1969 San Diego Padres season

The 1969 San Diego Padres season was the inaugural season in franchise history. They joined the National League along with the Montreal Expos via the 1969 Major League Baseball expansion. In their inaugural season, the Padres went 52–110 (the same record as their expansion counterpart), finishing last in the National League's newly created Western Division, 41 games behind the division champion Atlanta Braves. The Padres finished last in the majors as a team in runs scored (468), hits (1,203) and batting average (.225).

1969 San Diego Padres
Inaugural Season
Major League affiliations
National League (since 1969)
Western Division (since 1969)
Location
San Diego Stadium (since 1967) San Diego, California (since 1969)
Other information
Owner(s)	C. Arnholdt Smith
General manager(s)	Buzzie Bavasi
Manager(s)	Preston Gómez
Local television	KOGO
Local radio	KOGO (Duke Snider, Frank Sims, Jerry Gross)
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Offseason

Expansion draft

The 1968 MLB expansion draft was held on October 14, 1968. Below is a list of players drafted by the Padres. "Pick" refers to the overall draft position of a pick.

Player	Former Team	Pick
Ollie Brown[1]	San Francisco Giants	1st
Dave Giusti	St. Louis Cardinals	3rd
Dick Selma	New York Mets	5th
Al Santorini[2]	Atlanta Braves	7th
José Arcia	Chicago Cubs	9th
Clay Kirby	St. Louis Cardinals	12th
Fred Kendall	Cincinnati Reds	14th
Jerry Morales	New York Mets	16th
Nate Colbert[3]	Houston Astros	18th
Zoilo Versalles	Los Angeles Dodgers	20th
Frank Reberger	Chicago Cubs	22nd
Jerry DaVanon	St. Louis Cardinals	24th
Larry Stahl[4]	New York Mets	26th
Dick Kelley	Atlanta Braves	28th
Al Ferrara	Los Angeles Dodgers	30th
Mike Corkins	San Francisco Giants	31st
Tom Dukes	Houston Astros	33rd
Rick James	Chicago Cubs	35th
Tony González	Philadelphia Phillies	37th
Dave Roberts	Pittsburgh Pirates	39th
Don Shaw	New York Mets	40th
Ivan Murrell	Houston Astros	42nd
Jim Williams	Los Angeles Dodgers	44th
Billy McCool	Cincinnati Reds	46th
Roberto Peña	Philadelphia Phillies	48th
Al McBean	Pittsburgh Pirates	50th
Rafael Robles	San Francisco Giants	51st
Fred Katawczik	Cincinnati Reds	53rd
Ron Slocum	Pittsburgh Pirates	55th
Steve Arlin	Philadelphia Philles	57th
Cito Gaston[5]	Atlanta Braves	59th

Other transactions

• December 3, 1968: Dave Giusti was traded by the Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ed Spiezio, Danny Breeden, Ron Davis and Phil Knuckles (minors).[6]
• March 28, 1969: Ron Davis and Bobby Klaus were traded by the Padres to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Chris Cannizzaro and Tommie Sisk.[7]

1968 MLB June amateur draft

The Padres and Montreal Expos, along with the two American League expansion teams set to debut in 1969, the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots, were allowed to participate in the June 1968 MLB first-year player draft, although the new teams were barred from the lottery's first three rounds. The Padres drafted only 16 players in the 1968 June draft, and of the players the Padres were able to sign, one (outfielder Dave Robinson) reached the major leagues.[8]

Regular season

The first game

Scorecard

April 8, San Diego Stadium, San Diego, California

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Houston	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	1
San Diego	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	x	2	4	0
W: Selma (1–0)  L: Wilson (0–1)
HRs: Spiezio (1)

Batting

Houston Astros	AB	R	H	RBI	San Diego Padres	AB	R	H	RBI
Alou rf	4	1	3	0	Robles ss	4	0	0	0
Morgan 2b	3	0	0	0	Peña 2b	3	1	0	0
Miller cf	4	0	0	0	González cf	4	0	0	0
Rader 3b	4	0	1	1	Brown rf	4	0	1	1
Blefary 1b	4	0	1	0	Davis 1b	3	0	0	0
Watson lf	4	0	0	0	Colbert 1b	0	0	0	0
Menke ss	3	0	0	0	Stahl lf	3	0	0	0
Edwards c	3	0	0	0	Spiezio 3b	3	1	1	0
Wilson p	2	0	0	0	Cannizzaro c	2	0	0	0
Geiger ph	1	0	0	0	Selma p	2	0	2	0
Billingham p	0	0	0	0	NONE	0	0	0	0
Totals	32	1	5	1	Totals	28	2	4	2

