1969 Seattle Pilots season

1969  Seattle Pilots
League	American League
Division	West
Ballpark	Sick's Stadium
City	Seattle
Record	64-98
Divisional place	6th
Owners	Dewey Soriano
General managers	Marvin Milkes
Managers	Joe Schultz
Television	KING-TV (Joe Daggett, Rod Belcher) [1]
Radio	KVI (Jimmy Dudley, Bill Schonely)
1970  →

The 1969 Seattle Pilots season was the only season of the Seattle Pilots, a Major League Baseball team. As an expansion team in the American League, along with the Kansas City Royals, the Pilots were placed in the newly established West division. They finished last among the six teams with a record of 64–98 (.395), 33 games behind the division champion Minnesota Twins.

Fewer than 678,000 fans came to see the Pilots, which ranked 20th of the 24 major league teams ^[2] — a major reason why the team was forced into bankruptcy after only one season. ^[3] Despite the poor conditions at aging Sick's Stadium, the ticket prices were among the highest in the major leagues. ^[4] The bankruptcy sale of the team was approved by a federal court in Seattle on March 31, 1970, ^[5] and the team moved to Milwaukee at the end of spring training for the 1970 season and became the Milwaukee Brewers. Milwaukee had lost the Braves to Atlanta after the 1965 season.

A book about the season exists called The 1969 Seattle Pilots: Major League Baseball's One-Year Team. Part of the Pilots' season was also documented in the book Ball Four by Jim Bouton.

After the Pilots, there would not be another MLB team in Seattle until the birth of the Mariners in 1977.

The last remaining active member of the 1969 Seattle Pilots was Fred Stanley, who retired after the 1982 season.

Offseason

• April 1, 1968: Marv Staehle was purchased by the Pilots from the Cleveland Indians. ^[6]
• June 7, 1968: Wilbur Howard was selected by the Pilots in the 19th round of the 1968 Major League Baseball draft. ^[7]
• October 21, 1968: Jim Bouton was purchased by the Pilots from the New York Yankees. ^[8]
• March 31, 1969: Chico Salmon was traded by the Pilots to the Baltimore Orioles for Gene Brabender and Gordy Lund. ^[9]

Expansion draft

Main article: 1968 MLB expansion draft

The MLB expansion draft for the Pilots and the Kansas City Royals was held on October 15, 1968.

Player	Former team	Pick	Notes
Don Mincher	California Angels	2nd
Tommy Harper	Cleveland Indians	3rd
Ray Oyler	Detroit Tigers	5th
Jerry McNertney [10]	Chicago White Sox	7th
Buzz Stephen	Minnesota Twins	9th	Never played for Seattle; only major league experience was in 1968.
Chico Salmon [9]	Cleveland Indians	11th	Traded before the start of the season to Baltimore for Gene Brabender and Gordon Lund.
Diego Seguí [11]	Oakland Athletics	14th
Tommy Davis	Chicago White Sox	16th
Marty Pattin	California Angels	18th
Gerry Schoen	Washington Senators	20th	Never played for Seattle; only major league experience was in 1968.
Gary Bell	Boston Red Sox	21st
Jack Aker	Oakland Athletics	24th
Rich Rollins	Minnesota Twins	26th
Lou Piniella [12]	Cleveland Indians	28th	Traded shortly before opening day to Kansas City for Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar.
Dick Bates	Washington Senators	30th
Larry Haney	Baltimore Orioles	32nd
Dick Baney	Boston Red Sox	33rd
Steve Hovley [13]	California Angels	35th
Steve Barber [14]	New York Yankees	37th
John Miklos	Washington Senators	39th	Never played in the major leagues.
Wayne Comer	Detroit Tigers	41st
Bucky Brandon	Boston Red Sox	44th
Skip Lockwood	Oakland Athletics	46th
Gary Timberlake	New York Yankees	48th
Bob Richmond	Washington Senators	50th	Never played in the major leagues.
John Morris	Baltimore Orioles	52nd
Mike Marshall [15]	Detroit Tigers	53rd
Jim Gosger	Oakland Athletics	55th
Mike Ferraro	New York Yankees	57th
Paul Click	California Angels	59th	Pitched in the minors through 1973. Never played in the major leagues.

