An Englishman in New York (or, British Invasion:The Second Echelon)

September 22-24
New York Mets (72-75) @ San Francisco Giants (71-76)

September 22: An astonishing game sees us come back from 7-0 behind in the sixth to take a 9-7 lead going into the bottom of the ninth. The Giants tie it when, who else but, Mr Willie Mays hits a two run shot into the left field seats. Tug McGraw takes the game to eleven but gets himself into a jam. With two out and men on first and second, Jim Davenport hits a fastball through the hole and Willie McCovey slides in to get the win. Giants 10-9 (11)
W: Lindy McDaniel (4-3) L: Tug McGraw (7-9)

Frank Howard hits HR #58

September 23: Ray Sadecki pitches eight solid innings giving us only five hits and three walks. Jim Ray Hart seals the win for the Giants with a two run homer in the eighth. Giants 4-1
W: Ray Sadecki (3-2) L: Don Cardwell (11-12) S: Lindy McDaniel (12)

Frank Howard goes 0 for 4, striking out 3 times against the Cubs

September 24: We go 4-0 ahead in the fourth with runs batted in by Don Buford, Bobby Pfeil and a two run shot from Ken Singleton - his first in the bigs. The Giants pull one back in the second but we restore the margin in the sixth when Mickey Stanley hits another bomb. At the bottom of the inning the Giants come back at us with Ralph Terry giving up a run to Bobby Etheridge. Then, with a man on second, Bobby Bonds sends a soaring drive past the left field foul pole. The umpire says it's a home run but a furious Gil Hodges is out of the dugout arguing it's a foul. It's the angriest I've ever seen Gil and he comes close to being ejected before he calms down.
We bring out Danny Frisella (wouldn't have been my first choice to be honest) as we hang on grimly to a 5-4 lead. Frisella pitches well, allowing only one hit in the seventhand eighth. In the ninth though, things go horribly wrong. The Giants bring out Jim Ray Hart and he hammers the first pitch into the left field corner for a double. Tito Fuentes flies out then Floyd Robinson comes to the plate. Frisella throws two balls then throws one that Bill Freehan can't reach. Hart reaches third on the wild pitch and Gil Hodges goes out to the mound. I assume he's going to call Ron Taylor out from the bullpen but no, he leaves Frisella in. Frisella then throws two strikes to make the count 3 and 2. Robinson hits the next pitch, high into right field but Singleton is under it. Hart loiters around third, waits for Singleton to make the catch, tags up and races for home. The throw comes in and Hart slides. Safe! Tied game.
I can't bear to watch as Frisella faces Rocky Colavito next. Colavito is third in NL Home runs this year with 38. Frisella again throws three balls. The fourth pitch Colavito doesn't watch, smashing it straight over the left field fence for a walk-off win. Giants 6-5
W: Randy Moffitt (5-0) L: Danny Frisella (0-3)
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In the clubhouse after the game Gil locks out the press and tears into the players. Normally quiet and soft-spoken, I've never heard him shout and swear so much. I make myself scarce, paying a visit to my old friend Giants GM Chub Feeney.
Twenty minutes later a Giants employee rushes up and tells me Gil has collapsed. The trainers are doing what they can but an ambulance is on the way. I rush down to the locker room, frantic press outside asking me what's happening. I have no idea and even I'm not allowed in to find out. The ambulance arrives and Gil is rushed away. I don't see him but I hear what happened.
After finishing off his rant by kicking over a bat bin he stormed, purple-faced, into the trainer's room. Slamming the door behind him he clutched his chest in front of an astonished Gus Mauch.
At the moment it looks extremely serious. Very worrying. I'm heading down to the hospital to await more news.

The players and most of the coaching staff headed to the airport for the flight back to New York. Rube Walker and Joe Pignatano stayed with me at the hospital as we waited to find out what was happening.
Rube and Joe had been team-mates of Gil with the Dodgers and been part of his coaching staff with the Senators. He had brought them with him when he came to us. They were shaken at what had happened to their friend.
"Christ, this just can't be happening," said Joe, shaking his head.
"You know how many times I told him about those **** cigarettes?" said Rube, "He just didn't listen."
"It was that ******* ump. That's what set him off."
"That's horse-**** Joe. Sixty a day he smokes. Now look at him."

Just then a doctor interrupted. It was bad news. Gil had suffered a minor heart attack. He was stable but in intensive care. He wouldn't be going anywhere for quite a while.
I called his wife in Brooklyn. She was understandably distraught. It was the early hours of the morning but I told her I would arrange for her to fly out to San Francisco first thing next day. There wasn't much else I could do here. We weren't even allowed to go in and see Gil. He was a tough guy. We just hoped he was tough enough to pull through.

Arriving back in New York, the team had an off day. We arranged for Rube Walker to stand in for Gil for the time being. Meanwhile, last night

Frank Howard went 2 for 5, striking out twice

Today he hit HR #59
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September 26-28
Houston Astros (95-58) @ New York Mets (72-78)

Once all the players had arrived at the clubhouse we held a team meeting. They only knew what they had learned through the press and on the grapevine.

"Fellas," I began, "Gil is going to be okay. He suffered a heart attack as you're probably aware. But it was a minor one as they go. I spoke to the doctors earlier and he will be alright. He just needs to rest and take it easy."
I looked around the locker room. Normally rowdy, now it was more like a church as the players took in what I was saying.
"He'll be back, but not until next season. Rube here will take over the reins and we need to keep focussed. Gil thought we could get to .500 and I think we still can. That's all from me. Rube?"
Rube stepped forward and clapped his hands together. Then he called out, "C'mon fellas, let's do this for Gil."


September 26: Tom Seaver comes out on top of a pitching duel with Milt Pappas. The Astros ace gives up only three hits while Seaver fans eight on the way to a complete game shutout. A Mickey Stanley run batted in by Ty Cline in the second inning is enough to decided the game. Mets 1-0
W: Tom Seaver (15-9) L: Milt Pappas (13-12)

Frank Howard goes 0 for 3 against the Giants

September 27: Both offenses struggle again. The Astros take the lead but we come back immediately. The score is tied 1-1 at the bottom of the ninth. With two outs and Bill Freehan on second, Jesus Alou comes to the plate. He fouls a pitch off then hits a long flyball into deep left field. Bob Allison is under it, glove waiting and the ball bounces out. He scrambles for the ball but Freehan has already scored. Mets 2-1
W: Dick Selma (9-5) L: Dave Giusti (10-7)

Frank Howard goes 0 for 4 with a walk agains the Giants

September 28: Mickey Stanley hits THREE home runs to leave the Astros defense shell-shocked. Stanley’s feat overshadows Don Cardwell’s complete game giving up only five hits and a walk. Mets 13-2
W: Don Cardwell (12-12) L: Mike Cuellar (21-11)

Frank Howard goes 3 for 4 with a double, two singles and two runs scored (Hank Aaron hits two homers)


September 29-October 1
New York Mets (75-78) @ Philadelphia Phillies (76-74)

September 29: I'm astonished three times in this game. Astonishment 1: Rube starts with Jim McAndrew. Astonishment 2: McAndrew pitches nine innings of excellent ball. Astonishment 3: McAndrew gets the first win of his career. Mets 3-2
W: Jim McAndrew (1-2) L: Chris Short (12-11)

Frank Howard is intentionally walked four times by Cub Fergie Jenkins.

