The 1969 season got off to quite a start. The Cubs won 11 of their 13 games over the first two weeks of the season. That gave them an extremely early 2½-game lead in the division. The third week of the Cubs season would see them once again facing the Pirates, who were their primary rival in the division during the month of April. The stop in Pittsburgh was just one day, but it was a doubleheader following a Monday off day. They’d then be off on Wednesday and travel home to play St. Louis.