August 31, 1969, San Diego: Padres 5, Expos 2 (box score); Expos 6, Padres 1 (box score)
The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Women” had ascended to the top of the pop charts and was enjoying its second week in the #1 spot. The expansion Padres and Expos, meanwhile, continued their descent into realms best left unexplored by professional baseball teams.
On a Sunday in San Diego, the two clubs hooked up for a doubleheader in front of 4,782 fans. Dave Roberts faced right-hander Jerry Robertson in the opener. Robertson was a rookie out of Washburn University (which later produced future Padres coach Davey Lopes) and, like most of his teammates, was suffering through a miserable season.
The Expos jumped out to an early lead against Roberts, courtesy of a two-run homer off the bat of Rusty Staub in the third. They had a chance to do further damage the next inning, but with runners at the corners and one out were unable to score.
The Padres, meanwhile, broke through against Robertson in the sixth. With two out and nobody on, Roberto Pena singled left. Ollie Brown did the same. Al Ferrara then singled home Pena to make the score 2-1. Nate Colbert followed with a three-run homer that gave San Diego a lead it would not relinquish.
Montreal loaded the bases in the top of the eighth, but Billy McCool came on to strike out pinch-hitter John Boccabella and end the threat. The Padres added an insurance run in the bottom half on a leadoff home run by Brown, and held on to win, 5-2.
The second game featured Joe Niekro and Steve Renko. The Expos scored once each in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Chris Cannizzaro knocked a solo homer in the second to cut Montreal’s lead in half, but that was all the Padres would get against Renko, who tossed a five-hit complete game.
Niekro, for his part, worked seven strong innings before yielding to Jack Baldschun, who coughed up four runs in the final two innings. The big blow was a three-run home run by Mack Jones. The Padres dropped the game, 6-1, and finished the day with a 39-93 record. The Expos found themselves at 41-93. Both teams had a serious case of the honky tonk blues.
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