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Gonna party like it's 1969

Frayed Knot Jul 20 2009 12:42 PM

Thought it might be fun to follow along with a season now 40 years in the rearview mirror. Anyone or everyone is invited to play along. Turns out that on moon landing day the Mets weren't even in the country [u:5c1a633f]Sunday July 20 at Montreal -- Mets 2 - Expos 3[/u:5c1a633f] - Agee’s single knocks in 2 runs in the 2nd off Expo starter Gary Waslewski - but Gentry serves up 3 solo HRs in the 4th (Mack Jones, Bob Bailey, Bobby Wine) and the Mets get just one hit the rest of the way. - Both pitchers go the distance on 5 hits despite adding in a total of 12 walks!! (Gentry = 4, Waslewski = 8) Game 2 -- (remember double-headers?) Mets 4 - Expos 3 (10 innings) - Mets get 2 in the 1st off starter Mike Wegener - Expos nick Met starter Cardwell for 1 in the 3rd and then for an unearned run in the 8th. - Mets load the bases with 1 out in the 9th but get only 1 run (bases-loaded walk) out of it. - But then Ron Taylor gives up a leadoff HR in the bottom of the 9th (Coco LaBoy) to send it into extras. (Taylor was good, but when it really counted ...) - In the 10th, Swoboda’s 2-out doulbe (took 3rd on an error) and a PH infield-single by Bobby Pfeil plates a run and Jack DiLauro shuts the door (1 hit) for the save. Record at the end of the day 53 - 39; 2 Place; 5.0 Games out of 1st

G-Fafif Jul 20 2009 03:59 PM

Where the moon met the Mets, courtesy of my FAFIF partner Jason, here.

Frayed Knot Jul 21 2009 07:14 AM

Now had I been either smart or well-organized (0-for-two so far) I would have looked ahead and seen that it was a dumb idea to start this little project the day before 1969's three-day All-Star break. But since I'm not and I'm not, the relative lateness of that year's ASG means that on this date 40 years ago the 1969 Mets did ... absolutely nothing, or at least nothing that meant anything to their first-ever pennant race. So, assuming that this doesn't slip off the front page over the next three days causing me to forget about it, we'll pick this up again on July 24.

G-Fafif Jul 21 2009 09:03 AM

ASG highlight: Reception at White House (game in Washington) during which President Nixon greets Tom Seaver with "you're that young man who was good even when the Mets were bad," or words to that effect. Last ASG played entirely in daylight, as it was a makeup of the night before. How lucky has MLB been to not have that occur since?

Frayed Knot Jul 21 2009 10:47 AM

I remember that rainout; water flowing into the dugouts at old RFK (was it even RFK then?) at a rate where you expected to see an ark go by. So they just played the game Wednesday afternoon instead. Today such a shift would wreck half the players' plane reservations out of town (especially ARod who makes his for the 5th inning) and, worse yet, none of them would have time to get to the ESPYs!!!!!

Frayed Knot Jul 23 2009 12:03 PM

And now it's back to 'This Date in 1969 NYM History' Wednesday, July 23 - All-Star Game @ Washington DC National League 9 - American League 3 Cleon Jones - starting in LF and batting 6th - singles in the 2nd inning and scores on Johnny Bench’s HR - reached in the 3rd on an error and scored again, this time courtesy of Felix Millan’s (not yet a Met) double. - later flied out in the 4th; singled again in the 6th (stranded); before being replaced by some guy named Rose. Meanwhile, Jerry Koosman followed up Carlton, Gibson, and Bill Singer with 1-2/3 IPs of 1-hit/0-run ball. He faced Rico Petrocelli (double), Johnny Roseboro (FO), Brooks Robinson (K), and Mike Andrews (GO) in the 6th - then Carl Yastrzemski (FO) and Paul Blair (FO) in the 7th before giving way to Larry Dierker. Tom Seaver was also on the roster but did not pitch.

Frayed Knot Jul 24 2009 08:23 AM

And the second half of the season resumes -- Thursday, July 24 - Shea Stadium: Reds 4 - Mets 3 (12 innings) -- Jim Merritt v Gary Gentry - Reds and Mets trade solo HRs in the 6th (Bobby Tolan, Donn Clendenon) - trade single runs again in the 8th: Lee May bases-loaded Sac Fly; Cleon Jones HR - and then again in the 9th: a Jim Merritt 2-out solo HR (yes, pitcher hitting for himself in the 9th of a tie game); and a Wayne Garrett Sac Fly In the Met half of the 9th, Weis leads off w/a single chasing Merritt. Hodges responds to the RH Wayne Granger (Merritt = LHP) by sending up 3 straight PH-ers: Agee for Gentry (infield single + error, 2nd & 3rd), Shamsky for Harrelson (GO - Weis out at home - still 1st & 3rd) and then Garrett for Pfeil (Sac Fly) and we’re going to extras. - McGraw pitches the 10th, 11th & 12th - but doesn’t get bit until a Tony Perez HR in the 12th Boswell leads off the Met 12th with a single but Jones & Clendenon can’t get him in after a sac bunt Game Time 3:17 (12 innings) 53 - 40; 2nd place; 6.0 Games Behind; (5.5 ahead of 3rd place StL)

Nymr83 Jul 24 2009 08:25 AM

Boswell leads off the Met 12th with a single but Jones & Clendenon can’t get him in after a sac bunt BOOO bunting!

Frayed Knot Jul 25 2009 11:27 AM

Friday, July 25 - Shea Stadium: Mets 4 - Reds 3 -- Jim Maloney v Jerry Koosman - Shamsky’s Sac Fly gets the Mets the lead in the 4th - Rose singles in a tying run in the 6th - Koosman then gets touched for 2 in the 7th on a HR (Perez) BB & 2B - Cincy’s Maloney (a great pitcher for a while but a bit wild both on and off the mound) holds the Mets to 1 run on 5 hits over 7 but the Mets jump on reliever Clay Carroll for 3 in the 8th: Jones HBP; Shamsky 2B; Garrett RBI-GO; Kranepool GO; then a 2R-HR by JC Martin gives the Mets the lead - Ron Taylor - who had pitched a 1-2-3 8th - gives up a leadoff 2B in the 9th but shuts the door after that for his 5th win of the season Game Time 2:06 54 -40; 2nd place; 5.0 Games out of 1st

Frayed Knot Jul 27 2009 06:57 AM

Dang, I forgot yesterday's entry! Saturday, July 26 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Reds 2 -- Tony Cloniger vs Tom Seaver Score is 1-1 in the 5th when the Mets put together three straight two-out hits: a Harrelson single, a Seaver double, and a 2-RBI single from Agee Reds get one back in the 6th as Tolan singles in Rose, but Seaver shuts the door the rest of the way including coaxing DPs in each the 8th & 9th innings. Final line: 9 innings, 2 ER, 8 hits, 2 BBs, 8 Ks Game Time 2:15 55 -40; 2nd place; 5.0 Games out of 1st (Cubs beat Dodgers in 11)

Frayed Knot Jul 27 2009 07:13 AM

And today's: Sunday, July 27 - Shea Stadium: Reds 6 - Mets 3 -- Gerry Arrigo (a 1966 Met) vs Don Cardwell Cardwell gives up 3 in the 1st (Perez 2R-HR) and is replaced with 1 out in the 4th after giving up 2 more (in large part thanks to a 3-error inning) Mets get 2 back in the 6th (Jones RBI-1B, Clendenon SacFly) and 1 more in the 8th (Shamsky GO) but never get closer despite Ryan, McGraw & Taylor combining for 5.2 IP of 1 run on 1 hit relief. Arrigo: 7.1 IP, 3 R (1 ER) 7 H, 2 BB -- Wayne Granger: 1.2 IP of scoreless/hitless Game Time 2:27 55 -41; 2nd place; 5.0 Games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Dodgers 6 - 2)

Frayed Knot Jul 30 2009 07:42 AM

So it turns out that the ‘69-ers spent July 29th getting rained out and July 30th playing a DH too! Wednesday, July 30 - Shea Stadium: Astros 16 - Mets 3 -- Don Wilson v Jerry Koosman Koosman gives up 4 runs early and another in the 6th Single Met runs in the 4th, 5th & 7th make it a relatively close 5-3 game until it’s blown open when the Astros score 11 in the 9th off first Koonce (5 runs - all earned) and then Taylor (2/3 IP - 6 ER, 4 H, 2 BB). TWO Grand-Slams in that frame: Dennis Menke (off Koonce) and later Jimmy Wynn off Taylor. Game Time 3:00 Wednesday, July 30 - Shea Stadium (2nd game): Astros 11 - Mets 5 -- Larry Dierker v Gary Gentry More big inning woes for the staff as Houston explodes for 10 runs in the 3rd. Gentry was perfect thru 2 and had 2 outs in the 3rd with a runner on 2nd when it all fell apart: IF 1B + Error, BB, 1B, SB, BB, BB, bases-loaded 3B, 1B That prompted a pitching change but Ryan relieving immediately gives up a run-scoring 2B. ** it’s at this point that Ron Swoboda suddenly replaces Cleon Jones in LF in what I believe was the famous loafing incident ** The change helps not as Ryan then serves up a 2R HR to opposing pitcher Dierker and the rout in on. Kranepool’s 3R HR in the 8th is merely window dressing. Game Time = 2:37 55 -43; 2nd place; 5.5 Games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Giants 6 - 3) Another side note to Game 2 Both Dierker and Gentry were in the midst of good seasons and both were several months away from turning 23 years old. Gentry was a rookie although Dierker had been up for years at this point, pitching his first ML game at age 17. Both had very promising early careers - Dierker especially. But Gentry had his last good season at age 24, his last full season at 25, and was out of the game by 28 Dierker wound up on starting on the down slope by age 25, had a couple decent seasons after that but threw his last pitch at age 30 I think about stuff like this occasionally whenever I hear complaints about how pitchers are being babied these days.

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 08:05 AM

Thursday, July 31 - Shea Stadium: Astros 2 - Mets 0 -- Tom Griffin v Tom Seasver So the pitching gets straightened out and the bats go silent. It’s always something! Seaver holds the hot Astro bats to 6 hits over 7, but a 3 AB streak in the 6th of HR - 1B - 2B (Wynn - Menke - Blefary) does all the damage Houston’s Griffin walks 5 but otherwise scatters 4 hits and reliever Fred Gladding finishes the 9th w/3 consecutive ground-outs and the sweep is complete. Game Time = 2:24 55 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Giants 12-2)

Edgy DC Jul 31 2009 08:12 AM

Frayed Knot Jul 31 2009 08:41 AM

I was thinking that maybe they were going to replay the Hodges/Jones incident last night when they do that way-back machine thing during each game. But July 30 was also Casey's birthday so he took priority instead.

HahnSolo Jul 31 2009 08:51 AM

Burkhart relayed a story from Kranepool about the Jones incident, citing that in addition to being yanked, Cleon was benched for the four games following the doubleheader. Kranepool hinted that the four games gave Swoboda an opportunity and he got red hot. So I figured, let me look it up. Sure enough, Cleon was benched for those four games, and Swoboda started in left in each game. Alas, he wasn't so hot. He went 0 for 10 in those starts.

Frayed Knot Aug 01 2009 06:27 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 04 2009 07:01 PM

Friday, August 1 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Braves 4 -- Phil Neikro vs Don Cardwell The 1st place (West) Braves come into town and immediately thump Met starter Cardwell for 3 runs in 1/3 of an inning, opening the game with Single - HBP - Walk - Walk - Foul out - 2RBI single (F. Alou, T. Gonzalez, Aaron, Cepeda, C Boyer, Millan) before Hodges decides he’s seen enough. So out goes Cardwell and in comes Koonce who gets out of the inning without further damage and goes on to toss 6-1/3 of 1 run/4-hit ball, which is followed by 2-1/3 innings of 1-hit relief from Ron Taylor Meanwhile the Mets (with leading hitter Cleon Jones still in the doghouse and on the bench) answer with 4 runs of their own in the 1st on 3 singles, a walk, a 2-RBI single by Rod Gaspar, and a passed balll (live by the knuckleball, die by the knuckleball) Grote adds a solo shot in the 4th Taylor ends the game by getting Cepeda to ground out w/2 on in the 9th (after IW-ing Aaron) Game Time = 2:39 56 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Padres 5 - 2) Note: 4 of Atlanta’s starting 9 this night had big-league brothers; 6 in total including 5 who were active in 1969: Aaron & Neikro, plus 2 each for Alou & Boyer

Frayed Knot Aug 02 2009 08:43 AM

Saturday, August 2 - Shea Stadium: Mets 1 - Braves 0 -- Ron Reed vs Jim McAndrew The starters trade zeros for 6 innings, but the Mets break through in the 7th when the temporarily banished Cleon Jones came up to PH for McAndrew and delivered a 2-out single to knock in Swoboda who had led off with a walk. Seaver then came in to run for Jones (I guess Hodges figured if Jones was going to run like he was injured then he’s going to get treated like it) but Harrelson grounded out to end the inning. McGraw came in for the 8th and put two on w/2-out but struck out Aaron to end the threat. He then put two more on in the 9th but got PH-er Tony Gonzalez to end the game with a ground out Met offense consisted of 4 singles and 3 walks. Game Time = 2:23 57 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Padres 4 - 1) Forty years later on this same date the ‘09 Mets are playing the Diamondbacks. They of course didn’t exist in 1969, mainly because of the fact that Phoenix was a small cow town at the time not the nation's 5th largest city. Phoenix population 1950: 108,000 Phoenix population 1970: 584,000 Phoenix population 2009: 1,568,000

Frayed Knot Aug 03 2009 07:57 AM

Sunday, August 3 - Shea Stadium: Mets 6 - Braves 5 (11 innings) -- Milt Pappas vs Gary Gentry The starters cruise along for 5 with a 3rd inning Bobby Tillman solo HR for the Braves as the only run; but then in the 6th the ceiling falls in on both. Gentry gives up 5 straight base runners to start the 6th inning and is gone. Don Carwell (Cardwell - didn’t he just start a few days back?) prevents a catastrophe with a Sac Fly and 2 ground-outs but it’s now 5-0 Braves. But in the bottom half Agee doubles, Garrett singles (out goes Pappas) Shamsky singles, Gaspar singles, Grote reaches on an error, and then Cleon (PH-ing again) singles in 2 more before a Harrelson Sac Fly ties the game at 5 Jack DiLauro (2 innings) and Ron Taylor (3) shut down the Braves on 2 hits until Jerry Grote’s leadoff HR in the 11th off Claude Raymond (French pronunciation on that last name s'il vous plait) wins the game. Game Time = 3:00 58 - 44; 2nd place; 6.5 Games out of 1st , 3.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Padres 4 - 3) A couple of side notes on Atlanta starter Milt Pappas, a guy who had a real good 17 year career in MLB (209 wins, 2 AS games) but is often remembered for several less than great moments - he was the main bait in on the “bad” half of the swap which sent Frank Robinson from Cincy to Baltimore. - he’s the only pitcher to lose a perfect game with a walk to the 27th batter. He got the no-hitter but remained bitter towards umpire Bruce Froemming for calling balls on close pitches on both the 2-2 and 3-2 counts to that 27th hitter. - and finally, a short time after his retirement, his wife went out on a brief shopping trip near their home in suburban Chicago and never returned. This became a fairly big story at the time as there was no evidence of where she had gone, no known motive for a crime, and no trace found of either her or her car. It wasn’t until five years later that her remains and car were found in a pond just a few blocks from their house. The death was ruled an accident.

