Heaton Finishes With Two-Hitter Over Padres, 6-0

The weight of the world was on his shoulders, but Tony Gwynn proved Saturday night how much he can bench press.

On Friday, Gwynn and his wife, Alicia, filed for bankruptcy.

Saturday night at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Gwynn broke up a no-hitter.

The last-place Padres lost anyway, 6-0, as Montreal Expo starter Neal Heaton finished with a two-hitter. Not only did Gwynn get the first hit off Heaton (a ground ball single to right with two outs in the seventh), but he also made a belly-flop circus catch in right field and threw out a runner at home plate.

“When I’m on the field, I don’t think about anything else but playing ball,” Gwynn said afterward. “There are a lot of things that have happened the last couple days that could have taken my mind off (the game), but I love playing the game, and I don’t think about anything else.”

A crowd of 47,184 came to the stadium Saturday on beach towel night, but the Padres threw in the towel early. The Expos scored twice in the first and three times in the third, and Heaton did the rest.

Heaton (5-2) came to the Expos this winter in a trade with the Minnesota Twins. The Expos gave up their bullpen stopper--Jeff Reardon--in the deal, which prompted Heaton to say at the time: “I’m an ordinary starting pitcher, and they (the Twins) traded me for one of the best relievers in baseball.”

But Heaton was hardly ordinary on Saturday, though he was helped by some diving catches and double plays.

In the sixth, Padre shortstop Garry Templeton lined one hard down to third, but third baseman Tim Wallach leaped to his left and caught the ball about an inch off the ground.

In the seventh, Heaton walked Padre leadoff man Stan Jefferson, and then second baseman Joey Cora lined one hard toward right field. Second baseman Vance Law leaped to catch it and doubled Jefferson off first.

“After the sixth inning, I saw all the zeros,” Heaton said. “I’d never had a game like that, that long. It was a weird feeling.”

The Padre defense was pretty weird at times. Losing pitcher Dave Dravecky (1-4) hit Tim Raines with a pitch to start the third inning. Dravecky then threw to first, just as Raines tried to steal second. First baseman Carmelo Martinez quickly threw to second, but threw wide and into center field. Raines scored.

In the sixth, Expo shortstop Casey Candaele managed to score all the way from second on a simple infield single. On the play, Mitch Webster grounded a ball in between shortstop Templeton and third baseman Luis Salazar. Templeton backhanded the ball and made a long toss to first--his throw short-hopping Martinez. Martinez scooped it up, but first base umpire Bob Engel said Webster was safe. Martinez turned around in disbelief, but--meanwhile--Candaele was running home.

The crowd chanted for Steve Garvey, the man Martinez has replaced as the everyday first baseman.

But attention soon turned to Heaton and his hitless streak. When Gwynn stepped up in the seventh, his first intention was to bunt.

“I just wanted to break it (the no-hitter) up,” he said.

Heaton had great success with his inside fastball Saturday, and that’s the pitch Gwynn tried bunting. He missed it.

The count reached 0 and 2, and Heaton threw another inside fastball.

Gwynn singled.

“I didn’t hit it that good,” Gwynn said. “There’s nothing to brag about, breaking up a no-hitter.”

But here’s something to brag about: In the fourth inning, Webster tried stealing second, and Padre catcher Benito Santiago’s throw sailed off Templeton’s glove and into right field. Webster came running for home, but Gwynn threw him out at the plate.

And in the seventh, Nichols popped a ball foul down the right-field line. Gwynn ran a long way for it, stretched out on his stomach and snared it.

“His game didn’t surprise me because he’s a rare player that can do those types of things,” Garvey said of Gwynn. “He can play through this (financial ordeal). And maybe I can understand more than anybody because of the things I’ve been through. I’m pretty proud of him. I’m very proud of him. I’m pleased to have him as a teammate and friend. We’ll make sure everything works out for him. And you know what I’m talking about.”

Padre Notes Jack McKeon, Padre general manager, has discussed trading shortstop Garry Templeton and reliever Goose Gossage to the New York Yankees, but nothing is close to getting done. One of the players McKeon likes is Yankee outfielder Dan Pasqua.

Third baseman Kevin Mitchell missed Saturday’s game because of a broken little toe on his left foot. During Thursday’s exhibition game in Las Vegas, Mitchell was hit in the toe by Las Vegas pitcher Ed Vosberg. Mitchell tried playing on it Friday night but had to leave the game. “He’ll stay out until he can stand the pain,” said Manager Larry Bowa. “You can’t do anything with a broken toe.”