Baseball Update (1969)

Game 3’s broadcast on midday, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 1969, is in glorious color! … It’s Lindsey Nelson working with Curt Gowdy. …  Steve Lawrence sang the national anthem. … Nelson: “They used to say if the Mets advanced to mediocrity that they’d lose their fans. But what happened was they never became mediocre—they went from very bad to very good.”… Frank Robinson has a bruised instep that is getting better “hour by hour, not day by day,” Gowdy quotes the Orioles doctors as saying … Gary Gentry, the Mets’ Game 3 starter, is from Phoenix, and he was a giant high-school and Arizona State college star. “Handsome Jim Palmer,” as Gowdy calls him, is starting for the Orioles, and he went to high school in Scottsdale but then went straight to the minors. … More Gowdy: “There’s Yogi Berra, who's got so many World Series checks that he can’t even count them, is (coaching) at first, and that’s Eddie Yost at third—he was the walking man when he was with the Washington Senators.” … ? … Tommie Agee goes deep center to open the bottom of the first, and the Mets are off and running … Cleon Jones, New York’s left-fielder, hit .340 during the regular season; he led the National League in batting most of the summer, but then he trailed off after a couple of injuries and finished behind Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente and Cincinnati’s Pete Rose … With two out in the second, Palmer walks Jerry Grote, yields a single to .248-hitting Bud Harrelson and then gives up a two-run double to Gentry, who hit .081 and drove in one run during the whole regular season; 3-0, Mets … “Incredible is right,” says Gowdy. … I think Tony Kubek might have Tuesday off … Gowdy scans the crowd to start the third inning: "Julian Goodman there with the button in his lapel, the president of the National Broadcasting Company, and on his right chatting away there is Dick Forbes, advertising manager of Chrysler Corporation—and Earl Warren, former Chief Justice Warren." … Gowdy failed to note this in his telecast, but Julian Goodman cut his chops for the NBC gig as a $3-a-week reporter for The Glasgow (Ky.) Daily Times. … No, here's Kubek--maybe he got held up in traffic. ... The Orioles get men on first and third with one out in the top of the fourth, and . Lindsey Nelson: "Jerry Grote is out there, just trying to settle Gentry down a little. Gentry's got sort of a short fuse. When things start to happen in a hurry--he's still young; he's only 23--sometimes he gets a little bit rattled." Up next: Brooks Robinson, strikeout. And next: Ellie Hendricks. ... Gowdy: “There’s a drive into deep left-center … Racing hard is Agee! … WHAT A GRAB! TOM AGEE! SAVES TWO RUNS!” . ... Still 3-0, Mets. ... Agee and Jones both graduated from the Mobile County (Alabama) Training School. Nelson: "At the Mobile Training School this week, they have a lesson plan--there are no lessons planned this week when the World Series games are on NBC." ... Nelson takes over for Gowdy on play-by-play in the bottom of the fifth. ... Mets add one in the sixth to go up, 4-0. ... With two out in the seventh, a walk loads the bases for Baltimore, and Gil Hodges pulls Gentry in favor of Nolan Ryan. ... Paul Blair up: Strike 1 watching, Strike 2 swinging ... Nelson: "It's a fly to center; this will be tough to get to! ... AGEE!" ... Gowdy: "This man has quite possibly saved five runs in this game." ... Still 4-0. ... Nelson: "The World Series makes heroes, and Agee is the hero of the day." ... Agee walks to open the bottom of the seventh, moves to second on a bunt ("if you're scoring, make it, 'Sac 1-4,'" says Nelson) but is stranded. ... Nelson says Ryan treats blisters on his fingers by soaking them in pickle brine. ... Jackie Onassis is at today's game. Nelson: "And there's John-John, making the exit and, I'll bet, headed to the concession stand." ... Kubek hooks up with Jerry Lewis to open the bottom of the eighth, and Lewis gets going on some kooky stuff with the people around in the stands. Kubek cuts it short. NBC let Nelson Rockefeller and Casey Stengal go on and on into the first batters of innings earlier in the game, but Lewis gets the quick hook. ... The Mets got another run somewhere. It's 5-0. ... In the bottom of the ninth, the Orioles, trailing 5-0, have two runners on. Earl Weaver has pinch-hit for his pitcher, and yet there is no one up and working in the Baltimore bullpen. ... I wonder who Earl Morrall and Don Shula are rooting for in this game. ... OK, now Eddie Watt's loosening up with Nolan Ryan behind 3-1 to Don Buford. ... Walk, bases loaded. ... Strikeout. ... Game over. ... Mets 5, Orioles 0. New York leads the series, two games to one.