The last pennant to have been won in New York was by the Yankees of 1964. The last National League Pennant was won by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1956, 13 years prior to ‘69. That was one season removed from the Dodgers moving to Los Angeles. Not to be forgotten, the New York Giants last won the National League pennant in 1954, the last time the Giants now of San Francisco won the World Series.  On this day, the New York Mets had a chance to become the fourth Major League Baseball team of the modern era to win a league championship in New York.

October 6, 1969, NLCS Game 3

Shea Stadium – Left handed hitter Pat Jarvis was set to face the Mets and Gary Gentry on this early fall Monday afternoon. The Braves had their backs to the wall having lost their only two home games in the series. The Mets on the other hand had to be feeling good about their chances of winning one of the next three games scheduled at Shea Stadium. But the Mets did not want to drag things out. They wanted to win the series as soon as possible. After 100 regular season wins, none of it would matter if the Mets could not get to the World Series.

In the top of the first, the Braves got out to an early two nothing lead off of Gentry. If anything, Atlanta got the Shea faithful to quiet down. Hank Aaron did the damage by blasting a two run homerun to give the Braves the early lead.

In the third, Tony Gonzales singled and Aaron doubled putting runners on second and third with nobody out. Gil Hodges wasted no time in pulling Gentry and replacing him with hard throwing right hander Nolan Ryan. Ryan struck out Rico Carty then Orlando Cepeda was walked intentionally. Clete Boyer looked at a third strike before catcher Bob Didier flew out to left. Ryan gave the Mets a huge lift by not allowing a run after Atlanta threatened with none out. The Braves still led 2-0.

The Mets finally got on the board in their half of the third when Tommie Agee homered. Trailing by one (2-1) in the fourth inning, Art Shamsky led off with a single. Ken Boswell followed with a home run giving the Mets a 3-2 lead. The next batter, Ed Kranepool, got thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple otherwise the Mets might have scored more.

But as Mets fans finally settled back in their seats after all the excitement, the Braves struck back in a hurry. In the fifth, Ryan got Gonzales and Aaron to make out. But then he walked Rico Carty. The next hitter, Orlando Cepeda, hit a home run to put Atlanta back on top at 4-3. The big crowd at Shea got very quiet but that would not last long.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Nolan Ryan still in the game, singled to start things off. Wayne Garrett then joined in the home run act and hit one out putting the Mets back on top 5-4. Cleon Jones followed Garrett with a double before Braves manager Lum Harris replaced Jarvis with right hander George Stone (the same Stone who would pitch for the ’73 Mets). After Stone got Shamsky to ground out, Boswell, who had homered earlier, drove in Jones from second with a single to right. When the dust settled after the inning, the Mets held a 6-4 lead and were just twelve outs away from a pennant.

Ryan stayed in the game and got the side out in order in the sixth striking out two. In the bottom of the inning, Grote doubled. Harrelson sacrificed the Mets catcher to third. Harris then replaced Stone with submarine style pitcher Cecil Upshaw.  Hodges, liking what he was seeing from his pitcher, left Ryan in to hit but he grounded to third for the second out of the inning. But leadoff batter Tommie Agee came through with a run scoring single. The Mets led 7-4 after six.

Both clubs went quietly in the seventh. In the eighth Hodges put in Rod Gaspar in right and Al Weis at second for defensive purposes. Rico Carty led off with a single against Ryan but Nolan then struck out Orlando Cepeda and Clete Boyer, both caught looking. Pinch hitter Mike Lum singled moving Carty to second. But then pinch hitter Filipe Alou lined out to short to end the inning.

Nolan Ryan remained in the game in the ninth for his seventh inning of relief. The Mets were three outs away from their first pennant. Pinch hitter Bob Aspromonte flied out to Agee. Felix Millan hit a ground ball to short that Bud Harrelson picked and threw to first for out number two. With the Shea crowd on its feet, poised to storm the field for the second time in two weeks, Tony Gonzales hit a ground ball to third baseman Wayne Garrett. Garrett threw across the diamond to Ed Kranepool for the final out. The Mets were the National League Champions of 1969. The fans stormed the field as the Mets struggled to reach the dugout. The second champagne celebration was under way.