1968 MLB June amateur draft and minor league affiliates

The Pilots and Kansas City Royals, along with the two National League expansion teams set to debut in 1969, the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres, were allowed to participate in the June 1968 MLB first-year player draft, although the new teams were barred from the lottery's first three rounds. The Pilots drafted 29 players in the 1968 June draft, including future major league manager Tom Kelly (eighth round) and starting pitcher Bill Parsons (seventh round). ^[16] Seattle affiliated with one minor league club during 1968 to develop drafted players; the roster was filled out by professional and amateur free agents that had been signed and players loaned from other organizations.

1968 farm system

Level	Team	League	Manager
A-Short Season	Newark Co-Pilots	New York–Penn League	Sibby Sisti

Regular season

• On Tuesday, April 8, the Pilots won their first-ever game, 4–3 at Anaheim Stadium over the California Angels. Twenty-six-year-old Pilots' starter Marty Pattin went five innings, allowing two earned runs for Seattle. RHP Jack Aker earned the save. Right fielder Mike Hegan hit Seattle's first-ever home run, a two-run shot off Jim McGlothlin, after second baseman Tommy Harper had doubled to left to begin the Pilots' existence.
• On the afternoon of Friday, April 11, the Pilots played, and won, their first American League game at Sick's Stadium in Seattle – 7–0 over the Chicago White Sox. Thirty-two-year-old righty Gary Bell tossed a complete game for Seattle, scattering nine hits, striking out six Sox and walking four. Bell also helped his own cause by stroking a two-run double off RHP Bob Locker in the bottom of the sixth. Seattle 1b Don Mincher hit a two-run HR off RHP Joe Horlen in the third. The official attendance was 14,993.
• On July 2, Reggie Jackson of the Oakland Athletics hit three home runs against the Pilots to raise his season total to 34. ^[17]
• In the 1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, outfielder Mike Hegan was the only Pilot selected to the All-Star game on the reserved squad. However, due to injury, he would be replaced by his teammate, infielder Don Mincher.
• On October 2, the Pilots played their last-ever game, losing 3-1 to Oakland in front of 5,473 fans in Seattle. In the final inning, Steve Whitaker hit the Pilots' last-ever home run, Greg Goossen got their final hit (a single), and Jerry McNertney struck out to end the game. Steve Barber took the loss. Miguel Fuentes, who would be killed in a bar fight during the off-season, threw what turned out to be the final pitch in Pilots’ history.

Season standings

• v
• t
• e

AL West

Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Minnesota Twins	97	65	.599	—	57‍–‍24	40‍–‍41
Oakland Athletics	88	74	.543	9	49‍–‍32	39‍–‍42
California Angels	71	91	.438	26	43‍–‍38	28‍–‍53
Kansas City Royals	69	93	.426	28	36‍–‍45	33‍–‍48
Chicago White Sox	68	94	.420	29	41‍–‍40	27‍–‍54
Seattle Pilots	64	98	.395	33	34‍–‍47	30‍–‍51

Record vs. opponents

1969 American League records v t e Sources:
Team	BAL	BOS	CAL	CWS	CLE	DET	KC	MIN	NYY	OAK	SEP	WSH
Baltimore	—	10–8	6–6	9–3	13–5	11–7	11–1	8–4	11–7	8–4	9–3	13–5
Boston	8–10	—	8–4	5–7	12–6	10–8	10–2	7–5	11–7	4–8	6–6	6–12
California	6–6	4–8	—	9–9	8–4	5–7	9–9	7–11	3–9	6–12	9–9–1	5–7
Chicago	3–9	7–5	9–9	—	8–4	3–9	8–10	5–13	3–9	8–10	10–8	4–8
Cleveland	5–13	6–12	4–8	4–8	—	7–11	7–5	5–7	9–8	5–7	7–5	3–15
Detroit	7–11	8–10	7–5	9–3	11–7	—	8–4	6–6	10–8	7–5	10–2	7–11
Kansas City	1–11	2–10	9–9	10–8	5–7	4–8	—	8–10	5–7–1	8–10	10–8	7–5
Minnesota	4–8	5–7	11–7	13–5	7–5	6–6	10–8	—	10–2	13–5	12–6	6–6
New York	7–11	7–11	9–3	9–3	8–9	8–10	7–5–1	2–10	—	6–6	7–5	10–8
Oakland	4–8	8–4	12–6	10–8	7–5	5–7	10–8	5–13	6–6	—	13–5	8–4
Seattle	3–9	6–6	9–9–1	8–10	5–7	2–10	8–10	6–12	5–7	5–13	—	7–5
Washington	5–13	12–6	7–5	8–4	15–3	11–7	5–7	6–6	8–10	4–8	5–7	—

