Gonna party like it's 1969

[Frayed Knot]

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]

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

[Frayed Knot]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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)

[Guest Edgy DC]

[Frayed Knot]

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]

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]

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

Edited August 1, 2009 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Guest Edgy DC]

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.

Edited August 5, 2009 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

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]

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]

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.

[Guest Edgy DC]

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]

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]

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]

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?

Edited August 11, 2009 by Guest

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

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