Record - Mets 3, Braves 0, in best of five series

The 1969 National League Champion Mets would soon prepare to go to the World Series. For the first time in history, the Mets would play a meaningful game against an American League club. Prior to this, the Mets played the Yankees in the Mayor’s Trophy Game and other American League teams in spring training. While the Mets celebrated, they awaited the winner of the American League Championship Series between the Baltimore Orioles and the Minnesota Twins. Baltimore was leading the AL series two games to nothing.

Winning the first game of the post season was a huge step for the Mets. At least they knew they would not return home down two games to none. Even if the Mets lost game 2, they would have to win two of three at home to move on to the World Series. The Mets had to feel confident knowing they did that often at Shea Stadium in 1969. 

October 5, 1969, NLCS Game 2

Atlanta Stadium – Leading the series one game to nothing, game 2 would pit Mets left handed pitcher Jerry Koosman against Atlanta Braves hurler Ron Reed.

The Mets got off to a quick start when in the first inning, they loaded the bases. With two outs Ed Kranepool singled to right scoring Tommie Agee. After an inning the Mets had a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Koosman walked the first man he faced but then struck out Tony Gonzales before Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hit into a double play.

In the second, the Mets bats went to work again. After Koosman worked out a walk, Tommie Agee launched a two run homerun. Then with two outs, Cleon Jones doubled before Art Shamsky drove him home with a single. With the Mets leading 4-0, Atlanta manager Lum Harris, pulled Reed and brought in Paul Doyle who recorded the final out of the inning.

Koosman got the Braves out in order in the second. The Mets rallied again in the third scoring two more runs knocking out Doyle who was replaced by Milt Papas. The Mets led 6-0 after three innings but weren’t done there. In the fourth, Ken Boswell socked a two run homer putting the Mets up 8-0.

The Braves finally got on the board off of Koosman when in the bottom of the fourth, Rico Carty doubled, then Orlando Cepeda doubled him home. So after four innings of play the Mets were in good shape leading 8-1.

More runs scored in the fifth. After two outs, Wayne Garrett doubled followed by an RBI single off the bat of Cleon Jones. Heading to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Mets led 9-1. While the Atlanta faithful were glum, Mets fans were giddy.

However, nothing is ever easy. In the Braves fifth, Koosman got himself into a pile of trouble. Jerry got the first two Braves out without any problem but then the wheels fell off.

Felix Millan singled to right. Gonzales worked out a walk then Hank Aaron blasted a three run homer to reduce the Braves deficit to five runs (9-4). But Atlanta wasn’t finished.

Koosman walked Rico Carty. Cepeda doubled to put runners on second and third. Clete Boyer singled up the middle scoring both Carty and Cepeda. Gil Hodges had seen enough and pulled Koosman replacing him with veteran Ron Taylor who got the final out of the inning. What was a laugher was now only a three run lead for the Mets. After five, the Mets led 9-6.

After a scoreless sixth, the Mets came to bat in the top of the seventh. Tommie Agee walked with one out. Then with two outs, Cleon Jones hit a two run homerun giving the Mets a bit more cushion. In the middle of the seventh, the Mets led 11-6.

In the bottom of the seventh, Hodges brought in Tug McGraw. Accept for an error by Bud Harrelson, McGraw got through the seventh and eighth without any problem. But in the Braves ninth, McGraw walked Millan before Gonzales singled. With no outs and runners on first and second, McGraw got Aaron looking at strike three before he induced Rico Carty to hit into a 4-6-3 double play ending the ballgame.

So the pitching rich, light hitting Mets pummeled Braves pitching in the two games in Atlanta. They scored 20 runs on 23 hits and slugged three home runs. But uncharacteristically, Mets pitching gave up 11 runs on 19 hits. Never the less, the Mets were heading back to Shea Stadium for game three the next afternoon in a commanding position.

All the Mets needed to do was to win one game at home where the Mets dominated opponents during the regular season with a 52-30 record. One more win out of three chances and the Mets would be National League Champions.

What brought the Mets to this point, the first National League Championship Series in history, was tremendous pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. The Mets were no powerhouse. Perhaps that fact alone may have been why the Cubs did not take the Mets too seriously until it was too late.

In 1969, the Cubs had power hitters Ron Santo, Ernie Banks, and Billy Williams, all legitimate homerun threats. The Mets by comparison had to import Donn Clendenon, an older veteran who had homerun power. But while Clendenon only provided 12 homers, Tommy Agee, the Mets primary leadoff hitter, led the team with 26.

