As first impressions go, Brent Strom’s Padres debut was quite good. His second time out for the hometown team was even better.
A product of San Diego High School and San Diego City College, the 26-year-old Strom fired nine innings of one-run ball on this date — June 20 — in 1975 in a 2-1 win over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers.
Naturally, Strom’s parents, in-laws, former college coach Bernie Flaherty and plenty of close friends were among a crowd of 22,822 at San Diego Stadium to see the native son out-duel Don Sutton.
“I didn’t want to disappoint them,” Strom told the San Diego Union after the game.