Expansion Four expansion teams joined Major League Baseball for this season: the San Diego Padres, the Kansas City Royals, the Seattle Pilots, and the first MLB team in Canada, the Montreal Expos. To accommodate the additional teams, the two leagues were split into two divisions of East and West. For the first time, extra post-season playoff series were added prior to the World Series, at this juncture best-of-five series between the East and West division leaders in each league.
Champions Major League Baseball
The most notable part of the 1969 season were the Miracle Mets World Series: New York Mets over Baltimore Orioles (4–1); Donn Clendenon, MVP
All-Star Game, July 23 at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium: National League, 9–3; Willie McCovey, MVP
Other champions College World Series: Arizona State Japan Series: Yomiuri Giants over Hankyu Braves (4–2) Big League World Series: Mojave Desert LL, Barstow, California Little League World Series: Taipei, Taiwan Senior League World Series: Sacramento, California
Awards and honors Baseball Hall of Fame Roy Campanella Stan Coveleski Waite Hoyt Stan Musial
Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards BBWAA Award National League American League Rookie of the Year Ted Sizemore (LAD) Lou Piniella (KC) Cy Young Award Tom Seaver (NYM) Mike Cuellar (BAL)Denny McLain (DET) Most Valuable Player Willie McCovey (SF) Harmon Killebrew (MIN)Gold Glove Awards Position National League American League Pitcher Bob Gibson (STL) Jim Kaat (MIN) Catcher Johnny Bench (CIN) Bill Freehan (DET) 1st Base Wes Parker (LAD) Joe Pepitone (NYY) 2nd Base Félix Millán (ATL) Davey Johnson (BAL) 3rd Base Clete Boyer (ATL) Brooks Robinson (BAL) Shortstop Don Kessinger (CHC) Mark Belanger (BAL)Outfield Roberto Clemente (PIT) Paul Blair (BAL) Curt Flood (STL) Mickey Stanley (DET) Pete Rose (CIN) Carl Yastrzemski (BOS)
Statistical leaders American LeagueNational League Stat Player Total Player Total AVG Rod Carew (MIN) .332 Pete Rose (CIN) .348 HR Harmon Killebrew (MIN) 49 Willie McCovey (SF) 45 RBI Harmon Killebrew (MIN) 140 Willie McCovey (SF) 126 W Denny McLain (DET) 24 Tom Seaver (NYM) 25 ERA Dick Bosman (WAS) 2.19 Juan Marichal (SF) 2.10 K Sam McDowell (CLE) 279 Ferguson Jenkins (CHC) 273 The save is introduced as an official statistic this year. Ron Perranoski lead the majors with 31.
Major league baseball final standings American League final standings
National League final standings
Nippon Professional Baseball final standings Central League final standings Central League G W L T Pct. GBYomiuri Giants 130 73 51 6 .589 —Hanshin Tigers 130 68 59 3 .535 6.5Taiyo Whales 130 61 61 8 .500 11.0Chunichi Dragons 130 59 65 6 .476 14.0Sankei Atoms 130 58 69 3 .457 16.5Hiroshima Toyo Carp 130 56 70 4 .444 18.0
Pacific League final standings Pacific League G W L T Pct. GBHankyu Braves 130 76 50 4 .603 —Kintetsu Buffaloes 130 73 51 6 .589 2.0Lotte Orions 130 69 54 7 .561 5.5Toei Flyers 130 57 70 3 .449 19.5Nishitetsu Lions 130 51 75 4 .405 25.0Nankai Hawks 130 50 76 4 .397 26.0
Events January
January 2 – In response to major-league owners' continued refusal to increase their contributions to the players' pension fund commensurately with their television broadcast revenues, the Major League Baseball Players Association urges players not to sign any new contracts. January 9 – The Chicago Cubs reacquire relief pitcher Ted Abernathy, two-time National League saves leader, sending catcher Bill Plummer, outfielder/first baseman Clarence Jones and minor-league pitcher Kenneth Myette to the Cincinnati Reds for the 35-year-old "submariner". January 20 The Philadelphia Phillies trade former starting catcher Clay Dalrymple to the Baltimore Orioles for outfielder Ron Stone. Veteran Dalrymple will back up Elrod Hendricks and Andy Etchebarren on three straight American League pennant-winners and one World Series champion. The California Angels trade pitcher Sammy Ellis to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Bill Voss. January 21 – Stan Musial (93.2%, 317 ballots), in his first year of eligibility, and Roy Campanella (79.4%, 270 ballots) are voted into the Hall of Fame by BBWAA members. January 22 – The Montreal Expos trade first baseman Donn Clendenon and outfielder Jesús Alou to the Houston Astros for outfielder