Amazin' Date 9/9/1969: Black Cat and Mets Sweep Durocher and the Cubs

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #138: Tuesday, September 9, 1969 - BR
Chicago Cubs @ New York Mets
Shea Stadium

METS SWEEP CUBS; JUST HALF GAME OUT OF FIRST!

In the seven years since the gates first opened in 1964 there's never been a more surreal game at Shea Stadium.  The most creative minds of Hollywood could not have better scripted the events of Tuesday evening.

On Aug. 13 the Mets lagged ten game behind the first place Cubs.  But Leo Durocher's club has since faltered posting a 10-14 record, while New York goes on to win 19 of their next 25 games, including Monday's game one 3-2 victory over the Cubs, to pull within 1.5 games of first place.

Game two features a match-up between aces.  First time 20-game winner Tom Seaver is opposed by  Fergie Jenkins, whom enters Tuesday's action one victory shy of achieving his third straight 20-win season.  Seemingly with all the momentum of the world and a raucous home crowd at the ready the Mets strike for two runs in the first inning.  Fergie Jenkins does himself no favors by walking Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones.  Ken Boswell makes Jenkins pay with a two run double to right.  Donn Clendonon's two run home run in the third stakes Tom Seaver to a commanding 4-0 lead.

Don Kessinger looks at strike three leading off the top of the fourth.  Second baseman Glenn Beckert then doubles to left/center.  With slugger Billy Williams at the plate a black cat suddenly appears from under the stands behind home plate.  Shea's resident feline takes a direct route toward on deck batter Ron Santo.  At first it circles the Cubs third baseman before nearing the edge of Chicago's dugout for a closer inspection of manager Leo Durocher.  As quickly as it appears, the cat wraps up its business with the Cubs bench and scatters back under the stands.  Somewhat superstitious, Ron Santo still manages to drive home Beckert for the Cubs first run.

That is quickly negated as Tom Seaver helps his own cause with a double off Jenkins leading off the bottom of the fourth.  Tommie Agee advances Seaver to third, and Wayne Garrett plates him with a sac-fly to center for a 5-1 Mets lead.  Art Shamsky leads off the fifth with his 13th home run of the season, and Jerry Grote caps off the scoring with a two run double in the seventh.  By then over 51,000 fans packing Shea Stadium begin serenading the familiar Chicago manager (from his days in New York City) with "Goodbye Leo, we hate to see you go!" on through the conclusion of the Mets 7-1 victory.  They continue singing down the ramps and into the parking lots ... and maybe all the way home.

Fergie Jenkins yields seven runs, five earned, on three walks with nine strikeouts through seven innings.  He is denied his bid at New York's expense for a third straight 20-win season.  Tom Seaver allows the Cubs just one run on five hits and one walk with five strikeouts en route to his 21st victory of the season against seven losses with a 2.43 ERA.  Tommy Agee, Ken Boswell, and Jerry Grote continue their hot hitting, joining on 6 for 12 at the plate, with two doubles, and three runs batted in.

No heel clicking for Ron Santo either; at least not at Shea Stadium.  The Mets sweep two games from the Cubs and close within one-half game of first place.  The Cubs meanwhile lose their sixth in a row.  Black cats seem to be the least of their problems, although Leo the Lip may beg to differ.

For the 1969 Mets, another amazin' night at Shea!

• Mets Record: 82-57
• N.L. East: 2nd; 0.5 GB

Amazin' Date 9/2/1969: Donn Clendenon Powers Mets to Victory Over Dodgers

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #132: Tuesday, September 2, 1969 - BR
New York Mets @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Dodger Stadium

New York bounces back with a 5-4 victory in game two at Los Angeles to even their series with the Dodgers at one.  Gary Gentry pitches a strong game until tiring in the ninth.  He allows three late runs on eight hits and three walks with four strikeouts through 8.1 innings pitched.  Ron Taylor relieves Gentry with great difficulty until Gil Hodges summons Tug McGraw whom settles things down to earn his tenth save of the season.  Gentry earns his tenth win.  The Mets muster four earned runs on six hits and three walks against Dodgers starter Don Sutton.  Donn Clendenon is 3 for 4 with a home run off Sutton in the first, and another off Sutton in the fourth.  Ron Swoboda is 1 for 3 with a double and two runs batted in.

