Santiago to Giants: ‘I’ll Never Forget’ : Baseball: His season disrupted by a broken arm suffered when he was hit by a pitch, the All-Star catcher says somebody will pay.

Padre catcher Benito Santiago said Saturday that because his pitching staff did not retaliate against the San Francisco Giants for the broken left forearm he suffered two weeks ago, he’ll take care of business himself when the two clubs meet again in September.

Santiago, speaking by telephone from San Diego in his first interview since the arm was broken June 14 when he was hit by a pitch thrown by Giant reliever Jeff Brantley, says there’s not a day that goes by that he doesn’t reflect on that afternoon. And the more he thinks about it, the more upset he becomes.

Why, if not for the broken arm, he would have been the starting catcher in the All-Star Game.

If not for the broken arm, he might have had the finest season by any catcher in Padre history.

If not for the broken arm, he might have become a $3-million player for the 1991 season.

Now, he’s not expected to play again for at last another month, and even then, his timing and hitting stroke will need more time for recovery.

“That’s why I’ve been thinking about it every day,” Santiago said. “I won’t forget this. I’ll never forget.

“I’ll stay quiet until the time comes, but I’m not going to let them (Giants) off without doing something about it.”

Brantley maintains that the pitch was intended only to be inside and was not thrown at Santiago’s face. He said Santiago dives over the plate when swinging, which increases his chances of getting hit.

Santiago, who said he has not heard an apology from Brantley or any Giant player, knows all about Brantley’s explanation. He has been scrambling each day to grab the newspapers. He watches the TV news. He wants to gather as much information as possible about what everyone is saying about the incident, but the more he finds out, the more disgusted he becomes.

He remembers driving to Scripps Clinic that afternoon for X-rays on his arm, listening to the game on the radio and being told that Brantley was at the plate. He remembers feeling nauseous when hearing not only that Brantley was not brushed back, but that he actually hit a single up the middle.

He kept waiting for retaliation in San Francisco, particularly after three more Padre players were hit by pitches, and was completely perplexed when not a single Giant hitter went down.

Now, he says, he’ll just have to take action for himself when the Padres and Giants meet up again in September.

“I can’t believe we haven’t hit anyone,” Santiago said. “They should have hit somebody in the three games (in San Francisco). You’ve got to protect your teammates, I don’t care who it is.

“They tried to hit me, and I know it. Everybody knows it. It’s one thing to pitch inside, but it’s another thing to come at my face. I’ve been pitched inside before, I know the difference.

“And what they say now about me diving over the plate is a bunch of . . . They came at my head, and if I don’t stop it with my arm, it hits me in the face. Don’t try to tell me that’s pitching inside.”

For now, all Santiago can try to do is remain patient and get his mind off his broken arm. Of course, how do you do that when you have a heavy cast from your left wrist to your shoulder?

He tries to keep up with his teammates on the road. Santiago says he turns on the TV set at game time and prepares to watch the Padres like any other San Diego fan.

He watches for a while, he says. Usually the first couple of innings. But that’s all he can take.

He’ll go out for a walk. Turn the channel and watch a movie. And if he can tolerate it, he’ll then flick back and catch the final innings.

Sometimes, he doesn’t even bother.

“It’s just too hard to sit there and watch,” Santiago said, “when you know you belong out there playing. I get upset just sitting there. I’ve been out two weeks, but it feels like two years. I’ve never gone though anything like this before, and I never want to go through anything like this again.

“This is driving me crazy.”

It’s the first time Santiago, an All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner, has been injured in his four-year major league career. Now, of all times, when he’s off to the best start of his career--batting .317 with nine homers and 33 RBIs--this has to happen.

The forearm, Santiago said, is fractured in two places. It might be another week until he is fitted into a smaller, light-weight cast. It’s possible, Santiago said, that the cast could be removed around July 14, but realistically, it’s difficult for him to see himself back in the lineup before the end of July.

“Everything was going so good,” Santiago said. “I was having a good year. The team was having a good year. And now this.

“It depresses you so much, but what can you do? I can do nothing.

“That’s why I can’t wait to come back. And I will be back. And no matter how long it takes, I won’t forget.”