Frayed Knot Aug 04 2009 07:51 AM

Monday, August 4 - Crosley Field: Reds 1 - Mets 0 -- Jim Maloney vs Jerry Koosman The Mets start a road trip against the now 1st-place (NL West) Reds (we knocked Atlanta out for the time being). Koosman holds the Reds to 1 run on 5 hits over 7 innings (a 3rd inning Sac Fly scored Rose) but is trumped by Maloney’s 8-2/3 IP of 0 run/2 hit ball. Cleon Jones - starting again for the first time since being yanked in mid-game - walked w/2 outs in the 9th but Wayne Granger came in to get Kranepool for the final out. Game Time = 2:15 58 - 45; 2nd place; 7.5 Games out of 1st , 2.5 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Astros 9 - 3) Reds starter Jim Maloney was a guy who didn’t have a real long career (he was 29 in 1969 which was his last good season) and seems to have been somewhat forgotten now, but for a couple of years there he was a real bitch on the mound. His peak coincided with the most pitching-dominant decade since the deal-ball era and during that time he both threw as hard as anyone in the game and was wild enough to put the fear of god into players. He also drank. The drinking part didn’t become public knowledge until a few years later but I bet it was known to at least some extent within baseball circles at the time which couldn’t have made batters feel any easier.

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2009 07:07 AM

Return with me now to those thrilling days of yesteryear and Tuesday double-headers (must have been a rain make-up) Tuesday, August 5 - Crosley Field: Reds 8 - Mets 5 (Game 1 of DH) -- Gary Nolan vs Tom Seaver Seaver lasts just 3 innings giving up 4 runs on 5 hits and 2 BBs over that time including 2 HRs (Bobby Tolan in the 1st & Pete Rose in the 3rd) A Shamsky 2R HR in between kept the Mets in it until the Reds tacked on 2 against Koonce and 2 more off DiLauro to make it an 8-2 game. Mets scored 3 8th inning runs to make it look respectable but reliever Clay Carroll retired the last 6 batters straight. Game Time = 2:26 Tuesday, August 5 - Crosley Field: Mets 10 - Reds 1 (Game 2 of DH) -- Gerry Arrigo vs Nolan Ryan Ryan gets one of the ten starts he’d in 1969 because of the DH and promptly tosses a complete game 1-run / 7-hit / 2-BB / 7-K performance. Met bats, meanwhile, jumped all over former NYM Gerry Arrigo and reliever Pedro Ramos for eight 3rd inning runs and the rout was on. HRs from Clendenon & Agee plus 5 doubles lead the attack. Game Time 2:21 59 - 46; 2nd place; 8.0 Games out of 1st , 2.0 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Astros 5 - 2) How ‘bout a DH in 4:47? -- Or, as the Yanx & Sawx would call it, 7 innings. Reds OFer Bobby Tolan was in the news within the last year when his 20 or so y/o son was involved in what sounded like a racial profiling incident (black kid in a nice car gets followed into a nice - Houston I think - neighborhood) in some ways similar to the recent Prof Gates deal up in Mass. Only in this case the cops sounded a lot more belligerent and young Tolan wound up shot on his driveway. Kid wasn’t killed but it likely ended whatever chances he had at a future baseball career.

Edgy DC Aug 05 2009 07:23 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 05 2009 08:02 AM

I was thinking the other day that modern bullpen usage not only gets guys to be pulled after 6-7 innings while they're cruising, but also forces guys who have nothing, who might have otherwise been pulled after two or three innings, to stay in there and go five, in order that the bullpen may stay fresh enough later in the week to relieve pitchers who are pitching well. Four runs on five hits and two walks in three innings? That's not the sort of thing that gets a modern pitcher pulled, expecially a staff ace, especially with a nightcap coming up.

Frayed Knot Aug 05 2009 07:36 AM

Part of that is a reflection of the difference in the offense of the eras. Four runs on five hits over three was a lot worse then than it is now, but yeah, the concept of "saving" the pen wasn't as prevalent even though most teams had just 10-man staffs.

Frayed Knot Aug 06 2009 07:01 AM

Wednesday, August 6 - Crosley Field: Reds 3 - Mets 2 -- Jim Merritt vs Jim McAndrew Reds win the battle of dueling complete games from guys named Jim. Mets get 10 hits but 9 are singles and score their only 2 runs in the top of the 1st. McAndrew (of Lost Nation, Iowa in case your weren't aware) gives up just 7 hits but Rose gets a double and two triples (knocks in one & scores one) while Bench’s leadoff HR in the 7th inning winds up as the difference maker. Neither pitcher issued a walk Game Time = 2:02 59 - 47; 2nd place; 9.0 Games out of 1st , 2.0 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Astros 5 - 4 ... at least somebody can beat the Astros)

Frayed Knot Aug 08 2009 06:38 AM

Friday, August 8 - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 4 - Braves 1 (Game 1 of DH) -- Jerry Koosman vs Milt Pappas JC Martin single knocking in Garrett w/2 outs in the 3rd is the only run for either side over the first 8 innings. In top 9th a Cleon Jones double plates Agee (and chases Pappas) and then 2-out RBI singles from Clendenon & Martin again make it 4-0 Mets. Koosman - the only Met who didn’t bat in the top of the inning - completes the 7-hit CG with only a 2-out solo HR from catcher Bobby Tillman spoiling the shutout Game Time = 2:24 Game 2 - Braves 1 - Mets 0 (10 innings) -- Ron Reed vs Gary Gentry Gentry holds the Braves scoreless on 4 hits and 2 walks through 9. But Ron Taylor retires only one batter in the 10th as Felipe Alou’s bases-loaded single brings in the only run of the game. Reed goes all 10 innings for the win on 5 hits (all singles) & no walks Game Time = 2:11 60 - 48; 2nd place; 8.5 Games out of 1st , 1.0 game ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs lose to Dodgers 5 - 0) I know I keep harping on it, but look at these game times! A 4:35 DH where one of the games goes extra innings (19 innings total). The Yanx & Sawx went just under 4 hours for a 9-inning game on Thursday and were closing in on 6 hours for a scoreless 14-2/3 on Friday.

Edgy DC Aug 08 2009 07:58 AM

I had no idea --- or had forgotten --- that Ron Reed was in the league in 1969. To me he's forever a part of that 1980 Phils bullpen with McGraw, Brusstar, Noles, and Kevin F. Saucier.

Frayed Knot Aug 09 2009 05:43 AM

Saturday, August 9 - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 5 - Braves 3 -- Tom Seaver vs Pat Jarvis Seaver, leading off the 7th in a game tied at 3, singles and later scores the go-ahead run when Jones singles 3 batters later. Mets score again in the 9th while first McGraw and then Koonce finish up the game. HRs - Agee (solo in the 3rd) Aaron & Cepeda - back to back solo in the 3rd Future Met George Stone is the loser in relief. Game Time = 3:11 61 - 48; 2nd place; 8.5 games out of 1st, 1.0 games ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Dodgers 4 - 0)

Frayed Knot Aug 10 2009 07:36 AM

Sunday, August 10 - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 3 - Braves 0 -- Nolan Ryan vs Jim Britton Ryan hasn’t given up a hit when he’s pulled from the game with one out in the 3rd inning (Injury? blisters?) Don Cardwell takes over with 4 scoreless innings (4 hits) before handing off to Tug McGraw for the remaining 2-2/3 (1 H, 2 BB). Met pitchers record no strikeouts in the game. Agee’s leadoff HR in the 4th is the only run off starter Britton. They later add 2 in the 9th via an Agee double, Jones single & Garrett single Game Time = 2:27 62 - 48; 2nd place; 7.5 games out of 1st, 1.0 game ahead of 3rd place StL (Cubs lose to Dodgers 4 - 2) I have no memory of Jim Britton

Frayed Knot Aug 11 2009 07:28 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 13 2009 06:49 AM

Monday, August 11 - Astrodome: Astros 3 - Mets 0 -- Jim McAndrew vs Tom Griffin A credible start by McAndrew gets buried in the result as Met bats are held to 5 singles (2 by Kranepool) by a combination of starter Griffin (8 IP - 4 hits) and reliever Fred Gladding. Best chances to score come in the 2nd when they load the bases with 2 outs - but McAndrew Ks, and in the 6th when they get 2 on w/1 out only to have Kranepool hit into a GiDP. The loss knocks them into a virtual tie with the Cards for 3rd place. Mets have somehow played 4 fewer games than StL to date. Game Time = 2:22 62 - 49; 3rd place; 8.0 games out of 1st, percentage points behind StL (Cards beat Dodgers 4 - 2; Cubs idle) The Astros, why does it always have to be the Astros?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 11 2009 07:30 AM

Fred shut the Mets down just by looking at 'em funny-like:

Frayed Knot Aug 12 2009 07:03 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 13 2009 06:49 AM

Tuesday, August 12 - Astrodome: Astros 8 - Mets 7 -- Jerry Koosman vs Don Wilson* Mets bat around in the 4th and get 5 runs via a 3R-HR by Kranepool and a 2-out/2-RBI 1B from Agee to take a 5-1 lead. But Koosman gives it all back and more culminating with a 3R-HR by Curt Blefrary in the 6th to make it 6-5 Astros. Kooz stays in the game long enough to give up another run in the 7th on a Joe Morgan (yes, that one) triple and steal of home. Taylor gives up another to make it 8-5 so that Agee’s 2nd 2-RBI hit of the game in the 8th only closes it to an 8-7 deficit. Mets get two on in the 9th against Gladding but he gets Gaspar to fly out for his second consecutive save. Game Time = 2:38 (that’s 2 hours + 38 in a game with 15 runs, 20 hits, 8 walks, 13 Ks, and 4 errors) 62 - 50; 3rd place; 9.0 games out of 1st, percentage points behind StL (Cubs beat Padres 4-0; Cards lose to Dodgers 5-2) * Houston starter Don Wilson was a lot like Cincy’s Jim Maloney who the Mets faced eight days earlier; a hard-throwing, somewhat wild pitcher from that era who had a good but shortened career and is somewhat forgotten these days. The two shared even more in common during a series between Houston and Cincinnati early in this same season when Maloney's no-hit game over the Astros was followed the next night by Wilson no-hitting the Reds. Also, like Maloney, Wilson had a problem with the bottle. Still going strong through the 1974 season (his final game that year was a 2-hit CG) Wilson was found dead in January ‘75 sitting in his car in the garage with the engine running. The incident, which also killed his young son and hospitalized his daughter who were in the attached house, was ruled an accident. It was a few weeks before he would have turned 30.

Frayed Knot Aug 13 2009 06:48 AM

Wednesday, August 13 - Astrodome: Astros 8 - Mets 2 -- Gary Gentry vs Larry Dierker Gentry gets jumped by Dennis Menke for a 3R HR in the 1st inning prompting Gil to waste no time PH-ing for him in the top of the 2nd -- and getting a 2-out RBI 1B by Bobby Pfeil as it turns out. But Koonce and DiLauro don’t fare much better and by the time Curt Blefary’s 3R HR lands while there are still no outs in the 3rd the rout is on. Dierker goes all the way on a 5-hitter with only an Agee solo HR doing any further damage. Game Time = 2:24 62 - 51; 3rd place; 10.0 games out of 1st, 1.0 game behind 2nd place StL, 3.5 ahead of 4th place Pittsburgh (Cubs beat Padres 4-2; Cards beat Dodgers 5-0) This was it. This was the (soon to be) famous turn-around spot, the one that represented the low point of the season. Swept out of Houston in 3 games and losers in 12 of the previous 19, they had fallen into 3rd place and were now double-digits out of 1st. True they were heading home, but also still had a 10-game west coast swing in front of them and they never did well in those back in them days. My very young self was on vacation in rural central Virginia when this series was going on - in a house with no TV and a daily newspaper which carried box scores (often a day late) and maybe a line or two from AP as my only description of the action in those pre-internet, pre-cable days. Those conditions made it a very depressing week to follow from afar the slipping away of the first promising season in team history. A losing streak at this time of This season brought a different kind of disappointment than similar ones did in other years and it looked like this one was going to be the crusher. So they needed to get something going if they were going to be in it and they needed that something to start right away.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 13 2009 07:05 AM

This game also marks the end of Side 1 of this record.

