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Sunday, October 5, 1969

For the second straight game, the New York Mets beat up Atlanta Braves pitchers and now have a two games to none lead in the National League pennant series.

Tommie Agee, Ken Boswell, and Cleon Jones all homered and combined for seven RBI. Agee got the scoring started after he led off the game with a single off Atlanta’s Ron Reed. Wayne Garrett walked, Agee and Garrett pulled off a double steal, and Ed Kranepool singled in Agee.

Agee’s two-run homer and Art Shamsky’s RBI single stretched the Mets’ lead to 4-0 in the second. In the third inning, Bud Harrelson’s double and Garrett’s single both plated a run, and Boswell’s two-run shot in the fourth made it 8-0.

The Braves broke through in the bottom of the inning when Orlando Cepeda singled off New York starter Jerry Koosman to drive in Rico Carty. The Mets answered back in the fifth when Garrett doubled and Jones singled.

But for the second straight game, a New York starter had a surprisingly poor outing. A winner of 17 games and possessor of a 2.28 ERA in the regular season, Koosman imploded in the bottom of the fifth. A three-run shot by Hank Aaron highlighted a five-run rally, and Ron Taylor, usually the Mets closer, came on with two outs and two men on to get Bob Didier to line out to second. Taylor and Tug McGraw combined for 4 1/3 shutout frames to right the ship, and Jones’s two-run home run in the seventh put the game away.

Both teams now head north for Game Three, to be played tomorrow at Shea Stadium. 

NLCS GAME 3: Mets 11, Braves 6.  W: Taylor (1-0)  L: Reed (0-1)

***

The Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles squared off in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel in Game Two of the American League series.  Dave Boswell and Dave McNally both blanked the opposition through regulation and carried a shutout into the 11th inning. After McNally retired the side in the top of the 11th, Boswell walked leadoff batter Boog Powell. Brooks Robinson sacrificed him to second and Dave Johnson was walked intentionally. After Mark Belanger popped, Ron Perranoski came on to relieve Boswell. Pinch-hitter Curt Motton stepped up and singled to rightfield to give the Orioles their second straight extra-innings and a two-game lead in the series.

McNally, a twenty-game winner in the regular season, recorded one of the best performances in postseason history. He allowed just three hits – none after the 4th inning – and struck out 11 batters.

ALCS GAME 2: Orioles 1, Twins 0 (11 inn.).  W: McNally (1-0)  L: Boswell (0-1)

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)

Tuesday, September 23, 1969

The Mets trailed the Cardinals 2-1 going into the bottom of the eighth, but Art Shamsky singled in Tommie Agee to tie the game.  Four innings of scoreless relief from Tug McGraw carried the game into the bottom of the eleventh. Ron Swoboda singled off starter Bob Gibson with one out, Jerry Grote’s hit moved him to second, and Bud Harrelson punched a single into leftfield to score Swoboda with the winning run. New York’s Jim McAndrew started and gave up just two unearned runs in seven innings before leaving in favor of a pinch-hitter.

With the win and Chicago’s loss, the Mets’s magic number is down to 1.

Mets 3, Cardinals 2 (11 inn.).  W: McGraw (9-3)  L: Gibson (18-13)

Ken Holtzman’s second-half struggles continued, as he lasted just three innings and gave up five runs to visiting Montreal. Bob Bailey drove in three runs, and both Rusty Staub and Ron Fairly went deep for the Expos.

Expos 7, Cubs 3.  W: Stoneman (11-18)  L: Holtzman (17-12)

***

NL EAST                              W    L    T   PCT    GB    M#
New York Mets                  95   61    0  .609     -       1
Chicago Cubs                    89   67    1  .571   6.0     -

Monday, September 15, 1969

Dick Selma lost his fourth straight decision as the host Expos, who sit in the NL East cellar with 100 losses, pummeled the second-place Cubs. First baseman Ron Fairly went 3 for 3 with a home run and 4 RBI, and second baseman Gary Sutherland was 4 for 5.

Expos 8, Cubs 2.  W: Wegener (5-12)  L: Selma (12-8)

Two days after hitting a game-winning grand slam, Ron Swoboda clubbed a pair of two-run homers to lead the Mets over the Cardinals in St. Louis. His second blast came in the eighth inning off starter Steve Carlton to give New York the lead for good. Tug McGraw took over for Gary Gentry in the seventh and pitched three shutout innings for the win.