Rusty Staub. But Clendenon refuses to report because he strongly dislikes Astro manager Harry Walker, who had been his skipper with the Pittsburgh Pirates between 1965 and July 1967. On April 8, the Expos will send pitchers Jack Billingham and Skip Guinn and $100,000 to Houston to replace Clendenon in the trade. January 29 – On his first official day as owner of the Washington Senators, Bob Short fires former slugging outfielder Jim Lemon as the club's manager. Washington finished last in the American League with a 65–96 record in 1968, Lemon's only season as pilot. In the coming weeks, Short also will dismiss general manager (GM) George Selkirk and assume Selkirk's former duties himself.
February
February 2 – Pitchers Stan Coveleski and Waite Hoyt are voted into the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. February 4 – Bowie Kuhn, 42, a partner with the National League's law firm, becomes the fifth permanent Commissioner of Baseball following a two-month-long search process. His term will continue through September 30, 1984, and especially be identified with changing player-owner relations and labor strife. Kuhn will be posthumously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2008. February 5 – The New York Mets trade catcher/first baseman Greg Goossen to the Seattle Pilots for a "player to be named later (PTBNL)". New York receives outfielder Jim Gosger on June 14 to complete the deal. February 12 – The St. Louis Cardinals purchase the contract of outfielder Byron Browne from the Houston Astros. February 17 – Spring training opens without 400 players who have decided to boycott it over the pension-fund impasse. February 21 – Hall of Fame hitter Ted Williams returns to uniform as manager of the Washington Senators. Enticed by new owner Bob Short, Williams will lead the 1969 Senators to the only winning season they will enjoy in the former expansion team's 11-year lifespan. February 25 – The MLBPA's spring training boycott ends when owners accept most of the players' terms.
March March 1 – Mickey Mantle announces his retirement at age 37 with 18 seasons, 2,401 games played, 536 homers, three MVP awards, 20 All-Star selections, seven World Series rings, and 12 American League pennants under his belt. He will elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in . March 16 – A plane crash in Maracaibo, Venezuela, kills 155 people, including first baseman Carlos Santeliz, 20, the Venezuelan League Rookie of the Year, who is on his way to the Atlanta Braves' spring training camp. Another fatality is pitcher Néstor "Látigo" Chávez, 21, en route to the San Francisco Giants' camp; he had gone 12–5 with Double-A Waterbury in the Eastern League, including seven shutouts, in , and posted a 1–0 record and 0.00 ERA in two relief appearances with San Francisco that September. Pitcher Pablo Torrealba, scheduled to take the ill-fated flight, misses it and takes a later one. March 17 – The Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals announce a one-for-one trade of All-Stars, with the Braves swapping Joe Torre for the Cardinals' Orlando Cepeda. Torre, 28, will convert from catcher to third base and win the National League Most Valuable Player Award; Cepeda, 31, is only two years removed from his NL MVP season. Both will become members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, although Torre (a nine-time All-Star and .297 lifetime hitter with 252 homers as a player) will be selected to recognize his managerial career. March 21 – Coming out of a one-year retirement, veteran left-hander Johnny Podres, 36, signs as a free agent with the brand-new San Diego Padres. Podres is a familiar figure in Southern California as a former stalwart for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whom he helped win the and World Series. March 28 – Still filling gaps in their maiden roster, the Padres acquire pitcher Tommie Sisk and catcher Chris Cannizzaro from the Pittsburgh Pirates for infielder Bobby Klaus and outfielder Ron Davis. Sisk will appear in 53 games on the mound and Cannizzaro will start 128 contests behind the plate for San Diego in 1969. March 31 – The Baltimore Orioles acquire veteran utility infielder Rutherford "Chico" Salmon from the Seattle Pilots for pitcher Gene Brabender and infielder Gordon Lund.