Pitching

Houston Astros	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Wilson, L (0–1)	6.0	3	2	2	1	4
Billingham	2.0	1	0	0	0	3
Totals	8.0	4	2	2	1	7

San Diego Padres	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO
Selma, W (1–0)	9.0	5	1	1	2	12
Totals	9.0	5	1	1	2	12

Season standings

NL West	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road
Atlanta Braves	93	69	0.574	—	50–31	43–38
San Francisco Giants	90	72	0.556	3	52–29	38–43
Cincinnati Reds	89	73	0.549	4	50–31	39–42
Los Angeles Dodgers	85	77	0.525	8	50–31	35–46
Houston Astros	81	81	0.500	12	52–29	29–52
San Diego Padres	52	110	0.321	41	28–53	24–57

Record vs. opponents

1969 National League Records Sources:
Team	ATL	CHC	CIN	HOU	LAD	MON	NYM	PHI	PIT	SD	SF	STL
Atlanta	—	3–9	12–6	15–3	9–9	8–4	4–8	6–6	8–4	13–5	9–9	6–6
Chicago	9–3	—	6–6–1	8–4	6–6	10–8	8–10	12–6	7–11	11–1	6–6	9–9
Cincinnati	6–12	6–6–1	—	9–9	10–8	8–4	6–6	10–2	5–7	11–7	10–8	8–4
Houston	3–15	4–8	9–9	—	6–12	11–1	10–2	8–4	3–9	10–8	10–8	7–5
Los Angeles	9–9	6–6	8–10	12–6	—	10–2	4–8	8–4	8–4	12–6	5–13	3–9
Montreal	4–8	8–10	4–8	1–11	2–10	—	5–13	11–7	5–13	4–8	1–11	7–11
New York	8–4	10–8	6–6	2–10	8–4	13–5	—	12–6	10–8	11–1	8–4	12–6
Philadelphia	6-6	6–12	2–10	4–8	4–8	7–11	6–12	—	10–8	8–4	3–9	7–11
Pittsburgh	4–8	11–7	7–5	9–3	4–8	13–5	8–10	8–10	—	10–2	5–7	9–9
San Diego	5–13	1–11	7–11	8–10	6–12	8–4	1–11	4–8	2–10	—	6–12	4–8
San Francisco	9–9	6–6	8–10	8–10	13–5	11–1	4–8	9–3	7–5	12–6	—	3–9
St. Louis	6–6	9–9	4–8	5–7	9–3	11–7	6–12	11–7	9–9	8–4	9–3	—

Notable transactions

• April 14, 1969: Chris Krug was signed as a free agent by the Padres.[9]
• April 17, 1969: Al McBean was traded by the Padres to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Tommy Dean and Leon Everitt.[10]
• April 25, 1969: Dick Selma was traded by the Padres to the Chicago Cubs for Joe Niekro, Frankie Libran and Gary Ross.[11]
• May 22, 1969: Bill Davis and Jerry DaVanon were traded by the Padres to the St. Louis Cardinals for John Sipin and Sonny Ruberto.[12]
• May 23, 1969: Chris Krug was released by the Padres.[9]
• June 13, 1969: Tony González was traded by the Padres to the Atlanta Braves for Van Kelly, Walt Hriniak and Andy Finlay (minors).[13]

Draft picks

• June 5, 1969: 1969 Major League Baseball draft
  • Randy Elliott was drafted by the Padres in the 1st round (24th pick).[14]
  • Doug DeCinces was drafted by the Padres in the 18th round, but did not sign.[15]

Roster

1969 San Diego Padres
Roster
Pitchers 44 Steve Arlin 27 Jack Baldschun 30 Mike Corkins 44 Tom Dukes 31 Leon Everitt 22 Dick Kelley 43 Clay Kirby 34 Al McBean 42 Billy McCool 37 Joe Niekro 45 Johnny Podres 46 Frank Reberger 15 Dave Roberts 33 Gary Ross 23 Al Santorini 39 Dick Selma 16,25 Tommie Sisk		Catchers 3,8 Chris Cannizzaro 25 Walt Hriniak 36 Fred Kendall 24 Chris Krug 10 Sonny Ruberto Infielders  5 José Arcia 17 Nate Colbert 36 Jerry DaVanon 12 Bill Davis  3 Tommy Dean 14,36 Van Kelly 35 Frankie Libran 11 Roberto Peña 35 Rafael Robles  2 John Sipin 12 Ron Slocum  7 Ed Spiezio		Outfielders 26 Ollie Brown  9 Al Ferrara 21 Cito Gaston 25 Tony González 32 Jerry Morales 20 Ivan Murrell 14 Larry Stahl 39 Jim Williams		Manager 18 Preston Gómez Coaches  1 Sparky Anderson 38 Roger Craig  6 Wally Moon 19 Whitey Wietelmann

