS’ RBI BREAKS SCORING DROUGHT IN 12TH

Major League Baseball owners entered the 1969 season hoping the lowered pitching mounds would help increase offense, but today’s game between the Cubs and Expos at Wrigley Field seemed straight out of 1968 and the Year of the Pitcher.

Chicago starter Joe Niekro and Montreal rookie hurler Carl Morton matched each other with 9 shutout innings. The Cubbies threatened in the bottom of the 9th when rightfielder Al Spangler’s sacrifice moved catcher Randy Hundley to second with one out, but Morton struck out Jim Qualls and then induced Willie Smith to ground out. Expos reliever Carroll Sembera and the Cubs’s Ted Abernathy kept the game scoreless into the bottom of the 12th. With two outs, shortstop Don Kessinger walked and stole second. Dan McGuinn came on for Montreal to face leftfielder Billy Williams, and Williams smacked a single into center to drive in Kessinger for the winning run and move Chicago’s record to 4-0.

Cubs 1, Expos 0  W: Abernathy (1-0) L: Sembera (0-1)

***

CLEON PLATES 3 BUT CARDS OUTLAST METS

The defending National League champion St. Louis Cardinals visited the Mets at Shea Stadium, and the two teams combined for 11 runs and 23 hits in a wide-open contest.. Mets pitchers did their job against the two speedsters at the top of the St. Louis lineup, Lou Brock and Curt Flood, who went hitless in 10 at-bats. But the middle of the Cards lineup – rightfielder Vada Pinson, first baseman Joe Torre, and third baseman Mike Shannon – combined for 7 of the team’s 11 hits. Trailing 3-0 in the 6th, the Mets rallied for 2 runs after rightfielder Rod Gaspar, second baseman Ken Boswell, and leftfielder Cleon Jones led off with consecutive singles of Cards starter Steve Carlton. But Koosman gave a run back to St. Louis on Torre’s home run in the 7th. Jones scored on a sacrifice fly from Jerry Grote in the 8th to close the gap to 4-3, but again the Redbirds responded when Shannon struck a 2-run double off Jim McAndrew in the 9th. Jones’s 2-run shot in the bottom of the inning drew the Mets to within one run again, but then reliever Joe Hoerner got third baseman Ed Charles looking to end the game. Gaspar, Boswell, and Jones combined for 8 of New York’s 12 hits and scored all 5 Mets runs in the loss.

Cardinals 6, Mets 5  W: Carlton (1-0) L: Koosman (0-1) SV: Hoerner (1)

NL EAST STANDINGS AFTER APRIL 11, 1969

Team Name                        W    L    PCT     GB
CHICAGO CUBS                     4    0    1.000    -
Pittsburgh Pirates               4    0    1.000    -
NEW YORK METS                    2    2     .500   2.0
Montreal Expos                   1    3     .250   3.0
St. Louis Cardinals              1    3     .250   3.0
Philadelphia Phillies            0    4     .000   4.0