The first game

April 8, Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	6	0
California	0	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	3	10	1
W: Marty Pattin (1–0)  L: Jim McGlothlin (0–1)  SV: Jack Aker (1)
HRs: SEA: Mike Hegan (1), CAL: Jim Fregosi (1)

^[18]

Opening Day Lineup

Opening Day Starters
#	Name	Position
21	Tommy Harper	2B
8	Mike Hegan	RF
12	Tommy Davis	LF
5	Don Mincher	1B
9	Rich Rollins	3B
14	Jim Gosger	CF
15	Jerry McNertney	C
1	Ray Oyler	SS
33	Marty Pattin	P

^[19]

Notable transactions

• April 1: Lou Piniella was traded by the Pilots to the Kansas City Royals for Steve Whitaker and John Gelnar. ^[12]
• May 27: Jim Pagliaroni was purchased by the Pilots from the Oakland Athletics. ^[20]
• June 5: 1969 Major League Baseball draft
  • Gorman Thomas was selected by the Pilots in the first round (21st pick). ^[21]
  • Bob Coluccio was selected by the Pilots in the 17th round. ^[22]
• June 14: Larry Haney was traded by the Pilots to the Oakland Athletics for John Donaldson. ^[23]
• August 24: Jim Bouton was traded by the Pilots to the Houston Astros for Dooley Womack and Roric Harrison. ^[8]
• September 13: Marv Staehle was purchased from the Pilots by the Montreal Expos. ^[6]

Roster

1969 Seattle Pilots
Roster
Pitchers 23 Jack Aker 32 Dick Baney 13 Steve Barber 46 Dick Bates 39 Gary Bell 56 Jim Bouton 32 Gene Brabender 27 Bucky Brandon 39 George Brunet 38 Bill Edgerton 14 Miguel Fuentes 25 John Gelnar 27 Bob Locker 42 Skip Lockwood 28 Mike Marshall 38 Bob Meyer 35 John Morris 43 John O'Donoghue 33 Marty Pattin 39 Garry Roggenburk 24 Diego Seguí 40 Jerry Stephenson 23 Fred Talbot 45 Gary Timberlake 41 Dooley Womack		Catchers 10 Larry Haney 15 Jerry McNertney 17 Jim Pagliaroni 26 Merritt Ranew 30 Freddie Velázquez Infielders 30 Ron Clark 10 John Donaldson 18 Gus Gil 34 Greg Goossen 21 Tommy Harper 11 John Kennedy 14 Gordon Lund  5 Don Mincher  1 Ray Oyler  9 Rich Rollins 22 Fred Stanley		Outfielders 20 Wayne Comer 12 Tommy Davis 14 Jim Gosger  8 Mike Hegan 36 Steve Hovley 16 Dick Simpson 28 Sandy Valdespino 25 José Vidal 12 Danny Walton 19 Steve Whitaker 51 Billy Williams Other batters 26 Mike Ferraro		Manager  3 Joe Schultz Coaches  2 Frankie Crosetti  4 Sal Maglie  6 Eddie O'Brien  7 Ron Plaza 31 Sibby Sisti

