June 11, 1969, San Diego: Padres 6, Expos 5 (box score)
Dick Kelley and Bill Stoneman squared off in this one, but neither would factor in the decision. The Expos jumped on Kelley early. A walk, single, double, and error by left fielder Al Ferrara made the score 2-0 three batters into the game.
The Padres cut the lead in half in the second. With runners at first and second, and one out, Chris Cannizzaro grounded to short, bringing home Tony Gonzalez with the Padres’ first run.
San Diego scored again the next inning. Tommy Dean led off with a triple, but the next two batters hit grounders that kept Dean 90 feet away. Then Nate Colbert came through with a single, and the Padres had tied the game.
Kelley ran into serious trouble in the fifth inning. Stoneman doubled to lead off the frame. With one out, Gary Sutherland doubled home Stoneman, Donn Clendenon tripled home Sutherland, and Bob Bailey knocked a sac fly to left to put Montreal back on top, 5-2.
The Padres, though, weren’t down yet. In the sixth, an Ed Spiezio two-run homer cut the lead to one. The next inning, Ferrara doubled home Ollie Brown to even the score again.
The Expos had an excellent opportunity in the eighth, but couldn’t convert. With runners at first and second, and two out, Rusty Staub came to the plate. Padres manager Preston Gomez summoned southpaw Billy McCool from the bullpen, and McCool fanned Staub to quell the threat.
With the score still tied in the 10th, San Diego went to work. With one out, light-hitting (.189/.250/.216) Jose Arcia singled and stole second base. After a walk to Cannizzaro, Cito Gaston singled to load the bases for Dean, who flied to right, scoring Arcia and giving the Padres a come-from-behind 6-5 victory.
Trivia: Left-hander Don Shaw, who worked parts of the seventh and eighth innings for Montreal, had attended San Diego State.
Elsewhere in the world: Steven Drozd, drummer for the Flaming Lips, was born in Houston, Texas.
That was the first Padres game I ever attended, and I remember Dean’s game-winning sac fly clearly. Thing is, the ball was in foul territory. Clendenon should have let the ball drop – there was no way his arm was good enough to catch Arcia at home. Yes, it would have given Dean another swing, but come on, it’s Tommy Dean (.176/.252/.245 in ’69)!
As I recall, it was only a short time later that the Expos shipped Clendenon to New York, with historic consequences. I’ve occasionally wondered if there was a connection…
Thanks, Jim, for filling in the details! Very cool.