1969: Sisk Finally Wins
Thu, Sep 6, 2007
by Geoff Young
September 6, 1969, San Diego: Padres 3, Dodgers 1 (box score)
Clay Kirby and Don Sutton hooked up in the third of a four-game series at San Diego Stadium. Kirby, for reasons I cannot find, exited early, with Tommie Sisk taking over in the second.
The game remained scoreless, with neither team threatening at all, until the bottom of the sixth. Then, after Sisk struck out to start the inning, Jose Arcia and Roberto Pena singled. Ollie Brown followed with a fly ball to center that scored Arcia, and Al Ferrara knocked a double that brought home Pena to give the Padres a 2-0 lead.
Los Angeles put two runners on in the seventh, but Sisk worked out of the jam. The Padres then added an insurance run in their half of the inning. Cito Gaston hit a one-out triple, and Chris Cannizzaro brought him home with an infield single.
The Dodgers made some serious noise in the eighth. Bill Sudakis led off with a single. After Sisk retired the next two batters, he gave up a single to pinch hitter Len Gabrielson. Maury Wills then singled to left, cutting San Diego’s lead to 3-1.
With two on and two out, Billy McCool relieved Sisk, who had allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings in relief of Kirby. Dodgers skipper Walter Alston countered by pulling Willie Crawford in favor of Manny Mota against the southpaw. Mota, a fine hitter who probably deserved more of a shot earlier in his career, struck out to end the threat.
The Dodgers got the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but McCool slammed the door and the Padres had won their third straight over the visitors. On a personal level, Sisk had notched his first victory of the season, improving his record to 1-10 in front of just over 10,000 fans.
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