Game log

1969 regular season game log: 64–98 (Home: 34–47; Away: 30–51)
April: 7–11 (Home: 4–5; Away: 3–6) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 1 April 8 @ Angels 4–3 Pattin McGlothlin Aker 11,930 1–0 W1 2 April 9 @ Angels 3–7 Borbon Brabender Wilhelm 5,347 1–1 L1 3 April 11 White Sox 7–0 Bell Horlen — 14,993 2–1 W1 4 April 12 White Sox 5–1 Segui Ellis Aker 8,319 3–1 W2 5 April 13 White Sox 7–12 Wood Pattin — 10,031 3–2 L1 6 April 14 Royals 1–2 Nelson Marshall Wickersham 3,611 3–3 L2 7 April 16 Twins 4–6 Perranoski Aker — 7,329 3–4 L3 — April 18 @ White Sox Postponed(Makeup June 18) 8 April 19 @ White Sox 5–1 Pattin Peters Segui 3,901 4–4 W1 9 April 20 @ White Sox 2–3 (10) Wood Segui — 12,579 4–5 L1 10 April 20 @ White Sox 3–13 Horlen Barber Locker 12,579 4–6 L2 11 April 21 @ Royals 4–1 Marshall Jones Aker 9,024 5–6 W1 12 April 22 @ Royals 1–2 Hedlund Segui Drabowsky 9,066 5–7 L1 13 April 23 @ Royals 3–4 Morehead Edgerton — 10,267 5–8 L2 14 April 25 Athletics 2–14 Nash Bell — 6,617 5–9 L3 15 April 26 Athletics 6–3 Barber Dobson Segui 6,658 6–9 W1 16 April 27 Athletics 5–13 Fingers Marshall Krausse 5,802 6–10 L1 — April 28 Angels Postponed(Makeup July 9) 17 April 29 Angels 1–0 Pattin McGlothlin — 1,954 7–10 W1 18 April 30 @ Twins 4–6 Hall Brabender Perranoski 4,087 7–11 L1
May: 13–13 (Home: 6–6; Away: 7–7) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 19 May 1 @ Twins 1–4 Boswell Bell Grzenda 6,485 7–12 L2 20 May 2 @ Athletics 7–8 Lindblad Aker — 4,823 7–13 L3 21 May 3 @ Athletics 2–3 Dobson Marshall — 4,565 7–14 L4 22 May 4 @ Athletics 6–4 Pattin Fingers O'Donoghue 10,852 8–14 W1 23 May 4 @ Athletics 7–11 Odom Brandon Lindblad 10,852 8–15 L1 24 May 6 Red Sox 2–12 Culp Brabender — 9,427 8–16 L2 25 May 7 Red Sox 4–5 Siebert Bell Romo 7,084 8–17 L3 26 May 9 Senators 2–0 Marshall Coleman — 7,148 9–17 W1 27 May 10 Senators 16–13 Segui Higgins Bell 7,360 10–17 W2 28 May 11 Senators 6–5 Segui Baldwin — 14,363 11–17 W3 29 May 12 Yankees 8–4 Pattin Downing — 8,763 12–17 W4 30 May 13 Yankees 5–3 Bell Stottlemyre Segui 19,072 13–17 W5 31 May 14 Yankees 4–5 Burbach Marshall Bahnsen 12,273 13–18 L1 32 May 16 @ Red Sox 10–9 (11) Bouton Romo O'Donoghue 33,079 14–18 W1 33 May 17 @ Red Sox 1–6 Nagy Bell — 21,172 14–19 L1 34 May 18 @ Red Sox 9–6 Marshall Culp Segui 25,125 15–19 W1 35 May 20 @ Senators 5–6 Higgins Pattin — 6,520 15–20 L1 36 May 21 @ Senators 6–2 Brabender Coleman Segui 6,083 16–20 W1 37 May 22 @ Senators 7–6 Segui Higgins — 4,242 17–20 W2 38 May 23 @ Indians 1–7 Ellsworth Marshall — 5.633 17–21 L1 39 May 24 @ Indians 8–2 Talbot McDowell — 7,094 18–21 W1 40 May 25 @ Indians 3–2 Segui Williams Bell 10,558 19–21 W2 41 May 27 Orioles 8–1 Brabender Phoebus — 8,308 20–21 W3 42 May 28 Orioles 5–9 McNally Marshall Richert 21,679 20–22 L1 — May 29 Orioles Postponed(Makeup August 18) 43 May 30 Tigers 5–8 Radatz Pattin Dobson 12,084 20–23 L2 44 May 31 Tigers 2–3 Sparma Bell — 15,395 20–24 L3
June: 14–15 (Home: 7–5; Away: 7–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 45 June 1 Tigers 8–7 Segui Dobson O'Donoghue 14,201 21–24 W1 46 June 2 Indians 8–2 Barber Pina Bouton 9,044 22–24 W2 47 June 3 Indians 1–3 Tiant Pattin Williams 8,634 22–25 L1 48 June 4 Indians 4–10 McDowell Marshall Williams 9,540 22–26 L2 49 June 6 @ Orioles 1–5 McNally Bell — 17,689 22–27 L3 50 June 7 @ Orioles 0–10 Palmer Brabender — 13,903 22–28 L4 51 June 8 @ Orioles 7–5 O'Donoghue Cuellar — 8,988 23–28 W1 52 June 9 @ Tigers 3–2 (10) Pattin Dobson Gelnar 13,477 24–28 W2 53 June 10 @ Tigers 0–5 Wilson Talbot McMahon 14,033 24–29 L1 54 June 11 @ Tigers 3–4 (10) Dobson O'Donoghue — 23,569 24–30 L2 55 June 13 @ Yankees 2–1 