Only Gwynn Seemed to Have a Clue About Hershiser’s Pitching

Some guys look at modern art and see only a meaningless assemblage of lines and colors. Others may be moved to tears--or to spend megabucks for the same masterpiece.

This principle also applies to baseball.

Most of the San Diego Padres gazed upon the sliders, sinkers and curveballs thrown at them Sunday by Orel Hershiser and were perplexed. They had no idea what was coming, and no ability to hit it.

Tony Gwynn, however, was different.

Gwynn, the National League’s batting champion in 1984, provided a subtle demonstration of his powers by breaking up Hershiser’s no-hitter in the seventh inning.

It was Gwynn’s memory, and his ability to distinguish a pattern where others saw nothing coherent, that enabled him to slap a Hershiser curve down the left-field line for a double to lead off the seventh.

The rest of the Padres were confounded, but Gwynn had a feeling he was going to be the guy to bust up Hershiser’s gem.

“It was my third time up and I had him figured out,” Gwynn said later.

“He threw me the same sequence of pitches he had my first two times up: Sinker away, sinker in, fastball down the middle, sinker outside.”

Actually, what Gwynn got on the fourth pitch on his third time at bat was a curve away, according to Hershiser.

Same difference. The sinker and the curve look about the same to Gwynn.

“I was looking to go away and the ball was there,” Gwynn said. “I was just sort of diving at the ball. I just slapped at it and caught it off the end of my bat.

“You’d have to say it was a moral victory. We sure didn’t want a no-hitter.”

Hershiser said a foul ball might have resulted if the pitch to Gwynn had been a little lower.

The Dodger pitcher dumbfounded the Padres by throwing about 70% hard sinkers, by Gwynn’s estimate.

He also mixed in the slider, fastball and curve, putting each where he wanted it, Gwynn said.

This wasn’t the first time Gwynn had seen Hershiser. They had faced each other in triple-A ball several times.

“He didn’t have the hard slider then,” Gwynn said. “Everybody was afraid of his hook (curve). We hit him pretty good in the minors.”

Gwynn will know what to look for the next time he faces the Dodger right-hander. Not that he is looking forward to the occasion.

“I’m kind of glad to see the Dodgers leave town,” Gwynn said, shaking his head. “Gee, two two-hitters (the other by Fernando Valenzuela) in four games.

“I’m not exactly happy to see Dale Murphy and the Braves coming here next, but, man, Hershiser and Valenzuela really threw two great games.”

San Diego left-hander Dave Dravecky pitched well enough to win most games Sunday. He permitted only six hits over seven innings.

He made two mistakes, a fastball over the middle of the plate to Candy Maldonado, and a fastball up to Mariano Duncan.

The result: two home runs that beat the Padres, 2-0.

Unlike Gwynn, Dravecky is a guy who can’t discern any pattern in the game of baseball. Not in the way he is employed by Manager Dick Williams, anyway.

Dravecky for the last couple of seasons has alternated between the bullpen and the starting rotation. It is something he tolerates remarkably well.

“If I had my druthers, I would do what Dick wants,” Dravecky said diplomatically.

Before Sunday’s seven innings against the Dodgers, his only other appearance of the season was a one-inning relief job against the Braves on April 13. He permitted a two-run homer to Bob Horner that day.

Dravecky felt pretty good about his work Sunday. But not too good.

“I realize my mistakes, but I’ll try not to dwell on them,” he said.

“My control was fairly decent. I was able to hit spots. I mixed in my off-speed stuff pretty well. I did a good job, but not good enough. We lost.”

It doesn’t take a student of the game to agree with that assessment.