September 30: A fifth straight win is just beyond us.. With a 5-1 lead in the seventh, Tom Seaver suffers a meltdown and gives up five scrappy runs. Phillies 6-5
W: Bill Wilson (6-9) L: Tug McGraw (7-10) S: Al Raffo (3)

Frank Howard hits HR #60!!!!!

Well, congrats to Howard...and to the Mets! This year may end on a down note, but it IS the best season ever, and next year they should be able to make at least a credible performance.

Yes, good for Howard. I'm curious -- how's Billy Williams doing with homers? He mashed 75 (if I remember correctly) one season for the Cubs during my sim.

SEPTEMBER SUMMARY

It was a horrible month for us both on and off the field. We can still finish .500 but need to win 5 out of 7 games remaining. Possible but, sadly, not very likely.

Elsewhere, Frank Howard is two homers away from setting a new single season record. The Braves have seven games remaining.

In the pennant races: it's a straight fight between the Astros and the Pirates in the NL.

The American League is in for a wild finish. The Yankees lie 2 1/2 games behind the Orioles, but the two teams will finish the season with a nine game set in the Bronx. :eek: Think whoever does the scheduling is a Yankees fan??? Boston, San Diego and California also have a mathematical chance to win it.

Standings at October 1 (games remaining in parentheses)

Code:

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American League                                        National League

                W        L        GB                                W        L        GB
Baltimore        88        65        --    (9)        Houston                95        62        --  (5)
New York        84        66        2.5 (12)        Pittsburgh        92        65        3  (5)
Boston                84        69        4    (9)        ------------------------------------------------
San Diego        83        73        6.5 (6)                Philadelphia        77        75        15.5
California        79        74        9    (9)        San Francisco        77        77        16.5
---------------------------------------------        Los Angeles        76        78        17.5
Detroit                77        76        11                NEW YORK        76        79        18
Cleveland        73        77        13.5                St Louis        76        80        18.5
Minnesota        73        80        15                Atlanta                72        83        22
Chicago                68        88        21.5                Cincinnati        67        86        26
Washington        56        97        32                Chicago                66        89        28

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MLB Injury News
None of note

MLB Milestones
Sep 15: Joe Pepitone (NYY) 25 Game Hitting Streak
Sep 18: Joe Torre (ATL) Hit For The Cycle
Sep 27: Mickey Mantle (NYY) 2,500 Hits
Sep 28: Luis Aparicio (BAL) 2,000 Hits

MLB Retirements
None of note

Cat: Fingers crossed. Hopefully Gil will make a full recovery. Then I just have to worry about holding onto my free agents and arbitration cases. Then hope we don't get mauled too much in the expansion draft. :(

3RH: Billy Williams has hit a career best 34 homers. Not too shabby...he's 5th in the NL

OCTOBER PREVIEW


Stand-in skipper Rube Walker makes some wholesale changes to the batting order with speedsters Bud Harrelson and Don Buford batting 1, 2. Cleon Jones is still not fully fit but should see some playing time before the season finishes.

**I actually think I accidentally clicked autosort on the lineup page before I simmed :rolleyes:

Code:

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Lineup                        Bench                        Rotation        Bullpen       

SS Harrelson                C Sullivan                Seaver                Taylor
3B Buford                IF Shirley                Fisher                Selma
RF Stahl                OF Swoboda                Cardwell        McGraw
1B Kranepool                RF Brown                Terry                McAndrew
CF Stanley                LF Davis                                Shaw (Bob)
LF Jones                OF Singleton                                Koosman
C Freehan                OF Alou                        MU: Frisella        Grzenda
2B Rojas                IF Johnson                                Shaw (Don)
                        OF Cline                                Dilauro
                        CF Bosch                                Connors
                        OF Luplow                                Johnson
Disabled List                C Goossen                                Bell
                        3B Pfeil
SP Bolin                CF Otis
                        IF Buchek

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OCTOBER 1968


October 1
New York Mets (76-79) @ Philadelphia Phillies (77-75)

October 1: An extra innings win, a Don Buford triple driving in the run that puts us ahead. Mickey Stanley and Tommy Davis bring in another two. Dick Selma brings out his heater to finish off the Phillies. Mets 7-4 (11)
W: Dick Selma (10-5) L: Al Raffo (1-1)


Pennant Races

AL: The Yankees lose 4-3 against the Senators, with the A's losing against the Tigers. California are eliminated after losing 5-4 at the White Sox.

NL: The Astros win 9-6 in Pittsburgh. The Pirates need to win the last game of the set to stay in contention.
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Now we take you over to Atlanta where the the Braves play the Cubs. Both teams pennants hopes were over back in June or July, but it's a full house here with all eyes are on Frank Howard. The Braves slugger has hit 60 home runs this season. He's one away from tying Roger Maris' 1961 record of 61 homers in a 162-game season......

Bottom of the first, score tied 0-0, two outs, runner on first.
Ken Holtzman pitches, low and inside... umpire says ball.
Holtzman... winds up, throws, Howard connects... it's deep, Shamsky is under it. But it's GONE!
We have a new joint leader for the single season home record.

Bottom of the third, Braves lead 2-0, one out, runner on first.
Pitch comes in, outside, oh Hundley almost lost it there. Count is 1- 0.
Holtzman looks, Millan has a big lead. He keeps him honest with a throw to first. Felix Millan is not known for steals but with Howard at the plate he knows the ball is likely going somewhere. Still 1-0, Holtzman throws, Millan is away... pitch is in the dirt. Hundley to second...SAFE!
Count is now 2-0, the pitch comes in, Howard looks, high and outside.
Millan is taking another big lead here. Here's the pitch, Howard drives it through the left side. Arcia can't reach that one. It's gone to Shamsky. And both runners are safe. Single for Howard there.

Bottom of the fifth, Braves lead 5-0, one out, bases empty.
The Cubs have brought out Cal Koonce to the mound, Holtzman is not having a good game. He doesn't have the fastest pitch in the game but let's see what he can come up with.
Pitch comes in, 1-0
Koonce throws, Howard slaps it out past the mound, Beckert picks it at second and throws to first. He was out by a mile. Frank Howard is one of the giants of the game, and I mean that literally. Certainly not built for speed.

Bottom of the seventh, Braves lead 7-1, one out, runner on first.
Koonce throws, wow, he's over 90 with that one. I don't think he's thrown that hard all season. But it's a ball, low and outside.
Torre takes a big lead, Koonce looks but winds up, another heater there but that one's outside too. 2-0 count.
Koonce keeps Torre honest with the throw to first, the crowd are getting restless here. They're on their feet chanting "HONDO! HONDO!"
Winds up, it's high. Koonce mixing up now with a change-up there. 3-0
Howard might be happy with a walk here now with Hank Aaron on deck. Not sure if the fans will be though.
Pitch comes in, runner is away. Howard's got that one. It's way back into centrefield. Phillips chases it but THAT IS GONE. HOME RUN! The crowd are ecstatic. Frank Howard has got the record. He's hit 62 home runs in a single season.

