June 8, 1969...GAME 51 (SEA 5, BAL 1)

Cuellar was tossing a shutout until the top of the 7th when the Pilot bats exploded for 3 runs. Tommy Davis led off the inning with a homer to knot it at 1. Comer and Mincher both made out and it looked like Cuellar was back in cruise control mode until Kennedy tripled. McNertney walked and Larry Haney, pinch hitting for Oyler, singled home the second run of the inning to put the Pilots on top 2-1. To finish it off Cuellar grooved one to Gus Gil who doubled down the right field line to make it 3-1. The Pilots followed up with 2 more runs in the 8th to put the game out of reach as Mincher homered off of reliever Dick Hall. 5 Pilot pitchers combined to allow the mighty Orioles only 1 run. Barber went 5 and gave up that one run, which was a solo shot to Boog Powell in the bottom of the second. Barber's arm tightened up and he was gone after 5 innings of good work. Brabender pitched one inning to get the win and Bouton, O'D and Segui held down the fort as Seattle took 2 of 3 from a 1st place team.

Bouton Bites: Today was the day for the clinic at DC Stadium, which was going to be rededicated RFK Stadium. The Pilots contingent of Joe Schultz, Don Mincher, Mike Marshall, Marty Pattin and Bouton headed out on a bus from Baltimore to D.C. When they got to the hotel staging area, to find out which ghetto neighborhood they were to work at both Schultz and Mincher bailed and jumped a cab back to Baltimore. Mike Marshall said he could see it coming. "Joe couldn't cope with the situation. he wasn't in charge. he was forced to follow along. It was frustrating to him not to know what the plan was and he's neither intelligent nor competent enough to be at ease with the unknown. That's why he surrounds himself with other people, coaches, who are as narrow as he is. He wants to rule out anyone who might bring up new things to cope with. He wants to lay down some simple rules---keep your hat on straight, pull your socks up, make sure everybody has the same color sweatshirt---and live by them."Joe Schultz tidbit: Marshall and the Pilots just blew a game yet Schultz was as happy as a lark in the clubhouse. Marshall thought it was strange until he heard Schultz saying, "Lou Brock stole his 25th base tonight. That's 25 out of 25." At that moment Marshall thought, "My God. The man's living in a dream world. He still thinks he's with the Cardinals."

June 7, 1969...GAME 50 (SEA 4, BAL 3)

Reverse the score and give the Pilots the win this time. Brabender went 7 and gave up only 3 and Segui came on to toss 2 scoreless innings of relief to beat the mighty O's. With the score tied at 1 the Pilots posted a 3 spot in the top of the 6th to go ahead for good. Brabender led off an Palmer struck him out looking. Harper singled and stole second. Palmer must have been rattled by Harper, because he walked Hegan on 4 pitches. Tommy Davis singled home Harper and Mincher brought in Hegan. Jim Palmer didn't have it, giving up 4 in 7 innings. Eddie Watt relieved, and didn't allow a run.

Bouton Bites: The players were discussing the aborted player strike during the exhibition season. The topic came to Carl Yastrzemski because he ignored the strike. Gary Bell (former teammate of his in BOS) said, "Didn't surprise me. Carl Yastrzemski is for himself first and second and the hell with everybody else." Bouton: "Gee, Gary, Carl Yastrzemski ?" During the so-called strike Yaz called several superstars in an attempt to form a separate committee and settle things without the Players' Association. Fortunately they told him to take a hike, son.

June 6, 1969...GAME 49 (BAL 4, SEA 3)

The Pilots lost a heartbreaker to the league leading Orioles. Up 3-2 the Pilots surrendered 2 to Baltimore in the bottom of the 6th and that was it. Gary (Bell) went 7 strong innings and only yielded 4 runs to the mighty O's. Gelnar and O'D finished out the 8th. McNally gave up 3 runs in 5 inning to Seattle and looked shaky. Unfortunately Marcelino Lopez looked like a vintage McNally in 3 innings of 1 hit work. Pete Richert, the lefty who does better vs righties, came on to notch his 3rd save. The Orioles scored 2 in the 6th as Brooks Robinson doubled home Frank Robby and Boog Powell.

Bouton Bite: "And why is it, I ask myself, that baseball players are allowed to smoke during a game and that it's all right to sneak a smoke in the runway or even to go back into the clubhouse for a goddam cigarette, but if you take a candy bar out to the bullpen you get all kinds of static."

June 4, 1969...GAME 48 (CLE 6, SEA 0)

Marshall was the sacrificial lamb being sent to the slaughter as Sudden Sam McDowell threw a 2 hitter and recorded 11 strikeout. After 2 straight games filled with offensive fireworks the Pilots were grounded tonight. Dick Simpson and Wayne Comer had both hits. Talbot relieved Marshall and threw 3 scoreless innings. He also mentioned to Joe and Sal that his arm feels real good and he's ready to start anytime the need him. Great, a lobbyist !

June 3, 1969...GAME 47 (SEA 10, CLE 1)

The Pilots scored 9 runs off of El Tiante', who is having a down year (1-7, 4.52). Marty Pattin again got pulled early, even though he was tossing a shutout. Looks like Joe and Sal saw Marty laboring and didn't want to risk that 9 run lead. The recipient of the "gimme" win was Bouton, who did throw 4 innings of 1 run / 1 hit ball. Of course that run turned out to be a homer by Lee Maye. Bouton notched his 4th win of the season against 1 defeat. Steve Whitaker had 3 hits and 2 RBI's and Mincher had 4 RBI's. Both homered. Gosger got in again as a pinch hitter and walked which did not help his .063 average. Gut feeling here is that he is not going to be around much longer with numbers like those. Oyler finally got a hit to boost his average to .164. Good thing he's got a great glove.

