1969: Kirby Sucks Up Reds
Mon, Sep 10, 2007
by Geoff Young
September 10, 1969, Cincinnati: Padres 2, Reds 1 (box score)
This Wednesday affair at Crosley Field turned out to be quite the pitchers duel. Through the first three innings, there were a total of three baserunners: all walks by the Padres against Cincinnati starter Tony Cloninger.
In the fourth, San Diego scored the game’s first run. Rookie Jerry Morales, getting the start in left field, led off the inning with his first big-league home run.
The score remained 1-0 until the sixth, when the Reds tied the contest. Clay Kirby, who had allowed just one hit entering the inning, served up a two-out triple to Jimmy Stewart that brought home Woody Woodward.
The Padres nudged back ahead in the eighth thanks to some shoddy defense by the home team. With two out, Roberto Pena tripled to center. Morales followed with a grounder that shortstop Woodward booted, allowing Pena to score.
San Diego threatened to add an insurance run in the ninth, but Chris Cannizzaro rapped into a 5-4-3 double play to quell the threat. It didn’t matter, as Kirby sealed the deal on his own in the bottom half. The young right-hander limited a potent Cincinnati offense to just three hits and a walk en route to a Padres 2-1 victory.
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