Amazin' Date 10/4/1969: Mets Surge Past Braves in Opening Game of National League Championship Series

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

GAME ONE

New York Mets   9

Atlanta Braves   5

FINAL

New York Mets Defeat Atlanta Braves in Game One of First Ever National League Championship Series.

• GAME ONE: Saturday, October 4, 1969 - BR

The New York Mets overcome a 4-5 deficit with five runs in the eighth inning en route to an opening game victory over the Atlanta Braves.  With Phil Niekro on the mound, a passed ball by catcher Bob Didier in the second, and errors by first baseman Orlando Cepeda and center fielder Tony Gonzalez in the eighth inning pave the way for five unearned runs.  Otherwise neither starter is particularly sharp Saturday afternoon at Atlanta.  Tom Seaver yields five earned runs on eight hits and three walks with two strikeouts through seven innings.  He surrenders home runs to Tony Gonzalez in the fifth and to Hank Aaron in the seventh.  Wayne Garrett doubles leading off the eighth inning, and Cleon Jones promptly drives him home with a hit to center.  Art Shamsky then follows with a hit to left.  After which the Braves defense betrays Phil Niekro.  Tom Seaver is the beneficiary.  Ron Taylor throws two scoreless innings in relief of Seaver with two strikeouts to earn the save.  Bud Harrelson goes 1 for 3 with a triple and two runs batted in.  J.C. Martin also drives home two runs.  Ed Kranepool and Cleon Jones drive in one run apiece.

Amazin' Date 8/31/1969: Tom Seaver Defeats Giants for 19th Victory of Season

From the desk of: HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS
50th ANNIVERSARY

Games #129 and #130
New York Mets @ San Francisco Giants
Candlestick Park

Giants Salvage Series Split at Candlestick Park

• GAME ONE: Sunday, August 31, 1969 - BR

With a five run outburst in the fourth and three more runs in the fifth New York rolls to an 8-0 whitewashing of the Giants.  Ron Swoboda, Jerry Grote, and Al Weis, each drive in a pair of runs apiece.  Bud Harrelson is 2 for 5 with an RBI, and starter Tom Seaver helps his own cause with a hit and an RBI; his fourth of the season.  On the mound Tom Seaver allows just seven hits and three walks with eleven strikeouts for the complete game shutout.  He improves to 19-8 with a 2.54 ERA.  It's the fourth time this season Seaver fans double-digits, and now gives him 175 for the season.

• GAME TWO: Sunday, August 31, 1969 - BR

The Giants salvage game two and gain a four game split as the Mets lose a heart-breaker in extra innings at Candlestick Park.  San Francisco scores straightaway against starter Jim McAndrew on Don Mason's lead-off hit, Ken Henderson's one-out triple to right, and Jim Ray Hart's RBI hit for a 2-0 first inning lead.  The Mets eventually strike back in the seventh when Ron Swoboda connects on his sixth home run of the season with Cleon Jones aboard.  The game remains deadlocked at two after nine, and into extra innings they go.  Pitching into the bottom of the eleventh, Tug McGraw issues a lead-off walk, and a hit by Willie McCovey.  Manager Hodges opts for Ron Taylor whom intentionally walks Bobby Bonds loading the bases.  However with Jim Davenport at the plate Taylor issues a second straight walk forcing in the game winning run in from third.  Jim McAndrew puts forth a fine performance allowing two earned runs on six hits and two walks with seven strikeouts through nine innings full.  But it's Tug McGraw whom incurs his third loss of the season.

The Mets lose a half-game in the standings, as Ken Holtzman and the Cubs again defeat Phil Niekro and the Braves at Atlanta.  However the Mets close out the month of August with a stellar 21-10 record and enter September winners of 13 of their last 16 games.  The Cubs close out August with an 18-10 record.

• Mets Record: 76-54
• N.L. East: 2nd; 4.5 GB

Amazin' Date 8/1/1969: Koonce and Grote Turn Back Braves

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #100: Friday, August 1, 1969 - BR
Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets
Shea Stadium

One Hundred Games Down; Sixty-Two More To Go

The Mets outlast Atlanta in game one at Shea Stadium, but the same can not be said of starter Don Cardwell who pitches himself into immediate trouble.  Felipe Alou leads off the game with a single.  Next in Tony Gonzalez is struck with a pitch by Cardwell whom then issues a walk to Hank Aaron loading the bases.  Cardwell issues a second straight walk scoring Alou from third.  With one out Felix Millan singles to left driving in two and knocking Cardwell out of the box.  Cal Koonce is summoned from the bullpen.

Braves starter Phil Niekro promptly comes under siege as well.  The Mets open the bottom half of the frame with three straight hits.  With two outs and the bases jammed, Niekro walks Ron Swoboda scoring Bud Harrelson from third.  Rod Gaspar follows with a single to right scoring both Bobby Phiel and Tommie Agee.  With Jerry Grote at the plate, Swoboda scores on a passed ball charged to catcher Bob Didier.  Three innings later, Jerry Grote connects on a lead-off home run off Niekro giving the Mets a 5-3 lead after four.

Orlando Cepeda cuts the Mets lead to one with an RBI double in the seventh.  Otherwise Cal Koonce allows just one run on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts though 6.1 innings in relief of Cardwell to earn his fifth victory of the season.  Ron Taylor closes the game with 2.1 scoreless innings of one-hit baseball for his tenth save of the season.

The Mets snap a four game losing streak but fail to gain ground on the Cubs.

• Mets Record: 56-44 (.560)
• N.L. East: 2nd; 6.5 GB

Amazin' Date 5/21/1969: Tom Seaver's Gem Lifts Mets to New Heights

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

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

Amazin' Date 5/14/1969: Cleon's Grand Slam Lifts Mets Over Braves

From the desk of:  HEAD BUTTING MR. MET

AMAZIN'

THE MIRACLE METS

50th ANNIVERSARY

Game #32: Wednesday, May 14, 1969 - BR

Atlanta Braves @ New York Mets

Shea Stadium

Agee and Jones Win One For Seaver; Mets Knot Series

Wednesday evening's game two starters Tom Seaver and Phil Niekro dueled through five scoreless innings at Shea before Atlanta broke the deadlock with four hits and a pair of runs in the sixth.  The Braves extended their lead off Seaver in the seventh when Jesus Alou connected on his third home run of the season.  The Mets finally got on the board in the bottom half of the frame when Ken Boswell stroked a lead-off triple to the left/center gap then scored on a Cleon Jones bounce out short to first.

Niekro and the Braves would unravel in the eighth.  With the bases loaded, Tommie Agee doubled in a pair to knock Atlanta's knuckle-baller from the box.  Pitching in relief of Niekro, George Stone intentionally walked Ed Charles then hit Ken Boswell with a pitch to force another run.  With the bases reloaded, Cleon Jones connected on a bases clearing grand slam.  J.C. Martin would also triple and score giving the Mets an 9-3 lead and final margin of victory over National League West leading Atlanta.

The Mets salvage a victory for Tom Seaver, his fifth of the season against two losses.  He yielded three earned runs on ten hits and a walk with three strikeouts through eight innings.  Ron Taylor pitched a scoreless ninth.

Cleon Jones' five RBI in the game give him 23 for the season.  Tommie Agee was 1 for 3 with a double and two RBI, and is now 12 for 25 (.480) for the month of May with a double, five home runs, and ten RBI.

Thursday's rubber game will feature Don Cardwell pitching against the Braves Pat Jarvis.

• Mets Record:  15-17
• N.L. East:  3rd; 7 GB