June 2, 1969...GAME 46 (SEA 13, CLE 5)

An almost 90 minute rain delay coupled with a 13 run offensive explosion by the Pilots combined to make the evening both enjoyable and frustrating. Seattle spotted Cleveland 5 runs in the first. By the time the rain hit in the third the score was 5-1 and most fans, not that there were a lot attending, decided to not return when the clouds cleared. What they missed was one of the finest offensive explosions the Pilots put together all year. 3 runs in both the fourth and fifth innings respectively gave the Pilots a 2 run lead that was never challenged. 1 run in the sixth helped out and 5 in the 8th made it a laugher. Both Mincher, and Rich Rollins had 3 hits apiece. Rollins and Whitaker had 4 RBI's each. Not wanting to risk hurting Barber's sore arm, Joe Schultz removed him from the game and Brabender took the hill after the rain ended. Newcomer John Gelnar tossed 4 innings of 1 hit ball to notch the "W" and Talbot handled the mop up duties in the 9th.

Bouton Bits: (Fred) Talbot is in rare form these days. Like he was telling us how it used to be in the sheet-metal shop of the industrial school he went to. When they were taught how to weld, the first thing they did was weld the door shut when the teacher left the room. the next thing they did was weld every tool in the place onto a metal tractor, which was kept in the center of the room. And for kicks, they heat a steel bar until it was red hot, let the color cool out of it and then ask the new boy to bring over the metal bar. All it would cost was the skin off his hand.

Why Baseball Didn't Make it in Seattle: The team agreed (against Bouton's suggestions) that they accept nothing less than $100 for personal appearances and autograph sessions. They also agreed to stand by the MLB rule that states that players should not sign autographs while in uniform and on the field. Bouton makes the case that they need to be more fan friendly and that the lesser known players should charge less or they would not receive any invites for personal appearances. In a related story the team was asked to participate in a clinic for underprivileged kids in D.C. Bouton said sarcastically, "Well, isn't there some way we can get these kids to kick in their lunch money or something to us ?" Surprisingly almost everyone laughed !

June 1, 1969...GAME 45 (DET 13, SEA 6)

Second bad outing in a row for Brabender, who gave up 11 runs in 4 innings worth of work. On the bright side, only 8 were earned. The fielding has been less than stellar as of late. The offense came to life, as it seems to do one out of every three games...but the pitching (sorry Gene) and the fielding took the night off vs the defending World Champs. Norm Cash again came to work. Tonight he went 3 for 4 and hit a solo shot in the 5th to help chase Brabender. Fred Talbot again got some work, throwing 5 innings and giving up 2. Seems the newcomer is already ahead of the Bulldog on the depth charts.

Beaver Shooting Tale: Jim Gosger, hiding in a closet to shoot a little beaver while his roommate made out on the bed with some local talent. Nothing sneaky about it, the roommate even provided the towel for Gosger to bite on in case he was moved to laughter. At the height of the activity on the bed, local talent, moaning, says, "Oh darling, I've never done it that way before," Whereupon Gosper sticks his head out, drawls "Yeah, surrrre," and retreats into the closet. "Yeah surrre" is now the official watchword on the club.

May 31, 1969...GAME 44 (DET 8, SEA 2)

Gary (Bell) didn't have it from the beginning and Joe Schultz left him out to dry to take one for the team. 8 runs (5 earned) over 5 innings helped drop his record to 3-4 and balloon his ERA to 4.28. Talbot came in to throw 2 scoreless innings of relief and so did Bouton, who isn't thrilled about mop up work. Norm cash had a big 4-5 day. The Pilots whole team had just 4 hits. Joe Sparma won the game for the Tigers and increased his record to 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA. Is he really that good ?

Bouton Bits: Tony Kubek and Mickey Mantle were here to do the TV broadcast for NBC and before the game Mickey was down in the clubhouse. With me (Bouton) standing right there, Joe Schultz says, "Mickey, what do you think of a guy who comes to a ballpark fifteen minutes before the game starts?" Mickey shook his head sadly. "I know he's got some strange ideas," he said.

May 30, 1969...GAME 43 (DET 5, SEA 2)

Chuck Hiller of all people holds Seattle to 2 runs over 7 innings. Patting had a shutout going for 5 innings then was removed a pinch hitter (Rich Rollins), who promptly got out. Seattle brass told the press that Pattin's arm seized up. Pattin had no comment. New arrival (from the Yankees) Fred Talbot surrendered all 5 runs in two innings worth of work as Detroit won 5-2. Dick Simpson went 3-4 with a key RBI for the Pilots. Simpson was acquired from New York for Jose Vidal.

Bouton Bits: Never assume that since it's Friday that you are playing a night game. That kind of logic almost got Bouton in trouble. At 1:30pm Gary Bell called his house to find out where in the hell he was. The clever Bouton replied, "where the hell are you?". Thankfully the Bouton clan pitched together to get Jim out the door. A standing ovation awaited him as he entered the clubhouse. Back in his Yankee days he came late for a World Series game that he wasn't starting. The team had a meeting, which he missed, and boy did he hear it. Of course if he showed up early, but hungover that would be ok (I wonder what former superstar he was referring to ?)

May 28, 1969...GAME 42 (BAL 8, SEA 5)

Dave McNally couldn't find his control and was gone by the 4th inning. Marcellino Lopez gave up 3 runs in 3 innings of work, but it didn't matter as the Pilots lost 8-5 to the dominating O's. Boog Powell hit 2 more homers, one off of starter Mike Marshall and one off of this burgeoning author named Bouton. The knuckleball didn't knuckle and when it doesn't knuckle fans in the bleachers need to take cover. Bouton gave up 3 runs in only 2 innings of work and saw his ERA rise to 2.00. Funny how management notices one poor outing, yet forgets all of the other really good one's. Frontrunning at its finest !

Bouton Bite: Jim Pagliaroni joined the club tonight and is going to be a welcome addition. He was describing a girl that one of the ballplayers had been out with and said, "It's hard to say exactly what she looked like. She was kind of a Joe Torre with tits." This joke can only be explained with a picture of Joe Torre. But I'm not sure any exist. He dissolves camera lenses.