Brabender Stottlemyre — 14,967 25–30 W1 56 June 14 @ Yankees 5–4 Gelnar McDaniel Segui 9,214 26–30 W2 57 June 15 @ Yankees 0–4 (6) Bahnsen Talbot — 58,733 26–31 L1 58 June 16 @ White Sox 3–8 Wynne Marshall — 13,133 26–32 L2 — June 17 @ White Sox Postponed(Rescheduled September 17) 59 June 18 @ White Sox 3–7 Peters Brabender — 6,044 26–33 L3 60 June 18 @ White Sox 6–5 (11) Locker Osinski — 6,044 27–33 W1 61 June 19 @ White Sox 10–13 Wood Marshall — 2,318 27–34 L1 62 June 20 Royals 5–3 Talbot Butler Locker 18,413 28–34 W1 63 June 20 Royals 2–6 Bunker Gelnar — 18,413 28–35 L1 64 June 21 Royals 1–0 Brabender Nelson — 6,829 29–35 W1 65 June 22 Royals 5–1 Pattin Drago Locker 7,008 30–35 W2 — June 23 White Sox Postponed(Rescheduled June 24) 66 June 24 White Sox 4–6 Wood Locker — 7,417 30–36 L1 67 June 24 White Sox 6–7 Wood Segui — 7,417 30–37 L2 68 June 25 White Sox 3–1 Gelnar Edmondson Locker 5,950 31–37 W1 69 June 26 White Sox 3–2 Brabender Horlen — 7,109 32–37 W2 70 June 27 @ Angels 3–5 Fisher Pattin — 9,518 32–38 L1 71 June 27 @ Angels 5–2 Roggenburk Washburn Locker 9,518 33–38 W1 72 June 28 @ Angels 3–0 Talbot Murphy Segui 8,893 34–38 W2 73 June 29 @ Angels 2–8 Messersmith Gelnar Tatum 7,628 34–39 L1
July: 9–20 (Home: 7–11; Away: 2–9) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 74 July 1 @ Athletics 7–1 Brabender Dobson — 5,375 35–39 W1 75 July 2 @ Athletics 0–5 Odom Pattin — 5,012 35–40 L1 76 July 3 @ Athletics 4–6 Krausse Roggenburk Fingers 8,290 35–41 L2 77 July 4 @ Royals 2–13 Nelson Talbot — 12,944 35–42 L3 78 July 4 @ Royals 2–3 Drago Gelnar O'Riley 12,944 35–43 L4 79 July 5 @ Royals 4–6 Burgmeier Marshall Drabowsky 10,268 35–44 L5 80 July 6 @ Royals 9–3 Brabender Butler Segui 26,480 36–44 W1 81 July 7 Angels 1–5 Messersmith Pattin — 6,951 36–45 L1 82 July 8 Angels 3–1 Roggenburk McGlothlin — 6,877 37–45 W1 83 July 9 Angels 8–0 Talbot Wright — 8,461 38–45 W2 84 July 9 Angels 0–5 Brunet Gelnar — 8,461 38–46 L1 — July 10 Angels Postponed(Rescheduled September 12) 85 July 11 @ Twins 3–9 Hall Brabender — 19,221 38–47 L2 86 July 12 @ Twins 1–11 Perry Pattin — 17,616 38–48 L3 87 July 13 @ Twins 2–5 Kaat Roggenburk — 26,123 38–49 L4 88 July 13 @ Twins 4–5 Perranoski Segui — 26,123 38–50 L5 89 July 15 Athletics 2–6 Odom Gelnar — 12,288 38–51 L6 90 July 16 Athletics 1–6 Krausse Brabender — 8,688 38–52 L7 91 July 17 Athletics 2–8 Hunter Pattin — 6,793 38–53 L8 92 July 18 Twins 2–1 Segui Perranoski — 14,134 39–53 W1 93 July 18 Twins 3–2 Talbot Boswell O'Donoghue 14,134 40–53 W2 94 July 19–20 Twins 7–11 (18) Perry Gelnar — 12,069 40–54 L1 95 July 20 Twins 0–4 Perry Gelnar — 8,287 40–55 L2 — July 23 40th Major League All-Star Game 96 July 24 Red Sox 8–6 Brabender Jarvis O'Donoghue 8,395 41–55 W1 97 July 25 Red Sox 6–7 Landis Gelnar Stange 8,470 41–56 L1 98 July 26 Red Sox 8–5 Bouton Kline Locker 13,632 42–56 W1 99 July 27 Red Sox 3–5 (20) Lonborg Locker — 9,670 42–57 L1 100 July 29 Senators 2–4 Coleman Brabender — 14,270 42–58 L2 101 July 30 Senators 4–3 Segui Cox Gelnar 5,721 43–58 W1 102 July 31 Senators 6–7 Shellenback Talbot Knowles 9,699 43–59 L1
August: 6–22 (Home: 0–13; Away: 6–9) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 103 August 1 Yankees 2–4 Johnson Pattin — 7,596 43–60 L2 104 August 2 Yankees 4–5 Downing Brunet Aker 10,755 43–61 L3 105 August 3 Yankees 3–5 Bahnsen Barber McDaniel 23,657 43–62 L4 106 August 5 @ Red Sox 9–2 Brabender Culp — 25,977 44–62 W1 107 August 6 @ Red Sox 6–5 (10) Locker Romo — 22,186 45–62 W2 108 August 7 @ Red Sox 4–5 Stange Locker — 30,706 45–63 L1 109 August 8 @ Senators 3–10 Coleman Brunet Baldwin 10,737 45–64 L2 110 August 9 @ Senators 8–6 Locker Baldwin — 8,482 46–64 W1 111 August 10 @ Senators 5–7 Knowles Gelnar Coleman 8,442 46–65 L1 112 August 11 @ Indians 8–2 Segui Tiant — 4,658 47–65 W1 113 August 12 @ Indians 5–6 Paul Talbot Williams 8,190 47–66 L1 114 August 13 @ Indians 5–3 Brunet Hargan — 5,494 48–66 W1 115 August 15 Orioles 1–2 Cuellar Brabender — 9,922 48–67 L1 116 August 16 Orioles 3–15 McNally Segui Hardin 11,550 48–68 L2 117 August 17 Orioles 1–4 Phoebus Talbot Watt 10,227 48–69 L3 118 August 18 Orioles 3–12 Palmer Brunet — 19,770 48–70 L4 119 August 19 Tigers 3–5 Kilkenny Barber Dobson 5,909 48–71 L5 120 August 20 Tigers 3–4 Lolich Brabender — 5,577 48–72 L6 121 August 21 Tigers 6–7 Hiller Bouton — 6,483 48–73 L7 122 August 22 Indians 8–9 Hargan Talbot Williams 6,720 48–74 L8 123 August 23 Indians 3–7 McDowell Pattin — 5,469 48–75 L9 124 August 24 Indians 5–6 Williams Talbot Law 5,900 48–76 L10 125 August 26 @ Orioles 2–1 Brabender Phoebus — 11,400 49–76 W1 126 August 27 @ Orioles 2–7 Cuellar Brunet — 8,960 49–77 L1 127 August 28 @ Orioles 3–4 (11) Watt Womack — 8,118 49–78 L2 128 August 29 @ Tigers 1–6 Lolich Barber — 16,685 49–79 L3 129 August 30 @ Tigers 3–4 McLain O'Donoghue — 17,550 49–80 L4 130 August 31 @ Tigers 2–7 Wilson Brabender — 16,485 49–81 L5
September: 14–16 (Home: 9–6; Away: 5–10) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 131 September 1 @ Yankees 1–6 Stottlemyre Brunet — 15,387 49–82 L6 132 September 1 @ Yankees 5–1 (13) Womack Hamilton — 15,387 50–82 W1 133 September 2 @ Yankees 4–5 (15) Bahnsen Brabender — 7,071 50–83 L1 134 September 4 Royals 3–5 Drago Gelnar — 3,958 50–84 L2 135 September 5 Royals 5–4 Brabender Drabowsky Locker 6,903 51–84 W1 136 September 6 Royals 2–6 Bunker Meyer — 4,744 51–85 L1 137 September 7 Royals 7–6 (10) Segui Drabowsky — 4,653 52–85 W1 138 September 8 White Sox 2–1 Barber Johnson Gelnar 10,831 53–85 W2 139 September 8 White Sox 5–1 Fuentes Peters — 10,831 54–85 W3 140 September 10 @ Athletics 9–4 Brabender Dobson Segui 1,945 55–85 W4 141 September 11 @ Athletics 3–6 Nash Meyer Talbot 1,721 55–86 L1 142 September 12 Angels 4–1 Brunet May — 5,085 56–86 W1 — September 12 Angels 1–1 (10) — — — 5,085 56–86 — 143 September 13 Angels 6–4 Segui Murphy — 11,184 57–86 W2 144 September 13 Angels 2–4 Fisher Fuentes Tatum 11,184 57–87 L1 145 September 14 Angels 2–4 Messersmith Barber — 4,216 57–88 L2 146 September 15 @ Royals 3–2 Brabender Cram Segui 7,238 58–88 W1 147 September 16 @ Royals 1–2 Bunker Meyer — 7,282 58–89 L1 148 September 17 @ White Sox 4–6 Nyman Pattin Wood 3,643 58–90 L2 149 September 17 @ White Sox 1–2 Wynne Lockwood — 3,643 58–91 L3 150 September 19 @ Twins 1–2 Boswell Barber — 23,700 58–92 L4 151 September 20 @ Twins 2–3 Perry Segui — 12,797 58–93 L5 152 September 21 @ Twins 4–3 O'Donoghue Kaat — 15,443 59–93 W1 153 September 22 @ Angels 5–4 Womack Messersmith Segui 5,158 60–93 W2 154 September 23 @ Angels 4–5 Tatum Fuentes — 5,400 60–94 L1 155 September 24 @ Angels 1–3 May Brabender — 5,728 60–95 L2 156 September 25 Twins 5–1 Barber Kaat O'Donoghue 3,642 61–95 W1 157 September 26 Twins 4–3 (14) Gelnar Hall — 6,586 62–95 W2 — September 27 Twins Postponed(Rescheduled September 28) 158 September 28 Twins 2–5 Boswell Fuentes Perranoski 8,096 62–96 L1 159 September 28 Twins 4–1 Baney Miller Segui 8,096 63–96 W1 160 September 30 Athletics 4–8 Dobson Brabender Krausse 2,937 63–97 L1
October: 1–1 (Home: 1–1; Away: 0–0) # Date Opponent Score Win Loss Save Attendance Record Streak 161 October 1 Athletics 4–3 Segui Lindblad — 3,612 64–97 W1 162 October 2 Athletics 1–3 Roland Barber — 5,473 64–98 L1
Legend:       = Win       = Loss       = Postponement/Tie Bold = Pilots team member