G-Fafif Aug 14 2009 08:51 AM

1969, through the prism of the dispiriting decade that succeeded it, here.

HahnSolo Aug 14 2009 09:21 AM

Awesome as always, Greg.

G-Fafif Aug 14 2009 09:22 AM

[quote="HahnSolo":3k4gk6fn]Awesome as always, Greg.[/quote:3k4gk6fn] Thanks Hahn.

Frayed Knot Aug 16 2009 05:43 AM

Mets return home with a Saturday DH following two straight off-days (I assuming they were off Friday because of a rain-out). I don’t know if Gil Hodges called any kick-ass meetings in the meantime to start the homestand out on the right foot or to air the team out after its poor play on the road, but if he did he did it the way every manager should do it as to reap the highest rate of success: wait until the day your ace is starting! Saturday, August 16 - Shea Stadium: Mets 2 - Padres 0 (Game 1 of DH) -- Tom Seaver vs Tommie Sisk And Seaver lived up to the moniker tossing an 8-inning 4-hitter leading to a perfect 9th from Ron Taylor. Mets bats, meanwhile, “broke through” in the 5th on a one-out Harrelson single, a Seaver bunt, and an Agee single. In the 7th Grote leads off with a single. This time Hodges calls for Harrelson to bunt and then has Seaver swing away (line-out). The Padres, learning their lesson from earlier, IW Agee to get to Bobby Pfeil - except that Pfeil singles in the 2nd run. Pfeil - starting at 3B that day - collects 3 of the Mets’ 9 hits. Game Time = 2:30 Saturday, August 16 - Shea Stadium: Mets 2 - Padres 1 (Game 2 of DH) -- Jim McAndrew vs Dick Kelly Game 2 goes pretty much the same way as game 1. McAndrew tosses 7 innings of 1-run, 3-hit ball followed by 2 shutout/1-hit innings from McGraw (I guess Irish eyes were smiling that day) A Cleon Jones HR leading off the 4th tied the game. Then in the 7th Hodges won the switcheroo war when the Padres intentionally walked Harrelson with a runner on 3rd and 2 outs in order to get to McAndrew. Hodges PH’d Shamsky prompting a SD pitching change which in turn prompted a PH change as Grote replaced Shamsky and wound up delievering a 2-out single and the go-ahead run. Game Time = 2:25 64 - 51; 3rd place; 9.0 games out of 1st, pct points behind 2nd place StL, 4.5 ahead of 4th place Pittsburgh (Both Cubs and Cards won Saturday after both losing on Friday)

Frayed Knot Aug 17 2009 07:22 AM

Woo-Hoo, nothing like back-to-back DHs against an expansion club to get your comeback started. Sunday, August 17 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Padres 2 (Game 1 of DH) -- Jerry Koosman vs Joe Niekro It’s a good thing this team could pitch because they’re not exactly piling up the runs against the vaunted pitching staff of the expansion San Diego Padres. At least this day (unlike yesterday) they’re facing pitchers who actually won more than a dozen games before their careers were over. In game 1 here they find themselves down 2-0 when a 3R HR from backup catcher Duffy Dyer* with one out in the 5th inning puts them ahead. Given the lead, Koosman then cruises through the 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th facing the minimum while allowing only one single. Game Time = 2:09 Sunday, August 17 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Padres 2 (Game 2 of DH) -- Don Cardwell vs Clay Kirby Same score, different path to get there. Mets get out-hit 11-to-5 in a game where the Padres leave at least one runner on in every inning against Cardwell - although the game remains scoreless until the 7th. Bud Harrelson’s 2-RBI triple on the last pitch Kirby throws in bottom 7 breaks the ice. JC Martin - hitting for Cardwell - knocks a Sac Fly to get Harrelson in (good day for back-up catchers). Koonce replaces Cardwell with a 3-0 lead but allows a run and retires none of the three batters he faces. Taylor then comes in with a run in and 2 on to get three straight outs (one inherited run scores) and finish the 8th, then go [GO - 1B - GiDP] to wrap up the 9th. Game Time = 2:37 66 - 51; 2nd place; 8.0 games out of 1st, 1/2 game up on 2nd place StL (Cubs split a pair w/San Fran, Cards beat Atlanta) Not easy to sweep a 4-game series while scoring a total of 10 runs!! Of course it helps when the pitching allows only 5 (3 earned). * Dyer had only 8 PAs this season prior to this series and was starting only his 2nd game of the year (the first was Game 2 of yesterday’s DH). And although he’d end the season at a pedestrian .257 BA / .295 OBA in 74 ABs, he knocked in 12 runs with his 19 hits, 7 of which went for extra-bases (3 2Bs, 1 3B, 3 HRs). He’d go on to start in 18 games between mid-August and the end of the season as the DHs piled up (this one here was the 3rd in 10 days) and Hodges started to sit Grote more often. JC Martin also started 2 down the stretch and finished some games via double-switches as he seemed to be more in the PH role. Aaah, the glories of smaller pitching staffs and extra catchers!

seawolf17 Aug 17 2009 07:40 AM

Two games, four and a half total hours? That's six innings of Yankees-Red Sox.

Edgy DC Aug 17 2009 07:53 AM

Another advantage --- they could double-switch Grote out of the game and not lose that much defense with Dyer. Martin was a hacking lefty who brought very little on defense. The original Mackey.

Frayed Knot Aug 19 2009 06:40 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 19 2009 08:42 PM

You like pitching? ... We got your pitching right here! Tuesday, August 19 - Shea Stadium: Mets 1 - Giants 0 (14 Innings) -- Gary Gentry vs Juan Marichal Gentry throws 10 innings of shutout ball - allowing only singles in the 2nd, 5th, 7th & 10th innings along with 4 walks. Marichal walks just 1 over that same span and allows 3rd, 4th & 10th inning singles. McGraw takes over in the 11th and pitches 1-hit/1-walk ball for 4 innings. In the Met 12th (with Marichal still hurling) Jones knocks a 1-out single, then McGraw hits for himself and gets what is described as; a single to Pitcher + E1 wtih Jones thrown out at home and McGraw advancing to 3rd ... well that certainly sounds like fun! Garrett then flied out to end the inning. The next (and last) hit in the game was Agee’s 1-out game-winning HR in the 14th ... off Marichal. It was the only extra-base hit of the game. Game Time = 3:44 67 - 51; 2nd place; 8.0 games out of 1st, 1.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs beat Atlanta 3-0; Cards lost to Reds 8-4) Although the Mets had already broken the “curse” Marichal had on them - he had won his first 19 decisions before Jack Fisher beat him on Independence Day in 1967 - he was still 21-2 against them overall at this point. He’d wind up his vs-NYM career at 26-8 meaning that we actually "got to him" in the later years, going 8-7 after that initial 19-0

Edgy DC Aug 19 2009 07:39 AM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 19 2009 09:10 PM

[quote="Frayed Knot"]McGraw hits for himself and gets what is described as; a single to Pitcher + E1 wtih Jones thrown out at home and McGraw advancing to 3rd ... well that certainly sounds like fun!

The play looks to me like McGraw sacrificing, but placing it well enough to leg out a single. Marichal, trying in desperation to get him, throws wildly to first, where Giants secondbaseman Ron Hunt --- using his natural ability to get hit by the ball --- is able to block it, but not control it. It rolls into wide 1969-class foul territory as Cleon races around the bases attempting to score from first with the head-start he got on the sacrifice. Hunt chases the ball down and throws to backup catcher Jack Hiatt (whose name is Jack, not John), and Cleon is pegged.

An aggressive McGraw tears into third and gets a pat on the ass from Yogi Berra, as he could have easily gone through the motions and dropped out of the play, thinking of Jones as the winning run and the only runner that mattered. World War II-veteran Yogi quickly recalls his commitment to the attitude that McGraw is a filthy greasy hippy and turns to Hodges for the sign to give Garrett, resolving to wash his hands between innings.

Frayed Knot Aug 19 2009 08:45 PM

[quote="Edgy DC"][quote="Frayed Knot"]McGraw hits for himself and gets what is described as; a single to Pitcher + E1 wtih Jones thrown out at home and McGraw advancing to 3rd ... well that certainly sounds like fun!

The play looks to me like McGraw sacrificing, but placing it well enough to leg out a single. Marichal, trying in desperation to get him, throws wildly to first, where Giants secondbaseman Ron Hunt --- using his natural ability to get hit by the ball --- is able to block it, but not control it. It rolls into wide 1969-class foul territory as Cleon races around the bases attempting to score from first with the head-start he got on the sacrifice. Hunt chases the ball down and throws to backup catcher Jack Hiatt (whose name is Jack, not John), and Cleon is pegged.

An aggressive McGraw tears into third and gets a pat on the ass from Yogi Berra, as he could have easily gone through the motions and dropped out of the play, thinking of Jones as the winning run and the only runner that mattered. World War II-veteran Yogi quickly recalls his commitment to the attitude that McGraw is a filthy greasy hippy and turns to Hodges for the sign to give Garrett, resolving to wash his hands between innings.


Yeah, that's what I was going to say too.


I like how Keith was talking about this game tonight. He claims he had read about it in "the team notes" but we all know it's really on account of him keeping up with this here thread.

Frayed Knot Aug 20 2009 07:10 AM

Wednesday, August 20 - Shea Stadium: Mets 6 - Giants 0 -- Jim McAndrew vs Gaylord Perry An actual cruise-control game following a series of low-scoring nail-biters as Jim McAndrew tosses a complete game 2-hitter against a lineup with 3 future H-o-F-ers. OK Gaylord Perry isn’t a hitter, but McAndrew did out-pitch him while silencing the bats of Mays & McCovey (and also Bobby Bonds). Perry is gone with only one out in the 5th inning mostly due to Art Shamsky. Art had both a 1st inning RBI double and then tacked on a 3R-HR in the 5th to make it 5-0 Mets. Before the inning was out Harrelson would triple in a run off reliever (and future Met) Ray Sadecki for their 6th run. Some 2nd baseman named Don Mason (no memory at all) got both hits off McAndrew, a double and a triple. He’d finish his 8-year career with a grand total of 22 XBHs Game Time = 2:18 68 - 51; 2nd place; 7.0 games out of 1st, 1.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs lost to Atlanta 6-2; Cards beat Reds 2-1) Mays & McCovey are a combined 0-for11 with 2 BBs so far in this series Once or future Mets on the ‘69 Giants include Ron Hunt & Willie Mays; Dave Marshall & Ray Sadecki (came in the same post-1969 trade for Jim Gosger & Bob Heise); plus, still 3 weeks short of making his ML debut, a 20 y/o OF named George Foster

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 06:42 AM

Thursday, August 21 - Shea Stadium: Giants 7 - Mets 6 -- Tom Seaver vs Ron Bryant The post-Houston disaster six-game winning streak ends as a result of a 2-out RBI triple by Ken Henderson in the 11th inning off Ron Taylor. - Mets jump out to an early lead via a 1st inning HR by Tommie Agee (hitting 3rd behind Harrelson & Pfeil - OBP be damned) . - But Seaver is done in by 2 un-earned runs in the 3rd and also by two Bobby Bonds HRs (playing CF in place of Mays) the second of which was a 3R job in the 7th making it 6-2 Giants. - Mets fight back by netting 3 in their half of the 7th (Weis singles, Charles singles, Pfeil doubles, Agee singles) and then get the tying run with 2 outs in the 9th as Swoboda singles in Jones. - Reliever Don McMahon comes in to get Dyer with the winning runs on - and then pitches a perfect 10th & 11th to make the SF 11th inning run stand up. Game Time = 3:34 68 - 52; 2nd place; 7.0 games out of 1st, 1.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs lost to Atlanta 3-1; Cards lost to Reds 5-3)