May 27, 1969...GAME 41 (BAL 7, SEA 5)

The Orioles are in town, and boy are they dominating the AL East. 31-15 is their record, but you still have to hope that you can beat them, especially after coming off a 7-0 domination of the Tribe. The game went to extra innings and the O's scored 2 in the top of the 9th to win it, because they are a great team, and great teams win these types of games. Brabender went 9 and gave up 5 (4 earned) and kept the Pilots in it even though he didn't have his best stuff (does anyone on this staff have their best stuff anymore ?). Earl Weaver, aka Paul Johnson, used 5 pitchers, with Dick Hall (3 innings) going the longest. Starter Tom Phoebus had nothing and didn't stick around after he surrendered 4 in the first 2 innings. Ellie Hendricks, who had only 1 hit in 6 trips to the plate singled home Don Bufford and Paul Blair off of John O'Donoghue. Harper and McNertney had 2 hits apiece. Boog Powell hit a tape measure 2 run shot off of Brabender in the 1st.

May 25, 1969...GAME 40 (SEA 7, CLE 0)

The losing streak is over !!! The Pilots just don't end losing streaks they end them in grandiose fashion. This time the offense came alive like Oyler on a bumpy bus ride to the tune of a 7-0 shutout of "the Tribe". After Marty Pattin tired before he could finish 5 innings Jim Bouton came on to throw two scoreless frames and notch his 3rd win of the season. Mike Marshall came out of the pen to throw 3 scoreless innings to get credited with a "meaningless save". Most curious was the fact that the Pilots scored their 7 runs on only 4 hits. Shouldn't it have been 4 runs on 7 hits ? Quick...run and hide and take the win before the official scorer reverses that too ! Rumor has it that Pattin was not happy about being removed after 4 innings of shutout ball and having his "lay up" win go to Bouton.

May 24, 1969...GAME 39 (CLE 5, SEA 2)

6th loss in a row. Just what the offense needed, Sudden Sam McDowell. Rumor has it Sam can tie one on with the best of him, but his "heat" is not a rumor. Sam can flat out bring it as he struck out 8. Barber had one of his better games (for him). He matched McDowell in the strikeout department, but not in the runs allowed as the Pilots lost by 3. Dick Simpson had the "Golden Sombrero", which means he K'd 4 straight time in embarrassing fashion. Batting averages around here are dropping faster than Nixon's approval rating.

Bullpen Chatter: Steve "sore armed" Barber left the game in the 6th when his arm stiffened up. This was cause for immediate conversation in the pen:

Gary Bell: His (Barber's) next start will probably come next July.

O'Donoghue: Or Later

Bouton: Depending on how his arm feels.

May 23, 1969...GAME 38 (CLE 3, SEA 2)

Marshall had the lowly Indians (7-27) shutout until the 6th when they posted 3 runs. Marshall went the distance and didn't allow another run. Unfortunately for him the Pilots only scored 2 on four lousy hits. Max Alvis had 3 hits and a key RBI in that inning. When Marshall pitches well we don't score, when he pitches poorly the Pilots score just enough to lose a close one.

Key Bouton Observastion: Flying into Cleveland last night I thought about lif in this gret American city and decided that if you were going to crash on a cleveland flight it would be better if it was an inbound flight.

May 22, 1969...GAME 32 (WAS 9, SEA 8)

"Ole Roomie" Gary Bell got torched for 8 runs (7 earned) in just over 3 innings of work, but Bouton got the loss since the team rallied to tie it. Jimbo gave up 1 unearned run in the 5th as Cox and Knowles blanked the Pilots for the final 5 stanzas. John Kennedy and Mike Hegan had key errors in the 5th to help give away the game. Mincher hit his 5th on the season, but the Pilots got swept by the Senators and now are riding a 3 game losing streak. Two big revelations occurred:Maglie and Bouton fought again about how many pitches he threw warming up in the pen (180) and Ray Oyler got discovered an errection in the back of the bus. Joe Schultz said he'd talk to Maglie and Oyler promptly offered to buy the bus.

May 21, 1969...GAME 36 (WAS 8, SEA 2)

Improvement !!! Washington scored 1 less run and Seattle posted one additonal one. All kidding aside, this was not good at all. Brabender got knocked out after 2, because he gave up 6 and was virtually throwing BP. Every Senator had a hit. Joe Coleman went 7 and gave up only 2 to improve his record to 6-2. Fred Talbot arrived on the scene. Former Yankee and former adversary of Bouton. Talbot immediately got the ball and pitched the final 6 innings and allowed only 2 runs. Fred's got the potential to be one of the good "ole" boys.

Coaching today at it's finest: Eddie O'Brien (aka Mr. Small) made a major announcement "Gentlemen, from now on we an ll run with our hats off. It's really silly for us to run with our hats on, because the band gets all sweaty and ruins the hat. Bouton of course had to respond by saying, "How come you weren't able to think about this a few weeks ago ?"O'B: "Well, it wasn't as warm then and we weren't sweating at the same rate as we are now"JIM: "Oh..."

Joe Schultz got thrown out of the game for offering the home plate ump his glasses after an obvious blown HR call. At least he's keeping the squad loose.

May 20, 1969...GAME 35 (WAS 9, SEA 1)

4 runs in the 1st and 3 runs in the 3rd tells the whole story. 3 hits off of Hannan further defines it. Pattin gave up 7 runs in 5 innings, but to his defense 3 were unearned. Washington hit back to back to back homers in the 3rd. Frank "Capital Punisher" Howard, Mike Epstein and Ken McMullen had the honors. Teddy "MF" Ballgame was seen smiling ear to ear in the home dugout. Surely Pattin's performance backs up his feeling that pitchers are dumb. Tommy Harper's solo shot in the 6th was all the offense Seattle could muster. Big news of the day, The Yankees ship Fred Talbot over here for Jack Aker, who was dying a slow death. Aker, who was targeted as the Pilots closer, closed the door on his Seattle career with an ERA higher than Jimi Hendrix. Talbot wasn't doing much better in New York. Chalk this one up to "a change of scenery might do them both some good".Since he's been pitching real well Bouton was interviewed by the local media the day before. Fans, media and especially coaches are frontrunners. The media asks stupid questions like "what are you doing different?" The great Johnny Sain says, "The world doesn't want to hear about labor pains, it only wants to see the baby".

