1969 New York Mets World Series Champions National League Champions NL East Champions
Major league affiliations
National League (since 1962) Eastern Division (since 1969)
Location
Shea Stadium (since 1964) New York, New York (since 1962)
1969 information
Owner(s)	Joan Whitney Payson
General manager(s)	Johnny Murphy
Manager(s)	Gil Hodges
Local television	WOR-TV
Local radio	WJRZ/WABC-FM (Ralph Kiner, Lindsey Nelson, Bob Murphy)

The New York Mets' 1969 season was the 8th regular season for the Mets who played their home games at Shea Stadium. Managed by Gil Hodges, the team went 100-62 and finished 1st in the new Eastern Division of the National League, becoming the first-ever divisional champions. From there, they defeated the Atlanta Braves, three games to zero in the inaugural National League Championship Series for the first-ever National League pennant, followed by their first-ever World Series Championship as they defeated the American League Champion Baltimore Orioles in five games.

Contents 1 Offseason 2 Regular season 2.1 Season standings 2.2 Opening Day starters 2.3 Notable transactions 2.4 Roster 3 Player stats 3.1 Batting 3.1.1 Starters by position 3.1.2 Other batters 3.2 Pitching 3.2.1 Starting pitchers 3.2.2 Other pitchers 3.2.3 Relief pitchers 4 Postseason 4.1 NLCS 4.2 World Series 5 In popular culture 6 Awards and honors 7 Farm system 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Offseason

• October 14, 1968: Don Shaw was drafted from the Mets by the Montreal Expos with the 40th pick in the 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft.^[1]

[edit] Regular season

The Mets had never finished higher than 9th place in a ten-team league in any of their first seven seasons. They set a modern record for losses in a season in 1962, 120, that stands to this day. It was the most losses by any team in one season in the 20th century, challenged in 2003 by Detroit, who lost 119, but the 1962 Mets' .250 winning percentage is not the worst. The 1935 Boston Braves own that, going 38-115 for a .248 percentage.

They had never been over .500 past the third game of any season except for 1966. Seven years after their disastrous inaugural season, "The Amazin' Mets" (as nicknamed by previous manager Casey Stengel) won the World Series, the first "expansion" team to do so.

Long on great pitching, and with decent defense, but not much offense, the Mets were an uninspired 18-23 through their first 41 games. They then reeled off a club-record 11 straight wins, a mark equaled by several later versions of the Mets, but not yet bested, and the world knew they were for real. Starting with game #42, the Mets went 82-39, a blistering .678 winning percentage, the rest of the season.

Despite that performance, the Mets suffered two mid-season 3-game series sweeps at the hands of the Houston Astros, and were also no-hit by Bob Moose of the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 20, just 5 days after becoming the first major-league team to strike out 19 times in a 9-inning game, which they won, 4-3, on a pair of 2-run bombs by Ron Swoboda, against the Cardinals' Steve Carlton.

In second place most of the season behind the Chicago Cubs--who were having an unusually good season themselves—the Mets were in 3rd place, 9 1/2 games back, in mid-August. They won 39 of their last 50 games to blow past the Cubs and finish with 100 wins against 62 losses, 8 games over the 2nd place Cubs. That 17 1/2 game differential is one of the largest turnarounds in the history of the game.

During the season, Tom Seaver became the last pitcher to win at least 25 games in one season for the Mets in the 20th century.^[2]

[edit] Season standings

NL East	W	L	Pct.	GB
New York Mets	100	62	.617	--
Chicago Cubs	92	70	.568	8
Pittsburgh Pirates	88	74	.543	12
St. Louis Cardinals	87	75	.537	13
Philadelphia Phillies	63	99	.389	37
Montreal Expos	52	110	.321	48

[edit] Opening Day starters

• Tommie Agee
• Ken Boswell
• Ed Charles
• Rod Gaspar
• Jerry Grote
• Bud Harrelson
• Cleon Jones
• Ed Kranepool
• Tom Seaver

[edit] Notable transactions

• June 5, 1969: Buzz Capra was drafted by the Mets in the 27th round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft.^[3]
• June 13, 1969: Al Jackson was purchased from the Mets by the Cincinnati Reds.^[4]
• June 15, 1969: Kevin Collins, Steve Renko, Bill Carden (minors) and Dave Colon (minors) were traded by the Mets to the Montreal Expos for Donn Clendenon.^[5]

