8/24 - 8/27 - Shea Stadium - Flushing, NY
GAME 1 - Reds 3, Mets 1
It would be safe to say that Dave "Kong" Kingman is in the lineup purely for the long balls that he can send into the stratosphere, so when he makes a huge error in the 3rd that leads to 2 unearned runs nobody can blame him...right ? With the Met offense practically non-existent these days (have we heard that line before ?) Jerry Koosman was tasked with being virtually perfect. Kooz, who's record is 0-2 with a 1.90 ERA just can't catch a break whatsoever. After Kong misplayed light hitting Roy McMillan's fly ball in left, Cincy starter Bob Purkey bunted the diminutive shortstop over to 2nd. Johnny Temple grounded out weakly to short, for what should have been the 3rd out of the inning. With added life the Redlegs sent Don Hoak to the plate and Hoak launched Koosman's 2-2 offering into the visitor's bullpen in left to make it 2-0. If you were a Met fan watching the game on WOR-TV 9 you
could have shut your sets right there and gone on to more productive if not mundane tasks. The Mets just can't score runs. Kooz and Purkey would duel the rest of the way until Cincy added a key insurance run in the 9th when Roy McMillian struck again. This time McMillian doubled home Smoky Burgess to make it 3-0. The Mets managed to scratch out a run in their final at bat when "Steady Eddie" Kranepool singled home Wayne Garrett. Alas, it was much too little and way too late to mean anything.
GAME 2 - Reds 3, Mets 2
New York actually had a 2-1 lead after 4 innings in this one, but Jon Matlack could not bear the pressure of having to be perfect and the Reds scored 2 an won. Matlack's record fell to 1-2 with a 3.13 ERA. His opposing number, Don Newcombe (2-30, 1.50) had an easier time of it facing New York's anemic offense, which features
4 of their first 5 batters hitting below the Mendoza line. Kingman hit a solo shot in the 4th in a losing effort. Cincy scored solo runs in 3 consecutive innings (4-6). Newcombe only needed 87 pitches to disperse of the Amazin's. Red catcher Ed Bailey went 2 for 3 on an afternoon where his team banged out 10 hits.
8/28 - Crosley Field - Cincinnati, OH
GAME 3 - Reds 7, Mets 4
Good News for New York ! They scored 4 runs. Bad News for New York, they had Randy Tate on the mound and he and reliever Bob Apodaca yielded 7. Why can't the Mets score when their big 3 (Seaver, Kooz & Matlack) are on the hill ? Why do the supply the much needed offensive support to a pitcher who should be toiling in Tidewater, not Flushing is on the hill ? These questions are hard to answer and they frustrate those who root for this team as well as the man (Andy Weinrib) who manages it. Cincy got workmanlike effort out of Harvey Haddix (2-1, 1.82). Haddix got 26 outs and gave up 3
earned runs over his tenure. Schmidt came on to get the final out in the 9th where John Stearns represented the tying run at the plate. The "Dude" didn't come through as he flew out to Vada Pinson in shallow right to end it. Felix Millan went 3 for 4 for the Flushing 9, but the real hitting star was Jerry Lynch (4-5 with 2 RBI). Gus Bell was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI as Cincy closed out the sweep of the fast fading flushing 9.
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