May 16, 1969, San Diego: Padres 2, Cardinals 1 (box score)
Fresh off three straight losses at Wrigley Field, the Padres returned home to face the Cardinals. The visitors scored first, with Phil Gagliano coming home in the second on a two-out miscue by first baseman Bill Davis. The only error Davis committed all year cost Al Santorini the victory.
The game remained scoreless into the bottom of the seventh. Then, with nobody on and two out, Al Ferrara came to bat for reliever Jack Baldschun and drilled a homer to left to tie the score at 1-1.
Billy McCool took over for the Padres on the mound. After stranding two St. Louis baserunners in the eighth, he worked an uneventful ninth to put the game in the hands of the Padres offense, always a dicey proposition.
With Washburn still pitching, Ed Spiezio led off the ninth with a single to left. He promptly was lifted for the faster Jose Arcia. After a pop foul to first off the bat of Cito Gaston, Chris Cannizzaro stepped to the plate and things got real interesting.
Washburn unleashed a wild pitch, advancing Arcia to second base. However, St. Louis catcher Dave Ricketts threw wildly, allowing Arcia to take third. Now, with the winning run just 90 feet away, Washburn intentionally walked Cannizzaro to put runners at the corners.
The wheels hadn’t finished turning, though. With McCool due up, Preston Gomez sent the left-handed hitting Larry Stahl to the plate. Red Schoendienst responded by summoning southpaw Joe Hoerner from the bullpen.
Gomez had an ace in the hole: Nate Colbert. The Cardinals’ answer to Colbert? Another intentional walk. That loaded the bases for Tommy Dean (.192/.276/.288 entering the game). Gomez again looked to his bench, this time sending Ivan Murrell (.200/.238/.250) to bat for Dean. Remarkably, the move worked; Murrell singled to right, scoring Arcia and sending 16,314 hometown fans home happy.
Trivia: The crowd at Friday evening’s affair was the largest at San Diego Stadium in over a month, since the Padres and Giants has attracted 20,356 fans toward the end of San Diego’s inaugural homestand.
Elsewhere in the world: The Soviet space probe Venera 5 landed on Venus; Tracey Gold, former star of TV’s Growing Pains was born in New York.
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