My 100 favorite collectibles ... No. 95: The 1969 Cubs
- Mark Potash
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 minutes ago
The '69 Cubs have their own special place in baseball's Hall of Infamy — a team still beloved if not revered despite a horrific collapse that ruined the greatest summer of our lives. Do the 1964 Phillies or 1978 Red Sox get the same kind of love that the '69 Cubs get? Probably not. Despite the scars of that dreaded finish, the glory of the 1969 season can't be forgotten, or ignored.
Why? Timing was everything. The Cubs had not won a pennant since 1945 and had not been in contention since 1946. They had uplifting seasons in 1967 and 1968 under Leo Durocher, but were not serious contenders in August of either season. In 1969, the Cubs beat the Phillies 7-6 in their opener at Wrigley Field on Willie Smith's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the bottom of the 11th, started 11-1 and stayed in first place until fate intervened in September.
And the 1969 team had a memorable core of all-time Cub favorites that endured a 59-103 season in Durocher's first year as manager in 1966 and kept improving. In fact, Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, Don Kessinger, Glenn Beckert and Randy Hundley played an average of 154 games from 1966-69, with Fergie Jenkins, Bill Hands and Kenny Holtzman making 238 starts in that span.
On Aug. 17, the Cubs (74-44) were 8 1/2 games ahead of the Mets (64-51) and Cardinals (66-53) after beating the Giants 3-0 at Candlestick Park. Two days later, Holtzman no-hit the Braves and the Cubs were still 7 1/2 games ahead of the Mets.
But it unraveled from there as the Cubs went 16-25 in the final 41 games to finish 92-70. And it can't be ignored that the Cubs were caught in the undertow of the Mets' tremendous surge. Playing 49 games in the final 48 days of the season because of a slew of rainouts, the Mets went 38-11 — including five doubleheader sweeps.
The Cubs, in fact, lost nine games in the standings in 11 days — going from 4 1/2 games ahead on Sept. 6 to 4 1/2 games behind on Sept. 16. The Mets were that hot. When the Cubs snapped an eight-game losing streak on Sept. 15 by beating the Cardinals, the Mets still gained a half-game by sweeping a doubleheader against the Pirates. Two days later — with the Mets playing their 14th game in 11 days — the Cardinals' Steve Carlton dominated the Mets at Busch Stadium with a a major-league record 19 strikeouts, but Ron Swoboda hit two home runs off Carlton and the Mets won, 4-3 to go up 4 1/2 games with 15 to play.
And it was all but over. The Cubs were officially eliminated on Sept. 24 — down six games with five to play. The Mets finished 100-62, eight games ahead of the 92-70 Cubs. On paper, the Cubs could gone 25-16 in their final 41 instead of 16-25, and still finished a game behind the Mets.
The ignominy of that season will never be forgotten, but neither will the glory, nor the players who were such a big part of an invigorating, thrillkng chapter in Cubs history. Perhaps that is why the '69 Cubs still hold a special place in the hearts of many Cub fans. '
