1969 Major League Baseball season

Angels

White Sox

Royals

Twins

     Athletics

Pilots

Orioles

Red Sox

Indians

Tigers

Yankees

Senators

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Locations of teams for the 1969 American League season
West   East

Braves

Reds

Astros

Dodgers

Padres

  Giants

Cubs

Expos

Mets

     Phillies

Pirates  

Cardinals

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Locations of teams for the 1969 National League season
West   East

The 1969 major league baseball season began on April 7, 1969, while the regular season ended on October 2. The postseason began on October 4. The 66th World Series began with Game 1 on October 11 and ended with Game 5 on October 16, with the New York Mets of the National League defeating the Baltimore Orioles of the American League, four games to one, capturing their first championship in franchise history. The upstart Mets victory over the heavily favored Orioles is considered one of the greatest upsets in World Series history.^[1] Going into the season, the defending World Series champions were the Detroit Tigers from the 1968 season. The was also celebrated as the 100th anniversary of professional baseball, honoring the first professional touring baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings of 1869. The season also saw the adoption of rule changes to counteract the dominance of pitching in recent seasons, such as lowering the pitcher's mound and shrinking the height of the strike zone.

The 40th Major League Baseball All-Star Game, was held on July 23 at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., home of the Washington Senators. The National League won, 9–3.

The season also saw the third round of expansion of the decade (and second for each league), with the enfranchisement of the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots in the American League, and the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres in the National League, seeing each league increase to twelve teams (a situation which last existed for the National League in 1899.

This would be the only season for the Seattle Pilots, as they would promptly relocate to Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the Milwaukee Brewers the following season, due to stadium issues and bankruptcy.

Because of expansion, both leagues saw their first season of the "Divisional Era", as each league split the now twelve-team leagues into two six-team divisions, playing more games against division rivals and less against interdivision teams. Each league implemented their own League Championship Series, which saw each division champion face off in a best-of-five series (later increased to seven in 1985) to determine pennant winners and World Series contenders.

The Baltimore Orioles won the AL East with a major-league-best 109–53 record, and then defeated the AL West champion Minnesota Twins in three games in the first American League Championship Series. The New York Mets won the NL East with an NL-best 100–62 record, and then defeated the NL West champion Atlanta Braves in three games in the first National League Championship Series. The "Miracle Mets", having joined the league in 1962, were the first expansion team to win a pennant.