A fond memory
On this day in 1969, the Astros swept a doubleheader from the Mets at Shea Stadium. In game one, which was won 16-3, the Astros had an 11 run 9th, aided by grand slams from Jim Wynn and Denis Menke, and Fred Gladding’s only hit of the season which plated a run. Don Wilson got the win to improve his record to 12-7. Gladding pitched 2.2 innings to get the save. In game 2, which was won 11-5, the Astros scored 10 runs in the 3rd. The big swings in the inning were by Curt Blefary, a triple, his 6th of the season, which knocked in 3 runs. Larry Dierker had a 2 run HR off of Nolan Ryan, who was pitching in relief of Gary Gentry. Dierker got the win to advance to a 13-8 record and Fred Gladding, back again, got his 21st save of the season for pitching the 9th with an 11-5 lead.
That afternoon of baseball, enjoyed via radio, is etched indelibly in the memories of my youth.
Etched in my memory too. I remember that double header fairly well.
Having two pitchers with 12-7 and 13-8 records on July 30 on the same team (well my team) seems like a fucking dream these days.
I liked the 2 saves on the same day part. Not sure the last time I saw that.
Too young to remember it, because I wasn’t born for another 5 years, but I wonder (doubtfully) if Dierker has that HR ball
[posting this for @Chuck]
Hader did it in 2022, last I can find
I now do remember Mariano Rivera saving a game at both NY ballparks the same day. But that guy was kind of a freak of nature.
I liked the fact that Fred Gladding got a hit. He, of the “I’m wearing actual glasses on the field while I play” sect, was a notoriously terrible hitter. He sucked. He just happened to get whooshed into the vortex of an 11 run inning and, in an ethereal dream, bat met ball, and ( I didn’t realize this before), he got the only hit of his career in this game. Career hit to save ratio very low.
I doubt he pitched 2.2 innings in either game though
Pressly did it too in, I believe, '21.
1969 was the first year of divisional play. The Astros ended the season 81-81, at one point they were close enough to the lead in the division they printed post season tickets and then the team dropped out of contention finishing in 5th place 12 games out. I remember Gladding was nicknamed Freddy Flintstone. He wasn’t very athletic looking but was a good athlete. He was friend with neighbors down the street. I used to envy my friend Win, who got to go to a lot of games via tickets Gladding secured for Win’s old man. He was Houston first save specialist. The previous off season the Astros traded Dave Guisti to the Cards for Johnny Edwards. Giusti was converted to a very good closer by the Pirates a couple of year later and lead the league in saves one year.
I remember that baseball card quite well.
I remember we used to laugh: “how can he see the plate?”
Less rare these days than I thought, I suppose
Far fewer doubleheaders now.
One of those was a makeup game, so even then is wasn’t a scheduled double header. But yeah, several scheduled doubleheaders a year seemed to be the norm back then.
I saw this and mistook it for July 20, 1969.
My FIL was discharged from the Army that day. He often tells the story of landing in the US and walking through the airport that night to find a group of men at the bar watching the moon landing - something he had completely missed out on while finalizing his discharge. As he tells it, he asked what they were watching, and when they said “we’ve got men walking on the moon!”, he informed them they were way too drunk and moved on to catch his bus.
Might have been ‘69–recall a tight game at the dome trailing SF where in the bottom of the 9th, Edwards crushed a ball to straight center which died in Willie Mays’ glove in front of the 406 sign. Felt bad for big old #6–he done his best, it just wasn’t good enough.
You should have been there with me…Dodgers, Doubleheader, bossman says “we don’t have to do really anything”
Game 1 was in the CF bleachers, General Admission was still there, then meandered to Lefty’s Pub on the floor.
Boss had never been to either of those places, he keeps pointing down at the field boxes, so we did make the way behind the dugout for Game2
Game1 ended with Mike Piazza hitting a Wagner Fastball “through” the Grey Mezzanine level, just about dead center, I just hoped nobody got hurt, never heard otherwise