One day after suffering a crushing defeat on a disputed call at the plate, the Cubs again faced the Mets at Shea Stadium. That loss had been their fifth in a row. Even so, the Cubs still had a division lead of 1½ games entering this second of a brief two-game series against the Mets.
It was before this game that Leo Durocher made a decision that might have cost the Cubs the game. Ken Holtzman was going to have to skip a start for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, on his regular turn Saturday, September 13.