May 3, 1969, Cincinnati: Padres 13, Braves 5 (box score)
For the second straight game, Padres batters busted out in a big way. How big? The Reds needed three pitchers to get out of the first inning. The starter, Tony Cloninger, faced five batters; all reached base, all scored. His replacement, Jim Merritt, allowed four of the five batters he faced to reach base and score.
The first eight batters for San Diego reached safely before starting pitcher Joe Niekro finally struck out trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt. Niekro had a 6-0 lead at the time, thanks in part to an Ollie Brown grand slam. By the time the inning was over, the Padres had sent 13 men to the plate and put the game well out of reach.
Niekro surrendered a solo homer to Alex Johnson in the bottom of the first, but it made no difference. Later, with an 11-2 lead in the sixth, the Padres added two more runs courtesy of two hits, two wild pitches, and an error. One of the hits was an RBI single off the bat of Niekro.
You get the idea.
Jose Arcia, Roberto Pena, Ivan Murrell, and Chris Cannizzaro each collected two hits for the Padres. Brown led the charge with four RBI, while Pena and Cannizzaro chipped in with two apiece. Nate Colbert? He contributed a single and four walks in five trips to the plate.
The victory improved the Padres’ record to 12-14. Unfortunately, that was as close to a .500 record as they would come all year.
Trivia: The 13 runs represented a high-water mark for the Padres and remained so until they scored 17 in a 15-inning affair at Candlestick Park on May 23, 1970.
Elsewhere in the world: Jockey Bill Hartack won his fifth Kentucky Derby aboard Majestic Prince.
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