Frayed Knot Aug 21 2009 09:45 PM

You’re getting the entire weekend Dodger series at once here seeing as how I’m out for a while. If someone wants to pick this up project for a while be my guest. Friday, August 22 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Dodgers 3 -- Jerry Koosman vs Bill Singer Out go the Giants - in come the 1st place Dodgers* Mets score four times early - two on a 2nd inning HR by Swoboda - and hang on despite being out-hit by the Dodgers 12-7 as Koosman (6 IP, 3 Runs, 10 hits) and McGraw (3 IP - 2 hits) hold them to 3 runs. All LA hits were singles and neither NYM pitcher issued a walk. Game Time = 2:31 69 - 52; 2nd place; 6.0 games out of 1st, 1.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs lost to Houston 8-2; Cards beat Atlanta 4-2) * If it seems like we’re playing a lot of 1st place clubs during this stretch it’s because we are. The NL West was a real dogfight that year and at the end of play on this date only San Diego was out of it (I mean if you can call 31 games ‘out of it’). But the other 5 are within 2 games of each other so, as they play the West exclusively during this stretch, each night they’re essentially playing a team which either is in 1st place or could be by the next day. Of course Chicago & StL are doing to same thing at the same time so it all evens out until September when the schedule turns entirely to intra-division clashes (ahhh, the glories of the pre-IL, pre-three division schedule!!) Saturday, August 23 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Dodgers 2 -- Don Cardwell vs Jim Bunning Future HoFer Jim Bunning - making his 2nd start for the Dodgers following a late-season trade - holds the Mets to 2 runs over 7 innings as his new team is being shut-out by Met starter Cardwell. But Willie Davis’s 2-out RBI triple plus scores on an error ties it in the 8th. Ron Taylor holds LA scoreless in top 9 and sets the stage for Jerry Grote’s 1-out RBI double off reliever Jim Brewer to give them the walk-off win. Game Time = 2:37 70 - 52; 2nd place; 6.0 games out of 1st, 2.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs lost to Atlanta 6-2; Cards beat Reds 2-1) I don’t remember Bunning team-hopping at the end of his career but he did go to Pittsburgh in ‘68 and was dealt to LA just a week prior to this game following his combined 14 years in Detroit & Philly. He then went back to Philly over the winter where he finished up his career in 1970 & ‘71. And now he’s being forced out by the Republican party who doesn’t think he can win again in Kentucky. They basically told him they weren’t going to fund him if he ran and so he’s “retiring” in favor of another candidate. I don’t think the Democrats will pick him up as a free agent.. Sunday, August 24 - Shea Stadium: Mets 7 - Dodgers 4 -- Gary Gentry vs Don Sutton Another day, another future HoFer faced. That’s 4 this week!! A back-and-forth game that will eventually total 23 hits, the Mets finally go ahead for good with a 4-run 7th. Jones & Shamsky lead off the inning with singles which chases Sutton. Reliever Jim Brewer comes in and promptly gets bombed. Boswell singles to load the bases and Swoboda doubles to un-load them. Grote singles in Swoboda and it’s 7-4 Mets. Cal Koonce - who had come in to pitch the 7th - gets the win and also acts as his own closer, retiring the Dodgers on one hit through the 8th & 9th. Game Time = 2:55 (Ooooh, a long one!) 71 - 52; 2nd place; 5.5 games out of 1st, 3.5 games up on 3rd place StL (Cubs split a pair while the Cardinals lost to Atlanta in extras)

Frayed Knot Aug 31 2009 03:04 PM

Oh sure, I go away for a while and does anyone pick up on this? .... Nooooo! How is anybody going to know what happened otherwise? What we missed was the beginning of a 10-game road trip to the west coast. Expansion San Diego was first up where the Mets swept a 3-game series - including a DH which briefly cut the Cubs’ lead to just 2.5 games. A split of the first two games in San Fran plus a couple of Chicago wins throws it back to 4.0 - which brings us to a Candlestick DH to end the 4-gamer. Sunday, August 31 - Candlestick Park: Mets 8 - Giants 0 (Game 1 of DH) -- Tom Seaver vs Mike McCormick Seaver cruises to a complete game 7-hitter while his mates explode for 5 in the 4th & 3 in the 5th. Two RBIs each for Swoboda, Grote & Weis, plus one from roomies Harrelson & Seaver. Game Time = 2:43 Sunday, August 31 - Candlestick Park: Mets 2 - Giants 3 (11 innings - Game 2 of DH) -- Jim McAndrew vs Ron Bryant The Giants score their first two batters of the game, leading off bottom 1 with a single, triple and single. Giant’s pitcher Bryant faces the minimum through 6 but the Mets break through in the 7th when a Swoboda 2R-HR ties up the game. All is then well until the 11th when McGraw and Taylor can’t record a single out and the winning run scores on a bases-loaded walk. Game Time = 2:45 So they wind up with a split of the 4-games w/the Giants (Mays missed the entire series) but have still won 14 of their last 17 since the disastrous series in Houston which dropped them into 3rd place double-digits out of first. All 3 losses in those 17 games were to the Giants. 76 - 54; 2nd place; 4.5 games out of 1st (Cubs beat Atlanta 8-4) and now a full 6.0 games up on 3rd place StL, who I think we can kiss goodbye to for the remainder of the season.

Frayed Knot Sep 01 2009 08:19 AM

September begins with a trip to La-La Land the Mets losing a second straight game for the first time since August 12 & 13 Monday, September 1 - Dodger Stadium: Mets 6 - Dodgers 8 -- Jerry Koosman vs Jim Bunning Mets send 8 to the plate and score twice in the top of the 1st But Koosman faces just five batters in the bottom of the inning, retiring only one and getting yanked with a 3-2 score that would become 5-2 before the inning was out. By the end of 2 it was 7-2 Dodgers and 9-2 by the time the 4th was done (the remainder off Koonce). Met bats make it look more respectable with two each in the 6th & 7th to chase Bunning, but the LA relievers hold them to only one hit over the final 2.1 innings. Game Time = 3:04 76 - 55; 2nd place; 5.0 games out of 1st (Cubs idle)

G-Fafif Sep 01 2009 09:17 AM

Two straight losses? Gil must go!

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 01 2009 09:29 AM

Who knew Jim Bunning was a Dodger?

Frayed Knot Sep 01 2009 09:34 AM

I didn't remember either - see the note on the 8/23 game.

Frayed Knot Sep 02 2009 08:03 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Tuesday, September 2 - Dodger Stadium: Mets 5 - Dodgers 4 -- Gary Gentry vs Don Sutton 1st & 4th inning solo Clendenon HRs and a 6th inning 2-RBI double from Swoboda give Gentry a 4-0 lead. Gentry eventually takes a 5-1 lead into the 9th when things start to get a little hairy; he leaves with one out and two on; Taylor comes in to get the 2nd out but then 3 consecutive singles later it’s a 5-4 game with runners on 1st & 3rd and Willie Davis at the plate. Hodges summons Tug from the pen who strikes out Davis to preserve the win. In the midst of their 9th inning rally, the Dodgers use a 19 y/o pinch-runner making his ML debut (and scoring his first-ever ML run) by the name of Bobby Valentine. Game Time = 2:32 77 - 55; 2nd place; 5.0 games out of 1st (Cubs beat Reds 8-2)

HahnSolo Sep 02 2009 08:42 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Great tidbit on Valentine. It's really remarkable that on Sept. 2nd they were still five games out of first, yet they'd go on to win the division by 8 games.

Frayed Knot Sep 03 2009 08:06 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Wednesday, September 3 - Dodger Stadium: Mets 4 - Dodgers 5 -- Jerry Koosman vs Claude Osteen Koosman - starting on short rest on account of his 0.1 IP start two days earlier - gives up single runs in the 2nd & 3rd innings - both on Wild Pitches! He later gives up 2 more in his six innings of work and the Mets head into the 8th down 4-0. But 2R HRs from both Agee and Clendenon tie the score. Ryan dances in and out of trouble in the bottom 8th but gives way to Jack DiLauro after he’s PH’d for in the 9th. The Dodgers quickly win the game in typical 1960s LAD fashion: a Maury Wills single; a Manny Mota sac bunt; and a Willie Davis double. Get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in. Jeff Torborg has been your LAD catcher for games 1 & 3 of this series. Game Time = 2:27 77 - 56; 2nd place; 5.0 games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Reds 2-0) So the deficit which shrunk from 10 games down to 2-1/2 briefly in just 14 days went back up to 5 and has now stalled there for several days and they're in the exact same spot as they were six weeks earlier. 19 games remain. And those remaining games will all be in the east and this game ends not only the west coast portion of the road trip but all inter-division play as well. From here on out it’s strictly east-v-east and west-v-west for the Mets and for all teams (barring the odd rain-out make-up). Love that schedule.

Frayed Knot Sep 05 2009 05:34 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 05 2009 11:50 AM

Back home after a day off with a Friday DH, and back in the NL East Friday, September 5 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Phillies 1 -- (1st game of DH) Tom Seaver vs Grant Jackson - the 5th place Phils (27.5 GB) draw first blood via a 2nd inning Deron Johnson triple - Mets then score three times on only one hit in the 3rd inning courtesy of two walks and two errors - Grote’s 8th inning 2-out/2R HR makes it 5-1 - Seaver goes all the way on 5 hits, 1 BB & 7 Ks Game Time = 1:52 (not a typo) Friday, September 5 - Shea Stadium: Mets 2 - Phillies 4 -- (2nd game of DH) Jim McAndrew vs Rick Wise - Wise strikes out 11 during his complete game 8-hitter - Mets tally 2 in the 5th to tie the game and still have 2-on with no outs but miss a great chance to tack on more as McAndrew Ks (trying to bunt) and Agee GiDPs - McAndrew pitches well (7 IP, 6 hits, 0 BB) but gets nicked up for single runs in the 1st (on a Sac Fly) the 4th (on a FO-DP) and in the 7th (an unearned run via an IF Single) - Taylor (1 R on 3 H) pitches the final two innings Game Time = 2:28 78 - 57; 2nd place; 4.5 games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Pittsburgh 9-2) Rick Wise was an interesting story. After two more seasons (between ‘71 & ‘72) he would be traded straight-up for Steve Carlton in a move that , in hindsight, wasn’t very ...well, wise. Both were coming off good years at the time, were about the same age, and, IIRC, both were having contract squabbles with their teams and so a spring training trade was seen as the solution to each squad’s headache with the prevailing wisdom being that Wise was getting the better deal seeing as how he was headed to the better club. And while Wise was a fine pitcher who would go on to win nearly 200 games over 18 seasons (11 after the trade) only 2 of those years were spent in StL. Meanwhile Carlton was making between 33 and 41 !! starts in 12 of his 14 seasons in Philly and racking up 4 Cy Young awards in the process. I contacted Steve to get his recollections of the deal, but he had no comment.

Edgy DC Sep 05 2009 07:22 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

In my mind's eye, Grant Jackson is perpetually a Pirate, and Wise perpetually a Padre.

Frayed Knot Sep 06 2009 07:28 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Saturday, September 6 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Phillies 0 -- Don Cardwell vs Jerry Johnson Cardwell (6 IPs, 4 hits) and McGraw (3 IPs, 2 hits) combine for the shutout The Mets first hit is a 3rd inning leadoff HR from Grote. 2 singles and a Garrett Sac Fly later it was 2-0. McGraw later singles in the 3rd run in the 7th. Game Time = 2:17 79 - 57; 2nd place; 3.5 games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Pittsburgh 13-4)

Edgy DC Sep 06 2009 01:37 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Don Cardwell, wily vetran, kicking it into gear.

Frayed Knot Sep 07 2009 05:47 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Sunday, September 7 - Shea Stadium: Mets 9 - Phillies 3 -- Gary Gentry vs Bill Champion A 3-3 game after 6 innings (1st inning HRs from Agee & Shamsky), Met bats explode for 2 in the 7th (Shamsky SF, Boswell RBI 3B) plus 4 more in the 8th (Agee 2-RBI 1B, Gaspar 2-RBI 1B) to make it a blow-out. Nolan Ryan came on to start the 7th and gets the win as the beneficiary of those runs (3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 K) Game Time = 2:42 80 - 57; 2nd place; 2.5 games out of 1st (Cubs lose to Pittsburgh 7-5 in 11 innings) Anybody remember George Myatt? Yeah, me neither - but he was the Philly manager for this series having taken over for Bob Skinner a month earlier. He would finish out the season in what would wind up as his only managerial stint at the ML level. In all this was a pretty non-descript Philly team. Outside of Dick Allen (gone at year end), Johnny Callison, and Don Money there are not a lot of recognizable names here. This was year 2 of a 7-year sub-.500 stretch. Bowa & Luzinski would debut the following season. Schmidt, Boone & Carlton (via trade) came aboard in ‘72 although it would take until '75 for them to break .500. By '76 they won the first of 3 NL East titles (and 3 straight NCS losses) and 5 of the next 8

Edgy DC Sep 07 2009 06:18 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Not a lot of recognizable names? How about future Met coaches Deron Johnson and Cookie Rojas. A young Larry Hisle also comes off the bench this game. But, yeah, this is a Phillie team going nowhere.

Frayed Knot Sep 08 2009 06:02 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Now this is the kind of baseball Labor Day should bring -- not off days and inter-division stuff Mr. Selig, but an in-division rival for what would be the first set of not just “meaningful games in September” in NYM history but dare I say "critical" ones. Just a two-game series, but it was long enough to do major damage to one party. Monday, September 8 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Cubs 2 -- Jerry Koosman vs Bill Hands - Agee’s 2R HR in the 3rd breaks the ice (was this the semi-famous HR after being dusted event?). - Cubs even it up by starting the 6th with 3 consecutive singles and a Sac Fly (Beckert, Kessinger, Williams, Santo) - but the Mets strike right back in the bottom half on a leadoff double from Agee followed by a Garrett single - Kooz retires the side in order in the 7th; gives up singles to the first 2 hitters in the 8th but gets Santo to roll into a GiDP and Ks Banks to wriggle out of it. He then works around a one-out Randy Hundley single in the 9th to seal the game. Game Time = 2:09 81 - 57; 2nd place; 1.5 games out of 1st -- it’s the Cubs fifth straight loss

Edgy DC Sep 08 2009 07:14 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Frayed Knot":192c5824](was this the semi-famous HR after being dusted event?).[/quote:192c5824] Yup. Agee went down twice in the first --- on the first and third pitches of the game. Koos hit Ron Santo in the second. It didn't end there, as Hands set a ball behind Koosman's helmet in the eighth --- an inning when the game has gotten serious enough that you'd think they'd be done with that sort of nonsense, and an inning when today both starters would be out. Anyhow, it's evidence against Tim McCarver's insistence that payback pitches even the score and end feuds rather than keep them simmering.

HahnSolo Sep 08 2009 09:47 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Frayed Knot":34770lhc] - but the Mets strike right back in the bottom half on a leadoff double from Agee followed by a Garrett single[/quote:34770lhc] This is the oft-seen highlight of Randy Hundley and Leo Durocher simultaneously going banana-sh**t at what they thought was a terrible missed call.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 08 2009 10:11 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Murph: "Randy Hundley is jumping up and down, up and down. Here comes Leo Duroucher...."