Two "big" trades were made today: Jose Vidal / Jack Aker to the Yanks for Dick Simpson / Fred Talbot.

May 18, 1969...GAME 34 (BOS 7, SEA 2)

Mike Marshall had nothing and by the 6th he was gone and the Pilots were facing down a 3 run deficit. Ray Culp also went 6, but he only yielded 2 runs en route to his 8th win on the season against zero losses. Marshall seemed ok until the 4th when the Bosox posted 5 runs. Both Mike Andrews and Reggie Smith hammered out 3 hits for the Sox. Steve Whitaker, in a rare start in right went 3 for 5 himself, but never touched home. Jack Aker came on in the 8th for mop up duty and yielded a run. His ERA is so high that 1 run in 1 2/3 innings actually helped lower it. Bouton got to thinking about God and sports today. Like many of us he begins to wonder about athletes who are interviewed and credit God or Jesus with their success. He even feels tempted to go out of his way to say "God didn't help me". Sometimes I wonder what happens to the losers ? Did God omit them from his success list today ? I respect everyone's right to believe in what they believe it, but come on guys it just might be your skill and maybe God has bigger things to worry about in this world than who wins a dumb kids game.

May 17, 1969...GAME 33 (SEA 3, BOS 2)

Nobody wanted this win more than Gary "Ding Dong" Bell. Beating the team that cast you off is the goal of any expansion team player. Bell was brilliant for almost 8 innings, but the Pilots could not score for him. Jack Aker started the ninth and could not protect another lead. His ERA has ballooned to 15.00 and rumor has it Marvin Milkes is looking to find him a change of scenery. The Pilots scored in the top of the 10th and Diego Segui came on board to get one out and notch his 6th save on the season. Don Mincher hit a homer off of Romo to put the Pilots ahead. Aker blamed the 35 minute rain delay in the 9th for his shoulder stiffening up. One curious observer said, "but he wasn't even in the game at that point".

Bouton and Maglie went at it again. Maglie again is clinging to the idea that a pitcher can not get by with just one pitch, aka the knuckleball. When asked about throwing it all the time Sal responded:

SAL: Well, you can do that if it's breaking

JIM: Fine, Then I can throw it all the time

SAL: But they start looking for the damn thing, and if it doesn't break you got nothing else.

JIM: What about (Hoyt) Wilhelm ? They wait for his knuckleball.

SAL: He throws that slider of his once in a while.

JIM: sure, but they don't look for his slider. They look for his knuckleball. He throws that slider of his once in a while. And what about when you threw the curve ball ?

SAL: When I was pitching they always looked for the curve (said with huge pride).

JIM: But you threw other pitches, didn't you ?

SAL: Oh, yeah !

JIM: But they always looked for your curve, right ?

SAL: Yeah, but they just couldn't hit. They tried, but they couldn't.

JIM: (thinking to himself) Even after all that he wouldn't admit that it didn't matter if the hitter was looking for it as long as the pitch was good enough. It all goes back to not wanting to contradict what he said in spring training.

May 16, 1969...GAME 32 (SEA 5, BOS 4)

Wayne Comer hit two homers and knocked in all 5 of Seattle's runs. Boston's manager, Dick Williams, was heard mumbling, "Comer hits 2 in one game ? He didn't even hit 2 in his career". Sour grapes, no...just an accurate assement regarding the former Tiger castoff. The big clout was the grand slam he hit off of Sonny Siebert in the 1st. Marty Pattin got the win, but he did give up 3 runs in only 5 innings of work. Bouton went 3 and gave up 1 and Diego Segui got the save.

May 14, 1969...GAME 31 (NYY 13, SEA 9)

Interesting discussion on caps. Some players put their caps on front first, while others put them on from the back. The conversation turned toward how Joe "I've got a collection of hair pieces" Pepitone puts his cap on...response: VERY CAREFULLY !. For all those interested Pepitone wears a toupee under his cap that he calls his "game piece". Rumor has it that it almost fell off once during the national anthem when he doffed his cap. Speaking of Pepi, his bat came alive in this one as he went 2 for 5 with a big 2 run shot in the 5th and played smooth at 1st. Mike Marshall had nothing on the mound and was forced to take one for the team as he surrendered 11 runs in 7 innings. The Pilot offense did score 9, which begs one to wonder why Marshall stuck around so long and wasn't replaced with some one who could protect a 9 run offensive explosion. Pilots again dropped below .500.

May 13, 1969...GAME 30 (SEA 3, NYY 2)

Roommates Bell and Bouton (Killer B's ?) combined for the win over Yankee ace and Washington state native Mel Stottlemyre took the loss. The Bombers were up 2-1, when Seattle touched Mel for 2 in the 5th. Don Mincher singled home both Tommy Harper and Mike Hegan who reached base on consecutive walks. The news of the day was that Bouton threw 3 hitless / scoreless innings to notch his 2nd save of the season and more importantly get some sense of satisfaction. Prior to the contest Yankee skipper Ralph Houk commented on how well the Bulldog looked this season. The Bulldog intimated that he wouldn't mind coming back to NY to finish his career and be close to home.

