the National League Eastern Division title on September 24. Grote finished the season with a .252 average and produced career-highs with six home runs and 40 runs batted in, but it was his defensive skills that proved most valuable for the Mets. Grote posted a .991 fielding percentage and his 56.3% caught stealing percentage was second-best among National League catchers. He was also given credit for guiding the Mets young pitching staff that led the league in victories and shutouts and finished second in team earned run average. The Mets went on to sweep the Atlanta Braves in the 1969 National League Championship Series, but were heavy underdogs heading into the 1969 World Series against the Baltimore Orioles. Following a 4–1 loss in the series opener with Cy Young award winner Seaver on the mound, it seemed as if the Mets had little chance against the Orioles. However, the Mets bounced back, winning the next four games to capture their first world championship. Besides catching every inning in the postseason, Grote contributed offensively with a single in Game Two to keep a ninth inning rally alive and Al Weis followed with the game-winning hit. With Game Four tied, Grote doubled to start the tenth inning, then pinch runner Rod Gaspar scored the winning run when an errant throw hit J.C. Martin on the wrist. With Grote calling the pitches, the Mets pitching staff held the Orioles hitters to a .146 batting average during the series. Grote and the 1969 Mets became an improbable part of baseball history. In their previous seven seasons the Mets had finished in last place five times. Their sudden turn of fortune in 1969 and their subsequent upset victory in the World Series stunned the sports world and became one of the more storied events in baseball lore. The team became known as the Miracle Mets. Grote continued to provide the Mets with good defense, leading National League catchers in and in putouts and in range factor. In 1972, Grote played in only 64 games due to injuries and in late September he had surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. In May 1973, Grote broke a bone in his right arm when he was hit by a pitch and went on the disabled list for two months. When he returned in mid-July, the Mets began winning, climbing from last place on August 30