3 bad NY Mets streaks that failed to destroy the team

The 1969 New York Mets had perfect ending, but not a perfect season

Most people, especially those who didn’t live through it, would be surprised to find out that the 1969 Miracle Mets, yes that team, suffered through not one, but multiple bad streaks, most of which came at the hands of the Houston Astros.

When a team wins 100 games you would think that while there might be a hiccup here and there, there wouldn’t be anything that resembles a meltdown of any kind, especially during a “magical” season like 1969. But while it turned out to be a storybook ending, the beginning was a bit trying.

The Mets started out the ’69 campaign losing the opener to the expansion Montreal Expos in that organization’s very first official game. And they finished the month of April with a losing record of 9-11.

It was during that month of April that the Mets hit their first rough patch, losing 6 of 7 games, including a four-game losing streak with a three-game series sweep by the St. Louis Cardinals. They were also handed a three-game series sweep by the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. Things didn’t bode well.

After the team got going a bit during the month of May, they suffered a three-game series sweep at the Houston Astrodome. The Mets were still under .500 heading into June. And that’s when they took off. They ended May winning three in a row and then began the month of June winning another eight, giving them an 11-game winning streak.

But they would run into another buzz saw ending the month of July losing the last 7 of 10, including another three-game sweep by the Astros at Shea.

And that would be it. Because the Mets would go on to a record of 45-18 the rest of the way and, as they say, the rest is history.