May 12, 1969...GAME 29 (NYY 8, SEA 6)

They world stops when the Yankees come to town. Not the vintage Yanks of the early 60's, but still enough remnants of those great teams to draw a crowd. Nobody wants to do well in this series more than "the bulldog" himself. When a team gives up on you and casts you off like a sack of moldy potatoes you really want to get a pound of flesh back from them. The opener was a tight 6-5 game until the Bombers came alive and scored 3 runs in the top of the 9th to run away with it. Again Schultz went with Segui out of the pen and he was rewarded with 1/3 of a inning of work and 3 runs, which blew a 6-5 Pilot lead. This was Segui's 2nd blown save opportunity of the young season. It all started with Gene "Stick" Michael leading off with a pinch hit double. Michael replaced Tommy Tresh, who looks to be in full decline. Fernandez reached second on a throwing error by McNertney on a bunt attempt. Stick scored as the throw went into left. Sammy Ellis registered the second pinch hit double of the inning for NY and played Fernandez to put the Bombers up by 1. Jerry Kenney singled him home after Horace Clarke advanced him on a bunt. The game took 3 hours and 41 minutes as the Pilots fell below the .500 mark again.

May 11, 1969...GAME 28 (SEA 4, WAS 1)

When you need a win to bust out of a slump you need to got to the B & B boys (Brabender and Bouton). Gene went 7 innings and gave up only 1 run, but his arm was ready to fall off. Bulldog came on and didn't allow a hit in 2 innings to notch his 1st save of the season. Sal Maglie second guess nothing. Joe Schultz promised him time to throw in the bullpen whenever he needed it. Jim Gosger, who is hitting .073, must really make his hits count as he blasted a 2 run shot off of Hannan in the 4th to make the score 3-0 Pilots, who never looked back. After 28 games the expansion Pilots are now 14-14, which is more than respectable for a 1st year club.

May 10, 1969...GAME 27 (WAS 10, SEA 1)

Marty Pattin gave up 7 in the first (8 overall) as the Senators and Camillo Pascual dominated the Pilots. Brandon did come on board to pitch 6 1/3 scoreless ball, but Washington's bats and legs might have been more tired than Brandon's pitching was good. Aker finished it out and didn't give up a run, which tells you just how tired the Senators were. This was Seattle's 9th loss in 11 games and the team fell below .500 for the first time since opening day.

May 9, 1969...GAME 26 (WAS 4, SEA 2)

The combination of Marshall and Bouton could not out pace Joe Coleman. Marshall gave up 4 runs over 8 innings, while the Pilots could only scratch out 2 harmless runs. Bouton pitched a scoreless 9th and recorded to K's. Frank Howard, the Capital Punisher, wend deep for a solo shot. Why does anyone pitch to him ? Maglie says to give him low heat on the outside corner. Shoot if pitching were really that easy...

May 7, 1969...GAME 25 (BOS 7, SEA 3)

Boston scored early and often. In fact they scored at least 1 run in 7 of the 9 innings to take game 2 of this short 2 game set. Gary "Ding Dong" Bell went 7, but gave up 5. Barber, in relief gave up 2 in 2. Neither one quite effective. Bell was heard mumbling something about breaking out those real estate books and Barber was headed to the diathermy. Bouton being the good roomie he is offered to take Bell to dinner, but Gary said he wanted to go out drinking instead...and drinking alone.

May 6, 1969...GAME 24 (BOS 7, SEA 4)

Brabender had a 3-2 lead going into the 9th. He looked to be tiring, but no call went the bullpen. In the blink of an eye the Bosox scored 4 and had a 5 run lead. Yaz hit a big 2 run shot after Thomas had tripled home 2. The Pilots fought back to score 2 in the bottom of the 9th only to see Mincher strike out with runners on to end it. Nobody gives any grief to the "good ole boys".

May 4, 1969...GAMES 22/23 (OAK 11, SEA 4) & (SEA 3, OAK 1)

First game of a twi-light double header. This one was a blow out. 11-4 read the final and it probably could have been worse. Down 7-4 after 7, Aker came on and gave up 4 runs to put it firmly out of reach. Jack hasn't gotten anyone out all season. Two errors did not help our cause either. Tommy Harper went 3 for 3 with 2 Ribbies as he raised his avg to .307. Hegan got 1 hit and his avg dropped to .339.

The second game of the twin bill was a must for Seattle. Losing this one would have meant gettin swept in 4 games by the A's. Brandon started and gave the team 7 solid innings of 5 hit 1 run ball. In fact both teams scored 1 in the 1st and posted goose eggs all the way through. One Jim Bouton cam on and threw a scoreless 8th to notch the win as the Pilots scored 2 in the 9th and Segui cam on for the save. The 8th inning wasn't pretty as Bouton hit Blue Moon Odom, Oakland's pitcher, to start things off. With 2 outs Reggie walked and the Bulldog snuck a 84 mph fastball by Sal Bando to keep the game in check. Seattle scrapped to score 2 in the 9th after Harper led off with a walk and promptly stole 2nd. Odom paid too much attention to Harper and wound up walking Hegan. Comer laid down a beautiful bunt to make it 2nd and 3rd with only one out. Old reliable, Tommy Davis singled to center to score Harper and Mincher singled to right to score Hegan. The win ended a 3 game losing steak.

May 3, 1969...GAME 21 (OAK 7, SEA 0)

The final score reads 7-0 Oakland and all one can think about is, "damn, Seattle go blown out". That's the furthest from the truth. Going into the bottom of the 8th the score was 3-0. Marshall was certainly being crafty and getting by on guile. The floodgates opened in the 8th when Oakland scored 4 runs on 5 hits. The big blow was a double by Jim "Pags" Pagliaroni their backup catcher. If he keeps doing stuff like that Marvin Milkes will probably acquire him !

May 2, 1969...GAME 20 (OAK 3, SEA 2)

We know it rains in Seattle, but who would have guessed that it would rain in Oakland. There was a 16 minute rain delay in the 4th, but it did not have an affect in the outcome of the game. Steve "my arm is not sore" Barber went 5 and gave up only 1 run, which looked like it might hold up until the Pilots tied it in the top of the 9th. Rollie Fingers got Rich Rollins to fly to Reggie in right to lead off the inning. Ranew singled and Kennedy came on to run for him. McNertney, the bachelor, doubled to make it 2nd and 3rd with only 1 out, but Oyler was up. Now we all love Oyler, but his batting average isn't even on the interstate, so Steve Whitaker pinch hits and hits a sac fly to right to tie it. In the 10th Seattle scores again to take the lead as Wayne Comer hit a bullet to left. Unfortunately Segui couldn't get anyone out and Danny Cater doubled home two to give Oakland the loss.Even in a heartbreaking loss some good can be found. Bouton threw 3 scoresless innings in relief of Barber and the knuckleball was twisting.

