Padres Finally Succumb, 5-4, in 12 : Rain Delays Fail to Dampen Pirates’ Ability to Rally

Although the Pirate front office has been accused of having simple minds, the Pirate publicity people have clever ones. After the ninth inning of Friday night’s game, with the score tied and the time 12:20 a.m., they played the song “Stay,” which includes the lyrics “ Won’t you stay just a little bit longer? “

About 500 fans did just that.

After the top of the 10th, with the time 12:44, they played the song “Saturday in the Park” even though it really was Saturday morning in the ballpark. And in the top of the 11th, with the moon directly overhead, they played “Bad Moon Rising,” though the sun would be rising in a matter of hours.

Finally, at 1:46 a.m., after 2 hours and 35 minutes of rain delays and 6 hours and 11 minutes overall, it ended, the Pirates winning, 5-4, on Johnny Ray’s sacrifice fly. Tony Gwynn’s two-out, two-run single in the 12th inning had put the Padres ahead, 4-2, but the Pirates loaded the bases against Craig Lefferts, and his replacement, Luis DeLeon, gave up a two-run double to Bill Madlock.

With Tony Pena on third, Ray, pinch-hitting for Jim Morrison, flied out to left, scoring Pena.

In all, the Padres left 16 runners on base. That might have been the difference, as the Pirates left only 11.

And Friday had been a sunny day in Pittsburgh, yet the weather experts here warned everyone about the rain. While the sky had been blue at 4 p.m., the weather service issued a thunderstorm watch.

What?

But at 6:22 p.m., exactly 73 minutes before the first pitch, the wind began to gust and the sky turned gray. Steve Garvey, although his hair refused to blow in the wind, said, “Something’s happening, something’s happening.”

He was right, of course. The rain starting to come down at the end of the third inning. Eventually, the game was stopped for 1 hour, 21 minutes.

It began again, this time in the top of the fifth. The rains came again, and home plate umpire Billy Williams stopped it again. This time the delay was for 40 minutes.

At the end of the sixth inning, the game was stopped a third time. It was 11:17 EDT. Exactly, 8,986 fans had paid to watch this game, and when the contest resumed once more after a 34-minute delay, about 1,000 fans remained. It was almost midnight. Why stay to see the last-place Pirates?

The Padres had scored first in this game. Tim Flannery started the fifth inning with a walk and went to second on Tony Gwynn’s ground out. It was then that the rains came, forcing the second rain delay. Forty minutes later when the rains had subsided and the tarp was removed, Steve Garvey stepped up and singled to left off of Lee Tunnell, scoring Flannery.

The Pirates scored their run in the sixth on Bill Madlock’s RBI double.

Each team had opportunities. In the sixth, the Padres stranded two runners when Garry Templeton flied out and Dave Dravecky struck out. In the seventh, the Padres again had two runners on with one out, but Terry Kennedy and Kevin McReynolds (now 0 for his last 25 at-bats) failed to advance them. In the eighth, it happened again. With runners on first and second, Bobby Brown hit into a double play.

For the Pirates, Tony Pena struck out with the bases loaded in the seventh (Tim Stoddard got him with a breaking ball), yet in the eighth, Stoddard walked Doug Frobel and then threw a wild pitch.

Then Jim Morrison, the man who said Pittsburgh fans didn’t deserve a major league team, singled by a diving Jerry Royster, and Frobel scored. Morrison, who has been booed here ever since he said what he said, was cheered. So what if only about 500 fans were left? Cheers are cheers.

And so all the Pirates had to do was hold the Padres in the top of the ninth. They did not. With two outs, Steve Garvey got his fourth hit of the game, a double that nearly was caught by Marvell Wynne. Terry Kennedy, who was 0 for 4 on the night, then singled to right on an 0-and-1 pitch, Garvey just beating George Hendrick’s throw to the plate. The score was 2-2.

Goose Gossage, who was celebrating his 34th birthday, did walk a batter in the bottom of the ninth, but got the Pirates out to send the game into extra inning.

And on this ugly night, it was nice to see something positive happen. Garry Templeton, who terrorized the Pirates with four RBIs on Thursday, was walked intentionally four times, which set a National League record and tied the major league record set by Roger Maris in 1962.

The fourth walk came in the 12th inning with Royster on third.

Padre Notes

Speaking of rain delays, the Padres and the Chicago Cubs will complete a 63-day rain delay on Monday. Back on May 5, the Cub-Padre game was suspended after six innings with the score tied at 2-2. It will be completed 63 days later Monday, and game time has been moved from 11:20 PDT to 10:05 PDT to accommodate this mini-doubleheader. . . . Tim Flannery went out to dinner Thursday, was spotted by a fan and asked who he was dining with. “My better half,” he replied. His wife didn’t make the trip. He meant Jerry Royster, his platooning buddy at second base. . . . Kevin McReynolds is mired in an 0-for-25 batting streak, but he took extra hitting on Friday afternoon and apparently was swinging fine. Batting coach Deacon Jones, who sometimes worries about McReynolds’ aggressiveness at the plate, said he told McReynolds to swing harder. McReynolds, who doesn’t talk much, nodded. He then hit one over the center-field fence, about 10 rows up. “Is that better?” McReynolds asked.

PADRES AT A GLANCE

FIFTH INNING Padres--Flannery walked. Gwynn grounded to second, Flannery taking second. There was a 40 minute rain delay. Garvey singled to left, Flannery scoring, Garvey out trying for second. Kennedy grounded out to second. One run, one hit, none left.

SIXTH INNING Pirates--Wynne singled to left. Pena popped to shortstop. Madlock doubled to left, Wynne scoring. Hendrick popped to shortstop. Thompson struck out. One run, two hits, one left.

EIGHTH INNING Pirates--Stoddard pitching. With two outs, Frobel walked. Frobel went to second on a wild pitch. Morrison singled to left, Frobel scoring. Kemp popped to second. One run, one hit, one left.

NINTH INNING Padres--Guante pitching. With two outs, Garvey doubled to center. Kennedy singled to right, Garvey scoring. Bumbry, pinch-hitting for Stoddard, walked. Royster popped out. One run, two hits, two left.

TWELFTH INNING Padres--Reuschel took the mound. Royster doubled to left. Martinez grounded to short, Royster taking third. Templeton was walked intentionally. Brown reached on a fielder’s choice, loading the bases. Flannery popped out to left. Gwynn singled to left, Royster and Templeton scoring, Brown out at second. Two runs, two hits, one left.

Pirates--Lefferts pitching. Mazzilli reached on a infield single. Wynne singled to left, Mazilli taking second. Pena walked. DeLeon took the mound. Madlock doubled off the wall in left, Mazilli and Wynne scoring, Pena taking third. Hendrick grounded to third. Froebel was walked intentionally. Ray, pinch-hitting for Morrison, flied to left, Pena scoring. Three runs, three hits.