Amazin' Date 5/1/1969: Expos Foil Mets Bid For Sweep

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #21 Thursday, May 1, 1969 - BR 
New York Mets @ Montreal Expos 
Parc Jarry

Manager Gil Hodges Called to Carpet for His Handling of Ninth Inning.

Montreal starter Bill Stoneman wasted little time creating trouble for himself in the second.  After yielding consecutive singles to Cleon Jones and Ed Kranepool, Stoneman caught Ron Swoboda looking at strike three, but walked Kevin Collins to load the bases.  He then issued a second straight walk to Jerry Grote forcing in Jones from third.

Leading off the bottom of the second, Expos first baseman Donn Clendenon immediately came to the aid of his starter with a home run off Mets starter Don Cardwell.  Cleon Jones answered right back with a solo home run in the top of the third.  But left fielder Mack Jones would likewise connect off Cardwell in the fourth tying the game again at two.

Bill Stoneman pitched himself into another jam by walking the bases loaded in the seventh.  With two outs, Montreal manager Gene Mauch pulled Stoneman in favor of long time relief specialist Roy Face, whom induced Ed Kranepool in to an inning ending ground ball to second.

Into the ninth inning they would go with the game knotted at two.

With Don Cardwell set to lead-off the top half of the frame, manger Gil Hodges elected to not pinch hit for his pitcher, whom wound up grounding out to third.  Roy Face would then retire the next two batters extending his streak to seven straight Mets batters in a row.

Maury Wills leading off the home ninth singled off Don Cardwell.  After inducing Rusty Staub into a fielder's choice, Cardwell surrendered another single to Mack Jones.  Manager Hodges then ordered his battery intentionally walk Donn Clendenon thus setting up a force at any base.  However, the plan backfired when third baseman Coco Laboy lofted a fly to center field.  Ron Brand, pinch running for Staub, tagged up from third to score the winning run.

FINAL

Mets    2

Expos  3

Roy Face earned the victory with 2.1 innings of scoreless no-hit ball.  The game also marks the 101st win of Face's long 16 year career spent near exclusively as a reliever.

Don Cardwell again labors through another a hard luck loss, and is now 0-4 for the season despite his 2.89 ERA.  He allowed the Expos three runs in seven hits and two walks with one strikeout through 8.2 innings of work.

Cleon Jones was 3 for 3, with his third home run of the season.  His 15 RBI tie him for team lead with Ed Kranepool.  Cleon is batting .348 through the Mets first 21 games of the season.  Kranepool went 2 for 4, elevating his average to .323 through his 19 games played.

The Expos avoid a sweep, but the Mets win the series - their second series win over Montreal this season.  The loss, however, drops the Mets back down to fourth place, six game behind the first place Cubs, with whom they'll begin a weekend series tomorrow at Wrigley Field.

• Mets Record:  9-12 (.428)
• N.L. East:  4th; 6 GB