May 1, 1969...GAME 19 (SEA 1, SEA 0)

Ding Dong Bell went 7 scoreless innings and the Bulldog pitched a scoreless 8th, but the game still went 11 and Diego Segui was in there to get the win and increase his record to 4-0. Perranoski, the closer of the 60's gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, when Steve Whitaker led off with a triple. Tommy Davis was called on to pitch for Don Mincher, who was not ecstatic about being removed from such a clutch situation. Tommy is a fantastic hitter when he see's lefthanded pitching and Mincher is not. Still Mincher is a veteran who still hold a grudge against the Twin organization for trading him to the Angels in 67 for a player to be named later and Dean Chance. Mincher wanted to get a bit of revenge, but he had to sit and watch Davis get an intentional walk instead. In a strange twist of fate Rich Rollins, another Twin castoff, lofted a sac fly to Greg Nettles in LF to plate Whitaker as the go ahead run. Segui got the Twins to go 3 up and 3 down in the home half and the Pilots stole a 1-0 win in 11. This was the third consecutive game the Pilots scored just 1 run. Consider them lucky to have won 1 of those 3.

Joe Schultz quote of the day: "Hey, I want to see some el stikos thrown around here."

Interaction with Maglie:

Bouton: Sal I've made some decisions about my knuckleball adn I's like to talk them over with you:

Sal: Mblvckd ?

Bouton: Yes, Well, I think I've got to throw the knuckleball all the time and forget about my other pitches.

Sal: Of course, Christ, if you don't do that you won't get anybody out. That's your bread and butter.

Bouton: Another thing, I've got to throw the ball for about 15 minutes before the game to get the feel of it. I don't worry about tiring my arm. Strength means nothing to me.

Sal: Certainly, Absolutely, otherwise you can't stay sharp with it.

Permission granted for the Bulldog to do it his way.

April 30, 1969...GAME 18 (MIN 3, SEA 1)

Second loss in a row. Brabender gave up 3 in the first 3 innings and the anemic Pilot offense was never able to recover. Bouton tossed a scoreless 8th and recorded one "K" of Johnny Roseboro. When you hold that All-Star Twin lineup to 3 runs you should be able to win, but this was not in the cards for the Pilots. Hall and Perranoski combined for a 4 hitter. The lone Pilot run came in the 5th when Jose Vidal stole home on a unique triple steal attempt while Brabender was up with 2 outs. Lots of confidence being shown in Brabender's bat with that play call.

April 29, 1969...GAME 17 (CAL 2, SEA 1)

Mary Pattin pitched a complete game gem and only gave up 2 runs. Unfortunately for the Pilots California's Jim McGlothlin gave up 1 run and outdueled Marty. Jay Johnstone homered in the 1st to start the scoring. No one scored after Reichardt singled Davillio home in the 3rd. Foul mouthed Oyler knocked in the Pilots only run. Hegan is still over .400, but most importantly one Jim Bouton was called up from Vancouver after holidaying in balmy Hawaii. The bulldog never got into the game, but had a fantastic dialogue with pitching coach Maglie:

Sal: Hi, what time did you get in

Bouton: 8 yesterday morning from Hawaii

Sal: Humglmpf

And they say coaches aren't articulate...

April 27, 1969...GAME 16 (SEA 6, OAK 5)

Final game in Hawaii before heading back to the mainland. Bouton notched another save, but gave up his first earned run in his stint down on the farm.

Meanwhile the big club took a 6-5 decision from the A's for a series sweep and 6th consecutive win. How is this possible ? Mike Marshall gave up 3 in a little over 6 innings of work to go 3-0. Segui got his 3rd save. Hegan hit a 2 run homer and went 2 for 3 as he raised his average to an obscene .432. Ray "filthy mouth" Oyler is hitting .250, which for him is like .432.

April 26, 1969...GAME 15 (SEA 4, OAK 0)

First time Bouton didn't get into a game for Vancouver. Bob Lemon spoke with Milkes (GM-SEA) to tell him how well the bulldog is doing. Goosen asked Bulldog if he calls home after every victory or save, to which he was told yes. Goosen replied, "big deal that means you only call 3 times a year".

Parent club won 4-0 over the A's. Sore armed Steve Barber tossed 8 shutout innings and Diego Segui notched his 2nd save of the season. Jack Aker was again ineffective and got only 1 out in the 9th before yielding to Segui. Hegan had 2 hits, including a triple, to raise his average to .415. If he keeps this up he'll wind up getting traded !

April 25, 1969...GAME 14 (SEA 7, OAK 2)

With Bouton still in the minors and tearing it up (7 straight appearances and 4 saves) the Pilots beat up on the A's. Ding Dong Bell went 8 innings and gave up just 1 run for the victory and evened his record at 2-2. Hegan went 1 for 3 and saw his average drop to .405.

April 23, 1969...GAME 13 (SEA 4, KC 3)

Marty Pattin went 8 strong innings and Jack Aker came on to save it with a scoreless 9th as the Pilots swept the Royals in a 3 games set. Each game was a one run affair. Aker lowered his ERA to 14.21, yet our hero Mr. Bouton is still toiling in the minors. Ok, it's tough to say toiling when you sit in the bullpen sipping mai tai's for 8 innings and come in to close out the game against minor league talent.

Bouton saved another one tonight. Jimmy Reese said, "What are you doing in this league ?". That's a compliment, by the way !!! Bob Lemon has complete faith in our hero who didn't expect to get called into his 3rd straight contest. When the call went to the pen he was on hold trying to make a collect call to his wife. Lucky for him Rollie Sheldon (pictured in Red Sox uni) was able to stall, so he could get ready. Is a return to the Emerald City eminent ?

