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."