Player stats

= Indicates team leader

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Pos	Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
C	Chris Cannizzaro	134	418	23	92	.220	4	33	0
1B	Nate Colbert	139	483	64	123	.255	24	66	6
2B	José Arcia	120	302	35	65	.215	0	10	14
3B	Ed Spiezio	121	355	29	83	.234	13	43	1
SS	Tommy Dean	101	273	14	48	.176	2	9	0
LF	Al Ferrara	138	366	39	95	.260	14	56	0
CF	Cito Gaston	129	391	20	90	.230	2	28	4
RF	Ollie Brown	151	568	76	150	.264	20	61	10

[16]

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases

Player	G	AB	R	H	Avg.	HR	RBI	SB
Roberto Peña	139	472	44	118	.250	4	30	0
Ivan Murrell	111	247	19	63	.255	3	25	3
John Sipin	68	229	22	51	.223	2	9	2
Van Kelly	73	209	16	51	.244	3	15	0
Tony González	53	182	17	41	.225	2	8	1
Larry Stahl	95	162	10	32	.198	3	10	3
Walt Hriniak	31	66	4	15	.227	0	1	0
Jerry DaVanon	24	59	4	8	.136	0	3	0
Bill Davis	31	57	1	10	.175	0	1	0
Jerry Morales	19	41	5	8	.195	1	6	0
Fred Kendall	10	26	2	4	.154	0	0	0
Jim Williams	13	25	4	7	.280	0	2	0
Ron Slocum	13	24	6	7	.292	1	5	0
Sonny Ruberto	17	21	3	3	.143	0	0	0
Rafael Robles	6	20	1	2	.100	0	0	1
Chris Krug	8	17	0	1	.059	0	0	0
Frankie Librán	10	10	1	1	.100	0	1	0

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Clay Kirby	35	215.2	7	20	3.80	113
Joe Niekro	37	202	8	17	3.70	55
Al Santorini	32	184.2	8	14	3.95	111
Dick Kelley	27	136	4	8	3.57	96
Dick Selma	4	22	2	2	4.09	20
Al McBean	1	7	0	1	5.14	1

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	IP	W	L	ERA	SO
Tommie Sisk	53	143	2	13	4.78	59
Gary Ross	46	109.2	3	12	4.19	58
Johnny Podres	17	64.2	5	6	4.31	17
Dave Roberts	22	48.2	0	3	4.81	19
Mike Corkins	6	17	1	3	8.47	13
Steve Arlin	4	10.2	0	1	9.28	9

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player	G	W	L	SV	ERA	SO
Frank Reberger	67	1	2	6	3.59	65
Jack Baldschun	61	7	2	1	4.79	67
Billy McCool	54	3	5	7	4.30	35
Tom Dukes	13	1	0	1	7.25	15
Leon Everitt	5	0	1	0	8.04	11

Award winners

1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game

• Chris Cannizzaro, Catcher, Reserve

Farm system

See also: Minor League Baseball

Level	Team	League	Manager
AA	Elmira Pioneers	Eastern League	Harry Bright
A	Key West Padres	Florida State League	Don Zimmer
Rookie	Salt Lake City Bees	Pioneer League	Dave Garcia

Elmira affiliation shared with Kansas City Royals[17]

References

1. Padres Timeline | padres.com: History
2. Al Santorini at Baseball-Reference
3. Nate Colbert at Baseball Reference
4. Larry Stahl at Baseball Reference
5. Cito Gaston at Baseball Reference
6. Ed Spiezio at Baseball Reference
7. Chris Cannizzaro at Baseball Reference
8. "1968 San Diego Padres Draft Picks in the June MLB Draft," Baseball Reference
9. Chris Krug at Baseball Reference
10. Tommy Dean at Baseball Reference
11. Joe Niekro at Baseball Reference
12. Sonny Ruberto at Baseball Reference
13. Van Kelly at Baseball Reference
14. Randy Elliott at Baseball Reference
15. Doug DeCinces at Baseball Reference
16. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SDP/1969.shtml
17. Johnson, Lloyd, and Wolff, Miles, ed., The Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball, 2nd and 3rd editions. Durham, North Carolina: Baseball America, 1997 and 2007

External links

• 1969 San Diego Padres at Baseball Reference
• 1969 San Diego Padres at Baseball Almanac