On Opening Day 1969, the Atlanta Braves’ lineup was:
Felipe Alou – cf
Felix Millan – 2b
Hank Aaron – rf
Orlando Cepeda – 1b
Tito Francona – lf
Clete Boyer – 3b
Bob Tillman – c
Sonny Jackson – ss
Pat Jarvis – p
Partly due to injuries, Alou scored his fewest number of runs since 1960. He and Felix Millan had a combined on-base percentage of only .315, preventing Aaron from driving in 100 runs despite his 44 homers. In his first year in Atlanta, Cepeda replaced Joe Torre as Aaron’s protection in the lineup, and more than doubled Torre’s home run production. Francona played only 51 games for the Bravos before being shipped to Oakland. Boyer had a good season at the plate, but his real strength was his prowess manning the hot corner. Tillman failed miserably as Torre’s replacement at backstop, hitting just .195, but was mercifully replaced part-way through the season by Bob Didier. Sonny Jackson was a light hitter as well, slugging a mere .289 in 98 games. Ace Phil Niekro won 23 games in leading the team to 93 victories and the National League West title. But in the first year of the LCS, they were swept by the Miracle Mets.
