Take a close look at these tickets. Anything seem weird?
No, it’s not the politically incorrect logo the Braves used back then. Look again.
The Braves never played in the 1969 World Series even though thousands of tickets were printed for the potential games. These two photos represent how technology today has not only changed the way baseball handles its tickets but tickets to any events.
These days, tickets can be changed and printed in seconds. Many fans use their hand-held phones with the ticket’s image on the screen as they go into games.
But back in ’69, Atlanta was hit with its first bout of Braves mania. The team clinched the National League West on Sept. 30 behind Phil Niekro’s 23rd win. The Braves finished three games ahead of San Francisco and, with Hank Aaron and a starting pitching staff that included Niekro, Ron Reed and Pat Jarvis and knuckleball closer Hoyt Wilhelm, many felt they could make it to the World Series.
At least in Atlanta they did and the team’s tickets offices were inundated with mail requests for postseason tickets. The Braves put on extra staff as seen in one of the photos as thousands of ticket applications came flooding in.
Tickets for both the NL Championship Series and World Series were mailed out to more than 35,000 fans, the latter only fueling the city’s enthusiasm.
In the first NLCS, then a best-of-five series, the Braves faced the Mets, who had won 100 games to Atlanta’s 93. Of the 11 games they played in the regular season, the Mets won seven. They promptly made those World Series tickets obsolete as they swept the Braves in three games and then won the World Series over Baltimore in six games. Thus were born the Miracle Mets. The Braves would not win another division title until 1982.
Today, those 1969 Braves Series tickets can be picked up for about $10 at baseball memorabilia shows and serve as a reminder of what went wrong in the postseason that year.
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