July 25, 1969, Pittsburgh: Padres 3, Pirates 2 (box score)

The Padres wasted no time in this one. Jose Arcia led off the contest with a triple and Roberto Pena singled him home to give San Diego the early 1-0 lead. The Pirates tied the contest in the second on a solo homer off the bat of Richie Hebner.

The score remained 1-1 until the sixth, when Steve Blass’ defense abandoned him. With two out and Ollie Brown on second, Van Kelly grounded to third, but Hebner couldn’t come up with the ball and Brown scored, with Kelly advancing to second on the play. The next batter, Ivan Murrell, singled home Kelly to make the score 3-1.

Pittsburgh cut the lead in the seventh on three singles, but Joe Niekro held serve and finished strong in the Padres 3-2 victory. Niekro went the distance, scattering nine hits and lowering his ERA to 2.57 on the season, as the Padres improved to 34-66.

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