The Cubs had four hitters with over 20 homeruns. After Agee, the next highest homerun total from a Met was Art Shamsky’s 14. And in a regular season that saw the Mets win 100 games, the Mets had no hitter reach 100 RBI. The highest total was by Tommie Agee and Cleon Jones who had 76 and 75 RBI respectively.

That’s why it was so ironic that the Mets would play the way they did in the NLCS against the Western Division champion Atlanta Braves.

October 4, 1969, NLCS Game 1

Atlanta Stadium – Tom Seaver, 25 game winner and candidate for the Cy Young award, was set to start the first post season game in Mets history against Atlanta Braves starter Phil Niekro. It would be no easy task facing an Atlanta Braves lineup that included Hank Aaron, Rico Carty, Orlando Cepeda, and Clete Boyer. The four combined to hit 96 home runs, Aaron had 44 of them.  For the Mets to prevail, their pitching and defense would have to come through as it did all season long.

After a scoreless first, the Mets rallied for two in the second. Jerry Grote singled in the first run with the second run scoring on a passed ball. But in uncharacteristic fashion, Seaver gave back a run immediately in the bottom half of the second when Rico Carty scored on a sacrifice fly by Clete Boyer. However, in fairness to Seaver, an error by Ken Boswell aided in the Braves rally. After two innings, the Mets led 2-1.

The Braves struck again in the third. After Seaver struck out Neikro, Felix Millan doubled. Center fielder Tony Gonzales doubled to right field driving in Millan to tie the game. Then Hank Aaron hit another double for the Braves, the third in a row scoring Gonzales. The Braves had the lead. I remember wondering if maybe the Mets just getting to the playoffs would be good enough. However, Seaver got out of further trouble as the game moved to the fourth with the Mets trailing the Braves 3-2.

After two out in the Mets fourth, Ed Kranepool singled and Jerry Grote walked. The Mets would need a big two out hit from Bud Harrelson. The shortstop came through when he hit a ball down the right field line that scored Kranepool and Grote. Harrelson ended up at third with a triple and the Mets were back on top 4-3.

With the Mets still holding the slim lead, Seaver served up a game tying homerun to Tony Gonzales to start the fifth inning. Later in the bottom of the seventh with one out, Hank Aaron hit another homer for the Braves giving them a 5-4 lead. The home crowd was roaring as a sinking feeling tugged at Mets fans’ hearts throughout the tri-state area.

But this was 1969, when the unexpected became the norm. Trailing 5-4 in the top of the eighth, Wayne Garret led off with a double to left field. Cleon Jones promptly singled him home and just like that, the Mets tied the score again. Art Shamsky followed with a single through the right side of the infield moving Jones over to second. Al Weis came into the game to run for Shamsky. Jones stole third putting runners at the corners with no one out. Boswell grounded the ball to first but Orlando Cepeda booted it allowing Jones to score and Weis to move to second base. The Mets had a 6-5 lead, still with nobody out.

Ed Kranepool grounded back to the pitcher Neikro who forced Boswell at second while Weis went to third. Jerry Grote then grounded to third. Boyer held the runner Weis and fired to first to get the out number two. On the play Kranepool moved to second.

Now the Mets had runners on second and third with two outs and leading by one run. Braves manager Lum Harris had Harrelson walked intentionally to get to Seaver. But Mets manager Gil Hodges sent up J.C. Martin to pinch hit instead.

Neikro was left in the game to pitch to the left hander who singled to right scoring Weis and Kranepool. On a throwing error from Atlanta center fielder Gonzales, Harrelson scored from first giving the Mets a four run lead. Martin was tagged out at second on the wild play on a throw from catcher Bob Didier to end the inning.

Seaver who was less than stellar in his first start in over a week. Now with the Mets leading 9-5, Ron Taylor was called in from the bullpen by Hodges to hopefully save the game. 

Taylor pitched a perfect eighth but ran into trouble in the ninth. A leadoff single then a double with two out put runners on second and third. Taylor got Orlando Cepeda to pop up to second. Al Weis, who had stayed in the game after pinch running in the eighth, squeezed the ball in his glove and the Mets had their first ever post season victory.

So in a year where pitching and defense got the Mets to the post season, on this day, their bats did all the work.

Record - Mets 1, Braves 0, in best of five series.

October 3, 1969

The Mets worked out at Atlanta Stadium in preparation for the National League Championship Series that would begin the next day.

October 2, 1969

Wrigley Field - It was an extremely small consolation prize but perhaps it was something that would help Cubs fans get through the cold winter ahead. The Cubs ended the Mets nine game winning streak by ending the regular season with a 5-3 victory.

