BASEBALL / STEVE HENSON : Phillies’ Vatcher Savors Major Promotion

It was just a dinky hit, but for Jim Vatcher, Friday’s single took on enormous proportions because it was his first hit in the big leagues.

Vatcher, a 5-foot-9 Philadelphia Phillie outfielder from Cal State Northridge, faced Dean Wilkins of the Chicago Cubs with two out in the eighth inning. Vatcher topped a forkball and the ball trickled down the third-base line as Vatcher dashed to first.

“I’ll never forget running down the line at Wrigley Field in the sun,” Vatcher said.

The game was stopped and Vatcher was given the baseball. Philadelphia trailed, 15-1, at the time, which muted the celebration. But Vatcher is savoring every major league moment.

“I’m holding on day to day,” said Vatcher, who also delivered a pinch-hit single Saturday. “I’m incredibly fortunate to be here this early in the season. I’m pumped.”

On May 28, Vatcher was playing left field and batting a ho-hum .260 for the Phillies’ triple-A team in Scranton-Wilkes Barre, Pa. Manager Bill Terlecky told Vatcher that he wouldn’t be in the lineup that night and to meet him in his office.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” Vatcher recalled. “He said, ‘You’re going to the Phillies tomorrow.’ I was like, ‘Wow.’ I was speechless.”

Since being called up, he had been hitless until Friday. All six of his appearances have been as a pinch-hitter, although twice he has remained in the game as an outfielder.

He vividly recalls every detail of the first four at-bats, the way a pilot remembers his first flight.

At-bat No. 1: Vatcher leads off the fifth against San Diego Padre right-hander Andy Benes. “Not much of a pressure situation except for being my first big-league at-bat,” Vatcher said. “I thought I’d be a lot more nervous. You get kind of locked in with the pitcher and don’t really realize where you’re at.”

Vatcher redirects a 2-2 pitch to right field. For Vatcher, it’s that unforgettable first major league at-bat. But for right fielder Tony Gwynn, it’s just another easy fly ball.

At-bat No. 2: With Darren Daulton on first and none out in the eighth, Vatcher bats against New York Met left-hander Frank Viola. “Daulton walked on all fastballs and I was stupid to think he’d throw fastballs to me,” Vatcher said.

Viola throws a first-pitch changeup, Vatcher lunges and bounces into a double play.

At-bat No. 3: St. Louis Cardinal left-hander John Tudor has made a career of getting hitters to swing at pitches low and away. Vatcher lays off ‘em and draws a walk.

At-bat No. 4: With runners on first and second and Cardinal left-hander Ken Dayley on the mound, Vatcher watches a fastball right down the middle for strike one. “I figured, ‘Well, I’m gonna look at one.’ It was the best pitch I’ve seen yet,” Vatcher said.

He also looks at strike two and strikes out swinging at a high curve.

“Normally, I’ve got a pretty good eye and I wait for my pitch,” he said. “But when I’m pinch-hitting, if I get a fastball anywhere near, I’m hacking.”

There is no time to waste. Phillie outfielder Carmelo Martinez is scheduled to come off the disabled list Wednesday, which could signal a return to the minors for Vatcher.

“I’m not thinking about when I’m going back,” he said. “The big leagues are unbelievable. They take care of you so well. You get spoiled in a hurry, I’ll tell you.”

Hard to take: Steve Dailey knows what it’s like to come up short, and it has nothing to do with his stature.

Dailey, Oklahoma State’s left fielder and a former two-sport standout at Ventura High, took a called third strike Saturday to end the College World Series. Georgia defeated the Cowboys, 2-1, for the championship.

But if history is true to form, Dailey, a sophomore, will get a chance at redemption. Oklahoma State has qualified for the series eight times in the past 11 years but has yet to win the title.

Add CWS: Cal State Fullerton, which made a quick exit from the series, had three area players--Steve Sisco, Kevin Farlow and Frank Charles--in its lineup.

Sisco, a sophomore infielder from Thousand Oaks High, was Fullerton’s regular first baseman despite standing only 5-9. Sisco, however, holds a winning hand in low ball. “In our key regional win against Texas, he picked three throws in the dirt,” Coach Larry Cochell said.

Sisco, who batted .294 with 32 runs batted in this season, has broken a mold before. As a senior shortstop at Thousand Oaks, he batted leadoff and set a school record with nine home runs.

Across the infield from Sisco, at shortstop, was Farlow, a former All-City Section player at Kennedy High.

Farlow, a 6-4 senior, transferred from USC last summer and solidified the Titan defense. He also batted .284 with 32 RBIs.

“He worked out great for us,” Cochell said.

Charles, a transfer from Pepperdine who played at Montclair Prep, is a catcher and designated-hitter who batted .330 with 43 RBIs.

“All three of those guys are the type I want on my club,” Cochell said. “After coaching 24 years, I am interested in being around good citizens. Kevin, Steve and Frank fit the mold exactly.”