Lefferts’ Slip Lets Strawberry and Game Slip Away : Met Right Fielder Turns Double Steal Into Winning Run

Padre reliever Craig Lefferts stood in front of his locker shaking his head in disbelief Sunday.

Minutes earlier, Lefferts had given up an 11th-inning hit to New York’s Darryl Strawberry and then had forgotten all about the Met right fielder.

It took only two stolen bases for Strawberry to put Lefferts in his bewildered state.

Strawberry opened the 11th with a one-handed single up the middle. He then stole second base after getting a tremendous jump on Lefferts. Strawberry, who was 3 for 3 with two walks, had been thrown out twice earlier by Padre reserve catcher Bruce Bochy.

“He had to have guessed on me,” said Lefferts (3-2), who pitched a third of an inning for the loss.

“There is no way he could have known where I was going,” Lefferts said, referring to Strawberry’s big jump. “He went on my first move and guessed right. . . . Next time I’ll get him.”

In the next game, maybe. But Strawberry got Lefferts the very next time, later in the inning, after Lefferts walked Mookie Wilson. Strawberry initiated a double steal, racing to third with Wilson heading to second.

Lefferts said he never expected the double theft.

“After I got to second, (Lefferts) wasn’t paying attention to me so I figured it would be a good time to go,” Strawberry said.

Referring to Lefferts’ remark about Strawberry’s steal of second being a good guess, Strawberry said: “There is no such thing as a good guess when you are stealing a base.”

Met Manager Davey Johnson said he did not give Strawberry the steal signal, but added that he trusts Strawberry’s judgment on the base paths.

“If they give it to us, we’ll take it,” Johnson said. “Darryl has the green light to go.

“To be honest, I thought he was going on the pitch before because they weren’t holding him on.”

Lefferts said he made the mistake of not holding Strawberry on because he was concentrating more on the hitters in that stressful 11th inning.