Williams Becomes a Nice Guy After Padre Loss

Under the definition of nice guy, one wouldn’t expect to find the description: Dick Williams, Padre manager.

Yet, after the Padres blew a five-run lead Thursday afternoon in losing to Montreal, 8-5, before a season-low crowd of 16,749 at San Diego Jack Murphy stadium, Williams tried to play the role.

He could have criticized his team for giving up seven runs in the seventh inning with a 5-0 lead, but he didn’t.

He could have criticized Kevin McReynolds for misplaying a line drive that allowed three runs to score, but he didn’t.

He could have criticized Lance McCullers for making a bad 0-2 pitch on Andre Dawson’s game-winning hit, but he didn’t.

He could have criticized Mario Ramirez for dropping a ball to begin the inning, but he didn’t.

He even could have criticized himself for leaving Dave Dravecky in one batter too long, but that’s not his style.

So, what was Williams attempting to do after the game?

“I’m trying to be as nice as possible,” he said. “I really am.”

Williams was being a nice guy under the circumstances. But the nicest guys of all were Williams’ players, who demonstrated how to give away a five-run lead.

The critical play occurred with the bases loaded and two outs in the seventh when Montreal trailed, 5-4. Dawson lined McCullers’ pitch over the head of center fielder McReynolds, clearing the bases.

It was debatable whether the ball was catchable. Nice Guy Williams had a four-word answer: “It was hit hard.”

If Williams thought the ball had been too difficult to catch, he undoubtedly would have said so.

“The count was 0-2, and his first two swings weren’t even close so I moved in a step,” McReynolds said. “If I was back an extra step, I don’t think I would have caught it. There was nothing I could do about it. The ball was hit over my head.”

McCullers said he didn’t use his head on the pitch.

“I just made a bad pitch and it cost me,” he said. “The next time I go 0-2, I have to make the right pitch. I got it up and over the plate. I was trying to get it down and away.”

Williams, who managed Dawson for nearly five years in Montreal, did concede McCullers “didn’t get it where he wanted.” Otherwise, Williams only reminded that Dawson is a bad-ball hitter who likes such pitches.

“He made a mistake in trying to be too fine and got an 0-2 pitch over the plate,.” Dawson said. “I was surprised he didn’t try to waste one.”

Earlier in the inning, the Expos loaded the bases against Dravecky with one out on two broken-bat singles and a walk.

Mitch Webster followed with a single to left, pulling Montreal to within 5-1 and leaving the bases loaded. Dravecky looked over his shoulder toward the Padre dugout, wondering whether Williams would take him out.

Williams stayed with Dravecky, who allowed a two-run single to Mike Fitzgerald before being removed. Nice Guy Williams was asked whether he considered removing Dravecky before Fitzgerald batted.

“Evidently, we didn’t consider it because we didn’t do it,” Williams said. “I wish we would have had that hindsight.”

Despite what occurred with Fitzgerald, Dravecky said that Williams made the correct move.

“I was just hoping I’d be able to stay in, that’s all,” Dravecky said. “I was feeling good.”

When the seventh inning started, the Padres had a right to feel good about their 5-0 lead.

However, the inning’s first play said a lot about what was about to transpire. Dawson hit a seemingly catchable blooper toward shortstop Ramirez, who jumped for the ball and had it go off his glove. The play was charitably ruled a hit.

“I stopped in the air and jumped,” Ramirez said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

He just forgot to catch the ball.

“It went off his glove,” Williams said politely. “You would hope he would catch it because it went off his glove. It’s unfortunate.”

Another Thursday afternoon game ranked even more unfortunate on the Padres’ list of 1985 failures. Five weeks previous, they had blown a six-run lead while losing to St. Louis, 9-6.

The Padres hit the ball hard early against Montreal. McReynolds hit a three-run homer in the fourth and Garry Templeton hit a solo homer in the fifth.

With a five-run lead after the fifth, Williams decided to rest Templeton because of a sore lower back. As fate would have it, Ramirez replaced Templeton.

“We thought we had a chance to rest Templeton with a five-run lead,” Williams said. “It looked like we were coasting to a win. I guess that’s what makes this game so good. It’s unfortunate.”

Padre Notes The last three Thursday afternoon home games have not been kind to the Padres. Besides blowing leads to St. Louis and Montreal, the Padres also lost to Cincinnati in 10 innings, 5-4. The Padres scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth against Cincinnati, only to lose in the next inning. . . . Montreal’s seven-run seventh was its most productive inning of the year. It was also the most runs allowed by the Padres in one inning. . . . Dave Dravecky accepted most of the blame for what transpired. “The most important thing in pitching is to stay away from big innings,” Dravecky said. “One or two runs is OK.” . . . The Padres and Expos will be off today because of the Chargers-Saints NFL exhibition game at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.