Here are the 5 best games by Friars pitchers

SAN DIEGO -- A week ago, we took a look at the greatest single-game hitting performances in Padres history. Without further ado, these are the five best games for a San Diego pitcher:

5. Jones' 89-minute masterpiece
May 4, 1977
Considering the way baseball is currently played, nearly half a century later, a game like this doesn't feel possible. Then again, Randy Jones did a lot of things on the mound that don't feel possible. Jones -- the ultimate "crafty lefty" -- was a pitcher from a different era. He worked absurdly quickly and regularly induced pitiful contact from opposing hitters. Jones won an ERA title in 1975 and a Cy Young Award in '76, despite tallying fewer than 200 strikeouts across more than 600 innings. But his masterpiece came in '77. Facing Philadelphia's Jim Kaat, a similarly quick worker, Jones pitched nine innings of one-run ball against an absolutely loaded Phillies lineup that would go on to win 101 games. Jones disposed of them in 89 minutes. Eighty-nine minutes. The Padres won the game, 4-1, but it wasn't all bad for Kaat, who famously had tickets to a Kenny Rankin concert that night. He later told the San Diego Union-Tribune: "The concert started at 9 o’clock. I was there, showered and dressed and in my seat. Didn’t miss a thing."

4. Peavy's strikeout binge
April 25, 2007
Jake Peavy had already asserted himself as the Padres' ace. But he took his game to a different level in 2007, and it was clear from the start. Facing Arizona in late April, Peavy allowed two first-inning singles. But he was untouchable after that. Brilliantly blending his fastball and slider, Peavy struck out 16 D-backs across seven innings, allowing just those two hits. His 16 K's are a franchise regular-season record. Peavy outdueled Brandon Webb, the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, that night. Peavy would later outduel Webb for the 2007 award, finishing first to Webb's second.

3. Benes' one-hit gem
July 3, 1994
For a franchise entering its 53rd season without a no-hitter, the Padres have seen their share of close calls. Steve Arlin famously allowed a chopper over his third baseman with two outs in the ninth. Clay Kirby was famously pulled with a no-no through eight. Chris Young, Andrew Cashner and Tyson Ross all seriously flirted with history. But Andy Benes' one-hit shutout of the Mets was the best performance of the bunch. He walked one and struck out 13, and he didn't allow his first hit until Rico Brogna doubled to lead off the eighth. At the time, Benes was reportedly livid that general manager Randy Smith had referred to him as a “third starter” in an interview, and he considered not showing up to the ballpark. His wife talked him out of that, and Benes instead made his point with one of the best games ever recorded by a San Diego pitcher. The Padres beat the Mets, 7-0.

2. Kirby's 15-inning marathon
Sept. 24, 1971
"In a losing effort" isn't something anyone wants attached to their on-field accolades. But few players have ever done more in a losing effort than Kirby. Facing the Astros in a meaningless late-September affair, Kirby worked a remarkable 15 innings, allowing a fourth-inning home run to Houston left fielder Rich Chiles but little else. He struck out 15 in a game that saw Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan go 0-for-8. Kirby's game score of 109 is the highest for any pitcher in the divisional era -- and it still wasn't enough. The Padres went to their bullpen in the 16th and eventually lost in the 21st. And -- as if those 21 innings weren't enough -- it was merely Game 1 of a doubleheader. The Padres and Astros entered the ninth inning of Game 2 tied as well. But Johnny Jeter mercifully ended it with a walk-off single.

1. Brown outduels Johnson in the postseason
Sept. 29, 1998
If and when the Padres throw their first no-hitter, that performance will most likely find itself tucked nicely into the No. 2 spot on this list. It'll be awfully hard to supplant Kevin Brown in the top spot. Brown's performance against the Astros in Game 1 of the 1998 NL Division Series remains one of the greatest postseason games ever pitched. He faced a Houston lineup led by future Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, plus an excellent supporting cast in a raucous Astrodome. Oh, and Brown was pitching opposite Randy Johnson, too. All Brown did was strike out 16 Astros across eight scoreless innings, while allowing just two hits. Those 16 K's are a Division Series record and the second most in a postseason game in history, trailing Bob Gibson's 17-K shutout in the '68 World Series. In the pantheon of Padres pitching seasons, Brown's '98 campaign stands alone at the top. This was Brown at his '98 best.