October 2-4
Cincinnati Reds (67-86) @ New York Mets (77-79)

October 2: Tommy Harper hits two homers for the Reds as they squeak the win. Reds 6-5
W: Jim Maloney (5-7) L: Don Cardwell (12-13) S: Ted Abernathy (15)

October 3: Mets win in extra innings with a walkoff homer by Larry Stahl. Tug McGraw pitches two innings, giving up one hit. After the game he complains of a sore shoulder. His season is over. Mets 5-4 (12)
W: Ron Taylor (6-6) L: Dan McGinn (0-6)

October 4: Another extra innings game but this time it's the Reds who get the win. In the bottom of the eleventh Ed Kranepool comes to the plate with one out and men on first and second, but he grounds out into a double play. Reds 9-8 (11)
W: Ted Abernathy (3-4) L: Ron Taylor (6-7)


Pennant Races

AL: The Yankees trade wins with Washington before preparing for a nine game set against the Orioles. In Game One, Fritz Peterson outpitches Jim Palmer to give the Yankees the win. Boston lose at the Angels while the A's are eliminated after another loss against Detroit.

NL: Roberto Clemente hits a walk-off single to keep the Pirates hopes alive with 9-8 win. They travel to LA and beat the Dodgers, but lose the second game 5-3.

HOUSTON ASTROS WIN THE NATIONAL LEAGUE

After our final homestand of the season we have three days off as we prepare to finish off the season against the Phillies at Connie Mack Stadium. We need to win all three if we are to achieve our goal of a .500 season.

Pennant Races

AL: Jim Bunning pitches a one-hitter to give the O's a 3-0 win in Game Two versus the Yankees. Honours are even in the next two games. The Orioles need three more wins to seal the pennant. Boston are all but eliminated, going down to the Angels and the Tigers.


October 8-10
New York Mets (78-81) @ Philadelphia Phillies (80-79)

October 8: Great offensive performances sees us rack up seventeen hits. Ed Kranepool goes 3 for 4 with a walk and scores 3 runs, while Bud Harrelson chips in with a 2 doubles. Mets 10-2
W: Jack Fisher (11-9) L: Chris Short (13-12)

October 9: Jake Wood goes 4 for 4 with walk, hitting 2 homers and a double. We can no longer finish .500. Phillies 10-3
W: Doyle Alexander (4-12) L: Don Cardwell (12-14)

October 10: We are shutout by Jeff James and Dick Hall. Ralph Terry gives up five earned runs in four innings. Phillies 10-0
W: Jeff James (4-10) L: Ralph Terry (7-10)


Pennant Races

AL: The Orioles win 6-4 meaning they need to win one of four remaining. In Game Six they come from behind to win 8-7.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES WIN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE

Well....79-83 is regrettable, but RESPECTABLE considering the Mets' history up to this point! Of course, with your expansion-mate Astros winning the pennant there are going to be hard questions from the NY press.

Still, I'll root for them. The Astros don't win in BM often enough.

We're approaching 1969. Are you going to let the league expand/divide into two divisions normally?

OCTOBER SUMMARY


Final Standings

Code:

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American League                                        National League
                W        L        GB                                W        L        GB
Baltimore        93        69        --                Houston                98        64        --
New York        89        73        4                Pittsburgh        95        67        3
Boston                87        75        6                Philadelpia        82        80        16
San Diego        87        75        6                Los Angeles        81        81        17
California        82        80        11                San Francisco        81        81        17
Detroit                82        80        11                NEW YORK        79        83        19
Minnesota        80        82        13                St Louis        79        83        19
Cleveland        77        85        16                Atlanta                75        87        23
Chicago                73        89        20                Cincinnati        71        91        27
Washington        60        102        33                Chicago                69        93        29

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MLB Injury News
None of note

MLB Milestones
Oct 5: Orlando Cepeda (STL) 300 Home Runs

MLB Retirements
None of note

Cat: Yes, the leagues will be dividing into east-west divisions. I'm curious to see how the Vancouver franchise fares. I think I may have made a mistake insisting all the expansion teams were in the west. In retrospect, Montreal or Toronto would probably have been a better choice for a Canadian franchise.

The Astros have done very well with a team that, at first glance, is no great shakes. Vada Pinson and Joe Morgan are the only big stars. Bringing in Milt Pappas from Cincinnati almost backfired. He went 5-7 for the Astros. Not that I begrudge them, but I'll be rooting for the Orioles to win it all for the third straight year.

As for the New York press.... I hope they will be a little sympathetic after what happened to Gil. We do need to continue to improve next year though.

1968 League Leaders

Code:

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                        American League                National League                Mets

Home Run Leader:        37 Robinson  BAL        65 Howard  ATL                24 Buford
                        37 Whitfield  CLE
                                                (# 1 All Time)

Batting Average:        .326 Oliva  MIN        .398 Clemente PIT        .299 Freehan
                                               
RBI Leader:                120 Scott  BOS                164 Howard  ATL                84 Stanley
                                       
Stolen Base Leader:        63 Campaneris SDA        58 Brock  STL                22 Harrelson
                                                                        (# 5 in NL)
       


ERA:                        2.78 Stottlemyre NYY        2.63 Gibson  STL        3.54 Seaver
                                                                        (# 7 in NL)

Wins:                        23 Stottlemyre NYY        23 Wilson  HOU                15 Seaver

Strikeouts:                209 Palmer  BAL                249 Gibson STL                204 Seaver
                                                                        (# 4 in NL)

Saves:                        24  Radatz  CLE        22 Mikkelsen PIT        16 Taylor
                                                                        (# 6 in NL)

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Go Os! Woo-hoo!

1968 WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

Baltimore Orioles (93-69)

Attachment 15285

Last League Pennant: 1967
Last World Championship: 1967 (Reigning Champions)
Manager: Hank Bauer

Code:

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C:        Clay Dalrymple                .240        6-61  1
1B:        Boog Powell                .285        35-103 1
2B:        Luis Aparicio                .243        6-45 18
3B:        Rick Joseph                .188        1-9 0
SS:        Bobby Floyd                .258        1-20  0
LF:        Frank Robinson                .278        37-107  7
CF:        Jimmy Wynn                .273        20-65  8
RF:        Curt Flood                .324        11-56 10

S1:        Jim Palmer                18-10        3.24  7 CG
S2:        Jim Bunning                12-13        4.09  3
S3:        Dave McNally                14-17        4.10  7
S4:        Larry Jackson                15-7        3.07  7
CL:        Stu Miller                6-3        3.18  12 SV


DL:        Davey Johnson (2B)        .276        15-74  3

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The Orioles strive to make it three in a row after holding off the challenge from the Yankees. They will be hoping for a strong performance from pitching ace Jim Palmer. After leading the AL this year with 209 strikeouts the youngster will hope to improve on last year's disappointing couple of Series starts.
On offense, Frank Robinson missed the '67 Series through injury but the popular veteran has been an ever present this year, appearing in 162 games and tying as AL Home Run Leader.
New faces in the O's line-up this time around include Curt Flood at rightfield. Flood was acquired from the Cardinals in July and is hitting an impressive .343 as an Oriole.
One of this season's blockbuster deals was when Jim Bunning made the move from the Phillies. He has struggled in his first season back in the AL, going 10-11, but still somebody batters do not enjoying facing.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Houston Astros (98-64)

Attachment 15286


Last League Pennant: Never won
Last World Championship: Never won
Manager: Grady Hatton

Code:

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C:        Ellie Hendricks                .201        5-16  0
1B:        Bob Watson                .303        21-88  1
2B:        Joe Morgan                .296        21-100  50
3B:        Doug Rader                .267        15-82  3
SS:        Leo Cardenas                .300        14-84  1       
LF:        Bob Allison                .246        19-88  5
CF:        Vada Pinson                .289        25-113  15
RF:        Jose Herrera                .300        1-31  4

