Al Weis out-hit everyone (Min. 10 PA) in 1969. The Miracle Mets of 1969 had guys stepping up their performances in that Fall Classic vs. the Baltimore Orioles, but none more so than this Weis one!
Al made it into 103 games for New York that season, but hit only .215. Nor did he have much power. Just two home runs in 1969. New York had to beat a formidable Atlanta Braves' team in the inaugural National League Championship Series. Though Weis didn't start any of the contests, it was his team with a three-game sweep (The LCS was not extended to a best-of-seven until 1985). Al must have been a tad frustrated with his lack of contribution. He played in all three games a substitute, but only came to bat once.
Still, there he was, starting at second base in game one vs. Baltimore (Who not only had won the World Series in 1966, but were starting a stretch of three straight Fall Classic appearances), for the World Championship. But the Orioles, at home, made life miserable for the visiting New York Mets. The first batter, for the home team, smacked a Tom Seaver offering over the fence. The Orioles were ahead for good.
It was 4-0, Baltimore in the top of the seventh. A potential game-tying rally was started when Donn Clendenon led off with a single. Ron Swoboda walked. Ed Charles flew out, but then Jerry Grote singled. The bases were loaded.
And up came Al Weis, representing the tying run. Mike Cuellar was pitching a gem of a ballgame for Baltimore. He bore down and induced a flyball from Weis. However, the result ended up being a sacrifice fly. At least the shutout was broken. However, this proved to be New York's lone tally in the game.
A 4-1 loss in this contest didn't deflate Al Weis and his teammates. Baltimore had won 109 games that year. But Weis' team had exactly 100 in '69. They weren't exactly chopped liver. Tom Seaver could sense confidence in the New York Mets when they reached the clubhouse.
"We didn't feel defeated in the clubhouse at all." Tom would say years later. "It was more like, 'Hey, we can play on the same field as these guys.' " The Mets, you see, had come a long way in just seven years. Early on, they struggled to win games. The first season for the team had been tough, even under the guidance of brilliant Casey Stengel. The team was just 40-120. Things did get better in the coming years, but their attendance was amazing, even if the team wasn't. Stengel's boys grew up to be men. Stengel left in 1965, and eventually, Gil Hodges was the fourth skipper in franchise history. Gil was no stranger to "First time, ever". Fourteen years earlier, he'd helped get the Brooklyn Dodgers to their first world crown. Hodges just so happened to play for the 1962 Mets. He'd seen this team at their very worst, and was about to see this confident team at their very best!
Jerry Koosman went out for the Mets in game two and pitched a splendid ballgame. But, of course, would New York give him any run support.
Al Weis tried to get a rally going. Leading off the top of the third in a scoreless contest, he stroked a waist-high fastball into centre for a single. Bud Harrelson drew a two-out walk. But from scoring position at second, Weis could only watch as Cleon Jones was retired on a liner to left.
Dave McNally surrendered a home run to Don Clendenon the next inning, but settled down. He struck out the side in the fifth (Weis among the victims). He had a 1-2-3 sixth as well. The Orioles would tie the game in the last of the seventh. This set up a dramatic finish that Al Weis was a big part of.
McNally quickly retired the first two batters to face him in the ninth. One more out and the O's would have a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth. The Mets, however, had some late-inning heroics up their sleeves.
Two singles put runners on the corners for Al Weis. Weis collected his second hit on the ballgame, and New York scored their second run of the contest.
The Mets would make that lead stand up.
So the 1969 World Series would next be played at Shea Stadium for the third, fourth and fifth contest. New York was going to have to work for their victories.
The pitching and defence kept Baltimore at bay in game three. Al Weis didn't see any action until the eighth inning. The Mets had scored four runs, the Orioles, none. Weis watched as Nolan Ryan picked up two strikeouts that inning.
Ed Kranepool added a solo home run in the bottom of the frame, putting the game out of reach. Two flyballs in the ninth, two quick outs by the Orioles. However, Baltimore didn't quit. Mark Belanger drew a walk. This set up a situation where Al Weis would be tested on the field.
Clay Dalrymple batted for pitcher Dave Leonhard. He sent a hopper to the right of second base. Weis got there with a nice dive, and tossed to Bud Harrelson for the game-ending force. In a cloud of dust, Mark Belanger was...Safe! So instead of a force out at second, the Orioles had two on with two out. The Orioles would get still another runner on as Nolan Ryan walked Damon Buford (The Mets pitching would issue seven bases on balls in the contest).
Ryan managed to fan Paul Blair, fortunately, ending the contest. This would prove to be the only game where New York had things easy with Baltimore.
Mike Cuellar was back to face Tom Seaver in a rematch of game one. Both pitched well. Weis was put back in the starting lineup by manager Gil Hodges. And Gil was about to look like a genuis.
With New York up 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Weis was the right man to lead off. He singled. With one away, the Mets actual leadoff man, Tommie Agee, singled. But Mike Cuellar settled down. Much like Dave McNally in the second contest, his pitching would keep Baltimore in the game.