[edit] Roster

1969 New York Mets roster
Roster
Pitchers 27 Don Cardwell 31 Jack DiLauro 29 Danny Frisella 39 Gary Gentry 38 Jesse Hudson 38 Al Jackson 29 Bob Johnson 34 Cal Koonce 36 Jerry Koosman 43 Jim McAndrew 45 Tug McGraw 31,33 Les Rohr 30 Nolan Ryan 41 Tom Seaver 42 Ron Taylor		Catchers 10 Duffy Dyer 15 Jerry Grote  9 J. C. Martin Infielders 12 Ken Boswell  5 Ed Charles 22 Donn Clendenon  1 Kevin Collins 11 Wayne Garrett  3 Bud Harrelson 23,28 Bob Heise  7 Ed Kranepool  1 Bobby Pfeil  6 Al Weis		Outfielders 20 Tommie Agee 17 Rod Gaspar 18 Jim Gosger 21 Cleon Jones 25 Amos Otis 24 Art Shamsky  4 Ron Swoboda		Manager 14 Gil Hodges Coaches  8 Yogi Berra (first base) 52 Joe Pignatano (bullpen) 54 Rube Walker (pitching) 53 Eddie Yost (third base)

[edit] Player stats

= Indicates team leader

[edit] Batting

[edit] Starters by position

Note: Pos = position; G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Grote, JerryJerry Grote	113	365	92	.252	6	40
1B	Kranepool, EdEd Kranepool	112	353	84	.238	11	49
2B	Boswell, KenKen Boswell	102	362	101	.279	3	32
3B	Garrett, WayneWayne Garrett	124	400	87	.218	1	39
SS	Harrelson, BudBud Harrelson	123	395	98	.248	0	24
LF	Jones, CleonCleon Jones	137	483	164	.340	12	75
CF	Agee, TommieTommie Agee	149	565	153	.271	26	76
RF	Swoboda, RonRon Swoboda	109	327	77	.235	9	52

[edit] Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At Bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting Average; HR = Home Runs; RBI = Runs Batted In

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Shamsky, ArtArt Shamsky	100	303	91	.300	14	47
Weis, AlAl Weis	103	247	53	.215	2	23
Gaspar, RodRod Gaspar	118	215	49	.228	1	19
Pfeil, BobbyBobby Pfeil	62	211	49	.232	0	10
Clendenon, DonnDonn Clendenon	72	202	51	.252	12	37
Martin, J. C.J. C. Martin	66	177	37	.209	4	21
Charles, EdEd Charles	61	169	35	.207	3	18
Otis, AmosAmos Otis	48	93	14	.151	0	4
Dyer, DuffyDuffy Dyer	29	74	19	.257	3	12
Collins, KevinKevin Collins	16	40	6	.150	1	2
Gosger, JimJim Gosger	10	15	2	.133	0	1
Heise, BobBob Heise	4	10	3	.300	0	0

[edit] Pitching

[edit] Starting pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Gentry, GaryGary Gentry	35	233.2	13	12	3.43	154
Seaver, TomTom Seaver	36	273.1	25	7	2.21	208
Koosman, JerryJerry Koosman	32	241	17	9	2.28	180
Cardwell, DonDon Cardwell	30	152.1	8	10	3.01	60
McAndrew, JimJim McAndrew	27	135	6	7	3.47	90

[edit] Other pitchers

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Ryan, NolanNolan Ryan	25	89.1	6	3	3.53	92
Dilauro, JackJack Dilauro	23	63.2	1	4	2.40	27

[edit] Relief pitchers

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Taylor, RonRon Taylor	59	9	4	13	2.72	42
McGraw, TugTug McGraw	42	9	3	12	2.24	92
Koonce, CalCal Koonce	40	6	3	7	4.99	48
Jackson, AlAl Jackson	9	1	0	0	10.64	10
Frisella, DannyDanny Frisella	3	0	0	0	7.71	5
Hudson, JesseJesse Hudson	1	0	0	0	4.50	3
Johnson, BobBob Johnson	2	0	0	1	0.00	1
Rohr, LesLes Rohr	1	0	0	0	20.25	0

[edit] Postseason

[edit] NLCS

Game	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	Score	Record (NYM-ATL)	Attendance
1	October 4	New York	9	Atlanta	5	1-0	50,122
2	October 5	New York	11	Atlanta	6	2-0	50,270
3	October 6	Atlanta	4	New York	7	3-0	53,195
NYM won 3, ATL won 0. New York wins the National League Championship and advance to the World Series

[edit] World Series

NL New York Mets (4) vs. AL Baltimore Orioles (1)

      Game         Score            Date         Location           Attendance     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------     (1)   Mets - 1, Orioles - 4   October 11   Memorial Stadium   50,429     (2)   Mets - 2, Orioles - 1   October 12   Memorial Stadium   50,850     (3)   Orioles - 0, Mets - 5   October 14   Shea Stadium       56,335     (4)   Orioles - 1, Mets - 2   October 15   Shea Stadium       57,367 (10 innings)     (5)   Orioles - 3, Mets - 5   October 16   Shea Stadium       57,397  

[edit] In popular culture

In the movie "Oh, God!", God, as played by George Burns, explains to John Denver that "the last miracle I performed was the 1969 Mets."