S1:        Milt Pappas                13-12        3.11  5 CG
S2:        Mike Cuellar                22-11        3.46 10
S3:        Larry Dierker                11-7        4.29 5
S4:        Scipio Spinks                3-2        6.39 0
CL:        Jay Ritchie                10-4        3.28  9  SV


DL:        Deron Johnson (OF)        .264        16-67 0
        Don Wilson (SP)                23-6        3.57 5 CG

---

The franchise has only existed since 1962 but last year the Astros showed they are to be taken seriously, pushing the Giants all the way in the pennant race. Grady Hatton has done an amazing job, working with a lot of young players he was responsible for bringing to the club and developing during his time as farm director.
Those youngsters include last year's Rookie of the Year, Bob Watson, Jose Herrera, Doug Rader and Ellie Hendricks.
The Astros do have some injury worries. NL Win Leader Don Wilson is doubtful unless the series goes to seven while Leo Cardenas is still struggling with a groin injury.
Milt Pappas was brought in from Cincinnati this year but has gone a disappointing 5-7 amid rumours he is unhappy in Texas. It's sure to be an emotional reunion for Brooks Robinson as he takes a place on the bench against his old team.

Seems to be a bit of mind-bending cross-pollination between the two champs. Jimmy Wynn on the Os? Hendricks on the Astros?

And I'm almost afraid to ask ... where the heck is Brooks Robinson?

The room's spinning. I need to lay down.

Yep :)
Early last season the Astros sent Jimmy Wynn to Baltimore in exchange for six players including Hendricks, Fred Beene and.... Brooks Robinson!

1968 World Series

Attachment 15304

Baltimoreans want to forget this year's riots and enjoy another World Series

Game One
Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles

The World Series returns to Memorial Stadium as the Orioles try to make it three in a row.
Things start badly for the Astros when O's lead-off man Luis Aparicio hits a line drive out to right field. Curt Flood should have made an easy out but somehow missed by ten feet allowing Aparicio to reach second. He scores when Curt Flood hits a double. Another extra base hit for batter number three when Frank Robinson hits a double, bringing in Flood to mak it 2-0. Robinson reaches third off a single from Boog Powell and scores when Jimmy Wynn hits a sac fly.
The Orioles go further ahead in the second. Bobby Floyd hits a double and scores off an Aparicio single. The lead-off man comes in himself, driven in by Robinson to make it 5-0.
In the top of the third Jim Palmer gives up his first hit of the game. Ellie Hendricks, making his first plate appearance, blasts the first pitch over the leftfield fence to pull a run back for the Astros. In the fifth they lower the deficit further with a run scored by Doug Rader.
Milt Pappas is taken out of the game at the bottom of the inning and the Astros bring in rookie Fred Beene, who spent several years in the O's farm system before being traded to Houston. Beene gets into a one out, bases loaded jam after walking the first two batters faced. Bobby Floyd grounds out but Powell scores making the score 6-2 before Beene strikes out Palmer to end the inning.
Beene is pulled from the game in the sixth after giving up a 3-RBI homer to Wynn that about wraps things up for the O's, but not before Rick Josephs hits a solo shot off Ted Davidson.
Astros 2, Orioles 10


Game Two
Houston Astros at Baltimore Orioles
(Orioles lead 1-0)

Jim Bunning starts against his old National League rival Mike Cuellar in an interesting match-up, with no score until the bottom of the third inning. Bobby Floyd is moved on to second off a sac bunt by Bunning and scores when Luis Aparicio blasts a double into leftfield.
The Orioles go further ahead in the fourth, Jimmy Wynn tagging up at third and scoring off a Rick Joseph flyball and Bunning hitting a one run single that brings home Clay Dalrymple.
In the sixth, Jimmy Wynn hits a solo bomb to put the O's four ahead.
By the eighth Bunning is tiring after putting up a magnificent performance. He gives up a single to Ellie Hendricks, only the third Astros hit of the game. With Leon McFadden at the plate, Bunning's pitches to the corners and gives up two balls and then fires one out of reach of backstop Dalrymple allowing Hendricks to reach second. McFadden takes the count to 3 and 1, then smashes the ball down the third base line bringing in Hendricks home. Next batter up has the crowd on their feet. It's Oriole great Brooks Robinson, facing his old team mates for the first time since he was traded last year. After the ovation dies down Bunning can finally wind up. He throws a slider for strike one. Next is a curve that Robinson sends deep into left field but the other Robinson, Frank, is always under it to make the first out of the inning. Bunning reverts to the fastball and fans Vada Pinson and Jose Herrera for his 8th and 9th strikeouts of the game.
The Orioles don't add any more scores to the board in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the ninth Bunning surprisingly comes out to the mound, going for the complete game win. Joe Morgan reaches second when Curt Flood misses a flyball in right. He advances to the third on a Bob Watson groundout, then scores off a single by Bob Allison that puts the Astros right back in it.
Skipper Hank Bauer comes to the mound and talks briefly with Bunning. He stays in but only for one more out. Bauer brings in closer Stu Miller to make the final out of the game, striking out Ellie Hendricks.
Astros 2, Orioles 4

Attachment 15332

Houston groundcrew get the Astrodome spick and span.

Game Three
Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros
(Orioles lead 2-0)

The Orioles immediately have Astros starter Larry Dierker in trouble. Mark Belanger, a late replacement at second for Luis Aparicio leads off and gets a walk. He steals second with Curt Flood at the plate and advances to third when Flood grounds out to second. He scores off a Frank Robinson single to put the O's ahead.
The O's blow a chance to go further ahead when Bobby Floyd grounds out into a double play with two men on bases.
The Astros come back in the third. Dave McNally gets two outs but gives up two walks and a single to load the bases for batter Bob Watson. He takes three balls but doesn't look for the walk. Dierker gives him one down the middle that Watson powers high and long. It looks like a grandslam but hits the top of the wall in leftfield. Three runners come home but Watson only makes it to second after he slowed to admire his hit coming round first. He does score though, driven in by a Doug Rader single.
In the bottom of the fourth McNally is still struggling. He gives up a double to Vada Pinson, then another to Leo Cardenas. that scores Pinson. Joe Morgan drives in another one to put the Astros 6-1 ahead and Steve Barber is brought out to the mound and the inning is finished when Watson hits into a double play.
Boog Powell pulls one back for the O's in the eighth but the Astros wrap the game up in the bottom of the inning with RBIs by Cardenas, Allison and two from Doug Rader.
Curt Motton pinch hits a two run homer in the ninth to give the final scoreline some semblance of respectability.
Orioles 4, Astros 10


Game Four
Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros
(Orioles lead 2-1)

The Astros start with Scipio Spinks but the Orioles look to ace Jim Palmer again. The youngster holds his own until the fourth when he walks two batters who both go on to score off a Clay Dalrymple double to put the O's ahead. Joe Morgan leads the fighback for the Astros in the bottom of the inning. He reaches second with a line drive down the left field line, then makes it to third off a Bob Watson single. He scores when Bob Allison smashes a single through the left side. Palmer is fortunate, getting into a jam with two out and bases loaded but fans Ellie Hendricks to keep the O's ahead.
The Orioles go further ahead in the sixth, Boog Powell hitting two run shot into the right field seats. By the bottom of the eighth the game is in the bag, with three more runs scored by Mark Belanger, Rick Joseph and Dalrymple.
Bob Watson drives in a consolation run but the Astros never really had a chance. Jim Palmer completed the game, giving up 6 hits, 2 walks and striking out 10
Orioles 7, Astros 2

Game Five
Baltimore Orioles at Houston Astros
(Orioles lead 3-1)

Milt Pappas starts for the Astros as they desperately try to keep the series alive. But the Orioles come out all guns blazing, taking a 2-0 lead in the first. Ellie Hendricks hits a solo shot in the third to pull one back for the Astros.

