Series Wrapup

Story

The Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres joined the fraternity of National League ball clubs in 1969, with the Expos taking up residence in the newly-formed N.L. East and the Padres joining the Giants, Dodgers, Reds, Braves, and Astros in the N.L. West.

Atlanta edged out San Francisco and Cincinnati for the first Western Division title, finishing the regular season with a record of 93-69, three games in front of the Giants and four games ahead of the Reds.  Only the Reds’ poor pitching, which surrendered 768 runs to the opposition over the course of the season, prevented them from advancing to the postseason.  Cincinnati featured the league’s most potent offense, topping the circuit with 798 runs scored, 171 home runs, and a team batting average of .277.  First baseman Lee May hit 38 home runs and drove in 110 runs.  Third baseman Tony Perez hit 37 homers, knocked in 122 runs, scored 103 others, and batted .294.  Outfielder Pete Rose finished second in the league with 218 hits, captured his second straight batting title with a mark of .348, and also led the league with 120 runs scored.  Second-year catcher Johnny Bench contributed 26 homers, 90 runs batted in, and a .293 batting average.

The second-place Giants benefited from fine seasons turned in by Juan Marichal, Bobby Bonds, and Willie McCovey.  Marichal finished 21-11, with a league-leading 2.10 ERA and eight shutouts.  He also placed among the league leaders with 299 innings pitched and 27 complete games.  Bonds hit 32 homers, drove in 90 runs, tied for the league lead with 120 runs scored, and stole 45 bases.  McCovey earned N.L. MVP honors by batting .320 and leading the league with 45 home runs, 126 runs batted in, a .458 on-base percentage, and a .656 slugging percentage.  

The Braves had a considerable amount of punch in their lineup as well, and they also featured one of the better pitching staffs in the senior circuit.  Phil Niekro anchored Atlanta’s starting rotation, placing among the league leaders with 23 wins, a 2.56 ERA, 21 complete games, and 284 innings pitched.  He received a great deal of help from Ron Reed, who finished second on the club with 18 wins and 241 innings pitched.  Meanwhile, Hank Aaron led the Braves on offense by hitting 44 home runs, driving in 97 runs, scoring 100 others, and batting an even .300.

However, the New York Mets were the National League’s biggest story in 1969.  After serving as doormats to the rest of the senior circuit the previous seven seasons, the Mets shocked the baseball world by capturing the N.L. East title by a comfortable eight-game margin over the second-place Chicago Cubs, who once led New York by 9 ½ games.  The Mets built momentum over the course of the season, winning 38 of their last 49 games, before sweeping the Western Division champion Braves in three straight games in the NLCS.  They then stunned the heavily-favored American League champion Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, defeating them in five games after losing the first contest in Baltimore.

The Mets were not the most talented team in baseball, but they had excellent pitching, solid defense, and a team chemistry that made them extremely difficult to beat.  New York finished just ninth in the league with 632 runs scored.  Outfielders Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee led the club on offense.  Jones had the finest season of his career, scoring 92 runs and finishing third in the league with a .340 batting average.  Agee led the team with 26 home runs, 76 runs batted in, and 97 runs scored.

The Mets, though, took a backseat to no one in terms of pitching.  They finished a close second in the league with a team ERA of 2.99, and their starting rotation featured three of the senior circuit’s best young starting pitchers.  Gary Gentry won 13 games and compiled an ERA of 3.43.  Jerry Koosman finished 17-9 and placed among the league leaders with a 2.28 ERA.  Staff ace Tom Seaver captured N.L. Cy Young honors and earned a second-place finish in the league MVP voting by leading all N.L. hurlers with a record of 25-7 and placing among the leaders with a 2.21 ERA, 273 innings pitched, 18 complete games, and 208 strikeouts.

The Mets crushed the Braves in three straight games in the first National League Championship Series, outscoring them by a combined margin of 27 to 15.  They continued their miracle run against the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, defeating a team that won 109 games during the regular season.  After losing the first game in Baltimore, the Mets took the next four contests, with their pitching staff holding the Orioles to a team batting average of just .146.  Jerry Koosman posted two of New York’s victories and compiled an ERA of 2.04.  Tommie Agee hit a homer and made two spectacular catches that saved five runs in New York’s 5-0 Game Three victory.  Ron Swoboda made one of the greatest catches in the history of the Fall Classic to help Tom Seaver earn a 2-1, 10-inning victory in Game Four.  The Mets then overcame an early 3-0 deficit in Game Five to complete one of the greatest upsets in sports history with a 5-3 win.  New York first baseman Donn Clendenon earned Series MVP honors by hitting three home runs and batting .357.

Other outstanding performers, notable events, and points of interest from around the league follow:

• April 14 – The Montreal Expos defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 8-7 in the first major league game played outside the United States.

• August 10 - Citing damage to his right shoulder, Don Drysdale retired from the Los Angeles Dodgers.  He was the last member of the team that played for them in Brooklyn.

• September 22 - Willie Mays hit his 600th career home run during a 4-2 Giants victory over the San Diego Padres.

• September 24 - After seven uninspired losing seasons, the New York Mets clinched the National League East title with a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Shea Stadium.  Donn Clendenon homered twice against Cardinals starter Steve Carlton in the win.

• October 7 - The St. Louis Cardinals traded Curt Flood to the Philadelphia Phillies in a seven-player deal that also sent Tim McCarver, Byron Browne and Joe Hoerner to the Phillies for Dick Allen, Cookie Rojas and Jerry Johnson.  Flood subsequently refused to report to the Phillies, choosing instead to challenge baseball's reserve clause.  He ended up sitting out the entire 1970 season.

• The National League defeated the American League by a score of 9-3 in the All-Star Game at Washington.  Willie McCovey homered twice for the winning team.

• On August 5, Pittsburgh’s Willie Stargell became the first player to hit a home run completely out of Dodger Stadium.  The titanic blast was later measured at 506 feet.

• Willie Davis of the Dodgers hit safely in 31 consecutive games.

• Bobby Bonds of the Giants established a new major league record by striking out 187 times.

• Bob Moose of Pittsburgh threw a no-hitter against the Mets on September 20.

• Ken Holtzman of Cubs tossed a no-hitter against Atlanta on August 19.

• Montreal’s Bill Stoneman no-hit the Phillies on April 17.

• Cincinnati's Jim Maloney no-hit Houston on April 30; the next day, Houston's Don Wilson no-hit Cincinnati.

• Los Angeles Dodger second baseman Ted Sizemore earned N.L. Rookie of the Year honors.

• The St. Louis Cardinals traded Orlando Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves for Joe Torre.

• Steve Carlton of the Cardinals struck out 19 New York Mets on September 15, but ended up losing the contest 4-3.  Ron Swoboda hit two two-run homers for New York.

• On July 9, Chicago’s Jim Quails singled with one out in the ninth inning to break up a perfect game bid by Tom Seaver.

• Pittsburgh's Matty Alou led the league with 231 hits and 41 doubles.

• Lou Brock led the National League with 53 thefts.

• Roberto Clemente topped the circuit with 12 triples and finished second in the batting race with a mark of .345.

• Bob Gibson led the league with 28 complete games.

• Chicago’s Ron Santo hit 29 home runs, scored 97 runs, batted .289, and finished second in the league with 123 runs batted in.

• Cubs teammate Ferguson Jenkins won 21 games, compiled an ERA of 3.21, threw 311 innings and 23 complete games, and led the league with 273 strikeouts.

Seasons of the National League

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