Weis singled again in the last of the fifth, only to then be erased by a double play. Cuellar would leave after seven innings, but Weis had no luck with new pitcher Eddie Watt in the eighth. Watt retired Weis, Tom Seaver and Tommie Agee in succession to stop New York that inning.
And Baltimore tied it in the top of the ninth. Actually, only a great catch by Ron Swoboda in right stopped them from doing more. The home team tried to capitalize on this opportunity in the bottom of the frame. They put runners on the corners, so the winning-run was ninety feet away. Eddie Watt was again too tough, getting pinch hitter Art Shamsky to ground out.
The Orioles nearly made the Mets pay for that missed opportunity. For a while it looked like Al Weis might not come to bat again in this contest.
An error by shortstop Bud Harrelson put Davey Johnson on. One out later, a single moved him to second. A deep fly to right by Don Buford put the Orioles in the same situation as the Mets an inning earlier. Tom Seaver fanned Paul Blair to end the threat. It was on to the last of the tenth, and Al Weis was the second man due up.
And it was time for the home team to pull this one out. New York would catch a break. A double by Jerry Grote off new pitcher Dick Hall gave Al Weis a chance to win it. But Baltimore and Hall took the bat out of Weis' hands. The Orioles walked Al intentionally to set up a double play. It seemed like Earl Weaver was the genius, now. Tom Seaver was due up. Gil Hodges set up a pinch hitter, J.C. Martin. Martin would lay down a bunt, and turn on the jets.
As he neared first, Martin was running not just inside the foul line, but also to the left of the running lane. The peg from Dick Hall hit him. Since J.C. was not inside the lane, interference should have been called, sending Jerry Grote back to second, and Al Weis back to first. That is not how any of the umpires saw it. So when Dick Grote touched home, it meant a 2-1 New York win. And a 3-1 advantage in the 1969 World Series.
But the Fall Classic was far from over. Baltimore must have been a little bit discouraged by this turn of events, but it seemed like their slumping bats woke up in the fifth contest.
The Orioles proved they were far from finished as their starting pitcher, Dave McNally, hit a two-run home run off Jerry Koosman in the top of the third. Before the inning was over, Frank Robinson smashed another Koosman offering over the wall in left-centre. 3-0, visitors.
The New York Mets were staring at going to Baltimore for a sixth game. McNally was as good if not better than he'd been in the second contest there. Five innings, no runs, three hits. Al Weis himself was 0-3.
The Mets had caught a break the previous game, and they caught two more in the fifth contest. In the top of the sixth, the O's looked for more. Frank Robinson was back up with one away. He appeared to take one for the team. Koosman hit him. The home plate umpire, Lou DiMuro, thought it hit Robinson's bat first, then touched him. The Orioles didn't score in the top of the sixth (Or for the rest of the game).
But the Mets sure did that inning. Cleon Jones did something Frank Robinson couldn't. Cleon was able to persuade Lou Dimuro via shoe polish, that he was indeed hit by a pitch.
Donn Clendenon, the next batter, launched one to left. The home run cut the margin to 3-2. New York didn't score again in the sixth, but momentum was back on their side. They didn't need any more favourable calls.
The had Al Weis, right?
Weis got into the home run trot that was becoming familiar this afternoon. His solo shot in the seventh tied the game!
The Mets were inspired by all this. Jerry Koosman had settled down, getting the Orioles 1-2-3 in the seventh and eighth. New pitcher Eddie Watt wasn't so lucky in the last of the eight.
Cleon Jones got it all going again with a double. A single. Two Oriole errors. 5-3, New York. Al Weis had a chance to keep the inning going. Watt fanned him. It didn't matter. Koosman retired the side in the ninth with no damage, and the Mets had an improbable World Series win!
All Al Weis did was go 5-11 at the plate for a Series-leading .455 batting average. Even the big bat of Don Clendenon couldn't quite match that, despite three home runs, four RBIs and a .357 batting average. The rest of the New York Mets' regulars were not so good. Jerry Grote hit just .211. Bud Harrelson, .176. Baltimore had tough pitching, just like New York. There wasn't too many men on the team to pick up the slack if Weis or Clendenon failed.
Perhaps some Mets forgot to wise-up. But their second basemen sure hit 'em when they needed to against the Orioles.
References
Enders, Eric. 100 years of the World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005.
Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball 1992. St. Martin's Press, 1992.
--------------. The World Series: Complete Play-By-Play of Every Game, 1903-1989, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1990.
Nemec, et al. The Baseball Chronicle: Year-By-Year History of Major League Baseball. Publications International, Ltd., 2008.
Seaver, Tom, and Martin Appel. Great Moments in Baseball, Carol Pub. Group, Secaucus, NJ, 1992, pp. 182–183, 241–242, 244.
Society for American Baseball Research, SABR, https://sabr.org/. 02 Feb. 2023.
Snyder, John S. World Series!: Great Moments and Dubious Achievements. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1995.
Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/. 02 Feb. 2023.
Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 02 Feb. 2023.
YouTube, Google, www.youtube.com/. 02 Feb. 2023.
No comments:
Post a Comment