But the true difference maker is Ken Boswell's RBI single in the top of the eighth off reliever Joe Moeller.  Since returning to the line-up on Aug. 23 Boswell has hit safely in eight of nine games during which time he is batting .542 (13 for 24) to date.

Wednesday's rubber game at Dodger stadium concludes New York's ten game road trip.  Tuesday's win was their sixth of the trip against three loses.  However, Chicago defeats the Reds at Crosley Field and so the Mets gain no ground on the first place Cubs.  Upon their return home, the Mets first will host a four game series against the Phillies, then finally go head to head against the Leo Durocher's Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium.

• Mets Record: 77-55
• N.L. East: 2nd; 5 GB

Amazin' Date: 7/14/1969: Cubs Outlast Tom Seaver at Wrigley

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #86: Monday, July 14, 1969 - BR
New York Mets @ Chicago Cubs
Wrigley Field

Look What the Cubs Did to Tom Seaver, Again

The surging Mets and first place Cubs meet again.  Just five days following the now famous Imperfect Game at Shea Stadium, Tom Seaver toes the rubber at Wrigley Field, and is opposed by Chicago's Bill Hands in Monday's series opener.

The two duel through five scoreless innings.  With two outs and Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger in scoring position at second, right fielder Billy Williams singles home the lone run of the game.  Seaver suffers the hard luck loss but not before yielding just the one run on five hits and one walk with four strikeouts through eight innings pitched.  It's only Seaver's fourth loss of the season versus 14 victories with a 2.39 ERA.

Bill Hands and Phil Regan join for a six-hit whitewashing of the Mets.  Hands yields no runs on six hits with three walks and five strikeouts through 8.2 innings.  When J.C. Martin singles off Hands with two outs in the home ninth, manager Leo Durocher summons Phil Regan from the bullpen.  Donn Clendenon then lines out sharply to second baseman Glen Beckert ending the game.  Ron Santo is seen running off the field, leaping and clicking his heels, and pumping up Wrigley Field fans.

After closing to within 3.5 games of the Cubs on July 9, the Mets have since slipped 2.5 games in the standings to fall six games back of the Cubs.

• Mets Record: 49-37
• N.L. East: 2nd; 6 GB

Amazin' Date 4/25/1969: Fergie Jenkins Shows Mets Who's Number One

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #15: Friday, April 25, 1969 - BR
Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets
Shea Stadium

Cubs Take Bite Out of Seaver; Mets Drop Series Opener to First Place Chicago.

Leo the Lip has entered the building.  The familiar Mr. Durocher and his National League East leading Chicago Cubs arrived in New York last night after dropping their series finale to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field.

Making his fourth start of the season, Tom Seaver was tasked with reducing the Cubs four game division lead over the Mets, but was ultimately thwarted by the arm and bat of Chicago's back-to-back twenty game winner Fergie Jenkins in Friday's series opener.

FINAL

Cubs   3

Mets   1

With two outs in the top of the third, Cubs shortstop Don Kessinger, in a very rare display of power, hit his first home run of the season and only the third of his six year career.  Tom Seaver yielded his second home run of the game this time off the bat of third baseman Ron Santo leading off the fourth.  The final blow came with one out in the fifth, when Fergie Jengkins took his turn connecting on yet another home run surrendered by Seaver.

Ron Swoboda broke up the shutout in the sixth with his first home run of the season.  But that's all the Mets would muster.  Fergie would retire his final ten batters en route to a complete game victory.  Jenkins allowed the lone run on six hits and three walks with nine strikeouts for his third win of the young season against just one loss.

Seaver pitched through the seventh before being lifted for a pinch hitter.  He exited on the losing side of a 3-0 game after surrendering three home runs, and five total hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts.  Ron Taylor pitched two scoreless innings in relief, surrendering one hit and fanning three.

Tommie Agee remains out of the lineup.  He missed his fifth straight game.  In his place Amos Otis, who still qualifies as a rookie, has two hits, both doubles, in 21 at-bats.

