On July 9, 1969, Mets ace Tom Seaver carried a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Shea Stadium. After retiring Cubs catcher Randy Hundley on an attempted bunt, Seaver faced off against Jimmy Qualls, a light-hitting rookie utility player.
Qualls singled into center field to snap the perfect game bid.
“Tom always called that his ‘Imperfect Game’,” Mets catcher Jerry Grote told Hartford Courier years after the game.
“When I got to first base, I was never booed so bad in my life,” said Qualls. “We got back to Chicago and I got all this hate mail. You could tell by the handwriting it was just kids, little Mets fans: ‘’You bum, don’t show up in New York.’ I don’t get any letters like that anymore.”
Listen to the final game of the series it’s entirety, streaming below or by subscribing to our iTunes or Spotify podcast.
Thank you for supporting MetsRewind.
Comment (01)