Mike Hegan went 2 for 4 to raise his average to .412. Word has it that T.S. Williams, manager of the Washington Senators, is beginning to worry. No talks about asterisk's yet.

April 22, 1969...GAME 12 (SEA 6, KC 5)

Bouton's knuckler is getting stronger. Another outing where he didn't give up any runs. Only hit was allowed to former major league manager Bob "Buck" Rogers. We learn that mai tais can corrupt an All-American boy and siamin is a great soup served at Hawaiian ballparks instead of crackerjacks !

I'm sure it didn't break the Bulldog's heart to learn that the Pilots bullpen cracked under pressure and the team was lucky to escape with a 1 run victory over the Royals. Gene Brabender gave up 3 in the bottom of the 9th and the Pilots held on to a 1 run victory. Diego Segui was brilliant as a starter and gave up only 1 run in 6 innings of work. Seattle was up 6-2 unitl Brabender imploded in the 9th and barely held on. What turned out to be the winning hit was Ray Oyler's 2 run homer in the 9th off of Morris, call me Moe, Drabowsky. Tommy Davis had 3 hits to boost his average to .367. He must thing it's 1962 or 1963 all over again.

April 21, 1969...GAME 11 (SEA 8, KC 7)

Don't feel to bad for Bouton. The Vancouver Mounties were headed to play in Hawaii. If you can't make it to the bigs playing in Hawaii isn't to shabby. Years later I was told that Benny DiStefano refused a late season call up to the Pirates, so he could stay in Hawaii. He said, "It's cold and dank in Pittsburgh and we've got it real good here". Needless to say the Pirates moved their minor league affiliate back to the lower 48 the following year. Triple A features 3 types of players. Young phenoms on their way up, old dogs on their way out trying to see if anything is left in the tank and career minor leaguers needed to round out rosters. Bouton is getting a lot of work, but worries that his release is emminent. Thankfully the knucker is dancing.

Meanwhile the big club won a tight one over fellow expansion franchise, the KC Royals. KC is terrible, but they still found a way to score some runs and almost pull it out. I'm sure the Bulldog wasn't happy when he found out his bud Mike "Moon Man" Marshall got rocked for 7 runs. He did get the win, but giving up 7 runs and 10 hits in 7 2/3 innings is not what keeps you in the big leagues. Moon Man was a nickname Marshall got while playing for the Tigers organization, just like Hovley earned the "Orbit" nickname on the Pilots.

April 20, 1969...GAMES 9/10 (CHW sweeps DH)

While the big club was being tatooed in Chicago Bouton lost a decision on a disputed call at home plate. A wild pitch that Merritt Ranew (he was sent down also) rolled all the way to the backstop. Ranew threw to Bouton covering the plate, but a cloud of dust blocked the ups view and the runner was called safe. Manager Bob Lemon suggested that Bouton go back to Seattle (not too far from Tacoma) and get Jerry McNertney's oversized knuckle ball catching glove:

Sicks was empty. Nobody around. I knocked on doors, and banged on walls. Finally I hopped the fence and stood in the middle of the field and screamed...still nobody responded. Found McNertney's glove and a sign that said, "WARNING GUARD DOG PATROLING AREA". Guess they must have sent he pooch to the minors or the headline in tomorrow's paper would read "Former Pilot pitcher mauled by dog". Anyone could have gotten in here and dismantled the park and taken everything valuable. Is there anything valuable here ?

April 19, 1969...GAME 8 (CHW 6, SEA 4)

Bouton arrives in Tacoma, but the Mounties game is rained out. His dedication to getting back to "the show" is unmatched as he works out on the field in his long johns even though everyone else is gone. Quite possibly he has gone over the edge. The difference between a minor league clubhouse and a major league one (even Seattle's) is like night and day. No bat racks. Bats are stored in garbage pails. Possibly an omen ?

The big club dropped a 6-4 decison the the Chisox at Comiskey. Marty Pattin took the loss and gave up 6 runs, 4 of which were earned. In fact he was the victim of back to back dropped fly balls in the 2nd inning by Comer and Chico, don't call me Gore, Vidal. Boy that wind in Chi-town must really have been blowing.

April 16, 1969...GAME 7 (SEA 4, KC 3)

Bouton was stuck in baseball purgatory. Optioned to the Vancouver Mounties (Seattle's farm team), but still in Seattle due to the fact that the Mounties were in Tulsa and they didn't want him to travel. Prior to the game against Minnesota he got permission to workout with the team, so he threw to McNertney and Haney for 45 minutes. No BP due to rain...this is Seattle remember ? Bell started the game and went 7 and gave up only 1 unearned run to the vaunted Twin lineup. Jack Aker came in and proceeded to try and blow it. He gave up 2 runs in less than 2/3 inning work. His ERA is 37.50. No reason to keep the knuckleballer when you have Aker to throw propane on the fire. The team held on and won 4-3. Brabender and Segui had to come in and put the fire out. Tommy Davis had 2 hits and is now batting .385. Hegan is leading the team at .391 and Mincher is at .304. Speaking of Mincher, he proved out to be a real nice guy showing support for the old Bulldog. The toughest part about going down is getting living accommodations. Guys on the bubble find themselves writing out lots of deposits for 1st and lasts month's rent. Thankfully the parent team picks up the tab for the remaining month's on the lease when they send you down or release you.

April 14, 1969...GAME 6 (SEA 6, KC 5)

In the lexicon of baseball Bouton says, "I died tonight". After giving up 2 runs in an inning of work and seeing his ERA balloon into the 3.80's "The Bulldog" was optioned to Vancouver (Seattle's Farm team). The Pilots held on to win the game, and if Diego Segui doesn't yield a double to the light hitting Jackie Hernandez, Bouton escapes with only 1 run against. Still convinced that his knuckle ball can get out major league hitters he heads off to "the bushes". Interesting quote: "What about Steve Barber ? He hasn't been able to pick up a baseball. He had a brutal spring. What's this love affair with Barber ? Why can't he go on the DL ?"..."Ah, the hell with it". Baseball is a funny game. The thought processes that emanate from baseball management, even funnier. Sometimes as fans we sit back and shake our heads at the decisions they make. How many of us would have drafted Steve Chilcott over Reggie Jackson ? Somehow they get paid the big bucks and we don't. Gotta love the 'ole boys network.

