1969 Atlanta Braves season

The 1969 Atlanta Braves season was a season in American baseball. The National League had been split into two divisions before the season, with the Braves somewhat incongruously being assigned to the National League West. The Braves finished with a record of 93-69, winning the first ever NL West division title by three games over the San Francisco Giants.

After the season, the Braves played in the first-ever inter-divisional National League Championship Series. They went on to lose the NLCS to the eventual World Champion New York Mets, three games to none.

Offseason

The new National League

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The 1969 season marked the first year of divisional play in Major League Baseball. The Braves (along with the Cincinnati Reds) were placed in the NL West division, despite being located further east than the 2 westernmost teams in the new National League East, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. This was because the New York Mets wanted to be in the same division as the reigning power in the NL, which were the Cardinals at the time (to compensate for playing against the Dodgers and Giants fewer times each season). The Cubs consequently demanded to be in the NL East as well in order to continue playing in the same division as the Cardinals, one of the Cubs' biggest rivals.

Notable transactions

• October 14, 1968: 1968 Major League Baseball expansion draft
  • Al Santorini was drafted from the Braves by the San Diego Padres with the 7th pick.^[1]
  • Skip Guinn was drafted from the Braves by the Montreal Expos with the 17th pick.^[2]
  • Carl Morton was drafted from the Braves by the Expos with the 45th pick.^[3]
  • Cito Gaston was drafted from the Braves by the Padres with the 59th pick.^[4]
• December 2, 1968: Darrell Evans was drafted by the Braves from the Oakland Athletics in the 1968 rule 5 draft.^[5]
• March 17, 1969: Joe Torre was traded by the Braves to the St. Louis Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda.^[6]

Regular season

Second baseman Félix Millán started the All-Star Game, along with right fielder Hank Aaron, and won his first Gold Glove.

Season standings

Opening Day starters

• Hank Aaron
• Felipe Alou
• Clete Boyer
• Orlando Cepeda
• Tito Francona
• Sonny Jackson
• Pat Jarvis
• Félix Millán
• Bob Tillman

Notable transactions

• June 5, 1969: Larvell Blanks was drafted by the Braves in the 3rd round of the 1969 Major League Baseball Draft.^[7]
• June 13, 1969: Van Kelly, Walt Hriniak and Andy Finlay (minors) were traded by the Braves to the San Diego Padres for Tony González.^[8]
• August 19, 1969: Claude Raymond was purchased from the Braves by the Montreal Expos.^[9]
• September 8, 1969: Mickey Rivers and Clint Compton were traded by the Braves to the California Angels for Hoyt Wilhelm and Bob Priddy.^[10]
• September 11, 1969: Chico Ruiz was signed as an amateur free agent by the Braves.^[11]

Roster

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Postseason

National League Championship Series

Awards and honors

• Rawlings Gold Glove Award
  • Félix Millán, second base
  • Clete Boyer, third base

All-Stars

1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Hank Aaron, OF, starter
• Félix Millán, 2B, starter
• Phil Niekro, reserve

Farm system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Greenwood

Notes

References

• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, N.C.: Baseball America. ISBN 978-0-9637189-8-3. 
• 1969 Atlanta Braves team page at Baseball Reference
• Atlanta Braves on Baseball Almanac