^[24]

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

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

Pos	Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
C	Jerry McNertney	128	410	99	.241	8	55
1B	Don Mincher	140	427	105	.246	25	78
2B	John Donaldson	95	338	79	.234	1	19
3B	Tommy Harper	148	537	126	.235	9	41
SS	Ray Oyler	106	255	42	.165	7	22
LF	Tommy Davis	123	454	123	.271	6	80
CF	Wayne Comer	147	481	118	.245	15	54
RF	Mike Hegan	95	267	78	.292	8	37

Other batters

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

Player	G	AB	H	Avg.	HR	RBI
Steve Hovley	91	329	91	.277	3	20
Gus Gil	92	221	49	.222	0	17
Rich Rollins	58	187	42	.225	4	21
Ron Clark	57	163	32	.196	0	12
Greg Goossen	52	139	43	.309	10	24
John Kennedy	61	128	30	.234	4	14
Steve Whitaker	69	116	29	.250	6	13
Jim Pagliaroni	40	110	29	.264	5	14
Danny Walton	23	92	20	.217	3	10
Merritt Ranew	54	81	20	.247	0	4
Larry Haney	22	59	15	.254	2	7
Jim Gosger	39	55	6	.109	1	7
Dick Simpson	26	51	9	.176	2	5
Fred Stanley	17	43	12	.279	0	4
Gordy Lund	20	38	10	.263	0	1
Sandy Valdespino	20	38	8	.211	0	0
José Vidal	18	26	5	.192	1	2
Freddie Velázquez	6	16	2	.125	0	2
Billy Williams	4	10	0	.000	0	0
Mike Ferraro	5	4	0	.000	0	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Gene Brabender	40	202.1	13	14	4.36	139
Marty Pattin	34	158.2	7	12	5.62	126
Mike Marshall	20	87.2	3	10	5.13	47
George Brunet	12	63.2	2	5	5.37	37
Gary Bell	13	61.1	2	6	4.70	30
Bob Meyer	6	32.2	0	3	3.31	17
Gary Timberlake	2	6.0	0	0	7.50	4

