Joe Niekro, an Original Padre, Is Back Tonight in Quest of 200th Win

It was 1969 and there was a new game in town. Baseball.

The Padres’ first season in the National League was less than memorable. The expansion club, managed by Preston Gomez, posted a 52-110 record and finished 41 games behind the division-winning Atlanta Braves.

The only member of that team still active in the big leagues will be pitching tonight against the Padres in pursuit of his 200th career win.

Joe Niekro, who recently became the winningest pitcher in the history of the Houston Astros, for whom he’s won 141 games, spent only one summer in San Diego, the Padres’ first.

He won eight games to share the team lead in that department, which tells you something about the quality of that staff.

Niekro, who had not adopted the knuckleball at that point in his career, joined the Padres early in the season, and left not long after it was over.

He was acquired from the Chicago Cubs, for whom he had won 14 games the year before, in a trade for pitcher Dick Selma. Also added to the Padre roster in that transaction were pitcher Gary Ross and infielder Francisco Libran.

In a trade that was to have a far more lasting impact on the Padres, Niekro was dealt in December of 1969 to Detroit for an infielder named Dave Campbell, who soon took up work behind a microphone.

Niekro has pleasant memories of the summer of ‘69, even if the team was the worst he ever pitched for.

“The highlight was late in the year when we beat the Dodgers six out of seven times and kept them from winning the division,” Niekro said. “Everybody had said the schedule favored Los Angeles because they had all those games with the Padres down the stretch, but we showed them differently.”

The Cubs enjoyed a comfortable lead when they unloaded Niekro to San Diego, which was comfortably nestled in the cellar. That necessitated a mental adjustment for Niekro, but at least he was spared the agony of Chicago’s late-season collapse.

Niekro, who relied on a fastball and slider in the early years of his career, said he pitched pretty well in 1969, even if it wasn’t reflected in his record.

“That was a ballclub that didn’t really have any great ballplayers,” Niekro said. “It was 25 guys thrown together in a short period of time, and it didn’t have the best talent. It might have been a tougher experience if we hadn’t been in such a pleasant city as San Diego.”

He isn’t surprised by the Padres’ booming attendance.

“When I was here, they said San Diego would never draw because it had Los Angeles to the north, Mexico to the south, the mountains to the east and the ocean to the west,” Niekro said. “The answer to that, of course, is that you will draw anywhere if you win.”

Niekro, who is in his 17th season in the major leagues, said the biggest change in the game is the maturity of young pitchers, along with the preponderance of artificial turf.

Although he tires of the travel, he never tires of getting to the ballpark. He arrives at 1:30 p.m. before a night game and puts in his running.

“I never thought I’d be at it this long,” Niekro said, “but I’ve been lucky to avoid any serious injuries. I realize there are a lot of people sitting in the stands every night who would love to be doing what I’m doing.”

If the pressures of the business sometimes overwhelm younger players, Niekro hangs in there stoically.

“My only crutch is, and always has been, my family,” he said.

It wasn’t always pleasant in 1969, going to the park and knowing the opposition was eager to have at the woeful Padres.

“But we had a very nice party after we beat the Dodgers for the last time,” Niekro said. “That was the best thing that happened to us.”

It has taken much of the intervening 15 years for the Padres to outgrow the sensation Niekro described. Now, beating the Dodgers is just part of the job.