Padre Homers Are Enough to Beat Cubs, 3-1 : After One Home Run Is Called Back, Garvey Just Responds With Another

A home run ain’t over ‘til it’s over. We know this now. In the fourth inning of the Cub-Padre game Saturday night, third base umpire Terry Tata ruled that a ball hit by Steve Garvey, a ball that was at least two feet fair, was foul.

Garvey was stunned, certain that Tata was wrong. And Steve Garvey cannot tell a lie. But Tata’s decision was final.

Anyway, the Padres, who trailed 1-0 at the time, regrouped and tied the game, and then received late inning homers from Garry Templeton and Garvey, of all people, who seemed to relive his famous playoff homer of last year, tipping his hat once, twice, three times.

Final score: Padres 3, Cubs 1.

“I guess there was some justice in that,” said Garvey of his final homer, his sixth of the season.

Garvey has had a marvelous season so far. He has now hit in 11 consecutive games, his batting average nearing the upper .300s. Terry Kennedy hugged him in the dugout after the homer, squeezed him, almost kept Garvey from hat tip No. 2.

“I’ve never seen him ever hit any better,” Kennedy said of Garvey. “Not ever, ever.”

And Garvey, always the diplomat, was concerned about upsetting the Cubs with the celebration, worried that it might offend them.

“You want to acknowledge them (the fans), but you don’t want to spend too much time savoring it,” said Garvery afterwards. “You have to remember: There is an opposition out there.”

The Cubs led, 1-0, on Gary Matthew’s homer to left in the top of the fourth, and in the bottom of the inning, Garvey hit Dennis Eckersly’s first pitch down the line in left.

He went into his home-run trot, he said, because he’d seen space between the ball and the foul pole. But second base umpire Harry Wendelstedt told him to stop, that Tata had called the ball foul.

Immediately, Padre Manager Dick Williams left the dugout. Tata shook his head at Williams, and Williams shook back. The argument lasted about three minutes.

So Garvey returned to the plate and flew out to right. Williams, by this time, had spoken to Harry Dunlop, the bullpen coach in left field, who said the ball was fair by almost two feet.

So Williams was enraged now, running out with the intention of getting thrown out. He clapped his hands in Tata’s face, mimicking Tata, who thought he’d made a good call. Williams was indeed thrown out.

“I applauded him,” Williams said. “I showed him up as much as I could. I told him he had plenty of time to go up the line (to see if it was fair), and he said he didn’t have to. I said, ‘With your eyesight, you should have.’

“He blew the call.”

Said Garvey: “This game is played by human beings and umpired by human beings, and we all make misjudgments. He made one . . . I’m just happy it didn’t affect the game.”

It didn’t, of course, because of Templeton’s homer, which came after he’d fouled off two bunt attempts to move Bobby Brown to second (Brown was then caught stealing), and because of Goose Gossage’s appearance for the first time in eight days.

Gossage got the save for starter Eric Show. The last time Show threw against the Cubs was in the National League playoffs, where he’d thrown many fat pitches and tarnished an otherwise wondrous season for him. The Cubs kept hitting home runs, and Show’s ERA kept rising into double digits.

Naturally, he hasn’t forgotten, but he seems unaffected and un-nostalgic. His standard line is that people will always remember last year’s disaster until he throws well in another playoff series. And even then, he says, they’ll say he’s matured.

It didn’t help that he gave up a mammoth homer to slumping Gary Matthews in the fourth inning here. Matthews has had knee trouble, perhaps an arthritic problem, although it’s not clear what’s actually wrong. He had been 0 for 14 in a recent stretch.

But he hit a 2-0 Show pitch over the left-field fence for his 200th career home run, and he celebrated by slapping every hand he could touch, bat boys included.

Matthews really is a funny man, an inspiration to these Cubs. After his home run, his teammates were all on their feet, cheering for him. In Chicago, when he walks out to left field to begin a game, the bleacher bums there all stand. He salutes them (his nickname is “Sarge”), and they salute back. Then they sit down.

And, again, there were Cub fans here Saturday night, one section in particular that was outstanding. They had a banner that said: “Cubs No.1 “ and it also said they were members of “The Association of Southern California’s Chicagoans.” They kept screaming for Harry Caray.

And also they cheered for Eckersly, who threw five innings of scoreless baseball. But Tony Gwynn singled with one out in the sixth and went to second when rookie shortstop Shawon Dunston bobbled a Garvey ground ball and had to go to first base instead of forcing Gwynn. Graig Nettles walked, and then McReynolds singled up the middle, Gwynn scoring.

This tied the game. Templeton untied it. And Garvey finished it off.

Padre Notes

Manager Jim Frey has slept off his anger, mellowing quite a bit from his Friday night rage. On Friday, he had accused Padre reliever Greg Booker of throwing at Cub outfielder Bob Dernier, saying Booker was “gutless,” among other things. But before Saturday’s game, he said: “Look, I can’t read into a man’s heart. I don’t have super powers to tell intent. There have been pitchers I know were throwing at hitters because I consistently saw them do it. But I’m not sure about this guy (Booker). They tell me he has been wild lately. In fact, I saw him warm up once and throw a pitch into the stands. So, no, I don’t see anything coming from this” . . . Meanwhile, Padre Manager Dick Williams said of Frey’s Friday night accusations: “If I were them (the Cubs), I would’ve reacted the same way . . . I don’t know if I’d have had as many bleeps as Frey, but probably a few.” Williams on the Cub-Padre rivalry: “Something came up last night, and it’s unfortunate, but I think the fans react more than the players, managers or coaches. Which is good.” . . . Padre players are a little edgy lately, only because drugs have been a daily topic in the clubhouse. First, teammate Alan Wiggins entered a drug rehabilitation center, then Baseball Commissioner Peter Ueberroth suggested that players be subjected to mandatory drug testing. Now, the San Diego Union has reported a story from the perspective of a Padre minor leaguer named Michael McLain, who said he brought drugs with him to the 1982 spring training camp in Yuma, Ariz., and sold them to some players “you’d never expect.” Tim Flannery was there in 1982 and said: “I’ve been here since 1979 and I’ve never heard of the guy (McLain). I’m getting sick of this. It shouldn’t be this way . . . and this is the last time I’m talking about it (drugs). I’m here to play baseball. Society’s problems in general shouldn’t be blamed on baseball players. No one’s ever heard of him (McLain).” . . . The Padres held a team meeting before Friday’s game here, Steve Garvey and Flannery saying it was no big deal, consisting only of collective bargaining talk and other team matters.

FOURTH INNING

Cubs--With one out, Matthews homered to left, his third. Durham popped to first. Moreland walked. Cey walked. Davis forced Cey. One run, one hit, two left.

SIXTH INNING

Padres--With one out, Gwynn singled to left. Garvey grounded to Dunston, Gwynn taking second. Nettles walked. McReynolds singled up the middle, Gwynn scoring, Nettles took third on center fielder Bob Dernier’s fielding error. Kennedy forced McReynolds. One run, two hits, two left.

SEVENTH INNING

Padres--Martinez singled to center. Brown pinch-ran for Martinez. Brown was caught stealing. Templeton homered to right, his third. Bumbry, pinch-hitting for Show, flew to center. Flannery flew to left. One run, two hits, none left.

EIGHTH INNING

Padres--Fontenot took the mound. With one out, Garvey homered to left center, his sixth. Nettles grounded to second. McReynolds singled to right. Kennedy singled to left, McReynolds taking third. Gossage struck out. One run, three hits, two left