May 28, 1969, New York: Mets 1, Padres 0 (box score)

Mets left-hander Jerry Koosman dominated from the beginning, striking out two Padres in the first. He did the same in the second, fourth, and seventh. Heck, he struck out the side in order in the eighth. In fact, Koosman struck out at least one San Diego batter in every inning except the ninth.

The offensive highlight for the Padres came in the fifth, when Cito Gaston led off with a double to right and was stranded there. Beyond that, they managed just three singles and four walks against Koosman and eventual winner Tug McGraw.

Clay Kirby, meanwhile, spun nine shutout innings against the Mets. The bullpen did its job, too, until the 11th, when it and the defense conspired to lose the game.

Cleon Jones led off the frame with a grounder to shortstop that Tommy Dean booted. After an Ed Kranepool strikeout, Frank Reberger came on to face Ron Swoboda, who responded with a single to right-center. Reberger then intentionally walked Jerry Grote to load the bases for Bud Harrelson. A single to left-center plated Jones to end the game, and the Mets had prevailed, 1-0.

Trivia: McGraw’s son, Tim McGraw, is a country music singer.

Tagged as: Baseball, bud_harrelson, cito_gaston, cleon_jones, ed_kranepool, jerry_grote, new_york_mets, padres, ron_swoboda, san_diego_padres, tim_mcgraw, tug_mcgraw