D-Whit - It Was 45 Years Ago Today...August 12th 1969

August 12^th

Astro co-Ace Don Wilson, looking for win 15, taking on Jerry Koosman in the Astrodome you’d expect a pitcher’s duel.  It was-for 3 innings. Houston scored an unearned run in the 1^st after Jesus Alou led off with a single, advanced on 3B Wayne Garrett’s error and scored following Doug Radar’s RBI single.

Wilson walked Cleon Jones to start the 4^th and then Art Shamsky’s single to left put runners on the corner for Garrett, who fouled out, but Ed Kranepool followed with by clearing the bases with his 10^th longball of the season-putting the Mets up 3-1. Tommie Agee drove in two more later in the inning giving Koosman a 5-1 lead to work with. 

Leading 5-2 in the 6^th the Mets star lefty gave up a single to Jimmy Wynn and a walk to Denis Menke. A groundball force out by the next hitter Doug Radar turned into an Astro run courtesy of 2B Ken Boswell’s error. Two batters later Curt Blefary continued his assault on Met pitching in the series with a 3-run blast, giving the Astros a 6-5 lead.  

Behind 8-5 the Mets rallied in top of the 8^th plating two on Agee’s RBI single but with two down and runners on the corner the Astro’s Fred Gladding induced a Boswell ground ball to end the inning. New York threatened in the 9^th but with runners on 1^st and 2^nd PH Rod Gaspar flied out to Wynn in center to end the game.

The Cardinals lost 5-2 to L.A. but Chicago’s Ferguson Jenkins continued the Cub west coast pitching mastery with a 5-0 win over San Diego. At the end of the night New York and St. Louis each trailed the streaking Cubs by 9.