Frayed Knot Sep 09 2009 06:40 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Sep 09 2009 08:05 PM

This is the final of the two-game series. There would be just two more Met-Cubs games on the schedule after this one, but by the time those would be played they’d be nothing more than schedule-filler. Tuesday, September 9 - Shea Stadium: Mets 7 - Cubs 1 -- Tom Seaver vs Ferguson Jenkins Mets score twice in the 1st (Boswell: 2-RBI double) and twice again in the 3rd (Clendenon: 2R-HR), then add single runs in the 4th (Garrett: Sac Fly), 5th (Shamsky: HR) & 7th (Grote: RBI double) to run away with the game. All runs score off Jenkins who K’d 9 but also gave up 10 hits (incl 5 XBHs) & 3 BBs over 7 innings. Seaver, meanwhile, was perfect thru 3 en route to a complete game 5-hitter w/1 walk & 5 Ks. He also hit a double. This was also the infamous "black cat" game. Game Time = 2:15 82 - 57; 2nd place; 1/2 game out of 1st -- and a guaranteed winning record!!! (something that would have been a noble goal just months earlier but there are bigger bears to fry now) I had forgotten (or most likely never knew) that one of the myriad of CF candidates the Cubs trotted out that year was a 19 y/o Oscar Gamble. For a team solid in every other position they had a revolving door of mostly young hopefuls in CF who never worked out -- 9 in all, including 7 different starters*. This game was just Gamble’s 9th ML start and he’d pretty much be the guy for the rest of the year. No mention is made in BB-Ref.com on the size of his afro at that point but I think it’s something that needs its own stats column. (in truth, the afro came much later) * All remember the name Jimmy Qualls - or, more precisely, the one start out of the 26 he made out there. But it was Don Young who was the Opening Day starter and the most used (88 starts). Then came Qualls, Gamble, Adolfo Phillips, Jim Hickman, Jimmie Hall & Rick Bladt. Only HIckman (who was really a RF doing occasional fill-in work in CF) and Hall (very briefly) would ever play for the Cubs again after this season. Gamble, who would go on to have a nice 17-year long career, would be dealt to Philly in November for an over-the-hill Johnny Callison. Meanwhile the Cubs would continue with a revolving door of scrubs in CF until Rick Monday joined the team in 1972.

Edgy DC Sep 09 2009 07:44 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

All 1969 posts lead to Johnny Callson. [quote="Frayed Knot":117siryv]Then came Qualls, Gamble, Adolfo Phillips, Jim Hickman, Jimmie Hall & Rick Bladt.[/quote:117siryv] Rick Bladt, mall cop.

Frayed Knot Sep 10 2009 06:47 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

First place is within reach for the first time ever as a Met DH plus a solo Cub game can make the end-of-the-day gap anywhere from two games back to one game ahead. Wednesday, September 10 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Expos 2 (1st game of DH) -- Jim McAndrew vs Mike Wegener - McAndrew starts the game in somewhat odd fashion, giving up leadoff triples in both the 1st & 2nd innings, both of which score on subsequent errors. But, after that, all he did was pitch 2-hit shutout ball through the 11th! - Mets match the run in the 1st (Shamsky singles in Agee) and then tie up the score in the 5th on a bases-loaded balk. - Mets load the bases w/one out in the 7th, but McAndrew hits for himself and grounds into a DP - McAndrew again bats for himself in the 9th w/2 outs and a runner on 1st, this time he Ks - in the 11th Jim Gosger PHs for McAndrew w/2 outs on 2 on ... and HE strikes out - Ron Taylor takes over in the 12th. He gets the first 2 outs but then serves up 2 straight singles, the 2nd one a PHer for Wegener who also went the first 11 innings. On that second hit, the runner (who I assume was running on the pitch) is thrown out at home! - Bill Stoneman (normally a starter) takes over for the Expos in the 12th. He also gets the first two outs but a Jones single, a walk to Gaspar, and a Boswell single wins the game. Game Time = 3:22 Wednesday, September 10 - Shea Stadium: Mets 7 - Expos 1 -- Nolan Ryan vs Howie Reed A bit less drama in the nightcap as the Mets, helped by 3 Montreal errors, 2 Wild Pitches, and an HBP, tally 6 in the 2nd and ride Ryan’s complete game 3-hit, 4-BB, 11-K effort into 1st place for their first time ever!! Game Time = 2:22 84 - 57; 1st place; 1.0 Game Ahead (Cubs oblige by losing their 7th straight - 6-2 to Philly) 6 full games were made up since the 1st of September Looking at 1969 is a lot more fun than looking at 2009.

Frayed Knot Sep 11 2009 07:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

(Keith and Gary once again reading from this thread last night ... would it kill them to give us a plug?!?) Thursday, September 11 - Shea Stadium: Mets 4 - Expos 0 -- Gary Gentry vs Jerry Robertson Mets ccelebrate their first-ever day in first place (in front of 10.713 fans!!) with Gary Gentry’s complete game, 6 hit (all singles), 2 walk, 9 K shutout. Mets tally solo runs in the 3rd, 4th, 5th & 7th. Lineup for the (44 - 100) expansion Expos on this day: Ty Cline - CF Gary Sutherland - 2B Rusty Staub - RF Ron Fairly - 1B Mack Jones - LF Coco Laboy - 3B John Bateman - C Bobby Wine - SS Jerry Robertson - P Game Time = 2:45 85 - 57; 1st Place; 2.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs give up 3 in the 8th to lose 4-3 to Philly, it’s their 8th straight loss.

Edgy DC Sep 11 2009 07:46 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Nice rouges gallery: [list=1][*]Ty Cline - CF: Only 3752 hits short of being the hittingest Ty ever.[/*:m] [*]Gary Sutherland - 2B: Ah, the old sub-.300 OBP-secondbaseman-batting-second trick.[/*:m] [*]Rusty Staub - RF: "Le Gran Giver of the Best Years of His Life to Crappy Expansion Clubs"[/*:m] [*]Ron Fairly - 1B: Fairly good hitter, but fairly forgotten because many of his best years were in a lousy offensive context of Dodger Stadium in the sixties.[/*:m] [*]Mack Jones - LF: Can you guess what his nickname was?[/*:m] [*]Coco Laboy - 3B: Ballplayer by day, transvestite cabaret star by night? This was LaBoy's rookie season and only good one after he hurt himself in winter ball.[/*:m] [*]John Bateman - C: Like Rusty, he spent most of his career playing for expansion teams, and carried a little extra weight. Battled with Gene Mauch throughout his Expo tenure, and eventually wound up with Eddie Feigner’s famous King and His Court softball team.[/*:m] [*]Bobby Wine - SS: Foster Brooks, a comic whose act was to act like a drunk, famously visited the Mets booth around 1980 and declared that "Bobby Wine" was his favorite ballplayer. Ralph Kiner (and very few others, I imagine) thought it hilarious.[/*:m] [*]Jerry Robertson - P: Traded to the Mets before the 1971 season for Dean Chance and Bill Denehy, and never pitched another inning.[/*:m][/list:o] Sad thing is that it's kind of still a better lineup than any the Mets have trotted out there most of the second half.

Frayed Knot Sep 11 2009 08:06 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Edgy DC"]Ni[*]John Bateman - C: Like Rusty, he spent most of his career playing for expansion teams, and carried a little extra weight. Battled with Gene Mauch throughout his Expo tenure, and eventually wound up with Eddie Feigner’s famous King and His Court softball team.

Really?

I remember him as one of the slowest guys in MLB. Even among your typical heavy-legged catchers he was considered slow.
There was a time he was playing for Houston when, as a runner on 1st base, he got the steal sign. Problem was he didn't believe it (or didn't recognize it) so he called time to go talk to the 3rd base coach. But even that bit of telegraphing apparently wasn't enough to clue the Mets in to what was going on because his subsequent attempt caught them so unaware that he was safe.

Edgy DC Sep 11 2009 08:23 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

It must be true, because it's on the Internet. http://www.kingandhiscourt.com/playerphotos.php It's funny that he made the squad, because --- taking the field with only four players --- fast moving rotations were a big part of their game. When Feigner expected a bunt, he'd change up on the hitter, he and the firstbaseman would charge, and the catcher would spring down and cover first.

MFS62 Sep 11 2009 08:55 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

The UMDB shows that Bobby Wine had 32 career RBI against the Mets. I'd swear that most of them were game winners or back breakers. I hated that guy. Later

Frayed Knot Sep 12 2009 06:57 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Another famous day in 1969 Met pennant race lore -- not to mention the 2nd DH in 3 days and the 3rd in 8 !! Friday, September 12 - Forbes Field: Mets 1 - Pirates 0 (Game 1 of DH) -- Jerry Koosman vs Bob Moose Mets ride Koosman’s complete game shutout in game 1 as he holds the Bucs to 3 singles (2 of which are erased on DPs) plus 3 walks and 4 Ks Pittsburgh’s Bob Moose, meanwhile, Ks 10 through 8 innings and holds the Mets to 5 singles, but 3 of those are in a row w/one out in the 5th as Koosman follows singles by the powerhouse of Pfeil & Dyer with a RBI one of his own. Pirates go hitless (1 walk + one error) after the 4th. Game Time = 2:19 Friday, September 12 - Forbes Field: Mets 1 - Pirates 0 (Game 2 of DH) -- Don Cardwell vs Dock Ellis A 2-out, 2nd inning Bud Harrleson double followed by a Don Cardwell RBI single both opens and finishes the scoring for the nightcap as the Mets complete the oddest of DH sweeps: two 1-0 games where the pitcher drove in both runs. At least Cardwell, unlike Kooz, was actually known as a hitter. Cardwell also went 8 innings allowing only 4 singles and a walk. McGraw pitched the 9th, surrendering a bunt single to Matty Alou to lead off the inning but he never advances. Mets actually had a bunch of base runners (7 hits + 3 walks) but just the one run. Only twice did the Pirates get a runner past 1st. Game Time = 2:02 87 - 57; 1st Place; 2.5 Games Ahead -- Cubs break their losing streak with a 5-1 win over the now 4th place Cardinals btw, Pythagorean calculations show the Mets should still be ~4 games behind the Cubs at this point

Edgy DC Sep 12 2009 12:44 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Total gametime: 4:21. They get the double-header in during the time of a contemporary Sox-Yankees game. If it's a Sox-Yankees playoff game, they could get the double header in along with the break in between games.

Frayed Knot Sep 13 2009 08:13 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Saturday, September 13 - Forbes Field: Mets 5 - Pirates 2 -- Tom Seaver vs Luke Walker Always nice to come off a double shut-out and THEN trot out Tom Seaver. Seaver actually had the gall to give up a 3rd inning run as the Mets were getting 2-hit thru the first 6. They tied it up in the 7th on a walk, single & groundout. In the Met half of the 8th they loaded the bases on three walks - the last of which was an intentional pass to Clendenon to get to Swoboda. Ron promptly smacked a Grand Slam. Seaver gave up two singles and a run in the bottom of the 8th - but struck out Jose Pagan with two on to end the inning. Also gave up a leadoff single in the 9th but got a GiDP and the threat was over. Game Time = 2:37 88 - 57; 1st Place; 3.5 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose to St Louis 7-4 btw, if it seems like Swoboda’s name is popping up a lot in these little game-synopses it’s because it is. For a guy who hit a very ordinary .232 during August and September of that year (right around his .235 BA for the season) he hit 6 of his 9 HRs down the stretch and had an absurd 30 of his 52 RBIs. Talk about making your hits count! Pirate starter Luke Walker played about a decade too early to have the nickname ‘Sky’ hung around his neck.

Edgy DC Sep 13 2009 10:06 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Shutting down the bats of the Lumber Company like that, a team knows it's pitching well.

Frayed Knot Sep 14 2009 07:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

The Ten-Game winning streak is over Sunday, September 14 - Forbes Field: Mets 3 - Pirates 5 -- Nolan Ryan vs Steve Blass - Pirates score three times off Ryan in the 4th - Mets come back with two in top 5 via RBIs on Agee’s single and Shamsky’s Sac Fly, and then one more in the 6th as Ryan’s single drives in Charles. - But the Pirates go ahead with two in the 7th on 2-out singles from Blass and Matty Alou and the Mets never answer. Game Time = 2:11 88 - 58; 1st Place; 3.5 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose to St Louis 2-1 on a 10th inning Lou Brock HR with starters Bob Gibson & Ken Holtzman still in at the end During this 13 games in 10 days stretch (11-2, starting with the 9/5 DH vs Philly) the Mets used a total of 9 different pitchers: Seaver started three times while Ryan, Cardwell, Koosman, Gentry & McAndrew got the nod twice each. Only two 'pure' relievers were used the entire time: McGraw getting the call three times, Taylor twice, while Ryan also relieved once. There'd be one more game (a Monday make-up in StL) before the next off-day but two from the same crew (Gentry & McGraw) would cover it - so that's the same 9 pitchers for 14 games over 11 days ... and this was during a stretch with 3 DHs, no off-days, and expanded rosters!

