Pittsburgh Can’t Stop Templeton : Shortstop Collects Three Hits, Four RBIs in Padres’ 9-1 Win

Almost effortlessly, Garry Templeton drilled a base hit to right field late in the Padres’ 9-1 victory Thursday over Pittsburgh. He rounded first, but stepped back to the bag, his head and batting average held high.

Padre Manager Dick Williams, smart enough to know when to rest Templeton’s fragile knees, signaled for a time out and sent Mario Ramirez in to pinch-run. Templeton ran for the dugout.

One fan, his identity unknown but obviously a man of high intelligence, clapped. For what Templeton had done Thursday was beautiful, a tribute to his own maturity. He is a talented man who has learned to play within himself instead of trying to impress everyone else. His three hits and four RBIs raised his average above .300 for the first time this season and only confirmed his personal growth which has been coming on gradually, but now seemingly has blossomed.

And those four RBIs basically led the Padres to this easy victory behind the seven-hit pitching of Eric Show (7-5), although just two RBIs would have been sufficient against the suffering Pirates.

Poor Rick Rhoden, the Pittsburgh starter, had a no-hitter through four innings, gave up an RBI single to Templeton in the fifth and then was the victim of five unearned runs in the sixth.

A young Pirate shortstop named Sammy Khalifa, whose father Ahmad is the Muslim who inspired former NFL star Ahmad Rashad, committed the key error in that inning. With two outs, he cleanly fielded a Terry Kennedy grounder, but threw the ball over first baseman Jason Thompson’s head. Two runs came in, and then, when the bases were loaded, Templeton stepped up and hit a three-run double down the first-base line. A 1-0 Padre lead had become 6-0.

“The error itself doesn’t bother you, but when they score six (actually five) runs off of it, it’s like the whole world’s on your back,” said Khalifa, age 21 and a major leaguer for 12 days.

Garry Templeton knows the feeling. For many years, before his knees went bad and his mind went good, he was seen as a talented shortstop with a bad attitude. It was a label, a stigma that weighed on him, too. When he played in St. Louis, he had once made obscene gestures at the fans who had booed him for not hustling to first base. Just another incident that perpetuated the stigma.

Now, 3 1/2 years after St. Louis, he is liked more and hitting just as much. His batting average is .302., mainly because hitting coach Deacon Jones says he is more patient and more selective instead of trying to set the world ablaze by swinging away at any pitch close to the plate.

“The biggest thing is that he’s hitting strikes,” Jones said after Thursday’s game. “I’m sure he’s so sick of hearing it from me, but he’s hitting strikes.”

Said Templeton: “I’m still a bad-ball hitter, but I am hitting strikes lately. Now, I’m concentrating batter with runners on base. Last year, I was up there swinging at the first pitch no matter what it was.”

Also, he’s healthy, the knees not bringing quite so much pain. He can swing and use his legs, not just his arms. Jones once called him a “Judy” hitter, as in “Punch and Judy.” That’s not a compliment. Templeton began to swing harder, with authority.

“I can put pressure on my knee and turn on the knee,” he said. “In the last three years, I haven’t done that . . . Now, I can concentrate on the pitcher instead of the knee.”

Already, he has 33 RBIs, just two fewer than his total of last season. He likely will finish second to St. Louis’ Ozzie Smith in the All-Star balloting, but Williams, the All-Star manager says, “I’ll battle like the devil to get him on the (All-Star) club.”

And, years ago, that would have been foremost in Templeton’s mind. Make the All-Star team.

“I was a lot younger and hot-headed then,” he said Thursday.

“Other guys are more popular, but it’s more important to get back to the playoffs and World Series. I don’t think I’ll get voted in (to the All-Star Game). If I go as a backup, I’ll go. If I don’t, that’s all right with me. As long as we make the playoffs and World Series. That’s where I get mine.”

As for Show, he got his Thursday. In the past, the Padres have not scored runs behind him, but he wound up with a 9-0 lead heading into the ninth. He walked in a run in that final inning, but it was his first complete game since April 10.

“I could easily have 11 wins. Easily,” he said. “But that’s baseball. That’s baseball . . . I almost felt guilty having all those runs, but I’ve pitched too many games (when he hasn’t received support) not to be happy.”

Much support came from third baseman Graig Nettles, who broke up Rhoden’s no-hitter with a triple (his first of the season) off the wall in right. Kennedy, who had been mired in a 4-for-35 slump with just one RBI, hit a two-run double in the seventh. Tony Gwynn, who ended with two hits, had an RBI single in the eighth.

Padre Notes

There were two intriguing plays Thursday: First, in the fourth inning, Steve Garvey swung and missed for an apparent strikeout, and catcher Junior Ortiz, as is routine, promptly whipped the ball to the third baseman. But the ball had been in the dirt, bouncing into Ortiz’ glove, which means he must also tag Garvey out. Garvey looked at the umpire, saw no call for strike three, and ran to first. Meanwhile, the ball was being tossed around the Pirate infield. “You run and hope they don’t detect you running,” Garvey said. “I saw the second baseman with the ball, and I hit the base leaning in like Carl Lewis. I said to myself if we could get a run out of it, it’d be another of my great accomplishments.” Garvey was stranded on first. . . . Also, with Pirates on first and third in the fifth, outfielder Marvell Wynne grounded a ball slowly to third base. Sammy Khalifa came running in to score, as third baseman Graig Nettles had no chance to make a play. Since Nettles had no chance to field the ball, he took the next-best option: he let it roll, hoping it would drift foul. The ball was a good yard fair, but it kept drifting and drifting and did roll foul a few feet in front of the bases. Nettles plucked the ball up as it went foul, smiling broadly. “I’ve never had one roll that slow and stop that close to the bag,” Nettles said.

Padres At A Glance

FIFTH INNING Padres--Nettles tripled to right. Martinez grounded out to shortstop. Templeton singled to center, Nettles scoring. Show struck out. Templeton was caught stealing. One run, two hits, none left.

SIXTH INNING Padres--With one out, Gwynn doubled to left-center. Garvey grounded to shortstop. Kennedy reached on Khalifa’s error, Gwynn scoring with Kennedy taking second. McReynolds walked. Nettles singled to center, Kennedy scoring, McReynolds taking third. Martinez was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Templeton doubled to right, McReynolds, Nettles and Martinez scoring. Show struck out. Five runs (all unearned), three hits, one left.

SEVENTH INNING Padres--Winn took the mound. Flannery walked. Gwynn walked. Garvey grounded to second, Flannery taking third, Gwynn taking second. Kennedy doubled to right, Flannery and Gwynn scoring. McReynolds grounded to first. Nettles popped to shortstop. Two runs, one hit, one left.

EIGHTH INNING Padres--With one out, Templeton singled to right. Ramirez ran for Templeton. Show popped to first. Flannery singled to center, Ramirez stopping at second. Gwynn singled to left, Ramirez scoring with Flannery stopping at second. Garvey flied to right. One run, three hits, two left.

NINTH INNING Pirates--Madlock bunted for a hit. Kemp singled to right, Madlock stopping at second. Khalifa flied to right. Ortiz popped to second. Morrison was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Wynne walked, Madlock scoring. Orsulak flied to center. One run, two hits, three left.