Mets 4, Cards 3.  W: McGraw (8-3)  L: Carlton (16-10)

***

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
New York Mets                   89   58    0  .605     -   583  504
Chicago Cubs                    85   63    1  .574   4.5   671  554
St. Louis Cardinals             79   68    0  .537  10.0   539  495
Pittsburgh Pirates              77   69    0  .527  11.5   644  600
Philadelphia Phillies           59   87    0  .404  29.5   584  663
Montreal Expos                  48  100    0  .324  41.5   536  722

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

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  

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 

Saturday, August 30, 1969

The Cubs held on to take a second game of a weekend series in Atlanta. Handed a 3-0 lead, Chicago starter Dick Selma got just two outs and gave up two runs before Leo Durocher pulled him in favor of Ken Johnson. The veteran Johnson earned his first win of the season by going 5 1/3 before handing things over to Phil Regan. Don Kessinger and Billy Williams had two hits, one run, and one RBI apiece, and Ernie Banks struck a two-run homer, his 21st of the season.

Cubs 5, Braves 4.  W: Johnson (1-2)  L: Reed (13-9)  SV: Regan (15)

Don Clendenon hit a 10th-inning home run off Gaylord Perry and Tug McGraw finished off the game with two scoreless frames to put the Mets over the Giants.  Ken Boswell had three hits and scored twice for New York, who got 7 1/3 strong innings from starter Don Cardwell.

Mets 3, Giants 2.  W: McGraw (7-2)  L: Perry (16-11)

NL EAST                          W    L    T   PCT    GB   
Chicago Cubs                    81   52    1  .609     -  
New York Mets                   75   53    0  .586   3.5

Friday, August 22, 1969

The Mets gave Jerry Koosman an early 4-0 lead over the Dodgers and he made it hold up. Koosman pitched to Los Angeles bats, allowing 10 hits but no walks. Tug McGraw came on to tally three scoreless innings in relief.  Ron Swoboda knocked a two-run homer, Tommie Agee had two hits and scored twice, and Cleon Jones had two hits and an RBI.

Mets 5, Dodgers 3.  W: Koosman (11-8)  L: Singer (15-8)  SV: McGraw (9)

Doug Rader’s 3 hits and Jesus Alou’s 3 RBI lead the visiting Astros to a rout of the Chicago Cubs. Phil Regan failed to keep things close, as the reliever allowed 4 runs in just 1 inning of work.

Astros 8, Cubs 2.  W: Dierker (16-9)  L: Selma (12-5)

Team                             W    L    T   PCT    GB    RS   RA
Chicago Cubs                    76   48    1  .613     -   568  429
New York Mets                   69   52    0  .570   5.5   473  440

Tuesday, August 19, 1969

What a day for pitching!

For 13 1/3 innings, San Francisco’s Juan Marichal performed heroically as he kept the Mets scoreless while striking out 13 New York batters along the way.

Then up stepped Tommie Agee, who had gone 0 for 5 against Marichal to that point. The Mets centerfielder drove a pitch over the Shea Stadium fence to give the Mets a 1-0 victory. Gary Gentry pitched 10 shutout innings himself, and Tug McGraw added for of his own to earn the win.

Cleon Jones went 3 for 5 on the day for the Mets, who managed just 6 hits in 14 innings.

Mets 1, Giants 0 (14 inn.).  W: McGraw (6-2)  L: Marichal (14-9)

***

Ken Holtzman tossed nine innings of hitless baseball against the Braves, retiring Hank Aaron on a ground ball to second for the game’s final out.  Ron Santo’s first-inning three-run homer proved to be all the scoring at Wrigley.

It was a rare feat accomplished by Holtzman, who lodged his no-hitter without striking out a single batter. But the Cubs defense played flawlessly, and only three Giants reached base on walks.

Cubs 3, Giants 0.  W: Holtzman (14-7)  L: P. Niekro (16-11)

NL EAST STANDINGS

Team                             W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    76   45    1  .628     -
New York Mets                   67   51    0  .568   7.5