July 24, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 4, Padres 3 (box score)
The Padres started the second half of their inaugural season much as they’d ended the first half: with a loss on the road. Unlike the 10-0 shellacking they’d suffered in Atlanta four days earlier, this game was tight and could have gone either way.
San Diego scored in the first off Pirates right-hander Dock Ellis. Jose Arcia and Roberto Pena led off the game with singles, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. After Ollie Brown hit into a fielder’s choice that cut down Arcia at the plate, Nate Colbert singled home Pena to give the Padres a 1-0 lead. An Ellis balk moved the runners up to second and third, but San Diego was unable to take advantage.
In the fourth, the Padres padded their lead. With nobody on and two out, Ivan Murrell singled. Ellis promptly had Murrell picked off first but threw the ball away, allowing the runner to advance and the inning to continue. Larry Stahl walked and Chris Cannizzaro singled, scoring Murrell.
Padres starter Al Santorini was cruising until the sixth. Then, after retiring the first two batters, he faced Willie Stargell, who knocked a solo home run to cut the lead in half.
The Pirates pushed ahead the next inning. Richie Hebner led off the seventh with a homer to tie the score. Two singles, an intentional walk, and a wild pitch then put the home team up, 3-2. The Padres re-tied the game in the eighth on two singles and an error by Pittsburgh center fielder Matty Alou.
Both sides went quietly in the ninth, forcing extra innings. After the Padres failed to score in their half, the Pirates came to bat against reliever Gary Ross. With one out, Alou doubled. Carl Taylor followed with another two-bagger, plating Alou and giving Pittsburgh a 4-3 win.
Geoff,
Your account of this game was great. Forbes Field is one of those lost ballparks I wish was still around.
Thanks, Chris; glad you enjoyed it. I’m having a blast researching these games…
Geoff:
Great site!!! I was just lookin’ for stuff about Nate Colbert (one of my favorites growing up) and I “stumbled” onto your site. Speaking of Nate Colbert…..any IDEA whatever happened to the guy???? All of a sudden, he seemed to have lost it? From an entirely statistical viewpoint, it looks to me like he never really got a true chance to “break out” of his troubles. Almost compares to the “Steve Blass saga” but as a hitter. Do you have any insight as to what happened????
I, also search the web for Nate Colbert. I was 16 years old in 1975 when he became a Detroit Tiger, my one and only homestate favorite team. He immediately became my favorite Tiger, and I was excited to see what this superstar slugger would do in Tiger Stadium. Before the season was half over he was gone, not being able to get his batting average at .200. I was devastated, completely perplexed why this great player who once hit five homeruns in a doubleheader (and another one in his first at bat the very next day!) was given up on. I have read, in recent years, that back problems forced his retirement at the age of thirty, which has consoled me somewhat, but it’s still a shame. Nate Colbert was a class act, and remains one of my all time favorite players. Padre fans should remember Nate as the team’s very first superstar.