Other pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Fred Talbot	25	114.2	5	8	0	4.16	67
John Gelnar	39	108.2	3	10	3	3.31	69
Steve Barber	25	86.1	4	7	0	4.80	69
Miguel Fuentes	8	26.0	1	3	0	5.19	14
Garry Roggenburk	7	24.1	2	2	0	4.44	11
Skip Lockwood	6	23.0	0	1	0	3.52	10

Relief pitchers

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

Player	G	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Diego Seguí	66	142.1	12	6	12	3.35	113
Jim Bouton	57	92.0	2	1	1	3.91	68
John O'Donoghue	55	70.0	2	2	6	2.96	48
Bob Locker	51	78.1	3	3	6	2.18	46
Jack Aker	15	16.2	0	2	3	7.56	7
Dick Baney	9	18.2	1	0	0	3.86	9
Dooley Womack	9	14.1	2	1	0	2.51	8
Bucky Brandon	8	15.0	0	1	0	8.40	10
John Morris	6	12.2	0	0	0	6.39	8
Bill Edgerton	4	4.0	0	1	0	13.50	2
Jerry Stephenson	2	2.2	0	0	0	10.12	1
Dick Bates	1	1.2	0	0	0	26.99	3

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

The Pilots' farm system consisted of four minor league affiliates in 1969. ^{[25] [26]} The Triple-A Vancouver Mounties were shared with the Montreal Expos. ^[26]

Level	Team	League	Manager
Triple-A	Vancouver Mounties	Pacific Coast League	Bob Lemon
Class A	Clinton Pilots	Midwest League	Sibby Sisti, Karl Kuehl, and Tommy Giordano
Class A Short Season	Newark Co-Pilots	New York–Penn League	Earl Torgeson
Rookie	Billings Mustangs	Pioneer League	Bob Mavis and Roland LeBlanc

Awards and honors

1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Don Mincher
• Mike Hegan (reserve, did not play)

Notes

1. "Pilots Game to be Carried on Channel 5". The Seattle Times. August 22, 1969. p. 16.
2. "1969 Major League Baseball Attendance & Miscellaneous". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
3. "Financially stricken Seattle owners still courting move". Toledp Blade. Associated Press. March 1970. p. 29.
4. "Seattle Story: Downhill Run". Milwaukee Journal. April 1, 1970. p. 15.
5. "We're Big League Again! Court OKs sale of Pilots". Milwaukee Journal. April 1, 1970. p. 1.
6. Marv Staehle at Baseball-Reference
7. Wilbur Howard at Baseball-Reference
8. Jim Bouton at Baseball-Reference
9. Chico Salmon at Baseball-Reference
10. Jerry McNertney at Baseball-Reference
11. Diego Seguí at Baseball-Reference
12. Lou Piniella at Baseball-Reference
13. Steve Hovley at Baseball-Reference
14. Steve Barber at Baseball-Reference
15. Mike Marshall page on Baseball Reference
16. Information at Baseball Reference
17. Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p. 129, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN   978-0-8027-1745-0
18. Box Score of Game played on Tuesday, April 8, 1969 at Anaheim Stadium
19. 1969 Seattle Pilots Roster by Baseball Almanac
20. Jim Pagliaroni at Baseball-Reference
21. Gorman Thomas at Baseball-Reference
22. Bob Coluccio at Baseball-Reference
23. John Donaldson at Baseball-Reference
24. "1969 Seattle Pilots Schedule | Baseball-Reference.com". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
25. "1969 Seattle Pilots Minor League Affiliates". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
26. "The Mounties: Who Will Expo Cuts Replace?". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. April 5, 1969. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.

References

• 1969 Seattle Pilots: Batting, Pitching, & Fielding Statistics. Baseball-Reference.com
• 1969 Seattle Pilots Roster webpage. Baseball Almanac website
• Johnson, Lloyd; Wolff, Miles, eds. (1997). The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball (2nd ed.). Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America. ISBN   978-0-9637189-8-3.

Further reading

• Allen, Rick (2020). Inside Pitch: Insiders Reveal How the Ill-Fated Seattle Pilots Got Played into Bankruptcy in One Year. Tacoma, WA: Persistence Press. ISBN   978-1-73-459590-1.
• Bouton, Jim (1970). Ball Four . New York: World Publishing. LCCN   78-120125.
• Hogan, Kenneth (2006). The 1969 Seattle Pilots: Major League Baseball's One-Year Team. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN   978-0-78-642786-4.
• Mullins, Bill (2013). Becoming Big League: Seattle, the Pilots, and Stadium Politics. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0-29-599252-5.