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1969 MetsDonn Clendenon Remembers The Amazin' 1969 Mets
1969 Mets. Who would ever believe! The New York Mets were in just their eighth season. 1969 was the first year of Divisional Playoffs. The Mets had never finished higher than ninth place and had set the Major League record for most losses in a season with 120 in 1962. That record still stands.
By mid august, the Mets were in third place, nine and a half games back. But they won 39 of their last 50 games to win the first ever National League Eastern Division Title, eight games over the Chicago Cubs.
The Mets went on to sweep the Atlanta Braves in the first National League Championship Series. They would face the powerful Baltimore Orioles who some were calling the best American League Club ever.
Met's game one starter Tom Seaver got knocked around as the Orioles won 4-1 at Memorial Stadium. The writers were bragging about being right. The Mets were finished before they even got started.
But it was all Mets from there on. Lefty Jerry Koosman pitched six hitless
innings and got he game two win 2-1.
It was back to New York's Shea Stadium and another win for the Mets in game three as Gary Gentry pitched six scoreless innings. Nolan Ryan made his one and only World Series appearence, pitching the final 2 1/3 innings.
Tom Seaver pitched eight shut out innings as the Mets won a nail biting, ten inning thriller in game four. The Miracle, Amazin' Mets now neaded only one more win. They sent Koosman to the mound to get it. Orioles pitcher Dave McNally and outfielder Frank Robinson homered off Koosman. But in the sixth inning, series MVP Donn Clendenon hit a two run home run to get the Mets closer.
In the seventh, Al Weiss, who only hit seven career home runs, tied the game with a solo shot.
In the top of the ninth, Brooks Robinson lined a Seaver pitch to right
field for an apparent hit. Ron Swoboda made a catch that Mickey Mantle called the best catch he had ever seen.
The Mets scored twice in the the bottom of the eighth and Koosman finished off the Orioles in the ninth for the complete game win. The 1969 Mets had done the impossible. They became the first expansion club to win a World Series. definately one of baseball's Great Moments.
Donn Clendenon's three home runs earned him the series MVP.
In 1969, The New York Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series. The New York Jets beat the Baltimore Colts in the Super Bowl. And the New York Knicks swept the Baltimore Bullets in the NBA playoffs.
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