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The New York Mets and the Baltimore Orioles met for the 1969 World Sequence, and everybody was anticipating the Orioles would show to be the stronger workforce. Not solely had been they one of many groups that was anticipated to compete within the World Sequence from early within the season, however the Mets weren’t even anticipated to get this far! It was outstanding that they had made the World Sequence, and now they had been anticipated to lose out to a vastly superior workforce. Nevertheless, the likes of Donn Clendenon and coach Yogi Berra had different concepts.
Why was this such a tremendous triumph? If we’re going to speak concerning the 1969 World Sequence in isolation, chances are you’ll be questioning that truth. The Mets received 4 out of the 5 video games. There have been a ton of World Sequence occasions that had been nearer than this matchup. The Mets proved they had been the superior workforce, and so they bought their first World Sequence as a franchise. On that report, you’d suppose it was a humdrum win. Then why does everybody confer with that season as a Cinderella story? Why are the Mets typically thought to be one of many biggest upset groups in baseball historical past?
To know these characterizations, we’ve to have a look at the Mets historical past. This can be a workforce that was nonetheless new to the baseball world. This was a workforce that had by no means achieved a profitable season earlier than 1969. That’s proper – each season for the Mets earlier than 1969 was a shedding season. They’d some promising rosters up to now, however they might at all times lose extra video games than they might win. All of that modified in 1969, and it modified in probably the most dramatic approach attainable. Not solely did the Mets lastly have a profitable season, however they went on to win all the pieces.
The Mets had been an growth workforce within the league. They nonetheless maintain the report as the primary growth workforce to ever win a World Sequence. They’d solely existed for eight years after that season concluded. The earlier seven had been shedding seasons, as they had been nonetheless attending to grips with Main League Baseball. There have been a number of groups in a greater place to win the World Sequence. And if anybody anticipated a New York win, it was the Yankees they fancied, not the Mets. However that may be the Mets’ 12 months!
It was a outstanding season for the Mets, the place they completed with 100 wins and 62 losses. Even main as much as the World Sequence, that they had misplaced extra video games than the Orioles. They had been the underdogs, the workforce that was simply meant to benefit from the event and let the extra seasoned competitors get the win. However their gamers knew it was a particular roster, that Mets workforce. They knew their camaraderie, workforce spirit and techniques had been adequate to win. And that’s exactly what they did. They confirmed us their finest qualities, and so they emerged as World Sequence winners of their eighth 12 months of being a baseball workforce!