August 8, 1969, San Diego: Pirates 7, Padres 1 (box score)

Joe Niekro just didn’t have it in this one. He allowed a single, a walk, and a wild pitch in the first, but the Pirates didn’t score.

The next inning, Niekro wasn’t so lucky. Manny Sanguillen led off with an infield single. Freddie Patek doubled him to third, and Gene Alley followed with a grounder to second, scoring Sanguillen. After another run had scored, Willie Stargell knocked a two-out double that plated two more Pirates, giving the visitors a commanding 4-0 lead.

Pittsburgh added a run in the third and two more in the seventh to make the score 7-0. The Padres scored a token run in the bottom half on a double by pinch-hitter John Sipin, followed by a Tommy Dean single. San Diego actually managed to load the bases in the inning, but Veale fanned Ed Spiezio to escape without further damage.

Veale went the distance to win his seventh game of the season, striking out 10 batters in the process. The Padres, meanwhile, had suffered their 11th loss in 12 games.

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