Padres Give 8-3 Notice to Giants

This was the moment the Padres had been dreading the past three weeks. They had been agonizing over this since they learned that the revised National League schedule would make them the visiting team in the San Francisco Giants’ home-opener.

They all knew what that meant, cringing at the thought.

“Everybody knew what was going to take place, and none of us wanted to see it,” said Tony Gwynn, the Padre right fielder. “It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to see when you’re on the other side.”

But what could the Padres do Friday night but stand there, watch and listen as the National League championship flag was hoisted on the flag pole, symbolizing the Giants as the best team in all the league in 1989.

The Padres tried not to pay attention, talking and even laughing during the ceremony, but they were only fooling themselves if they thought anyone believed they were oblivious to the festivities.

The only Padre player who paid close attention was reliever Craig Lefferts, who pitched last season for the Giants before coming to San Diego in the off-season.

“I had reason to be proud,” Lefferts said, “but I sure didn’t tell anyone else how I was feeling. Not in this clubhouse.”

The Padres indeed wanted to erase every bitter memory that lingered in 1989, and they did just Friday, ripping apart the Giants, 8-3, in front of 50,976 fans at Candlestick Park.

Oh, it might still be the first week of the season, months before anyone will even start talking about a pennant race, but the Padres just wanted to give the Giants something to think about.

It was the first time since 1984 that the Padres have won their first road game at Candlestick, and it was the greatest Giant-hater of them all, first baseman Jack Clark, who proved to be most responsible.

Clark enabled the Padres to tie the game in the eighth inning by hitting his 73rd homer of his career here, and he celebrated by taking a laborious stroll around the base paths while the crowd booed him every step of the way.

“You know, I really can’t stand this place,” said Clark, who spent eight years playing for the Giants. “It’s too bad the earthquake didn’t take down this place, too. I can’t even bring my family here anymore, the way these fans act.

“It’s unbelievable the abuse my family took here.”

By the ninth inning, the Giant fans hated him even more. The Padres, abusing reliever Dan Quisenberry, scored five runs in the ninth, including an RBI single by Clark that knocked Quisenberry out of the game.

Padre reliever Greg Harris, who has not allowed a run in six innings this season, including 1 2/3 innings Friday, was the winning pitcher.

Yes, the Padres say, there’s a new kid on the block, and he’s wearing brown pinstripes.

“I think it gives them something to think about,” Clark said. “They know we’re for real.”

But as Giant first baseman Will Clark said: “They still haven’t done a damn thing yet. It’s the same as last year, isn’t it? Everyone picked the Padres to win it before they stepped on the field. Look who had the last laugh.”

Even with all of the injuries to their pitching staff, the Giants indeed remain undaunted. They keep hearing all this talk about the addition of outfielders Joe Carter and Fred Lynn to the Padre lineup. So what? they say. They added outfielder Kevin Bass and catcher Gary Carter.

And besides, if their memory serves correctly, didn’t the Padres lose a certain Cy Young award-winner named Mark Davis?

“Joe Carter is an outstanding ballplayer,” said Al Rosen, Giant president and general manager, “but all of a sudden they lose a guy who saved 44 games for them and won four games for them. That’s 48 wins.

“Now, are you just going to disregard that and say it doesn’t matter?”

Said Giant Manager Roger Craig: “What have we got to do to convince people? Sure, we have questions marks on our staff, but we do every year and always come through, don’t we?”

The Padres, if nothing else Friday, showed the Giants that this might be the most explosive team they’ve had. They unleashed a season-high 14 hits, including four for extra bases.

The catalysts once again were at the top of the order. Leadoff hitter Bip Roberts, who broke out of his slump, reached base three times, including a triple and RBI. Roberto Alomar added a hit and an RBI. And then there was Clark driving them home, going two for three with two RBIs and two walks.

“Hey, Jack,” Padre reliever Mark Grant said, “I can see you miss this place. You really want to come back, don’t you?”

Countered Clark: “The happiest day of my life will be the last day I have to come here.”

Even if he is the Giant-buster.

Padre Notes

Reliever Steve Bedrosian has been given a leave of absence by the Giants after learning Friday that his 2 1/2-year-old son, Cody Bedrosian, was diagnosed earlier in the day with acute lymphocytic leukemia. A lump was discovered on the child’s left forearm Tuesday, and he also had pain in his right shoulder and fever. He underwent a battery of tests the past two days, when the disease was diagnosed. “We are all shocked and saddened by this news,” said Al Rosen, Giant president and general manager, in a prepared statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Cody, Steve and Tammy (Bedrosian’s wife). Steve should take as much time as he needs with his family before coming back, as those concerns are so much more important than baseball.” Said Padre reliever Craig Lefferts, Bedrosian’s former teammate: “I’m just devastated by this.” The disease strikes one in every 3,000 children before the age of 10, according to medical experts. It will be treated with intravenous chemotherapy. . . . Former Padre reliever Dave Leiper is in intensive care in a Redwood City hospital after undergoing open-heart surgery Friday. Dennis Rasmussen and Mark Parent of the Padres telephoned the hospital Friday and are planning to visit him today after their game against the Giants. “The nurse I talked to said he’s doing good,” Rasmussen said. “He’ll be in the hospital for a while, but his spirits are up, and everything went fine.” . . . Jack Hiatt, the Giants’ assistant director of player development, suffered a heart attack. . . . Padre catcher Benito Santiago had just three hits in 22 at-bats in bases-loaded situations over the past two seasons before his single Thursday with the bases loaded. The Padre batted just .091 (five for 55) with two outs and the bases loaded last season. This year, they’re two for four. . . . The Padres, who lost two of their top prospects in the major league draft in December, don’t expect to get either of them back. Even if the Minnesota Twins cannot keep outfielder Shane Mack on the roster, Padre Manager Jack McKeon said he would not accept him back. Third baseman David Hollins, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, is expected to make their roster. If Hollins had remained in the Padre organization, said Tom Romenesko, director of player development, he would have been demoted to their double-A team in Wichita. . . . The Padres will continue their series at 12:35 p.m. today. Bruce Hurst is scheduled to face Eric Gunderson.