October 16th is an important date in Mets’ history. It was on this date in 1969 that the Mets did what just a year (maybe even a few months) before seemed impossible. They won their first World Series, defeating the favored Baltimore Orioles four games to one.
The 1969 Mets have been written about and talked about for over 50 years. What makes their story so compelling is their rapid ascent from doormats to champions. Consider this, the Mets’ combined record from 1962-1968 was 394-737, for a winning percentage of .348. In 1969, they posted a 100-62 record, a winning percentage of .617.
Logically, the 1969 championship makes sense. In that era, pitching dominated baseball, and the Mets had dominant pitching. Overall, they were third in MLB in staff ERA with a 2.99 mark. Their starters were second in ERA at 2.84, while their relievers were sixth at 3.46.
Strong as the Mets’ pitching was in 1969, they weren’t taken seriously as contenders until July, when the division-leading Cubs came to Shea Stadium for a three-game series. The Mets took two of three in that series, highlighted by Tom Seaver‘s near perfect game, since dubbed the “Imperfect Game”.
Even after that series, the Mets seemed to lapse into being pretenders, and were 10 games behind the Cubs on August 13th. The Mets took off from there, while the Cubs tanked, and by September 10th the Mets were in first place to stay.
After winning the division on September 24th, the Mets were underdogs to the Braves in the first-ever NLCS, and proceeded to sweep Atlanta. The Mets were installed as heavy underdogs to the Orioles in the World Series, with good reason. Frank Cashen’s team had led MLB in staff ERA at 2.83, they were fourth in batting average at .265, and third in home runs at 175.
The series started as many thought it would. The Orioles won the first game 4-1, with Mike Cuellar out pitching Tom Seaver, who gave up four earned runs over five innings. Don Buford (whose son later played for the Mets) led the game off with a home run. He allegedly told Bud Harrelson “you ain’t seen nothing yet” as he rounded the bases.
The Mets won game two 2-1 behind the stellar pitching of Jerry Koosman, who went 8.2 innings, allowing one run on just two hits.
As the scene shifted to Shea Stadium for game three, the Mets rode the pitching of Gary Gentry and Nolan Ryan, as well the fielding exploits of Tommie Agree, to a 5-0 win and 2-1 series lead. Seaver was the story in game four, pitching 10 innings of one-run baseball as the Mets walked it off on the Orioles for a 2-1 win and a 3-1 series lead.
Game five saw the Mets fall behind early by a 3-0 score. They rallied to tie the score on home runs by Donn Clendenon in the sixth and Al Weis in the seventh. The Mets took the lead in the bottom of the eighth on a Ron Swoboda double, and added another run on an error to extend their lead to a 5-3. Jerry Koosman went all the way for the series clincher. Mets fans old and young have the image below of Cleon Jones burned into their minds.
Fan reactions to the 1969 Mets ranged from “Amazin” to “Miracle” and every measure of surprise in between. Under Gil Hodges‘ leadership, the Mets did not seem quite so surprised at their accomplishment. They knew they were good, and that their pitching could carry them to the promised land.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci in October of 2019, Seaver recalled saying in March of 1969, “I may be a supreme optimist, but I think we have a good chance to be in the World Series”.
Seaver followed that up with this statement in June of 1969, “We’ve got the best pitching in the majors. I think our pitching will hold up better than (the Cubs’ pitching). It gets hot in Chicago in July and August”.
In the end, considering where the Mets came from, perhaps the 1969 championship was a “miracle” of sorts. However, in retrospect, a well-constructed, well-managed, solid team won a championship. That’s more the result of good planning, reliable pitching, and seamless execution than any kind of intervention.