In the fifth Milt Pappas serves up a single to Curt Flood. Frank Robinson is up next, there is a full count and then Robinson blasts a bomb into the rightfield seats to make the score 4-1 Orioles. Boog Powell walks and advances to second on a wild pitch but Pappas manages to get out of the inning with no further scores.

Rookie catcher Hendricks hasn't given up yet. He responds with a fierce line drive into the right field gap. Mark Belanger dives but misses and the normally plodding Hendricks tears around second. The throw comes in to third but Hendricks beats it with a slide that flattens Rick Joseph. The Astros bring in Brooks Robinson to pinch hit. He takes the first pitch then drives the next one into left field, reaching second and scoring Hendricks. Robinson scores but Jim Bunning gets out of the inning with no more damage done.

In the eighth, with Astros reliever Dave Giusti on the mound, the Orioles can smell victory. Jimmy Wynn leads off the inning with single. With Clay Dalrymple on the plate, Wynn steals second. That rattles Giusti who then throws a wild pitch with Wynn advancing to third. Dalrymple pops up as does Rick Joseph, but Wynn scores when Bobby Floyd hits a single through the middle.

The Orioles bring out knuckleballer Eddie Fisher while the Astros desperately look for a way back in their final two innings Joe Morgan hits a single but is then picked off first. The Astros batters are swinging at everything but can't get anything. Jose Herrera leads of the ninth with a double. Then Ellie Hendricks blasts the ball into deep right field but it's an easy catch for Flood. Keith Lampard pinch hits next but the rookie lines out to short. With two outs and the World Series on the line, Vada Pinson fouls off the first pitch. He hits the second but only as far as Mark Belanger on second who makes the easy throw to first. Orioles win their third straight World Series.

Orioles 5, Astros 3


BALTIMORE ORIOLES WIN THE WORLD SERIES




MVP Award: Jim Palmer. Two starts, two complete games, two wins, four earned runs and seventeen K's.

It just had to be.

.

Woo!

1968 SEASON AWARDS

American League:

Cy Young Award: Mel Stottlemyre NYY (23-8, 2.78 ERA, 9 CG)
MVP Award: Joe Pepitone NYY (.298, 35 HR, 115 RBI, 4 SB)
Rookie of the Year: Ron Woods DET (.240, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 3 SB)


Gold Glove (P) Mel Stottlemyre NYY
Gold Glove (C) Buck Rodgers CAL
Gold Glove (1B) Rod Carew MIN
Gold Glove (2B) Cesar Tovar MIN
Gold Glove (3B) Ken McMullen CAL
Gold Glove (SS) Don Kessinger NYY
Gold Glove (OF) Carl Yastrzemski BOS
Gold Glove (OF) Frank Robinson BAL
Gold Glove (OF) Pete Ward CHW



National League:

Cy Young Award: Don Wilson HOU (23-6, 3.57 ERA, 5 CG)
MVP Award: Roberto Clemente PIT (.398, 28 HR, 127 RBI, 4 SB)
Rookie of the Year: Doug Rader HOU (.267, 15 HR, 82 RBI, 3 SB)


Gold Glove (P) Claude Osteen LAD
Gold Glove (C) Joe Torre ATL
Gold Glove (1B) Wes Parker LAD
Gold Glove (2B) Joe Morgan HOU
Gold Glove (3B) Bob Bailey LAD
Gold Glove (SS) Jim Fregosi PIT
Gold Glove (OF) Cleo James LAD
Gold Glove (OF) Adolfo Phillips CHC
Gold Glove (OF) Johnny Callison PHI
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3Run: Woo indeed. I'm pleased for the O's winning three straight (anything is better than Yankee domination). But next year is our turn! :)

As long as the Os win the AL, I'm happy. It'd be nice if Brooks was still on team though.

I'm running an Orioles sim now. Started with 1962 -- I've finished 2nd to the darn Yankees the first 3 seasons. I've kept Brooks at 3B and moved Pete Ward to LF (he came through the minors as a 3B and I took over the team prior to his leaving the Orioles in the Luis Aparicio trade), so I'm glad to see that Ward won a gold glove in the OF in your 1968.

Something tells me that you're right -- 1969 will be the Met's turn. Wouldn't it be "amazin'" if you played the Orioles in the World Series?

1968 NEW YORK METS FINAL STATS

Code:

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1968 Batting            Team    G  AVG    AB    H  2B  3B  HR  BB    K  SB  CS    R  RBI  SLG  OBP
Harrelson, Bud            NYM  153  .254  536  136  29  3  1  93  82  22  2  93  35  .325  .364
Buford, Don              NYM  147  .261  574  150  20  6  24  102  70  21  9  113  78  .443  .374
Kranepool, Ed            NYM  128  .288  532  153  30  2  15  50  75    1  1  74  83  .436  .346
Swoboda, Ron              NYM  127  .290  348  101  14  2  12  56  70    1  0  62  52  .445  .389
Stanley, Mickey          NYM  126  .278  478  133  20  2  17  48  63    7  0  58  84  .435  .339
Stahl, Larry              NYM  124  .267  449  120  21  8  5  49  94    1  6  53  52  .383  .343
Jones, Cleon              NYM  107  .281  349  98  21  0  17  28  66    2  2  49  55  .487  .331
Freehan, Bill            NYM  107  .299  422  126  22  5  14  54  68    1  3  62  73  .474  .385
Johnson, Bob              NYM  104  .267  374  100  16  1  8  19  43    3  3  37  44  .380  .301
Rojas, Cookie            NYM  76  .255  274  70  17  1  1  11  27    3  2  37  28  .336  .284
Davis, Tommy              NYM  74  .317  142  45  10  0  0    5  12    2  1  14  23  .387  .336
Selma, Dick              NYM  70  .500    4    2  0  0  0    1    0    0  0    2    1  .500  .600
Cline, Ty                NYM  69  .194  191  37  4  1  0  15  29    1  3  15  14  .225  .260
Brown, Ollie              NYM  67  .330    97  32  1  0  4  11  11    1  1  13  20  .464  .411
Sullivan, John            NYM  59  .205  185  38  7  0  0  19  36    0  0  15  15  .243  .277
McGraw, Tug              NYM  57  .208    24    5  2  0  0    1    9    0  0    3    4  .292  .240
Shirley, Bart            NYM  47  .290    93  27  4  1  0    3  17    0  0    9    5  .355  .309
Singleton, Ken            NYM  40  .260    50  13  2  0  1  10    6    0  0    7    5  .360  .383
Shaw, Bob                NYM  36  .133    15    2  0  0  0    1    9    0  0    0    1  .133  .188
Seaver, Tom              NYM  35  .178    73  13  1  0  0    4  20    0  0    3    1  .192  .221
Cardwell, Don            NYM  35  .134    67    9  1  0  0    5  36    0  0    4    5  .149  .194
Fisher, Jack              NYM  34  .234    64  15  1  0  0    1  19    0  1    3    5  .250  .242
Alou, Jesus              NYM  29  .356    45  16  1  0  0    1    4    2  1    5    1  .378  .370
Terry, Ralph              NYM  29  .193    57  11  0  0  0    1  15    0  0    4    3  .193  .207
Koosman, Jerry            NYM  27  .125    40    5  0  0  0    2  21    0  0    3    3  .125  .167
Bolin, Bobby              NYM  23  .167    48    8  0  0  0    3  18    0  0    3    1  .167  .216
Bosch, Don                NYM  17  .172    64  11  1  0  1    4  17    0  0    8    5  .234  .221
Grzenda, Joe              NYM  17  .000    4    0  0  0  0    1    2    0  0    1    0  .000  .200
Buchek, Jerry            NYM  15  .269    26    7  0  1  1    1    3    0  0    1    5  .462  .286
Shaw, Don                NYM  15  .000    4    0  0  0  0    1    3    0  0    0    0  .000  .200
Pfeil, Bobby              NYM  14  .346    26    9  2  0  0    2    5    0  0    1    6  .423  .393
McAndrew, Jim            NYM  14  .333    6    2  0  0  0    0    3    0  0    0    0  .333  .333
Otis, Amos                NYM  10  .059    17    1  0  0  0    2    2    1  0    2    0  .059  .158
Frisella, Danny          NYM  10  .000    2    0  0  0  0    0    1    0  0    0    0  .000  .000
Goossen, Greg            NYM    8  .185    27    5  0  0  0    0    4    0  0    1    1  .185  .185
Luplow, Al                NYM    7  .000    7    0  0  0  0    0    2    0  0    0    0  .000  .000

