Gonna party like it's 1969

[HahnSolo]

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]

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

[Guest Edgy DC]

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]

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]

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

[Guest Edgy DC]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

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]

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]

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]

On yeah, and only one more game to go.

[G-Fafif]

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]

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

Edited October 16, 2009 by Guest

[Guest Edgy DC]

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]

Bad (now-erased) copy & paste job.

[MFS62]

Some 1969 pics.
Don't know if this site has been linked before.

http://www.life.com/image/ugc1012102/in-gallery/35132/neverseen-pics-of-the-miracle-mets

Later