Frayed Knot Sep 15 2009 07:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Monday, September 15 - Busch Stadium: Mets 4 - Cardinals 3 -- Gary Gentry vs Steve Carlton During a one-game make-up in St Louis, the Ron Swoboda legend continues to grow. In another game that has become a famous part of NYM lore, Swoboda’s two 2R-HRs offset Carlton’s 19K complete game for a 4-3 Met win. - Vada Pinson singles in Lou Brock in the 3rd for a 1-0 StL lead - Swoboda follows Clendenon’s leadoff walk in the 4th with his first shot. - In the 5th, two-out RBI hits by Curt Flood and Joe Torre put the Cards up 3-2 - Then in the 8th, Agee leads off with a single and, after a Clendenon strikeout (what else?), Swoboda hits his second of the night - McGraw, who had come on in the 7th, leaves two stranded in both the 7th & 9th innings and gets credit for the win, his 8th of the season The Mets actually got 9 hits in this game plus 2 walks so it’s not like they lacked for baserunners despite all the Ks. Gentry & McGraw, meanwhile, combined to hold the Cards to 8 singles. Carlton’s list of strikeout victims: Harrelson - 2 Amos Otis - 4 (ouch!) Agee - 2 Clendenon - 1 Swoboda - 2 Charles - 2 Grote - 1 Weis - 2 Gentry - 2 McGraw - 1 He K’d the side in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 9th - although only in the 9th did he face only 3 hitters Game Time = 2:23 89 - 58; 1st Place; 4.5 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose to Montreal 8-2 Tim McCarver - as was often the case - was Carlton’s catcher that night. In later years when he was doing Met broadcasts with Kiner, Ralph would occasionally open the inning where announcer duties changed hands by saying; in September of 1969, Steve Carlton struck out a then-record 19 batters but lost the game because Ron Swoboda hit two 2-run HRs ... and now to carry you along over the next three innings the man who called for both those pitches, Tim McCarver McCarver always took it in good humor usually adding that he had no idea how Swoboda even hit either of those pitches much less hit them out of the park.

Frayed Knot Sep 17 2009 07:12 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Wednesday, September 17 - Parc Jarry: Mets 5 - Expos 0 -- Jerry Koosman vs Gary Waslewski Koosman goes all the way on a 6-hit shutout In the 4th, Swoboda (there’s that name again) gets a one-out single to plate one run and then Garrett’s two-out single plates two more. Mets add solo runs in the 7th - Grote squeezes home Otis!!, and again in the 9th - Weis knocks in Clendenon Game Time = 2:11 90 - 58; 1st Place; 4.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs win against Philly and also beat Montreal the previous day when the Mets were off to shrink the lead by 1/2 game

Edgy DC Sep 17 2009 07:18 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

I like these Mets guys.

Frayed Knot Sep 18 2009 08:18 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Thursday, September 18 - Parc Jarry: Mets 2 - Expos 0 -- Tom Seaver vs Bill Stoneman Seaver’s turn at shutting out the now 48-103 Expos. A complete game 5 hit (all singles) 3 BB, 9 K performance Bill Stoneman also pitched well for Montreal, striking out 11 in 7-1/3 -- but you can’t stop Eddie Kranepool you can only hope to contain him. Krane’s two-out single in the 1st knocks in Agee (who batted 2nd behind Garrett this day) and then his 6th inning solo HR closes out the night’s scoring. In the 8th Eddie ... grabbed some bench while Clendenon pinch-hit for him against the lefty reliever Dan McGinn Game Time = 2:23 91 - 58; 1st Place; 5.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose 5-3 to Philly

Frayed Knot Sep 19 2009 05:57 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Friday, September 19 - Shea Stadium: Mets 2 - Pirates 8 (Game 1 of DH) -- Nolan Ryan vs Bob Veale Ryan is pulled with just 2 outs in the 2nd inning after Matty Alou’s bases-loaded single makes it 3-0 Pittsburgh. Hodges calls on the back of the pen that hadn’t seen action in two weeks or more: DiLauro, Koonce, Les Rohr and Bob Johnson. They mostly fare well except for former #1 pick Rohr who gets hit up for 4 Pirate runs in 1.1 innings. It was Johnson's ML debut:2 hitters faced, 2 ground-outs Veale goes all the way holding the Mets to RBI singles by Otis in the 7th and Boswell in the 9th. Game Time = 2:47 Friday, September 19 - Shea Stadium: Mets 0 - Pirates 8 (Game 2 of DH) -- Jim McAndrew vs Luke Walker Has too much success gone to the Mets’ heads? McAndrew leaves after 5 innings after giving up 7 runs on 11 hits. Ron Taylor settles down the next two innings and then Jesse Hudson finishes up the game with his only 2 innings of his NYM and MLB career: 2 IP, 1 ER, 2 hits, 2 walks, 3 Ks Luke Walker pitches a complete game, 6-hit shutout Game Time = 2:25 91 - 60; 1st Place; 4.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs split a pair in StL

Edgy DC Sep 19 2009 08:55 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Please fire Hodges and all coaches this off-season.

Frayed Knot Sep 20 2009 07:27 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Saturday, September 20 - Shea Stadium: Mets 0 - Pirates 4 -- Gary Gentry vs Bob Moose So they take over 1st place, win 6 of 7 on the road, then come home against the so-so Pirates and suddenly lose three in a row!?! What could be worse than that? --- Oh I don’t know, getting no-hit maybe! Moose Ks 6 and walks 3 but no Met gets a hit in their 2nd straight shut-out loss. Meanwhile Pittsburgh wasn’t hitting much either (6 singles) but Gentry’s total mess of a 4th inning allows 3 runs on just one hit: Walk - single - double steal - Wild Pitch (run) - Walk - HBP - Wild Pitch (run) - RBI-GO (run) - Fly Out - Fly Out McGraw comes in to pitch the final three innings and HE allows a run on a wild pitch Game Time = 2:08 91 - 61; 1st Place; 5.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose again to StL 4-1 Bob Moose, who was just 21 this his second ML season, wound up 14-3 with a 2.91 ERA for 1969. It was the first of 5 double-digit win seasons for him by the time he was 25. He then would be shifted to the bullpen in 1974 but he was also called on to relieve in the 9th inning of the deciding game of the 1972 NLCS. The Pirates took a one-run lead into the 9th when their “closer” (wouldn’t have been called that at the time) Dave Giusti gave up a leadoff HR to Johnny Bench to tie the game. After two more singles, Giusti was pulled in favor of Moose who had the near impossible task of not losing the pennant after coming in with two on and no outs. But he got the first out on a Fly Ball but pinch-runner George Foster (for Perez) moved to 3rd. With the winning run there Moose got an infield pop-up for out #2. But then, with Hal McRae at the plate, he uncorked a wild pitch and the Reds went on the the WS. The Pirates did not make the post-season in 1976 which was bad news for Bob Moose in several ways. During the NLCS of that year Moose was driving to a charity golf tournament when he was killed in a car wreck. It was his 29th birthday.

Frayed Knot Sep 21 2009 07:16 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

And yet another double-header! Sunday, September 21 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Pirates 3 (Game 1 of DH) -- Jerry Koosman vs Dock Ellis Koosman goes all the way on a 6-hitter to end the first NYM 3-game losing streak since July 2 RBIs each early in the game from Dyer & Swoboda puts the Mets up 4-1. Then, after the Bucs closed to within 4-3, a 7th inning Shamsky HR provides the insurance. Game Time = 2:14 Sunday, September 21 - Shea Stadium: Mets 6 - Pirates 1 (Game 2 of DH) -- Don Cardwell vs Steve Blass Willie Stargell’s 4th inning solo HR is the only thing keeping Cardwell from a complete game shutout Mets, meanwhile, take advantage of 4 Pirate errors to score 4 unearned runs. The DH sweep salvages the final two games of a five-game series after losing the first two. Game Time = 2:23 (another sub-5-hour DH) 93 - 61; 1st Place; 4.5 Games Ahead -- Cubs beat Cardinals 4-3 Any chance the Cubs had at getting back into the race disappeared when they gained only a half-game while the Mets were losing three straight. Now they manage to win a game but lose that gained ground right back anyway. Their goose is cooked at this point and they know it.

Edgy DC Sep 21 2009 08:07 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

I had forgotten that Freddi Patek was ever a Pirate --- parts of three seasons at that. He's, of course, a Royal for life in my mind.

Frayed Knot Sep 22 2009 06:56 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Monday, September 22 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Cardinals 1 -- Tom Seaver vs Nelson Briles A scoreless game until the 6th, Shamsky’s one-out single brings in Agee and breaks the shutout. In the 7th, Seaver and Agee knock in single runs. The Cards touch up Seaver for a run in the 8th, but otherwise he cruises to a 4-hit, 0-walk complete game. Game Time = 2:05 94 - 61; 1st Place; 5.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs idle

Edgy DC Sep 22 2009 07:48 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Nellie Briles would follow the example of Gil Hodges and die of a heart attack on a Florida golf course.

Frayed Knot Sep 23 2009 07:01 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Tuesday, September 23 - Shea Stadium: Mets 3 - Cardinals 2 -- Jim McAndrew vs Bob Gibson Bud Harrelson’s one-out single in the 11th inning off starter Bob Gibson pushes across Swobooda with the winning run. The reigning CY Young pitcher looked to give the Cards an edge over the Mets 4th starter, but McAndrew went 7 allowing only 2 un-earned runs. The Mets struck first when Garrett’s 2-out single plated Harrelson in the 4th. Cards get their two in the 5th on 2-out singles by Brock & Flood, a Boswell error and a Torre single. Mets tie it in the 8th; Agee singles, Garrett bunts him over, Shamsky singles him in. McGraw takes over in the 8th after Hodges PHs for McAndrew. He gets out of trouble in both the 8th (Gibson lines out with the bases laoded) and the 10th (McCarver’s one-out double is stranded) and is still in in the 11th to get the win Game Time = 2:35 (yeah, that’s 11 innings) 95 - 61; 1st Place; 6.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs lose to Expos 7-3

Edgy DC Sep 23 2009 07:51 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Bud Harrelson, secret weapon.

Frayed Knot Sep 24 2009 07:05 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Wednesday, September 24 - Shea Stadium: Mets 6 - Cardinals 0 -- Gary Gentry vs Steve Carlton Clinching Day at Shea!! ... and, unlike some future clinching chances which took several chances and involved great drama, there was absolutely no suspense here at all. Facing a future HoF pitcher for the second consecutive night, the Mets start off the first inning: Harrelson - single Agee - walk Jones - K Clendenon - 3R HR Swoboda - walk Charles - 2R HR and that was it for Carlton. In the 5th, Clendenon’s 2nd HR of the game in the 5th closed out the scoring. Gentry took that lead and merely tossed a 4-hit (all singles), 2 walk, complete game shutout. Two of those singles came leading off the 9th (Brock & Davalillo) but he then struck-out Vada Pinson and got Joe Torre to ground into a 6-4-3 DP and the celebration was on. Game Time = 2:02 95 - 61; 1st Place; 6.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs beat Expos 6-3 hours earlier in an afternoon game in Wrigley but all they could do at that point was sit and watch.

Edgy DC Sep 24 2009 07:39 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Last homer of Ed Charles' career and it seals the deal for the Mets against a Hall of Fame pitcher.

G-Fafif Sep 25 2009 12:38 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

My first game-specific memory is that clinching. Every day I followed the standings and the magic number in Newsday leading up to that moment. Speaking of Newsday, Reality Chuck's star turn in LI Life appeared online yesterday, with pic, here. Chuck Rothman, 57, then of Southold and now of Schenectady. Instructional technologist at Siena College and author of "Staroamer's Fate." I vividly remember Newsday's humor story before the season. They jokingly predicted the Mets would win the World Series. The whole thing was ridiculous, except they got the result right. I was a senior at the time and playoff games were in the afternoon. I was in school for most of them. I was able to watch the fourth game , but for the fifth game I was just getting word from other kids and checking the TV in the gym between classes. I was in my last period when Game 5 ended. Somebody came up and told us and we went nuts, jumping around. It was unbelievable. I got downstairs to the gym in time to see the celebration. . . . Saw the fans tearing up the Shea Stadium turf.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 25 2009 01:08 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Love the shirt, Chuck!

Frayed Knot Sep 26 2009 06:47 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Friday, September 26 - Shibe Park: Mets 5 - Phillies 0 -- Jerry Koosman vs Woody Fryman After a champagne shower and a well-earned day off, Met get two runs in the 1st coupled with one in the 2nd and two more in the 5th, backed by yet another complete game 4-hit shutout. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. Koosman, this time, goes the distance as only one Philly batters even reaches 2nd base and the last 11 batters go down in a row. On the offensive side, Clendenon hits a 2R HR in the 1st (his 3rd in 2 games). Dyer’s leadoff double in the 2nd sets up an unearned run; and 5th inning singles by Otis & Pfeil knock in the final two. Post-clinch lineup: Gaspar - RF Heise - SS Jones - LF Clendenon - 1B Otis - CF Pfeil - 3B Dyer - C Weis - 2B For Bob Heise, who played pieces of both ‘67 & ‘68 for the Mets, this was his first start of the year (he had just one AB prior). He’d also start the next two but that was it for his NYM career as he was dealt in the off-season to SF for Ray Sadecki & Dave Marshall Game Time = 1:58 97 - 61; 1st Place; 7.0 Games Ahead -- Cubs ... ahh, who cares

Edgy DC Sep 26 2009 08:21 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

That's a nice deal. Though almost any deal that brought Suzi Sadecki into my life would have been. Heise bounced around until 1977, but without particular distinction. That would be Johnny Murphy's last trade before he died. Interestingly, Bob Scheffing (or whoever was at the stick in the interim) would lead a January draft three days after Murphy died that would net only one future Met in Roy Staiger. (Not that teams tended to net a lot of fish in the January drafts.)