---

Code:

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1968 Pitching            Team    IP  ERA    G  GS  W  L  SV    K  BB  R/9
Seaver, Tom              NYM  241.2  3.54  35  35  15  9  0  204  72 10.43
Cardwell, Don            NYM  213.1  4.51  35  35  12  14  0  138  87 12.36
Fisher, Jack              NYM  206.2  4.75  34  34  11  9  0  143  60 12.72
Terry, Ralph              NYM  169.0  4.95  29  29  7  10  0  99  51 12.94
Bolin, Bobby              NYM  143.1  4.21  23  23  12  4  0  96  60 12.06
Koosman, Jerry            NYM  126.1  5.70  27  17  3  10  0  99  53 13.11
McGraw, Tug              NYM  117.1  3.76  57  0  7  10  5  96  53 12.27
Selma, Dick              NYM  90.0  2.70  70  0  10  5  5  80  33 11.10
Shaw, Bob                NYM  82.2  4.57  36  0  1  0  2  44  26 11.98
Taylor, Ron              NYM  39.0  2.77  34  0  6  7  16  18    7  9.00
McAndrew, Jim            NYM  33.1  4.86  14  1  1  2  1  14  10 11.07
Grzenda, Joe              NYM  22.2  5.96  17  0  1  3  1  13  12 15.88
Shaw, Don                NYM  22.2  2.38  15  0  2  0  0  19  13 13.50
Frisella, Danny          NYM  20.0  6.75  10  1  0  3  0  11  12 15.30

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This year's contract negotiations were a little tricky. Now we had a team that looked to be going places attendances were great, but the profits we had made were being reinvested. The bulk of it was going into the farm teams. We wanted to have the best coaches availabe and the best facilites. After a season plagued with injuries we also invested a sizeable amount into our medical facilities.
That meant we had to be a bit choosey who we retained for next year, and couldn't afford to be over generous with those we did want.

First up was first baseman Ed Kranepool (.288 15-83) in his first year of free agent eligibility. His average is a little down on last year, but still decent. He wanted a long-term deal, $300k for 5 years. I was happy to get him tied down.

Next up was Dick Selma (10-5 2.70 5 SV). He was in the bullpen being mentored by Ron Taylor to take over the closer's role. He was pretty impressive too but I thought he was joking when he asked for $120k. I was prepared to offer $50k but not prepared to lose the arbitration case.

With that, we don't have much option to re-sign Ron Taylor (6-7 2.77 16 SV) for another 3 years at $100k. Not a major problem, he will be a good pitcher for a few more years yet.

Cleon Jones (.281 17-55) is a player I like a lot but, with the possibility that Amos Otis and Ken Singleton will be ready to step up from the minors, his days as a regular starter in the outfield may be numbered. He gets $100k which I thought was pretty generous

Pitcher Ralph Terry (7-10 4.95 3 CG) is way past his prime but our rotation lacks depth. He gets $100k for 3 years

Another couple of youngsters seem to think the Mets have money to burn. Ron Swoboda (.290 12-52) and Bud Harrelson (.254 1-35) were both looking for $100k. Both of them are going to be great players. Harrelson will make a good lead-off man, steals bases and gets a lot of walks. Swoboda is more of a slugger. Sadly, neither of them will be with the Mets. Disappointing.

Another one who is released is Tug McGraw (7-10 3.76 5 SV). He had a much improved season in the bullpen but $95k is just too much.

Jerry Buchek (.269 1-5) was with Jacksonville for almost all the season but, like last year, his versatility wins him a new deal although it is a cut to $50k.

Ollie Brown (.347 4-13) was sent to us by the Giants in July. He warmed the pine for the last few months of the season and, like Jones, may not be a starting outfielder. Definitely good to have on the bench though. He wants $86k, which the arbitrator decides he's worth.

Another one who came from the Giants mid-season is Jesus Alou (.313 0-1). Lack of hustle can be infuriating at times as he has all the talent of his older brothers. If he can find the will he could be great. We'll look at him next season and decide if he's worth persevering with. He gets $50k

The final player we'll be retaining is Larry Stahl (.267 5-52). Yet more competition for an outfield spot, Stahl has an okay bat and good glove. I like his work ethic as gets on with the job with no complains even when he's on the bench. He gets $30k.

Catcher John Sullivan (.205 0-15) is released. Very good behind the plate but he just can't hit and we have Greg Goossen ready to cover for Bill Freehan.

Al Luplow is also on the way out after spending the season in Jacksonville. At 30 years old I think he has missed his chance to make it.

The starting rotation is a concern but we have a few youngsters ready to step into the bullpen now. That means no new deal for 31 year old Joe Grzenda (1-3 5.96 1 SV) who had a pretty poor season.

1969 would see four new teams in in the major leagues. In the American League: the Arizona Coyotes would be based in Phoenix while the league would **** a snook at A's owner Charlie Finlay with the Kansas City Royals. In the National League we would have new opposition in the Oakland Oaks and the first non-US franchise, the Vancouver Canadians.

It was exciting times for baseball but I didn't envy the GMs of the four new franchises. They would have to put together a team made up of the cast-offs of the established teams. The Mets had been in the same position in 1962 and was only now starting to become a respectable outfit.

Our next concern was deciding which 15 players to protect in the expansion draft.


