1969: Braves Win Battle of Niekros

Wednesday, September 26, 2007
by Geoff Young
September 26, 1969, Atlanta: Braves 10, Padres 4 (box score) The Padres jumped to an early lead against knuckleballer Phil Niekro in this one. Jose Arcia reached first on an error by shortstop Gil Garrido to start the game. After the next two batters were retired (and Niekro should have been out of the inning), things got interesting. Al Ferrara and Nate Colbert both walked to load the bases. Ivan Murrell singled them home to put San Diego up, 2-0, with Colbert advancing only to second. A passed ball moved him and Ferrara into scoring position, but Cannizzaro popped to short for the final out. The Padres added a run ...
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1969: Defense Collapses, Padres Blow Late Lead

Thursday, September 20, 2007
by Geoff Young
September 20, 1969, San Diego: Braves 3, Padres 2 (box score) Tommie Sisk deserved better in this one, he really did. Sisk and the Padres carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth. Then things got weird. Felipe Alou led off the frame with a grounder that second baseman Jose Arcia couldn't handle. Two batters later, a single by ex-Padre Tony Gonzalez brought home pinch-runner Ralph Garr to tie the game. In the ninth, with Orlando Cepeda on first and one out, Bob Didier singled to center. A Cito Caston error on the play allowed Cepeda to score and moved Didier up to third base. Frank Reberger came ...
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1969: Braves Batter Padres

Wednesday, September 19, 2007
by Geoff Young
September 19, 1969, San Diego: Braves 12, Padres 3 (box score) Another day, another blowout. The Padres trailed, 4-2, after an inning, and that was as close as they ever got. The Braves banged out 17 hits and San Diego starter Mike Corkins left after retiring just one of the six batters he faced. Rico Carty and the light-hitting Gil Garrido collected three hits apiece, with Garrido driving in three runs (he finished with 10 RBI all season in 251 PA). Clete Boyer also drove in three runs, while Orlando Cepeda and ex-Padre Tony Gonzalez each added two hits. Heck, even Braves starter Milt Pappas knocked his second homer ...
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1969: Padres Stumble into All-Star Break

Friday, July 20, 2007
by Geoff Young
July 20, 1969, Atlanta: Braves 10, Padres 0 (box score) In their final game before the All-Star break, the Padres sent Clay Kirby to the mound against Atlanta's Pat Jarvis. The game could have gone worse for San Diego, although it's hard to imagine how. The Braves scored in the first on two walks, two stolen bases, and an error. They added four more (three unearned) in the fourth. Ex-Padre Tony Gonzalez continued to torment his former club, driving home two of those runs on a bases-loaded single. A three-run homer off the bat of Orlando Cepeda in the sixth made the score 9-0. The Braves scored again in the ...
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1969: Niekro Beats Niekro, Padres Win

Friday, July 13, 2007
by Geoff Young
July 13, 1969, San Diego: Padres 1, Braves 0 (box score) One run. Not a lot of margin for error there. The last time the two Niekro brothers had faced each other, Joe won in relief for the Cubs at Wrigley despite older brother Phil's three-run homer earlier in the contest. This time, the two hooked up as starters, and each put on a terrific performance. The Padres scored the game's only run in the fourth. Nate Colbert led off with a double to left. With two outs, Ivan Murrell singled him home. Atlanta, ...
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1969: Unlikely Sources Power Padres Past Braves

Thursday, July 12, 2007
by Geoff Young
July 12, 1969, San Diego: Padres 7, Braves 5 (box score) Losers of five straight, the Padres wasted no time in scoring. John Sipin singled to lead off the first, and Roberto Pena reached on an error by Atlanta first baseman Orlando Cepeda. With Sipin and third and Pena at second, Ollie Brown laced a single to left, scoring both men and giving the Padres an early 2-0 advantage. The Braves cut the lead in half the next inning courtesy of a Clete Boyer homer. In the fifth, they tied the game on a single, wild pitch, and two grounders. San Diego responded in the bottom of the fifth. Jose ...
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1969: Padres Rally Late, Earn Split with Braves in Atlanta

Tuesday, May 1, 2007
by Geoff Young
May 1, 1969, Atlanta: Padres 4, Braves 3 (box score) May began for the Padres in the same way April had -- with a win. Dick Kelley and Ron Reed started this one in front of 5,854 fans at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. Kelley hadn't pitched well in his first start against the Braves on April 22, and he fared even worse on this day. After allowing three hits, a walk, and a wild pitch over the first two innings, Kelley lost it in the third. Two walks, an Orlando Cepeda triple, an error, and a Clete Boyer double gave the Braves a 3-0 lead. The Padres battled back with two runs in the top of ...
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