Frayed Knot Sep 27 2009 07:54 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Saturday, September 27 - Shibe Park: Mets 1 - Phillies 0 -- Tom Seaver vs Grant Jackson As I’ve noted in the past ... good thing this team could pitch. Seaver tosses another in what seems like an endless series of complete game shutouts; 3 singles & 2 walks this time. The Mets tally the only run of the game on an eighth inning two-out “rally” consisting of a Clendenon single, a walk to Swoboda, and a Bobby Pfeil single, all off starter Grant Jackson. Game Time = 2:18 98 - 61 I have no memories of Philadelphia’s ‘Shibe Park’. Even though ‘The Vet’ came about into existence right around the same time as ‘Three Rivers’ in Pittsburgh & ‘Riverfront’ in Cincy, I fully remember the Mets playing in, and announcers saying the names of, ‘Forbes Field’ and ‘Crosley Field’. But ‘Shibe Park’ for some reason doesn't have that same ring. It sounds to my ears like some old place that only existed in black & white photos from way before my time or the kind of place you’d have to talk to someone of Ralph Kiner’s age to hear about.

RealityChuck Sep 27 2009 11:07 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="John Cougar Lunchbucket":grwb42wt]Love the shirt, Chuck![/quote:grwb42wt] Thanks. This is the first I heard it had been printed. Have to find a hard copy.

G-Fafif Sep 27 2009 02:41 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Frayed Knot":2zgoy7jm]I have no memories of Philadelphia’s ‘Shibe Park’. Even though ‘The Vet’ came about into existence right around the same time as ‘Three Rivers’ in Pittsburgh & ‘Riverfront’ in Cincy, I fully remember the Mets playing in, and announcers saying the names of, ‘Forbes Field’ and ‘Crosley Field’. But ‘Shibe Park’ for some reason doesn't have that same ring. It sounds to my ears like some old place that only existed in black & white photos from way before my time or the kind of place you’d have to talk to someone of Ralph Kiner’s age to hear about.[/quote:2zgoy7jm] By the time the Mets came into existence, Shibe Park had been renamed Connie Mack Stadium (so dubbed in 1953). Have very faint memories of watching Connie, Forbes and Crosley on black and white TV. Of course we didn't have a color set until the offseason between '74 and '75, so it was all black and white to me for a pretty long time.

G-Fafif Sep 27 2009 02:42 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="RealityChuck":2rkoa2h5][quote="John Cougar Lunchbucket":2rkoa2h5]Love the shirt, Chuck![/quote:2rkoa2h5] Thanks. This is the first I heard it had been printed. Have to find a hard copy.[/quote:2rkoa2h5] The shirt is cut off in the print version, sadly.

Frayed Knot Sep 28 2009 07:00 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

By the time the Mets came into existence, Shibe Park had been renamed Connie Mack Stadium (so dubbed in 1953). That's probably why it seemed so odd to me that Baseball-Reference still has it listed as 'Shibe Park' in their box scores and why it sounded so old to me.

Frayed Knot Sep 28 2009 07:01 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Sunday, September 28 - Shibe Park: Mets 2 - Phillies 0 -- Gary Gentry vs Jerry Johnson Mets get only three hits in the game, but score twice in the 3rd on a Jim Gosger RBI single and a Gentry Sac Fly. On the pitching side, Hodges starts to dial things down for the playoffs as Gentry is pulled after five despite pitching a 3-hit shutout. Nolan Ryan comes in for 3 Nolan Ryan innings (1 hit, 3 Ks, 4 BBs) and then Ron Taylor finishes up the combined 4-hitter. It’s the team’s 8th straight win, their 4th straight shut-out, and the pitching has allowed just 4 runs (2 earned) over the last 7 games and 65 innings. Game Time = 2:18

Edgy DC Sep 28 2009 07:22 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Opponents of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda might well blanch at their team playing in a park named for the manager of their team's American League rival.

Frayed Knot Oct 01 2009 07:38 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

No (to the 2 or 3 people actually paying attention here) I didn’t abandon this project with just two days to go. Actually the Mets had TWO days off between game #160 and #s161-162, games which looked like they’d be crucial just a few weeks back but are now just window dressing as a mere 10,000 fans ‘pack’ Wrigley Field Wednesday, October 1 - Wrigley Field: Mets 6 - Cubs 5 -- Jerry Koosman vs Ken Holtzman Teams trade runs early to make it a 3-3 game by the 4th. It stays that way until the 9th when Agee’s 2-out 2R-HR off starter Holtzman puts them up 5-3 but the Cubs answer back with two in their half and it’s on to extras (bet the Cubs loved that) It takes until the 12th when Harrelson’s leadoff double is knocked in by Shamsky’s single Bob Johnson - the Mets sixth pitcher of the day - appears in his 2nd and last game as a Met while earning his first ML save. It’s also win #100 for the Mets on the season and their 9th straight. Game Time = 3:20

Frayed Knot Oct 02 2009 07:19 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

FINAL GAME (of reg season of course) Thursday, October 2 - Wrigley Field: Mets 3 - Cubs 5 -- Gary Gentry vs Bill Hands Cubs finally get the better of the Mets (after 5 straight losses) but it’s during a meaningless game in October. Gentry went just 4 innings despite allowing only 1 run. Cardwell got hit up for 4 runs over 2 innings - mostly due to Ernie Banks’s 3R HR - and took the loss. Boswell & Jones had two hits each and all three RBIs Game Time = 2:46 100 - 62; 8 games ahead Seasons have ended on Sundays for so long now it looks strange to have one close mid-week.

Edgy DC Oct 02 2009 07:25 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Cardwell was saving it up for his one scoreless inning in Game One of the World Series. The Orioles went hitless over the last four innings of that game. The momentum had turned and nobody knew it but Clendennon.

G-Fafif Oct 02 2009 10:05 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Frayed Knot":xdm8rqg8]Seasons have ended on Sundays for so long now it looks strange to have one close mid-week.[/quote:xdm8rqg8] Last Met season whose regularly scheduled end was on anything but a Sunday: 1974. Lockout grafted final games onto Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in 1990; strike ended season abruptly on a Thursday in 1994; one-game playoff was a Monday in 1999. I remember that 62nd loss and feeling that it was perfect the Mets would go 100-62, that of course they wouldn't lose before they had 100 wins. Everything about them was so easy to understand for a mathematically inclined six-year-old.

Frayed Knot Oct 03 2009 06:38 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

For those betting I was done with this ongoing project consider yourself a loser Milestones/Recap of the 1969 season: Apr 8 -- Opening Day loss to expansion Montreal 11-10 as four Met pitchers combine to give up 12 hits in front of 3 errors. Same old Mets, right? Apr 25-27 -- Get swept at home in the first three games of a four-game series vs the Cubs Record drops to 6-11 May 21 -- Seaver shuts out Atlanta to get the team to .500 (18 - 18). Prior to this, the latest they had ever been at .500 was starting off 1967 at 4-4 May 23-25 -- In what would become a pattern, Mets get swept in Houston dropping them to 18-22 and into 4th place. May 28-June 10 -- An 11-game winning streak against the west-coast teams. The streak pulls the team above .500 for good and into 2nd place where, except for one day in August, they’d spend each day until taking over first in September. July 8-10 -- The first-ever important series in club history. On the 8th, Fergie Jenkins takes a one-hitter and 3-1 lead into the 9th when three doubles, an IW and a Kranepool single nets 3 runs and stuns the Cubs. Shea was electric and the young me in attendance that night didn’t think life could get any better. The next night Seaver Ks 11 and doesn’t lose his masterpiece until there was one out in the 9th. They’d lose game 3 of the series but it showed anyone paying attention that the team was for real. They’d beat the Cubs 2 of 3 the next week in Wrigley as well to climb within 4 games of 1st place. August 13 -- The 7 losses in 10 games doldrums culminates with a sweep in Houston which dropped them into 3rd place and 10 games out of 1st place. Aug 16-27 -- The west coast teams again bring a long winning streak. 12 wins in 13 games chops the 10 game deficit quickly down to 2.5 Sept 6-13 -- A 10 game winning streak in which the pitching allowed a total of 11 runs vaults them into 1st place to stay Sept 24 -- The NL East clincher - appropriately a shutout - comes in the middle game of a 9-game winning streak that takes them to the final game of the season

Edgy DC Oct 03 2009 11:15 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

How many of us today would have thrown in the towel August 13?

Frayed Knot Oct 04 2009 08:37 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

40 years ago today came the first games in that new-fangled League Championship Series thing Saturday, October 4 - Game 1 NLCS - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 9 - Braves 5 -- Tom Seaver vs Phil Neikro After a scoreless 1st, a Shamsky single is followed by a Boswell single. Then, after a Kranepool strike-out (Clendenon sitting ... Really?) Grote’s single plus a passed ball makes it 2-0 Mets. - Braves get one back in their half on a Rico Carty double, an error, and a Clete Boyer Sac Fly - In the 3rd Seaver gets hit up for three straight doubles - Millan, Tony Gonzalez & Aaron - and two more runs - In the 4th, Harrelson’s 2-RBI triple buts the Mets back up 4-3 - A leadoff HR from Tony Gozalez in the 5th ties things at 4 and one from Aaron in the 7th puts the Braves up by one - 8th inning: Garrett doubles, Jones singles him in, Shamsky singles, Jones steals 3rd, Boswell reaches on an error and another run scores. Kranepool and Grote follow with ground outs, but when the Braves IW Harrelson to get to Seaver’s spot Hodges puts in JC Martin to PH who promptly singles and, thanks to a CF error, all three runners score before Martin himself is thrown out at the plate. Mets lead 9-5 - Taylor pitches a 1-2-3 8th. He then gives up a single & double in the 9th but gets Orlando Cepeda to pop out and end the game. Game Time = 2:37 (good god, could you imagine how long a 14 run, 20 hits, 3 error, 7 walk post-season game would take in 2009? Yanx-Royals went 3:17 last week in a meaningless 4-3 game) * In the other LCS, Orioles beat the Twins 4-3 when Paul Blair's 2-out bunt single in the 12th inning brought home Mark Belanger. Twins reliever Ron Perranoski took the loss even though a ball never left the infield. Belanger had an infield single, got bunted over to 2nd, then went to 3rd on an infield ground-out before coming home on Blair's bunt. So much for big-inning Earl.

MFS62 Oct 04 2009 10:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

FK, thank you. I've been reading but didn't really have much to add to your great work. RMPL kicked in. kudos. Later

Frayed Knot Oct 05 2009 07:26 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Sunday, October 5 - Game 2 NLCS - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 11 - Braves 6 -- Jerry Koosman vs Ron Reed Met bats, which were carried by their pitchers over the last month of the season, pound out runs early and often against Braves pitchers, including one in the 1st, three in the 2nd, two in the 3rd, two more in the 4th, and one in the 5th 1st - Kranpool singles in Agee w/2 outs although Grote fails to add more when he Ks with the bases-loaded 2nd - Agee HRs after Koosman walks. Shamsky's single knocks in Jones who had doubled (and knocks out starter Reed). 3rd - Harrelson doubles in Grote. Garrett later singles in Harrelson 4th - Shamsky leads off with a single and Boswell HRs 5th - Garrett doubles and Jones singles him in At this point Cepeda’s 4th inning solo HR is the only Atlanta run, so Koosman takes a 9-1 lead into the bottom 5th and even retires the first two batters ... but never finishes the inning A Single - Walk - 3R HR (Aaron) - Walk - Double - and 2-RBI Single (Boyer) later and Ron Taylor has to come in and get the final out in a suddenly tighter 9-6 game. But Jones’s 2R HR in the 7th off Cecil Upshaw - the Braves 5th pitcher of the day - makes it a 5-run lead Taylor goes 1-1/3 and gets the win while McGraw pitches one-hit ball over the 7th, 8th, and 9th 13 hits on the day for Met bats, including 3 each for Jones & Shamsky; two each for Agee & Garrett Game Time = 3:10 Orioles again win in extras via some non-Earl-like small-ball. In the bottom of the 11th inning, a Boog Powell walk is followed by a Brooks Robinson bunt (way to get that speedster over), an IW to Davey Johnson, then, after a Mark Belanger pop-up, the Twins replace starter Dave Boswell with the Game 1 loser Ron Perranoski. Earl Weaver counters with pinch-hitter Curt Motton (Who?!?) who singles in the winning run. Dave McNally goes all 11 innings for the win.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 05 2009 07:52 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

[quote="Frayed Knot"]Sunday, October 5 - Game 2 NLCS - Fulton County Stadium: Mets 11 - Braves 6 -- Jerry Koosman vs Ron Reed

Wifey Lunchbucket born on this day too.

Edgy DC Oct 05 2009 08:01 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

The game was at Fulton County, but Shea was busy too.

