June 3, 1969, Philadelphia: Padres 6, Phillies 5 (box score)
Fresh off their fourth straight victory, the Padres sent Clay Kirby to the mound against Philadelphia’s Woodie Fryman. San Diego struck early in this one. With two out in the first, Ollie Brown drew a walk. Nate Colbert followed with a single, and the streaking (.320/.433/.920 over his previous 12 games) Al Ferrara then doubled to center, scoring both runners and putting the Padres on top, 2-0.
The Phillies answered with a run in the home half. Deron Johnson drove home Cookie Rojas, who had doubled earlier in the inning, with a sacrifice fly to Ferrara in left.
The score remained 2-1, Padres, until the top of the fourth. San Diego struck for three runs that inning, all coming with two outs. Chris Cannizzaro led off with a single. After Clay Kirby struck out and John Sipin grounded out (advancing Cannizzarro to second), Roberto Pena stepped up and delivered a run-scoring single. An error by Johnny Briggs allowed Pena to take second on the play, but it didn’t matter. Brown promptly smoked a two-run homer to left, extending the Padres’ lead to 5-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Phillies worked some two-out magic of their own (with a little help from the Padres). With runners at second and third, Larry Hisle grounded to shortstop Pena, who failed to make the play, allowing Deron Johnson to score and Hisle to reach first base. Terry Harmon then singled home Hisle to pull the home team to within two runs. Kirby escaped further damage by striking out pinch hitter Gene Stone to end the inning.
Philadelphia added a run in the fifth, but the Padres got it back in the top of the sixth, when a Nate Colbert single gave the visitors what would turn out to be an important piece of insurance. The Phillies weren’t going quietly and pushed across another run against reliever Tommie Sisk in the eighth.
In a sign of the times, Sisk came to bat in the top of the ninth with a one-run lead. He struck out trying to lay down a sacrifice bunt before returning to the mound to try and seal the victory.
The Phillies, however, had other ideas. A one-out double off the bat of Tony Taylor signaled the end of Sisk’s night. Right-hander Jack Baldschun came into the game and struck out Rojas. Then, with the left-handed hitting Johnny Callison due up, Padres skipper Preston Gomez turned to the southpaw Billy McCool. Befitting a man of his name, McCool retired Callison on a fly ball to center to end the game.
Elsewhere in the world: The final episode of Star Trek aired.
Recent Comments