April
April 1 – The American League's two expansion teams make a deal, with the Kansas City Royals acquiring rookie outfielder Lou Piniella from the Seattle Pilots for pitcher John Gelnar and outfielder Steve Whitaker. Upon winning a regular job, Piniella, already 25, becomes the 1969 AL Rookie of the Year and permanently launches a 1,747-game MLB playing career that lasts into . April 3 – Bill White, 35, returns to the St. Louis Cardinals when he's traded by the Philadelphia Phillies for infielders Jerry Buchek and Jim Hutto. First baseman White was a team leader who was selected to eight All-Star teams during his prior (–) tour as a Redbird. April 4 – The Cleveland Indians and California Angels swap veteran outfielders, with Cleveland reacquiring Chuck Hinton for former Los Angeles Dodger Lou Johnson. Hinton had appeared in 403 games over three seasons with the Indians between and . April 8 In his first official baseball game since his near-fatal beaning on August 18, 1967, Tony Conigliaro goes two-for-four, cracks a two-run homer, and scores the eventual winning run in a 12-inning, Opening-Day 5–4 win for his Boston Red Sox over the Baltimore Orioles at Memorial Stadium. Conigliaro will appear in 141 games for the 1969 Bosox and hit 20 home runs during his comeback season. At Shea Stadium, Dan McGinn hits the first home run in Montreal Expos history, a solo shot against Tom Seaver. The Expos withstand the New York Mets' four-run, ninth-inning rally to win their first National League game, 11–10. At Anaheim Stadium, Mike Hegan hits the first home run in Seattle Pilots history, a two-run shot against Jim McGlothlin. The Pilots score four first inning runs and make them stand up for a 4–3 victory in their maiden AL contest. At San Diego Stadium, Ed Spiezio hits the first home run in San Diego Padres history, a solo shot against Don Wilson of the Houston Astros. Spiezio's fifth-inning blow ties the Padres' first-ever NL game at one, and they'll push over winning run in the next frame. Dick Selma throws a five-hit complete game for the 2–1 triumph. At Municipal Stadium, the Kansas City Royals, in their inaugural game, defeat the Minnesota Twins, 4–3 in 12 innings. Two pitching stars on the Baltimore Orioles team that won the 1966 World Series pitch for the Royals in this game: Wally Bunker throws the very first pitch, and Moe Drabowsky wins the game in relief. The Royals' first batter, Lou Piniella, gets the first hit for the franchise, leading off the game with a double, and scores their first run on Jerry Adair's single one batter later. At Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs open their wild 1969 season in dramatic fashion, as Willie Smith smacks a pinch-hit, two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7–6. April 9 – The Cubs' Billy Williams hits four consecutive doubles to tie the Major League record during an 11–3 win over the visiting Phillies."Top Individual Performances of 1969." Retrosheet. Chicago scores seven runs in the seventh inning. April 10 – At Shea Stadium, Tommie Agee of the New York Mets smashes what will be the longest home run in the ballpark's 45-year history, a blast into the upper deck in left field. The blow comes in the second inning off Larry Jaster of the Montreal Expos, and is one of Agee's two homers that help right-hander Gary Gentry triumph in his MLB debut, 4–1.