been done. Although he landed on his feet as the successor to George Weiss, president of the Mets, Devine was forced to leave his hometown and the only team he had ever worked for at the pinnacle of his career. But, while Devine never moved his family to New York, he tackled his new job with gusto. On his watch, the Mets began to strengthen their farm system, signing and developing young pitching talent that formed the core of the 1969 world champions: Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, Gary Gentry and Jim McAndrew. Meanwhile, Howsam left the Cardinals in January 1967 to become general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Musial was named his successor. In , the Cardinals won 101 games and ran away with the National League race, winning the pennant by games, then bested the Boston Red Sox in a seven-game World Series. The core of the team was Devine's, but Howsam had contributed significantly to the roster with his 1966 acquisitions of NL Most Valuable Player first baseman Orlando Cepeda and right fielder Roger Maris. At the other extreme, the Mets, with most of their young pitching talent still ripening in the minors, lost 101 games and finished dead last. Baseball people took note of Devine's accomplishments in New York, however, and when Musial, a world champion general manager in his maiden season, decided he did not want to continue in the role, Busch was able to secure Devine's release from the Mets, and brought him back to the Cardinals as executive vice president and general manager on December 2, 1967. Second term as Cardinals' general manager In 1968, led by Gibson's all-time record 1.12 earned run average, the Cardinals repeated as NL champions and held a three games to one lead in the World Series against the Detroit Tigers, but lost the final three contests to be denied back-to-back world titles. Suddenly, Devine was faced with retooling an aging roster. Brock and Gibson remained Cardinal mainstays, but Devine traded Cepeda to the Atlanta Braves after the 1968 season, then dealt Flood and McCarver to Philadelphia following the 1969 campaign. In the Cepeda deal, Devine acquired Joe Torre, who won the NL batting average championship and the league's Most Valuable Player award. But the Cardinals suffered long-term damage when Busch ordered Devine to trade star left-handed pitcher Steve Carlton in after a salary dispute. Carlton,