Twenty years ago this day, the Andy Ashby shut out the Diamondbacks for the Padres’ eighth win in a row, moving the first-place Friars to 11-2 on their way to 98 wins and the National League championship. Of course it doesn’t matter how well someone pitches if he doesn’t have any offense to back him up, but fortunately Archi Cianfrocco was there to provide the bare minimum needed by Ashby.
It didn’t seem like the two clubs were lining up for a sub-two-hour pitchers’ duel when the Diamondbacks managed to put runners on the corners in the top of the first, but it turned out to be as close as they’d get to rattling Ashby.