Gary Giordano - I Remember........ 1969

The odds of the Mets winning the World Series in 1969 was 100-1.  Do you believe in miracles?

I went to 9 games at Shea that summer despite playing in a baseball league where we played 5 games a week.  One of the games included a no hitter by Bob Moose of the Pirates.

The July series against the Cubs was the first pivotal games the Mets had ever played.  It included the famous "black cat" game and a one hitter by Tom Seaver. 

My father, ever the dutiful husband, took my mother to the Opera in the city yet snuck in a transistor radio with an ear plug to hear one of the games clandestinely during the Opera.  He and I went to the final game of the series won by the Cubs on a Ron Santo home run into the second deck in left off Gary Gentry. 

I was at the doubleheader against the Expos which the Mets swept in mid-September to pass the Cubs into first place.  I listened by radio to the September doubleheader against the Pirates in Pittsburgh which the Mets won each game 1-0 behind Don Cardwell and Jerry Koosman.  I watched on T.V when the Mets clinched first place against the Cards at Shea.  Delirium swept Shea as the fans stormed the field after the game.  That scene would be repeated twice more that year.

A casual acquaintance at Nassau College suddenly became a dear friend when he offered me a ticket for game 3 of the playoffs at Shea.  We cut classes and took the train to Shea arriving just in time to see the Mets fall behind in the first on a 2 run

homer by Hank Aaron.  The Braves had the bases loaded with none out when Gil Hodges brought in Nolan Ryan in relief of Gary Gentry.  Ryan struck out the side and the Mets went on to win the game and the pennant.

After losing the first game of the World Series to the vaunted Baltimore Orioles the Mets won the next four games behind great pitching, outstanding catches by Tommie Agee and Ron Swoboda and timely homers by light hitting Al Weis and Donn Clendenon.

Do you believe in miracles? 

Nirvana in 1969.