Frayed Knot Oct 06 2009 08:27 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Monday, October 6 - Game 3 NLCS - Shea Stadium: Mets 7 - Braves 4 -- Gary Gentry vs Pat Jarvis Wow, look at that. They actually managed to schedule an LCS without the benefit of multiple “travel days” (or any travel days for that matter). Amazing how the post-season can be completed before November if one really puts their mind to it rather than allowing the TV networks to dictate start times. - Gentry gets hit up for a 2R HR in the 1st ... Aaron again, this one hit the flagpole in straight-away CF. My father was there that day and he swears the ball was still rising when it hit. - Gentry then retired the side in the 2nd on just one walk, but when the first two hitters in the 3rd reached base Hodges reached for his bullpen. Actually, the story the way I remember it is that he yanked Gentry not before the next hitter but in mid-AB (although this is not clear via the BB-Ref account so any other info is welcome). Rico Carty was the hitter after Gonzalez & Aaron had started the inning 1B - 2B and when Carty hit a screaming liner towards downtown Flushing somewhere only foul by a few feet, Hodges was walking up the dugout steps before the ball had landed. Rumor had it that Carty had to ask one of his teammates what this new guy Ryan threw. Not sure the word ‘fastball’ was enough to prepare him for what he was about to face as he wound up striking out. After intentionally walking Cepeda to load the bases, Ryan retired the next two hitters and stranded all runners. - So with a 2-run deficit which certainly looked like it was going to be much worse, Agee hit a solo HR in the bottom of the inning to cut the Braves lead in half - In the 4th Boswell’s 2R HR put the Mets up 3-2 - Cepeda answered back with a 2R HR of his own in the 5th to put the Braves back up 4-3. But before the bottom half of that inning was over, Garrett tossed in a 2R HR and then Boswell’s RBI single jacked the Met lead up to 6-4 - Ryan finished out the game, getting credit for 7 full innings while giving up 2 runs on 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 7, limiting the Braves to just two 8th inning singles after Cepeda’s 5th inning HR. Game Time = 2:24 No drama in the AL this day. Orioles pound out 18 hits against 7 Minnesota pitchers while Palmer goes all the way in an 11-2 rout to complete the Baltimore sweep.

Frayed Knot Oct 11 2009 06:15 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Saturday, October 11 - World Series Game 1 - Memorial Stadium: Mets 1 - Orioles 4 -- Tom Seaver vs Mike Cuellar Agee - CF Harrelson - SS Jones - LF Clendenon - 1B Swoboda - RF Charles - 3B Grote - C Weis - 2B Seaver - P Don Buford - LF Paul Blair - CF Frank Robinson - RF Boog Powell - 1B Brooks Robinson - 3B Elrod Hendricks - C Davey Johnson - 2B Mark Belanger - SS Mike Cuellar - P - Mets don’t score in the top of the first, and then when Don Buford hits the 2nd pitch thrown by a Met in the World Series over the RF fence it’s 1-0 Orioles - In the 4th Seaver gets the first two outs but then, while facing the lower part of the lineup, allows a Single (Hendricks), Walk (Johnson), RBI-Single (Belanger), RBI-Single (Cuellar), RBI-Double (Buford) and the Os lead 4-zip - Cardwell relieves Seaver for the 6th. In the 7th the Mets load the bases with one out on a Clendenon single, Swoboda walk, and Grote single. Al Weis gts one in with a Sac Fly, but pinch-hitter Gaspar grounds out to end the threat. - Mets get one runner on in the 8th and two in the 9th but Cuellar gets Shamsky on a come-backer to complete his 6-hit victory. Game Time = 2:13

Edgy DC Oct 11 2009 02:16 PM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

I forget that they had a rally opportunity there. Amazin' to think that, with thier righthanded lineup in there, that they didn't have a better pinch-hitting option than Gaspar.

Frayed Knot Oct 12 2009 08:40 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Sunday, October 12 - World Series Game 2 - Memorial Stadium: Mets 2 - Orioles 1 -- Jerry Koosman vs Dave McNally Same lineup for Gil in game 2 while Earl changes catchers: Agee - CF Harrelson - SS Jones - LF Clendenon - 1B Swoboda - RF Charles - 3B Grote - C Weis - 2B Koosman - P Don Buford - LF Paul Blair - CF Frank Robinson - RF Boog Powell - 1B Brooks Robinson - 3B Davey Johnson - 2B Andy Etchebarren - C Mark Belanger - SS Dave McNally - P - Mets get a leadoff walk in the 2nd but don’t score - In the 3rd they get a leadoff single and later a walk but can’t bring any around - Clendenon’s leadoff HR in the 4th breaks the ice - The score stays that way until Paul Blair leads off the 7th with the Orioles first hit of the game. Two outs later he steals 2nd and comes in on a Brooks Robinson RBI single - Game remains tied at 1 when McNally, still hurling in the 9th, gets the first two outs before three consecutive singles by Charles, Grote & Weis makes it 2-1 Mets. - Koosman also gets the first two in the bottom half, but when he walks Frank Robinson & Powell, Hodges calls on Taylor for the final out, getting Brooks Robinson to ground to 3rd and even the series at one game each. Those two 7th inning singles were the only Oriole hits of the game. Koosman walked three. Game Time = 2:20

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 12 2009 08:55 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Weis: Coulda (shoulda?) been series MVP. Discuss.

Frayed Knot Oct 12 2009 09:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

No, Koosman shoulda.

HahnSolo Oct 12 2009 09:49 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Weis, in 5 games (4 starts): 5-11 (.455); 3 walks (.533 OBP; 1.290 OPS); , 2B, HR, 3 RBI (one was a game-winner, one a game-5-tieing) Clendenon in 4 games: 5-14 (.357); 2 walks (.438 OBP; 1.509 OPS); 3 HR, 4 RBI, 2B, 4 runs scored); his HRs accounted for Mets first runs in games 2, 4, and 5. Koosman in 2 games: 2-0; 17 2/3 IP; 7 hits, 4 runs all earned, 4 walks, 9 Ks; 2.04 ERA, .623 WHIP. Looks like it should have been Kooz.

Frayed Knot Oct 14 2009 08:13 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

First WS game ever at Shea Stadium How 'bout that $10 price tag, huh? Tuesday, October 14 - World Series Game 3 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Orioles 0 -- Gary Gentry vs Jim Palmer Weaver goes back to his game 1 catcher Hendricks and otherwise sticks to his usual starting seven but Gil stacks the lineup with lefties (Barrett, Shamsky, Krnaepool, Boswell) against the RH Palmer. Don Buford - LF Paul Blair - CF Frank Robinson - RF Boog Powell - 1B Brooks Robinson - 3B Elrod Hendricks - C Davey Johnson - 2B Mark Belanger - SS Jim Palmer - P Agee - CF Garrett - 3B Jones - LF Shamsky - RF Boswell - 2B Kranepool - 1B Grote - C Harrellson - SS Gentry - P The game that could have carried the sub-title of; ‘Mets score five, Agee saves five - But first it’s Agee’s bat that leads off 1st inning with a HR (and starts a trend of NYM WS Game 3 leadoff HRs) - Gentry’s 2-out, 2-RBI double in the 2nd scores Grote & Harrelson and makes a 3-0 lead - Orioles don’t get their first hits until the 4th. One-out singles from F. Robinson & Powell are followed by a B. Robinson K and then a run-saving inning-ending catch by Agee on Hendricks’ drive (that was the back-hander in deep LCF) - In the 6th Grote’s double drives in Boswell and it’s 4-0 Mets - Gentry gets the first two outs in the 7th but then walks the bases loaded ending his day. Paul Blair is Ryan’s first hitter and his drive to RCF is snagged inches off the ground by a diving Agee to end the inning and save probably 3 more runs. - Ryan retires the side in the top of the 8th, Kranepool HRs in the bottom off reliever Dennis Leonhard for the Mets fifth run - Ryan then loads the base in the 9th on a walk - single - walk after getting the first two, but gets Blair looking for the final out. Despite all the threats, the vaunted Oriole bats are held to 4 singles (plus 7 walks) one day after being held to just 2 singles. Mets lead series 2-1 Game Time = 2:23

Edgy DC Oct 14 2009 08:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Clendenon claimed that Blair was already at second (doubtful) and would have circled the bases for an inside-the-park slam (possibly), had Agee not made the snag. He was as fast as anybody in 1969 and it'd've taken Agee more than a few beats to collect himself and then the ball.

Frayed Knot Oct 14 2009 08:23 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

It seems to me that the one to LCF hung up there longer and was the one where Agee had to cover the most ground to get, but of course that was off the bat of the much slower Hendricks. Blair's I remember as more of a liner and not as deep but once Agee left his feet it would have been up to Swoboda to retrieve that one if Tommie missed it. Almost certainly would have cashed in three runs and was quite possibly a triple, but Shea didn't give up many inside-park HRs (nor many triples for that matter) so I think it would have needed some pretty nutty bounces before Blair could come around to score.

Frayed Knot Oct 15 2009 06:48 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Wednesday, October 15 - World Series Game 4 -- Tom Seaver vs Mike Cuellar I watched the game from one of these seats This game featured ‘The Catch’ before anyone ever heard of Montana and Clark Don Buford - LF Paul Blair - CF Frank Robinson - RF Boog Powell - 1B Brooks Robinson - 3B Elrod Hendricks - C Davey Johnson - 2B Mark Belanger - SS Mike Cuellar - P Agee - CF Harrelson - SS Jones - LF Clendenon - 1B Swoboda - RF Charles - 3B Grote - C Weis - 2B Seaver - P After Clendenon’s leadoff HR in the 2nd puts the Mets up 1-0, both teams remain scoreless through the 8th as Cuellar otherwise holds the Mets to 5 singles through 7, Seaver limits the O’s to 3 singles thru 8. Top 9: Trailing 1-0, one out singles by Frank Robinson & Boog Powell sets up 1st & 3d. What comes next is described in the box score as a ‘Flyball RF/CF - Sac Fly: Roninson scores’ is only one of the great moments in WS history. With one out it’s probable that Powell would NOT have scored from 1st on that play had Swoboda missed the ball, but, at best, it would have been 2nd & 3rd with still just one out and the game already tied. Instead, Hendricks then lines out - again to RF - to end the inning. Bottom 9: Mets get two on via singles by Jones & Swoboda - but Shamsky pinch-hitting for Charles grounts-out. Top 10: Seaver, still hurling, puts on two (error & single) but gets Buford on a FO and Ks Blair Bottom 10: Grote dumps a bloop double into LF off reliever Dick (Turkey Neck) Hall. Gaspar runs for Grote. Weis is intentionally walked JC Martin PHs for Seaver and lefty Pete Richert is brought in the face him. Martin’s bunt is fielded by Richert whose throw hits Martin (on the line?) on his wrist and Gaspar scores as the ball rolls away into short RF Game Time 2:33

Edgy DC Oct 15 2009 07:29 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 15 2009 07:42 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Nice. How far into right field was sect 27? What do you recall about that game? Do you think it's right that did dad let you go and not me?

Frayed Knot Oct 15 2009 08:26 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

I like how in that photo Swoboda's glove is already virtually on the ground and the ball isn't even in the picture yet. "Nice. How far into right field was sect 27?" That's about half-way out towards the corner isn't it? "What do you recall about that game?" Basically the highlights: the catch, the bunt, ... and oh yeah, Weaver getting tossed from the game. Crowd loved that part. "Do you think it's right that did dad let you go and not me?" Of course

HahnSolo Oct 15 2009 08:32 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

On Grote's bloop double, Buford was so deep he was playing basically by the warning track. No LF would ever play that deep these days, and the ball probably would have been caught.

Frayed Knot Oct 15 2009 11:37 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

On yeah, and only one more game to go.

G-Fafif Oct 16 2009 05:58 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

This morning forty years ago was the last morning a person could wake up in a world in which, at some point in the history of humanity, the Mets had not been its champions. Happy 40th Anniversary to us, Mets fans.

Frayed Knot Oct 16 2009 08:17 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 16 2009 08:32 AM

Thursday, October 15 - World Series Game 5 - Shea Stadium: Mets 5 - Orioles 3 -- Jerry Koosman vs Dave McNally Don Buford - LF Paul Blair - CF Frank Robinson - RF Boog Powell - 1B Brooks Robinson - 3B Davey Johnson - 2B Andy Etchebarren - C Mark Belanger - SS Dave McNally - P Agee - CF Harrelson - SS Jones - LF Clendenon - 1B Swoboda - RF Charles - 3B Grote - C Weis - 2B Koosman - P - Koosman rolls through the first 7 batters of the game but gets burned by the bottom of the lineup to lead off the 3rd inning as a Mark Belanger single is followed by a Dave McNally HR (last ever for an AL pitcher in post-season?). Two outs later Frank Ronison hits a solo shot and the Mets are down 3-0 Koosman tried to get revenge by leading off the bottom of the 3rd with a double but was stranded there. - Mets remain scoreless until the 6th when Jones gets hit by a pitch leading off (the famous shoe-polish incident) and Clendenon follows with a 2R HR - An Al Weis HR (there's that name again) leading off the 7th ties the game - Koosman, meanwhile, retires 16 of the 17 batters following the Robinson HR -- a two-out single in the 6th is the O’s only baserunner. - McNally was PH’d for in the top of the 8th and was replaced bu reliever Eddie Watt (whenever Watt used to get announced on the PA system all the fans used to answer ‘What?’). Jones was his first hitter and he doubled. Clendenon grounded out but then Swoboda doubled in Jones. Charles flied to LF. Then Grote got on via a Boog Powell error and Swoboda came around to score when the ball rolled away. Weis struck out to end the inning but now it’s a 2-run lead with only 3 outs to go Top 9: - Frank Robinson walks to start the inning. - Powell’s grounder forces Frank at 2nd. - Brooks Robinson flies to Swoboda in RF - Davey Johnson flies to a kneeling Cleon Jones in LF - City and many surrounding areas go crazy Game Time = 2:14

Edgy DC Oct 16 2009 08:25 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Frayed has made a pasting error I think. It reports the lefthanded lineup out there, but it clearly wasn't, as his posted lineup and recount indicates. Hard to imagine today Hodges sticking with Koosman after walking the leadoff batter to bring up the tying run, with Powell, Robinson, and Johnson coming up. Also notice his sticking with Swoboda's hot glove in the ninth, instead of sending Gaspar out there.

Frayed Knot Oct 16 2009 08:31 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Bad (now-erased) copy & paste job.

MFS62 Oct 17 2009 09:15 AM Re: Gonna party like it's 1969

Some 1969 pics. Don't know if this site has been linked before. http://www.life.com/image/ugc1012102/in ... racle-mets Later