1969: Pirates Score Early and Often, Beat Padres

Wednesday, August 8, 2007
by Geoff Young
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 ...
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1969: Padres Fall Just Short in Loss at Pittsburgh

Thursday, July 26, 2007
by Geoff Young
July 26, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 4, Padres 3 (box score) This was almost a brilliant comeback win for the Padres. Almost. The Pirates drew first blood. In the first inning, they parlayed a double, balk, and groundout into a 1-0 lead against rookie (and former Pittsburgh farmhand) Dave Roberts. They extended it to 2-0 in the third and tacked on another run in the seventh. San Diego, meanwhile, ran into a brick wall named Luke Walker for 8 2/3 innings. Then, down to their final out, the Padres got a single from Ollie Brown and a double from Nate Colbert to bring up Al Ferrara, who brought the visitors back ...
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1969: Padres Lose in Extra Frames at Forbes Field

Tuesday, July 24, 2007
by Geoff Young
July 24, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 4, Padres 3 (box score) The Padres started the second half of their inaugural season much as they'd ended the first half: with a loss on the road. Unlike the 10-0 shellacking they'd suffered in Atlanta four days earlier, this game was tight and could have gone either way. San Diego scored in the first off Pirates right-hander Dock Ellis. Jose Arcia and Roberto Pena led off the game with singles, putting runners at the corners with nobody out. After Ollie Brown hit into a fielder's choice that cut down Arcia at the plate, Nate Colbert singled home Pena to give the Padres a ...
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1969: Niekro Pounded in Fourth, Padres Lose Third Straight

Sunday, May 20, 2007
by Geoff Young
May 20, 1969, San Diego: Pirates 6, Padres 3 (box score) Losers of five straight, including a three-game sweep at Dodger Stadium, the Pirates came to town with an 18-18 record that placed them a distant second in the National League East, six games back of Chicago. The club from Pittsburgh featured some outstanding hitters, including Matty Alou, Richie Hebner, and Al Oliver, as well as future Hall of Famers Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente. The Pirates jumped on San Diego starter Joe Niekro right away. With runners at first and second and one out in the first, Stargell singled home Alou to give Pittsburgh an early 1-0 lead. In ...
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1969: Veale, Stargell Lead Pirates Past Padres

Monday, May 7, 2007
by Geoff Young
May 7, 1969, Pittsburgh: Pirates 2, Padres 0 (box score) After winning the opener in Pittsburgh, the Padres turned to Clay Kirby. The Pirates countered with left-hander Bob Veale. The Alabama native had finished the previous season at 13-14 despite a sparkling 2.05 ERA. Veale had gotten off to a slow start in 1969, entering the contest with a 2-3 record and a 5.47 ERA. On this date, though, Veale would prove tough. The Padres had their chances, loading the bases in the second and making a little noise in the fourth and ninth innings as well, but ultimately couldn't score against Veale, who fanned 13 batters. About ...
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