San Diego’s Randy Jones scattered seven hits as he blanked Atlanta 4-0 as the Padres advanced in the 1975 Strat-O-Matic Tournament Presented by Press Room Pass.
Jones fanned only two, but he didn’t allow a walk.
Johnny Grubb provided all of the offense that Padres would need with a RBI double in the bottom of the fourth off Braves starter Phil Niekro, who worked seven innings.
The Padres finished the Braves off with three runs against Tom House in the eighth. Willie McCovey had a run-scoring single, while Grubb added another RBI double. Hector Torres capped the rally with a sacrifice fly.
Earl Williams led the Braves with three hits and Ralph Garr had a pair of singles.
Astros Move on to Next Round
The Houston Astros broke open a tight contest with six runs over the final two innings to post a 7-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
After Bob Watson produced a run with a triple in the top of the eighth, Cliff Johnson had a two-run blast to make it 4-1.
In the ninth, Greg Gross had a two-run single off of Randy Moffitt, who had entered the contest for Giants starter John Montefusco after he worked eight frames. Watson picked up the final RBI on a ground out.
J.R. Richard went the distance for the Astros with nine strikeouts.
Johnson knocked in Houston’s first run with a single in the fourth. Dave Rader drove in the only run for the Giants with a single in the bottom of the fourth.
National League West Results and Schedule
(4) Padres 4, (5) Braves 0
(4) Padres at (1) Reds
(6) Astros 7, (3) Giants 1
(6) Astros at (2) Dodgers
IN REAL LIFE:
San Diego’s Randy Jones was an all-star and finished second in the voting for the National League Cy Young Award in 1975 after posting a 20-12 record with a league-best 2.24 ERA.
The lefty from California came up with the Padres in 1973 with a 7-6 mark. The following season, Jones was 8-22.
In 1976, Jones led the NL in wins at 22-14 along with 25 complete games. For his efforts, Jones won the Cy Young Award and made his second all-star roster.
Although he could not match that success over the next few years, Jones stayed with the Padres until 1980. He played his final two seasons with the New York Mets and retired after 1982 with a 100-123 record.