The 1969 Cincinnati Reds season was the 100th season for the franchise in Major League Baseball. The Reds finished in third place in the newly established National League West, four games behind the National League West champion Atlanta Braves. The Reds were managed by Dave Bristol, and played their home games at Crosley Field, which was in its final full season of operation, before moving into their new facility in the middle of the following season. The Reds led the major leagues this year with 798 runs scored.
Offseason
October 14, 1968: Jimy Williams was drafted from the Reds by the Montreal Expos as the 32nd pick in the 1968 MLB expansion draft.Jimy Williams page at Baseball Reference December 5, 1968: Don Pavletich and Don Secrist were traded by the Reds to the Chicago White Sox for Jack Fisher.Jack Fisher page at Baseball Reference March 18, 1969: Bill Kelso was purchased from the Reds by the Boston Red Sox.Bill Kelso page at Baseball Reference March 29, 1969: Bill Kelso was returned to the Reds by the Boston Red Sox.
Divisional alignment 1969 not only marked the 100th anniversary of the original Cincinnati Red Stockings being the first fully professional baseball team, but it also marked the first year of divisional play in Major League Baseball. The Reds (along with the Atlanta Braves) were placed in the National League West division, despite being located further east than the two westernmost teams in the NL East division, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. This was because the New York Mets wanted to be in the same division as the reigning power in the NL, which were the Cardinals at the time (to compensate for playing against the Dodgers and Giants fewer times each season). The Cubs consequently demanded to be in the NL East as well in order to continue playing in the same division as the Cardinals, one of the Cubs' biggest rivals. A side effect of this alignment is that it set the stage for what is considered one of the greatest pennant races – and comebacks in such a race – in MLB history (see 1969 New York Mets season for more info).
Regular season
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball draft Nardi Contreras was drafted by the Reds in the 12th round.Nardi Contreras page at Baseball Reference Ken Griffey, Sr. was drafted by the Reds in the 29th round.Ken Griffey page at Baseball Reference June 13, 1969: Al Jackson was purchased by the Reds from the New York Mets.Al Jackson page at Baseball Reference June 14, 1969: Aurelio Monteagudo was traded by the Reds to the St. Louis Cardinals for Dennis Ribant.Dennis Ribant page at Baseball Reference
Roster 1969 Cincinnati Reds Roster Pitchers Catchers
Infielders Outfielders
Other batters Manager
Coaches
Player stats = Indicates team leader
= Indicates league leader
Batting
Starters by position Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; R = Runs; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Pos Player G AB R H Avg. HR RBI C 148 532 83 156 .293 26 90 1B 158 607 85 169 .278 38 110 2B 126 480 38129 .269 1 40 SS 97 241 36 63 .261 0 15 3B 160 629 103185 .294 37 122 LF 139 523 86165 .315 17 88 CF 152 637 104 194 .305 21 93 RF 156 627 120* 218 .348 16 82 Tied with Bobby Bonds
Other batters Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI 119 221 56 .253 4 24 93 209 40 .191 0 15 88 196 48 .245 0 13 68 110 25 .227 2 11 74 74 11 .149 1 8 29 72 19 .264 1 5 43 60 15 .250 1 8 3 8 1 .125 0 1 4 3 0 .000 0 0 1 1 0 .000 0 0 2 1 0 .000 0 0
Pitching
Starting pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 42 251.0 17 9 4.37 144 35 189.2 11 17 5.03 103 30 178.2 12 5 2.77 102 16 108.2 8 8 3.56 83 20 91.0 4 7 4.15 35 2 12.0 1 0 2.25 7
Other pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G IP W L ERA SO 34 113.0 4 4 5.50 55 32 101.1 5 7 4.26 58 5 7.1 0 0 8.59 3
Relief pitchers Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts Player G W L SV ERA SO 90 9 6 27 2.80 68 77 12 6 7 3.52 90 38 4 3 2 5.16 40 33 1 0 3 5.27 16 7 0 0 0 1.08 7 6 1 1 0 18.00 3 5 0 0 0 5.87 4 4 0 0 0 15.43 0
Awards and honors Pete Rose, National League batting champion Pete Rose, Lou Gehrig Award Johnny Bench, Marathon Oil Cincinnati Reds Player of the Year
Farm system
Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 3rd edition. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 2007
Notes
References 1969 Cincinnati Reds season at Baseball Reference