C Bill Freehan, Greg Goossen
1B Ed Kranepool
2B ------
3B Don Buford
SS Bob Heise
LF Gary Matthews
CF Amos Otis
RF Ken Singleton


SP Jack Fisher, Tom Seaver, Jim McAndrew, Craig Caskey, Jerry Koosman
RP Tom Brown, Bob Babcock


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arizona took:

OF Mickey Stanley (85/88) - starting centrefielder, salary $134k
SP Danny Fife ( 60/87) - 1967 1st round pick

Losing Stanley is a blow, but softened by having Otis and Singleton ready to step up. Fife....ouch!


Kansas City took:

LF George Theodore (66/86)
IF Ken Boswell (73/81)
SP Brent Strom (67/79)
SP Buzz Capra (69/72)


Oakland took:

RP Don Shaw (80/86)
SP Bill Parsons (68/82)

I had planned to use Shaw in the bullpen next year ...


Vancouver took:

RP Danny Frisella (80/87)
RP Rich Folkers (70/80)

... and Frisella was going to be my new set-up guy :(

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 3RunHomer

I'm running an Orioles sim now. Started with 1962 -- I've finished 2nd to the darn Yankees the first 3 seasons. I've kept Brooks at 3B and moved Pete Ward to LF (he came through the minors as a 3B and I took over the team prior to his leaving the Orioles in the Luis Aparicio trade), so I'm glad to see that Ward won a gold glove in the OF in your 1968.

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Surprised to see Pete Ward has been released by the White Sox. He's only looking for $80k too :confused: I'd quite like to sign him to play third, but that's $80k I don't have.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kevarms

Surprised to see Pete Ward has been released by the White Sox. He's only looking for $80k too :confused: I'd quite like to sign him to play third, but that's $80k I don't have.

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Even after losing all that talent to salary demands and to the expansion draft? I thought you'd have a lot of payroll room now.

It seems odd that a New York team can't afford whomever whenever they want. :confused:

It's of little interest to us but here are this year's top free agents.

Code:

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Top 5 Batters

Name                        Age        Team        Seeking
1B Fred Whitfield  (80)        30        CLE        311k        .320 37-112  1        HR Leader
1B Wes Parker  (84)        28        LAD        287k        .305 12-87  13        All Star/Gold Glove
OF Jimmie Hall (82)        30        MIN        279k        .281 31-110 5        All Star
3B Ken McMullen (84)        26        CAL        258k        .323 12-46-2        Gold Glove
OF Matty Alou (86/88)        29        PIT        252k        .306 3-71 18

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Code:

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Top 5 Pitchers

Name                        Age        Team        Seeking
SP Pete Richert (79)        29        NYY        220k        8-4, 2.80, 1 CG        ex All Star
RP Dick Selma (87/88)        24        NYM        201k        10-5, 2.70, 5 SV
SP Ken Johnson (78)        35        ATL        177k        13-13, 4.18, 3 CG
SP Whitey Ford (73/74)        40        NYY        169k        4-8, 6.45        ex Cy Young winner
SP Sonny Siebert (80)        31        DET        168k        7-11, 4.74        ex All Star

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------------------------------------------------------------------

3Run: Revenues are not as high as you might expect. We're competing with the Yankees for fans and we suck, so ticket prices are fairly low. Plus I'm first in medical, scouting and farm. In the NL the Dodgers, Cubs and Braves all have higher payroll budgets than me. Once we have a decent fanbase I'll start putting up the ticket prices.

That draft hurt pretty badly. Hopefully it hurt the other teams worse and will help you close the gap a bit more.

I did like your strategy of protecting the future, especially your young outfielders.

I'm not too worried about you. Usually, the third year of the dynasty is the breakout year. Hopefully, the same holds true for the Mets. That would be [pause for effect]...

Amazin' :D

While the players went home to their families and Gil Hodges recuperated after his heart attack it had been another hectic off-season for me. Apart from upgrading facilities and bringing in a lot of new staff we moved our Triple-A organisation to Norfolk, Virginia.

The Tidewater Tides will play in the International League, moving up from the Double-A Carolina League as part of the Cardinals system. We've also helped them build a brand new stadium. Mets Park is situated at the end of a runway at Norfolk Airport. All the low-flying planes ought to get the players acclimatised for when they finally make it to Shea.

We've also built a new facility in St Petersburg. Named for the team's owner, Fawcliff Field will be our base for spring training as well for the rookies in the Instructional League.

Gil and I were taking a stroll around the complex, discussing the upcoming season. Our major concern was the bullpen. We lost two prospects, Dick Selma and Tug McGraw, when they came out with ridiculous salary demands. Having picked up no free agents that meant we would need to call up a couple of prospects earlier than anticipated. We went with Jack Dilauro and Bob Johnson (not the infielder). Both of them were 25 years old and yet to pitch in the big leagues. Of the two, we had the highest hopes for Dilauro. Johnson (not the infielder) would really be just filling a hole. If he surprises us - great! We had been grooming Selma to take over as closer in a couple of seasons. He bailed, so Jim McAndrew gets a break. He's played in a handful of games over the past two seasons, even starting one, but not looked terrific. With some mentoring from Ron Taylor though I think he might be alright.

The infield was another concern. It had been since my arrival as GM two years ago. Shortstop Bud Harrelson was another youngster who valued himself very highly. True, he had some skills but hadn't really proved himself when and where it counted. We let him go.

Cookie Rojas and Don Buford could both play short, but we would still need somebody at second or third. Rookie Amos Otis had played at third in a couple of exhibition games and did very well. Bob Johnson (not the pitcher) could play either. Gil surprised me.
"I want to put Bart Shirley at short." Shirley put up a good .290 average last year in 93 at bats, but had a terrible glove.
"You're kidding right?"
"No I'm not. We need his bat. Offence is the team's weakness now, we can get by with his defence."
"But what about Otis? Norfolk?"
"His speed is wasted in the infield. He's an outfielder, that's where I'll play him."
"As a starter?"
Gil nodded, "Yeah, he'll start. We'll need to keep getting at him. You've seen how lackadaisical he gets, but he's ready."
I was delighted. Our farm system was reaping early dividends.
"And Singleton?"
Gil nodded again, "Singleton too," he said, with a smile.
Ken Singleton was another rookie, a superb prospect. He had been excellent in spring training, patient at the plate, striking out rarely but when he decided to swing it was quite often for extra base hits.

This was going to be an interesting season.

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Sorry for the delay in getting the new season going. Work is finally getting busy again, which is good in some ways but not in others. I see there are one or two new dynasties since my last post. :) Have to check out some of them, then I'll get to work on the 1970 New York Mets.

Potato: LOL, I expect the words 'amazin'' and 'miracle' to be used often this season. I hope so. I think we have a good shot of winning the division this year, not sure about the league.

Get ready for another baseball season folks as we present the ....


1969 NEW YORK METS

CATCHERS

Bill Freehan (90) Age: 27 (.299 14-73 1)
CON: $283,000 thru 1971 ACQ: Off season 1968 (Free Agent)
MLB: 1961 Detroit Tigers (8th season)

Greg Goossen (76/93) Age: 23 (.185 0-1 0 in 27 AB)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 1972 ACQ: April 1965 from Dodgers
MLB: 1965 New York Mets (3rd season)

Freehan led the team with a .299 average last year in his first season as a Met. Greg Goossen get an early call-up from Triple-A following the departure of John Sullivan


FIRST BASEMEN

Ed Kranepool (93) Age 24 (.288 15-83 1)
CON: $300,000 thru 1973 ACQ: June 1962 (Amateur Free Agent)
MLB: 1962 New York Mets (8th season)

Kranepool's contribution on offence was slightly down, but still one of the team's top hitters. Also proving to be the exceptional first baseman many predicted.