The Mets led the game early 3-0 but the Cubs came back to win off of Don Cardwell who came in relief of Gary Gentry to tune up for the post season. The loss was only the 11th in the last 49 games played. Since August 13th 1969, after the Mets were swept by the Astros, they went 38-11. The Mets went from third place, 9.5 games back to 8 games up in the 49 remaining games.

Record 100-62, first place 8 games ahead of the Chicago Cubs.

The regular season had ended. The Mets were in the final four. They would head to Atlanta to prepare for their first post season in history, the first NLCS in history.

It would be the New York Mets vs. the Atlanta Braves in the National League and the Minnesota Twins vs. the Baltimore Orioles in the American League.

The Mets accomplished the improbable. But now that the regular season was over there was much work to be done. Winning 100 games was over. As far as the Mets were concerned, it started all over in two days in Atlanta at 0-0.

October 1, 1969

Wrigley Field - It must have been very difficult on this day for the Cubs and their fans as the Mets came to town. On a personal note, I never have given the business to any Cubs fan I have met throughout the years. As a Mets fan, I know frustration more than satisfaction. No fans can be more frustrated than Cub fans.

The 1969 Cubs were a great team with great players including Hall of Fame members Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, and Ferguson Jenkins. 1969 was suppose to have been their year. And in August, they led the NL east by 9.5 games before the Mets surged. In the forty years since 1969, the Cubs have not won a World Series or even been in one. In fact Chicago has not won in over a century. You have to feel for Cub fans.

But the Mets did not feel sorry for the Cubs. In the game the Cubs scored in the first inning off of Jerry Koosman who was making his last start of the regular season. The run ended the Mets pitcher's scoreless streak of 42 consecutive innings.

With the Mets leading 5-3 going to the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs rallied for two sending the game to extra innings with the score tied at five. In the top of the 12th, Art Shamsky singled in the go ahead run. When the dust cleared, the Mets won 6-5, their 100th victory of the season and their ninth in a row.

Record 100-61, first place (clinched) 9 games ahead of the Cubs.

September 30, 1969

The Mets had the day off on this date 40 years ago. Unusual that the Mets enjoyed two consecutive scheduled off days.

Meanwhile, in the western division race, Atlanta won their game at home against Cincinnati by a score of 3-2. With the win, it became official. The Mets would play the Atlanta Braves in the first National League Championship Series in history.

There was no home field advantage back then. It was predetermined that in the National League, the west would host the first two games and the east would host the remaining games in the best of five series. With Atlanta's powerful lineup, the Mets were already considered the underdog. 

September 29, 1969

The Mets had the day off on this Monday, the last week of the regular season.

With no action scheduled in the National League, the Braves still had a magic number of one to clinch the western division.

September 28, 1969

Connie Mack Stadium - The Mets won their fourth consecutive shutout, eighth consecutive game over all, sweeping the three game series from the Phillies. This 2-0 win was a combined shutout that provided Gary Gentry, Nolan Ryan, and Ron Taylor some tune up work for the playoffs.

Mets pitchers had strung together 42 consecutive scoreless innings going back to Tuesday night's win against the Cardinals at Shea. The Mets offense scored their two runs in the second when journeyman Jim Gosger doubled in a run and Gentry hit a sac fly for the other. The Mets were not scoring much since they clinched the division but their pitching was simply outstanding.

Record 99-61, first place (clinched) 8 games ahead of Chicago.

Atlanta and San Francisco both won. With Atlanta's win over San Diego, they had clinched a tie for the west. Their magic number was one. 

September 27, 1969

Connie Mack Stadium - On this date, Seaver would be making his last start of the regular season. Once again, Seaver was magnificent as he shut out the Phillies on three hits. The Mets won by a score of 1-0. 

Seaver struck out four and walked two ending his season with a 25-7 record. He won his last nine decisions in a row. The last eight were all complete games including three shutouts. With 25 victories, Seaver won a quarter of the Mets total wins during this championship season.

The Mets scored their loan run in the eighth inning when Bobby Pfeil singled home Don Clendenon.

Record 98-61, first place (clinched) 8 games ahead of Chicago.

Atlanta won their eighth in a row while the Giants and Reds both lost. Cincinnati was eliminated as Atlanta's magic number over San Francsico was reduced to 2 to clinch the National League West.