Santiago Hits the Mark With Single : Catcher’s Streak Reaches 27, a Modern-Day Rookie Record

If 1987 isn’t remembered for its multitude of home runs, it may be remembered as the year of the streaks.

Milwaukee began it by winning its first 13 games. Then, the Brewers’ Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games.

And, now there is Benito Santiago of the San Diego Padres. The 22-year-old catcher lined a single to right in the first inning Friday night at Dodger Stadium to extend his hitting streak to 27 games.

Santiago’s single off another rookie, Tim Belcher, broke the record for a first-year player. It is being called a modern-day record, because in 1899, James Williams also hit in 27 games in a row. In 1899, it was not a strike when the batter fouled a pitch.

Thursday at Cincinnati, Santiago tied the record, which was set in 1943 by Guy Curtright of the Chicago White Sox..

Belcher may have become the answer to a trivia question, but he continues to impress as a major league prospect. The 25-year-old right-hander pitched a strong seven innings and drove in a run as the Dodgers beat the Padres, 5-3, to slip into fourth place in the National League West.

Pedro Guerrero drove in three runs with his 27th home run and a double, and Franklin Stubbs had three hits as the Dodgers spotted the Padres two runs in the first inning.

Long before he broke the hitting streak, Santiago was a top candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. Besides being close to .300 all season, Santiago is a fine catcher with a strong throwing arm.

Although the loss tightened the Padres’ hold on the cellar in the West, it is youngsters such as Santiago, John Kruk and the major league’s leading hitter, Tony Gwynn, that make Manager Larry Bowa believe his Padres are a team of the future.

The Dodgers are nearing the end of their second poor season in a row, as reflected by the crowd of only 20,995 that showed up for what was billed as the Battle of the Cellar.

However, there were portents of some good things to come. Belcher, the player-to-be named in the trade that sent Rick Honeycutt to the Oakland Athletics, improved his record to 4-1 since making his debut Sept. 6.

Belcher, in winning his third consecutive start, settled down after a rocky start brought about in part by shortstop Glenn Hoffman’s double error. Belcher gave up six hits and three runs, only two of them earned in seven innings.

In the minors, the 6-foot 3-inch Belcher had a reputation as having control problems. He has been anything but as a Dodger. In his five games with the Dodgers, covering 27 innings, he has walked only 4 batters.

With six strikeouts and only one walk in his first appearance against the Padres, Belcher has a strikeout to-walks-ratio of 17 to 4.

It also may be that in the waning weeks of a miserable season, the Dodgers have finally found a bullpen ace.

Alejandro Pena, a relief pitcher when he first came up to the Dodgers, may be the answer.

He pitched the last two scoreless innings to save the victory for Belcher. It was his fifth save in his last eight appearances. In his last 11 appearances, the 28-year-old right-hander has given up only 1 earned run in 18 innings.

In 1984 when he was 12-6, Pena led the league with a 2.48 earned-run average. The next spring, arm trouble developed. He finally underwent surgery on his shoulder in February, 1985. It has taken more than two years for him to regain full strength in his arm.

Right now, he is resembling the hard-throwing pitcher of a few years back.

Guerrero, of course, has been solid all season. After a double by Stubbs in the third inning, he hit his home run over the wall in right-center to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead. It was all Belcher and Pena needed.

Dodger Notes Steve Sax, who has an 18-game hitting streak, was a late scratch because of lower back pains. This gave Mike Sharperson a chance to make his Dodger debut at second base. . . . In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dodger Stadium, it has been the custom to honor special guests at each home game. For this one, the guest was a fellow named Tom Lasorda. He drew mostly cheers. . . . Ken Howell, bothered by a shoulder injury, threw on the sideline and reported his shoulder felt fine. Howell will throw again Sunday and then, Dr. Frank Jobe will examine him and make a decision on whether surgery is necessary. . . . Today at 1 p.m., the Dodgers will start Bob Welch (13-9) against the Padres’ Eric Nolte (2-4).