INFIELDERS

Cookie Rojas (83) Age 30 (.255 1-28 3)
CON: $156,000 thru 1969 ACQ: Off season 1968 (Free Agent)
MLB: 1962 Cincinnati (4th season)

Don Buford (87) Age 32 (.261 24-78 21)
CON: $302,000 thru 1970 ACQ: Off season 1968 (Free Agent)
MLB: Chicago White Sox (7th season)

Bart Shirley (70/72) Age 29 (.290 0-5 0 in 93 AB)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 1971 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Dodgers (Rule 5 Draft)
MLB: 1964 Los Angeles Dodgers (3rd season)

Bob Johnson (73) Age 33 (.267 8-44 3)
CON: $124,000 thru 1969 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Baltimore)
MLB: 1960 Kansas City (10th season)

Still an area for concern, Bart Shirley fills in until we can find a capable enough infielder.


OUTFIELDERS

Cleon Jones (81) Age 26 (.281 17-55 2)
CON: $100,000 thru 1969 ACQ: July 1962 (Amateur Free Agent)
MLB: 1963 New York Mets (6th season)

Ty Cline (72) Age 29 (.194 0-14 1)
CON: $15,000 thru 1969 ACQ: Off season 1968 (Free Agent)
MLB: 1960 Cleveland (10th season)

Tommy Davis (81) Age 30 (.317 0-23 2)
CON: $166,000 thru 1969 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Dodgers
MLB: 1959 LA Dodgers (11th season)

Amos Otis (84/93) Age 21 (.059 0-0 1 in 17 AB)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 1972 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Red Sox (Rule 5 Draft)
MLB: 1967 New York Mets (Rookie)

Ken Singleton (85/91) Age 21 (.260 1-5 0 in 50 AB)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 1972 ACQ: Jan 1966 (Amateur Draft 1st round pick)
MLB: 1967 New York Mets (3rd season)

Ollie Brown (85) Age 25 (.347 4-13 1 in 72 AB)
CON: $86,000 thru 1969 ACQ: July 1968 from San Francisco
MLB: 1965 San Francisco Giants (5th season)

Jesus Alou (80) Age 27 (.313 0-1 1 in 32 AB)
CON: $50,000 thru 1969 ACQ: July 1968 from San Francisco
MLB: 1963 San Francisco Giants (7th season)

We lost our home run leader Mickey Stanley in the expansion draft to the Coyotes, but Singleton and Otis make the step up to the big leagues. Starting alongside them will be Davis. The slugger has mostly been on the bench for the past two seasons but we feel his offensive contribution will more than outweigh any deficiencies he has on defence.

STARTERS

Tom Seaver (93/94) Age 24 (15-9 3.45 ERA 7 CG)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 71 ACQ: April 1966 (Amateur Free Agent)
MLB: 1967 New York Mets (3rd season)

Jack Fisher (87/93) Age 30 (11-9 4.75 2)
CON: $226,000 thru 1971 ACQ: Off season 1964 from San Francisco (special draft)
MLB: 1959 Baltimore (11th season)

Bobby Bolin (83) Age 30 (2-1 4.42 0 in 36.2 IP)
CON: $161,000 thru 1970 ACQ: July 1968 from San Francisco
MLB: 1961 San Francisco Giants (9th season)

Don Cardwell (77) Age 33 (12-14 4.51 4)
CON: $121,000 thru 1969 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Pittsburgh
MLB: 1957 Philadelphia Phillies (13th season)

Ralph Terry (75/76) Age 33 (7-10 4.95 3 )
CON: $100,000 thru 1971 ACQ: August 1966 from Kansas City
MLB: 1956 New York Yankees (14th season)

Seaver had an outstanding season in only his second in the major leagues. This is the kind of kid that franchises are built around. This year he may well make a run for the Cy Young award. Veterans Cardwell and Terry will only be around until either Koosman gets his act together or we can make a good trade. They are both experienced enough to hold their own in the meantime.


RELIEVERS

Ron Taylor (79) Age 31 (6-7 2.77 16 SV )
CON: $80,000 thru 1968 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Houston
MLB: 1962 Cleveland (7th season)

Jim McAndrew (83/85) Age 25 (1-2 4.86 1 SV)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 72 ACQ: Jun 1965 (Amateur Draft 11th round pick)
MLB: 1967 New York Mets (2nd season)

Jack Dilauro (76/86) Age 25 (4-2 2.03 11 SV in AA)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 72 ACQ: Off season 1967 from Detroit
MLB: Rookie

Bob Johnson (72/74) Age 25 (9-2 2.64 0 SV in AA)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 72 ACQ: Off season 1964 (Amateur Free Agent)
MLB: Rookie

Bob Shaw (71/72) Age 35 (1-0 4.57 2 )
CON: $120,000 thru 1969 ACQ: June 1966 from San Francisco
MLB: 1957 Detroit (13th season)

Jerry Koosman (92/93) Age 26 (3-10 5.70 0)
CON: $14,100 until Arb 71 ACQ: August 1964 (Amateur Free Agent)
MLB: 1967 New York Mets (3rd season)


The bullpen is a mess. We lost a couple of guys I had planned to use so Dilauro and Johnson are both called up. The only reason Koosman is not with the Tides is because we need a spot starter. He will either be a starter or a Triple-A pitcher by the trade deadline.

DOWN ON THE FARM

AAA-Tidewater Tides (International League)

Bobby Pfeil 3B


AA-Memphis Blues (Texas League)

Joe Moock 3B


A-Visalia Mets (California League)

Gary Matthews RF/LF

Last year's first round pick steps up.


R-Marion Mets (Appalachian League)

Bob Heise IF
Mike Reinbach RF
Craig Caskey SP
Bob Babcock RP
Jim Wright SP
Rudy Arroyo RP
Richie Moloney RP
Tom Brown RP

We have some great pitching prospects. One or two may find themselves in Single-A or higher later in the season.

Here's a brief look at where the top free agents will be playing in 1969.

Code:

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Player                        1969        (1968)
1B Fred Whitfield        BOS        (CLE)
1B Wes Parker                LAD        (LAD)        held out and the Dodgers caved in
OF Jimmie Hall                KCR        (MIN)        expansion team splashes out
3B Ken McMullen                NYY        (CAL)
OF Maty Alou                WSA        (PIT)        Sens look to rebuild

SP Pete Richert                PIT        (NYY)
RP Dick Selma                BOS        (NYM)
SP Ken Johnson                LAD        (ATL)
SP Whitey Ford                ---        (NYY)        18 year veteran has no team
SP Sonny Siebert        SDA        (DET)

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And here's where the players we released ended up:

Code:

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SS Bud Harrelson        ATL
OF Ron Swoboda                CAL
RP Dick Selma                BOS
RP Tug McGraw                STL

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With four new expansion teams here are the top players they managed to acquire through the expansion draft and free agency.

Code:

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Arizona Coyotes

CF Mickey Stanley (88/92)
SP Ray Culp (86)                former All Star


Kansas City Royals

OF Jimmie Hall (85)                All Star


Oakland Oaks

IF Dennis Menke (88)                All Star
OF Art Shamsky (88/92)               


Vancouver Canadians

Rick Reichardt (85)

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