Umpires Al Salerno and Bill Valentine are fired by American League President Joe Cronin. The men in blue claim the dismissals are due to their efforts organizing a union.

1968 – The Cardinals clinch the National League pennant with a 7 – 4 win at Houston. Roger Maris hits his 275th, and last, regular-season home run, off Don Wilson in the 3rd, and Curt Flood racks up five hits.

The Cardinals clinch their twelfth National League pennant when the team beats Houston at the Astrodome, 7-4. The contest, which features Curt Flood collecting five hits, marks the final home run by Roger Maris, who will finish his 12-year major league career with 275 round-trippers.

Veteran southpaw Bob Veale outduels Tom Seaver, as the Pirates trounce the Mets, 6 – 0, with half their runs supplied by Roberto Clemente. Clemente’s hits both of career home runs off Seaver today, in the fourth and sixth innings; the latter follows Matty Alou’s leadoff double and lands a good 40 to 50 feet beyond the 410-foot marker in dead center field.

Billy Williams hits three home runs in a game for the first time in his career. It’s all the Cubs’ scoring, as they beat the Mets, 3 – 1, behind Bill Hands. Added to two home runs on September 8, Williams has a major league-record-tying five over two straight games.

Don Wilson, who struck out 18 Reds on July 14, fans 16 Reds today while pitching the Astros to a 3 – 2 win in game 1. The Reds win the nitecap, 4 – 3.

Joe Gordon will have the distinction of managing his second team in Kansas City when he is hired to be the skipper for the new American League expansion team. The former A’s manager, in his only year with the club, will pilot the Royals in their inaugural year to a fourth-place finish in the six-team AL West Division, finishing the season with a 69-93 record.

Jerry Koosman sets a new franchise mark for victories, getting his 17th win of the season when the Mets beat Pittsburgh, 4-1. The rookie southpaw breaks the team record established last year by Tom Seaver.