April 13, 1969...GAME 5 (SEA 2, CHW 1)

Dare we say the bulldog is back ??? Bouton got into the game with the score tied at 1 and went 3 scoreless innings and got the win when Rich Rollins hit a sac fly to right to score Tailwind Tommy Harper. Harper setup the whole inning with his legs. He beat out an infield single, then promptly stole second and got to third when Wayne Comer bunted him over. Pundits thought Harper was going to be a weak link, but he and Ray Oyler have been a good keystone combo so far. Can't believe those three innings. More so, I can't believe Maglie and Schultz put me in with the score tied in the 8th. Marty Pattin went 7 innings and gave up only 1 run. Those anemic White Sox bats are sure making us look good. Tried to talk to Maglie after the game to see about getting more work, but he wasn't interested in chatting. Coaches and managers hate to talk to players. In baseball they have a saying, "he's a good guy...doesn't say much". Guess I'm not such a good guy.

April 12, 1969...GAME 4 (SEA 2, CHW 1)

Before today's game Joe Schultz said, "Okay men, up and at 'em. Get that old Budwieser." We deserved every ouce of that old hops and barley brew. In the pitcher's graveyard called Sicks Stadium, Diego Segui went the distance and gave up just 1 run, while we scrated out 2 to win. .500 record ! Mediocrity here we come ! Hegan doubled home Oyler in the bottom of the 9th for the win. Boy did we "pound" him.

April 11, 1969...GAME 3 (CHW 6, SEA 2)

Today was the home opener at glorious Sicks Stadium. Less than 15,000 showed up. Wonder if they know something we don't know ? I guess any city that values its museums more than it's ball team can't be all that bad ? Ding Dong Gary Bell started for us and got torched for 6 runs in a little over 8 innings of work. Ding Dong...I think you all know how he got that nick name ? If you don't, cups are made out of metal and when a ball hits it it makes a sound like "Ding Dong". Nuff said ?


Bell did well in 7 of the 8 innings he pitched. The 4 run 6th inning was his undoing. Schultz let him stay on the mound to "work through" it. I wonder who the real Ding Dong is ?

April 9, 1969: GAME 2 (SEA 13, CAL 8)

We lost game 1 in 11 innings in what is sure to be the first of many heartbreakers. Joe Schultz said, "tommorrow's another day"...who would have imagined he'd be right ? Bouton made his pitching debut today. The linescore shows no runs allowed. The linescore doesn't show that all of Jack Aker's inherited runners scored. Aker was tapped with 5 runs in 1/3 inning. Not a good way to stay with the club ! Got the last 2 batters out in a row !!! Amaro (PH) struck out and Vic Davalillo grounded out weekly ! We're at .500. Of course we had a huge 13-3 lead going into the final inning until that Aker guy gave them 5 easy ones...with a little assist from the Bulldog. Messersmith took the loss for the Angels and got pounded for 7 runs in just over an inning's worth of work. Hard to believe he's the Angels' ace and not Dooley Womack. Schultz was ecstatic, even though he looked a bit nervous during the bottom of the 9th.

When we all came into the clubhouse amidst all the yelling and screaming after our 1st win he said, "Stomp on 'em. That away to stomp on 'em. Kick 'em when they're down. Shitfuck. Stomp them. Stomp them good." Anything can happen, even the Mets are 3-0 !!! There are endless possibilities. Mike Marshall got the win ! He's been walking around with his hand in a cup of tea to help control blisters. He's halfway to madness, but he didn't blister today and he went 8 solid innings. If Starbucks was around in 1969 he'd have Green Tea Latte's all over his apartment and in the clubhouse ! 13-8 final...we'll take it !

April 8, 1969...OPENING DAY (CAL 4, SEA 3)

Every team starts out dead even on Opening Day. The Pilots sent Marty Pattin to the mound to throw the first pitch in franchise history. Tommy Harper led off the game as the first batter in Pilot history and promptly lined out to Dr. Strangeglove, Dick Stuart. The next batter, Mike Hegan, singled to right to record the franchises 1st hit. Hegan, who is known as a streak hitter would go 4 for 5 on the day as the boxscore listed his BA at .800. I think he should quit now and air-mail himself right to Cooperstown.

The second inning saw the franchise's first run and first lead. Rich Rollins led off by reaching base as California's second baseman Bobby Knoop booted a hard smash. Centerfielder Jim Gossger lined out to right and catcher Jerry McNertney laced one down the right field line for a two base hit as Rollins came around to score. The Pilots took a 1-0 lead and celebrated as if they just won game 7 (of the World Series, not the season).

Pattin was cruising. The Angels are a light highting squad for sure. Then in the 6th Auriellio Rodriguez led off with a clean single. Two batters later banjo hitting Knoop atoned for his error in the 2nd by taking Pattin deep into the Southern California smog to put the Angels on top 2-1.

With 2 outs in the 8th and all looking dim Rich Rollins singled home Mike Hegan to tie the game, which would eventually go into extra innings. The big Farm boy Gene Brabender came on in the 9th to relieve Pattin who gave up only 2 runs in 8 innings of work, but with nothing to show for his work. The game remained tied until the 11th when Bill Voss hit a Sac Fly Gosger in center allowing catcher Tom Satriano to score the winning run.

Joe Schultz was shouting encouragement to his troops letting them know that they have the same exact record as the Mets, so they can't possibly be the worst team out there. Maglie grumbled something about not throwing a fastball to a hitter with the winning run 90 feet away and less than 1 out. Bouton was probably thinking that there aren't many good pitches to throw in that situation...period !