• Mets Record:  6-9 (.400)
• N.L. East:  4th; 5 GB

I Was Back At Dee's SteakHouse

This was literally one of those times...I just happened to be in the neighborhood.  I noticed DeStefano's SteakHouse was taking deliveries early in the afternoon.  I wondered if this was a good time to be able to see him face to face since I made my post about his fine restaurant.  I saw Joe at the door and gave em the ol "Hey Joe...me -  Mike..the Trolley Blogger".  He smiled and invited me back in.  We had a good chat about a good many things.  He was pleased with the write up and the response we all gave him.  He asked me in an e-mail if he could link the post to his website.  Of course I said.  The pleasure was all mine!

Joe related to me how he just started collecting Brooklyn themed memorablilia quite innocently, and how it was never intended for his restaurant.  It's funny how life evolves that way.  It seems a perfect fit.  Joe like me, thinks Brooklyn is the greatest place in the world.  After sharing stories and him allowing me to shoot more photos of the things I didn't get around to the first time around, I sensed I was holding him up a bit.  I asked him as much.  He agreed but told me, "...yea, but I don't care.  I love talking about Brooklyn and stuff."

See, there ya go folks.  It's just not me.  We're all kinda nuts for this place.

I'll have you know, my reservation is in for next weekend for a nice dinner with my wife for my B-day.  I can't wait till she sees the place.  My wife of twenty years is a Manhattan girl and is still learning her way around Brooklyn.  Sheesh!  I'm looking foward to the evening out and spending part of it at Dee's SteakHouse.


Here are a few photos of all Brooklyn themed movies, and the view from the other end of his Wall of Fame.

These are a few of my all time favorites:

the cast of "Welcome Back Kotter"

Behind a glass cabinet were many old time Brooklyn relics. 
The beer breweries were a major industry here

in Brooklyn back before Prohibition. 
There were eight major breweries in the Bushwick area alone. 
That was in a more classic time.

That's Leo "the Lip" Durocher pitching the local brew.

But as classics go, what better way to get a feel for a different era, than to look into these pictures at Dee's and let your imagination do the rest.  I took all these pictures and believe me, there are so many more.

There are two pictures in particular you should take notice of;  this sweatshirt of the Dodger Sym-Phony Band and T-shirt from the 1947 N.L. Champion Dodgers.  Phil Caccavali was a member of the famous Sym-Phony Band; God rest his soul.  These two shirts belonged to Phil.  They were given to Joe by Phil's brother.  They are the next two items that will find themselves in display cases on the wall soon.

Enjoy the pictures everyone, but just remember on your next trip to NYC, come over the bridge to DeStefano's.  The Borough is changing faster than it has in a long time.  I'm not saying for the worse or better.  What I am saying, is if you want to know what a more classic time in Brooklyn used to offer, you can come get that feeling in a unique and authentic Brooklyn setting.  DeStefano's SteakHouse is the real thing, built by the family, started in the neighborhood and loved by the locals.  Come in and know Brooklyn.  By the time you leave we'll have you saying - "Fuggedaboudit" all the way home.

http://www.deesteakhouse.com/

Thank you Joe!!  See you next Saturday, as myself for a change.

http://theBrooklynTrolleyBlogger.mlblogs.com/

http://thebrooklyntrolleyblogger.blogspot.com/

Post Script:
I'll have you know, Joe made quick mention during our conversations about one -
 Me being a Red Sox Rooter and I believe he called me the "Yankee Rouser or Rouster" 

Two:  He also brought up my arch nemesis Fred Wilpon, owner of the N.Y. Mets, of which I am a fan.  I had mentioned him in jest last time I was here about not being on the wall, but Joe seemed more interested in actually getting him on the wall.  I hope Fred appreciates that!  I put him through hell.

My point is, pay attention to detail folks.  If you take care of the little details in life the larger problems will take care of themselves.  Joe was prepared with details about me on a chance AND second encounter.
Sharp as a tack!...and that's what you're 'gonna' get here.  He red up on me. 
I tip my Brooklyn Dodger cap to you Sir!

My sincerest gratitude,
Mike,  BTB



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