AMAZIN'
THE MIRACLE METS
50th ANNIVERSARY
Game #36: Wednesday, May 21, 1969 - BR
New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Stadium
The Amazin' Mets Under Gil Hodges Reach the Elusive .500 Mark.
For a third time this season the Mets are winners of three straight. Opening a two game set against the Braves, Tom Seaver climbed the hill at Atlanta Stadium and was opposed once again by Phil Niekro. The game was not dissimilar to their match-up on May 14 in which Tom Seaver outlasted Niekro for the victory. Only this time the 24-year old Seaver may have turned in his finest performance to date, limiting the Braves to just three hits and two walks with two strikeouts over nine complete innings of shutout ball.
The Mets tallied all their five runs off Niekro. Tommie Agee opened the game with a double to right. With one out Ken Boswell also doubled to right, but Agee was held up by third base coach Eddie Yost not wanting to test the throwing arm of Hank Aaron. Cleon Jones made his coach look smart with a single to left plating both Agee and Boswell for a 2-0 first inning lead.
Phil Niekro again pitched himself into trouble in the eighth. After yielding a one-out hit to Cleon Jones, the knuckle-baller loaded the bases with walks issued to both Ed Kranepool and J.C. Martin. With two outs, Bud Harrelson wiped the bases clean with a triple into the right/center field gap.
FINAL
Mets 5
Braves 0
Tom Seaver improved his record to 6-2 and now sports a 1.96 ERA. Tommie Agee, Ken Boswell, and Cleon Jones all had multiple-hit games. Manager Hodges put his runners in motion against Niekro, as the Mets stole three bases in the game.
The Mets improved to 18-18 on the season. You can mark it down, the Amazins' are off to their best ever start. Let the record show May 21, 1969, is the latest date the team has been at .500 or better in any of their previous seven seasons of existence.
- Mets Record: 18-18
- N.L. East: 3rd; 5 GB
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