PADRES’ JOE WINS DUEL OF NIEKRO BROTHERS

Beyond a win on opening day, the Padres’ inaugural 1969 campaign — a 110-loss season — brought few highlights. Joe Niekro’s duel with older brother Phil on this date — July 13 — was one of them, though both had grown weary of such talk of sibling rivalries by the time the Atlanta Braves rolled into San Diego that year.

In fact, the 30-year-old Phil was rather annoyed that the Padres appeared to have gone out of their way to arrange the meeting, which the 24-year-old Joe won 1-0.

“It was an emotional thing for both of us, because we’ve always been so close,” Phil told the San Diego Union after the game. “Neither one of us wanted to pitch against each other. It was Joe’s turn to pitch (a day earlier). But the people here (San Diego) weren’t thinking about either one of us. All they wanted to do was put some more people in the ballpark.”

He added: “I couldn’t be prouder of Joe than I am today. It’s hard to describe. We’re in a pennant race and naturally I wanted to win. I’m just glad both of us pitched well.”

The elder Niekro held his own, allowing one run on seven hits and no walks in seven innings in front of a disappointing crowd of just 6,456.

The lone run scored on Ivan Murrell’s fourth-inning single.

Joe Niekro scattered six hits in the complete-game victory in improving to 2-1 in the head-to-head sibling rivalry.

Their father, Phil Sr., taught them both the knuckleball and was even in Chicago the previous year to watch the matchup.

“It was hard on him,” Phil Niekro said. “He didn’t want either one of us to lose. … We started to call him and tell him we were going to pitch against each other today, but we didn’t. We were afraid it would worry him.”

The younger Niekro started the 1969 season with the Cubs before he was traded to San Diego for Dick Selma in April. Joe Niekro went 8-17 with a 3.70 ERA over 202 innings before he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Dave Campbell and Pat Dobson after the season.

Joe Niekro went 221-204 with a 3.59 ERA in 22 seasons in the majors. He died in October 2006 at the age of 61 after suffering a brain aneurysm.

Phil Niekro went 318-274 with a 3.35 ERA in a 24-year career that culminated with a Hall of Fame induction in 1997. He turned 81 in April.

Also on this date

1976: LHP Randy Jones, on the way to his NL Cy Young Award, became the first Padre to start an Allstar Game. He pitched three scoreless innings, striking out one and allowing two hits and a walk. He was the winning pitcher in the NL’S 7-1 victory in Philadelphia.

1979: RF Dave Winfield went 6-for-9 with two homers, five RBIS and five runs scored as the Padres split a doubleheader in Montreal.

2001: RHP Woody Williams set a franchise record with five homers allowed in an 11-3 loss in Houston. Williams allowed eight runs — seven earned — in five innings. RHP Tim Stauffer tied the record on Aug. 13, 2011, in Cincinnati.

2013: Giants RHP Tim Lincecum no-hit the Padres on 148 pitches in a 9-0 win at Petco Park. Lincecum no-hit the Padres a second time the following June in San Francisco.

jeff.sanders@sduniontribune.com