D-Whit - It Was 45 Years Ago Today...Sunday September 7th 1969

September 7^th

Ryan pitches three shutout innings in win

The Mets wrap up their four game series with Philadelphia by sending Gary Gentry to the hill. The Phils score in the top of the 1^st when Dick Allen singles home Tony Taylor but in the home half of the inning Tommie Agee leads off with his 25^th jack of the season and three batters later Art Shamsky cracks his 12^th. Gentry ran into trouble in the 5^th when after allowing two singles Gentry gives up a third to Allen to the tie game and a fourth to John Callison-giving Philly a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the 6^th Ken Boswell and Ron Swoboda led off with back to back singles. 

Then Jerry Grote’s sacrifice moved both runners and Buddy Harrelson brought Boswell home with a FC, tying it up at 3. New York added a pair of runs in the 7^th before breaking it open with four in the 8^th, winning 9-3. Nolan Ryan came on in relief of Gentry, going three innings for the win.

The Cubs (84-56) lost again to Pittsburgh so the Mets (80-57) were now just 2.5 games out of 1^st with Chicago coming to town for a crucial two game series beginning Monday.