Amazin' Date 7/3/1969: Mets Take Three of Five at St. Louis

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #76:  Thursday, July 3, 1969 - BR
New York Mets @ St. Louis Cardinals
Busch Stadium

Gary Gentry's Gem Lifts Mets to Series Victory Over Cardinals

With Thursday's 8-1 victory over the Cardinals at Busch Stadium the Mets win the series three games against two.

Making his 16th start of the season Gary Gentry is opposed by veteran and former 21-game winner Mudcat Grant.  Gentry goes the distance yielding just one run on five hits and two walks with five strikeouts.  He improves to 8-6 on the season and lowers his ERA to a 3.08 mark.  St. Louis scores their lone run in the seventh on Julian Javier's base hit scoring Joe Torre.

Leading off the game Tommie Agee stakes the Mets to an immediate lead with his 11th home run of the season.  Things go awry for Mudcat in the fifth as the Mets score four times.  With one out and two runners in scoring position Donn Clendenon drives home both with a single to left.  Grant then unleashes a wild pitch allowing Wayne Garrett to score.  And Tommie Agee draws a bases loaded walk giving the Mets a 5-0 lead.  Runs batted in from Jerry Grote and Al Weis in the fifth give the Mets a 7-0 lead.  Their final tally comes in the eighth on Ken Boswell's RBI double to right.

Onward to Pittsburgh where the Mets and Pirates will play a Fourth of July double-header at Forbes Field.

• Mets Record:  42-34
• N.L. East:  2nd; 8 GB