[edit] Awards and honors

• Al Weis, Babe Ruth Award
• Donn Clendenon, World Series Most Valuable Player Award
• Gil Hodges, Associated Press NL Manager of the Year
• Tom Seaver, Associated Press Athlete of the Year^[6]
• Tom Seaver, Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
• Tom Seaver, National League Cy Young Award

[edit] Farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
AAA	Tidewater Tides	International League	Clyde McCullough
AA	Memphis Blues	Texas League	Pete Pavlick and John Antonelli
A	Visalia Mets	California League	Roy McMillan, Chuck Estrada and Harry Minor
A	Pompano Beach Mets	Florida State League	Joe Frazier
Rookie	Marion Mets	Appalachian League	Jack Cassini

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Memphis

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0963718983. 
• 1969 New York Mets
• 1969 New York Mets team page at www.baseball-almanac.com

[edit] External links

• 1969 - New York Mets Win Their First World Series A report from K.C. Connors of WCBS Newsradio 880 (WCBS-AM New York) Part of WCBS 880's celebration of 40 years of newsradio
• Never-Seen Pics of the Miracle Mets - slideshow by Life magazine

v • d • e 1969 MLB season by team AL East Baltimore • Boston • Cleveland • Detroit • New York • Washington AL West California • Chicago • Kansas City • Minnesota • Oakland • Seattle NL East Chicago • Montreal • New York • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh • St. Louis NL West Atlanta • Cincinnati • Houston • Los Angeles • San Diego • San Francisco 1969 Major League Baseball Draft • 1969 All-Star Game • 1969 World Series

Preceded by First Season	NL East Championship Season 1969	Succeeded by Pittsburgh Pirates 1970
Preceded by St. Louis Cardinals 1968	National League Championship Season 1969	Succeeded by Cincinnati Reds 1970
Preceded by Detroit Tigers 1968	World Series Champions New York Mets 1969	Succeeded by Baltimore Orioles 1970

v • d • e New York Mets Based in Queens, New York City, New York The Franchise History • Expansion Draft • Seasons • Records • Players • New York Mets Hall of Fame • Managers • Broadcasters • Opening Day starting pitchers • First-round draft picks • SportsNet New York • WFAN Ballparks Polo Grounds • Shea Stadium • Citi Field Spring Training: Al Lang Stadium • Tradition Field Culture New York Metropolitans • Continental League • Mr. Met • Kiner's Korner • The Miracle Mets • Game 6 • Generation K • Grand Slam Single • The Catch • Home Run Apple • Sign Man • Cowbell Man • Curse of Ryan • 9/21/01 • "Meet the Mets" • George Kalinsky Key Personnel Owner: Fred Wilpon • COO: Jeff Wilpon • General Manager: Omar Minaya • Manager: Jerry Manuel Rivalries Philadelphia Phillies • New York Yankees • Subway Series • Atlanta Braves Important Figures William Shea • Joan Payson • Casey Stengel • Bob Murphy • Lindsey Nelson • Ralph Kiner • Gil Hodges • Ed Kranepool • Tug McGraw • Bud Harrelson • Nolan Ryan • Tom Seaver • Jerry Koosman • Tommie Agee • Yogi Berra • Rusty Staub • Nelson Doubleday, Jr. • Frank Cashen • Lenny Dykstra • Davey Johnson • Dwight Gooden • Gary Carter • Mookie Wilson • Darryl Strawberry • Howard Johnson • David Cone • Gary Cohen • Howie Rose • Mike Piazza • Bobby Valentine • José Reyes • David Wright • Johan Santana Retired Numbers 14 • 37 • 41 • 42 • Shea Championships 1969 • 1986 Pennants National League: 1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 2000 Other titles Eastern: 1969 • 1973 • 1986 • 1988 • 2006 • Wild Card: 1999 • 2000 Minors Player overview • AAA: Buffalo Bisons • AA: Binghamton Mets • A: St. Lucie Mets • Savannah Sand Gnats • Brooklyn Cyclones • Rookie: Kingsport Mets • Gulf Coast League Mets • DSL Mets • VSL Mets   Seasons (49) 1960s 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 1970s 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979 1980s 1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990s 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 2000s 2000 • 2001 • 2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2005 • 2006 • 2007 • 2008 • 2009 2010s 2010

v • d • e New York Mets 1969 World Series Champions 1 Bobby Pfeil | 3 Bud Harrelson | 4 Ron Swoboda | 5 Ed Charles | 6 Al Weis | 7 Ed Kranepool | 9 J. C. Martin | 10 Duffy Dyer | 11 Wayne Garrett | 12 Ken Boswell | 15 Jerry Grote | 17 Rod Gaspar | 20 Tommie Agee | 21 Cleon Jones | 22 Donn Clendenon (World Series MVP) | 24 Art Shamsky | 27 Don Cardwell | 30 Nolan Ryan | 31 Jack DiLauro | 34 Cal Koonce | 36 Jerry Koosman | 39 Gary Gentry | 41 Tom Seaver | 42 Ron Taylor | 43 Jim McAndrew | 45 Tug McGraw Manager 14 Gil Hodges Coaches: 8 Yogi Berra | 52 Joe Pignatano | 54 Rube Walker | 53 Eddie Yost Regular season • National League Championship Series