Padres Play in a Fog and Lose Sight of Mets

Mother Nature tried to help out the Padres, but even she finally gave up Tuesday, and on a night that turned from eerie to bizarre, the Padres ended up in a fog, losing 6-3 to the New York Mets.

The game, which was halted for 1 1/2 hours earlier in the evening, was stopped after 6 1/2 innings because of fog at Shea Stadium, sending the crowd of 17,059 home wondering if they had just witnessed a bad John Carpenter film.

It was the first fog-out in Padres history, according to officials, and only the second fog-out in the Mets’ 30-year history, the last occurring May 25, 1979, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Shea Stadium. That game, for those historians, was tied, 3-3 in the 11th inning when Joel Youngblood hit a fly ball that fell in front of Bill Robinson. The game was suspended, and later replayed.

It was an ugly evening all-around that mercifully ended at 12:19 local time by crew chief Doug Harvey, sending everyone scurrying for one-liners.

“I pray for days like this,” Met outfielder Kevin McReynolds said, “in duck-hunting season.”

Said Padre reliever Larry Andersen: “At least it got the jets to stop flying.”

Said Padre Manager Greg Riddoch: It was the first time I’ve seen anything like that in my life. I mean, I’ve seen fog, but the last time I saw anything like this was in Duluth, Minn.”

Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn: “To me, you can expect some fog in San Francisco and San Diego, but New York, come on?”

Yet, as ugly as the weather became, the Padres continue to look even more hideous, losing for the fifth time in six games, and the ninth time in 14 games, dropping their record to 11-10.

There are slumps everywhere you look:

Leadoff hitter Bip Roberts: two-for-18 skid (.111)

Shortstop Tony Fernandez: zero-for-18 (.000)

Gwynn: one-for-11 (.091)

Third baseman Jim Presley: two for 28 (.071)

Center fielder Shawn Abner: two for 28 (.071)

“It’s not what you call real good offensive production,” Abner said.

The Padres got a break, actually a godsend, when the fog rolled in the first time in the sixth inning, stopping the game for 1 hour, 38 minutes. The delay forced the Mets to shelve starter Dwight Gooden, who breezed through six innings, allowing three hits and five strikeouts.

“Our plan almost worked,” said Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager. “We got Gooden out of the game. It was a good plan. It really was. It just didn’t work.”

The Padres, trailing 4-2 at the time of the first fog-out in the bottom of the sixth, attempted to come back. The trouble was, they still had to pitch to the Mets, and found themselves trailing 6-2 before they even had a chance to face rookie reliever Pete Schourek.

They managed to load the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Presley managed only a sacrifice fly, and Abner grounded out, ending the inning.

It would be the last time they’d bat before the game was called.

“I guess that’s typical of our luck lately, huh?” Riddoch said.

The Padres, in fact, finished the game in much worse shape than the score will indicate.

Left fielder Jerald Clark, while misjudging a ball in the second inning, sustained a strained left calf, and likely will be out until at least Friday.

“I just felt something pop,” he said. “I hope it’s not too bad.”

Andersen, who has two bulging discs in his neck, awoke Tuesday morning feeling the worst he has in in 10 days, and openly wonders if he’ll be placed on the disabled list.

“It felt like it was coming along,” Andersen said, “but now it’s worse than ever. Today was absolutely the worst it’s been in a while. It’s so damn frustrating.”

One of his teammates even left a hint that he should perhaps take a break, cutting out a supermarket tabloid headline, and posting it on his locker:

“Chiropractor’s neck treatments can cause deadly strokes, study claims.

And considering the Padres’ pitching woes, Derek Lilliquist hardly helped his candidacy for the starting rotation, yielding 10 hits and four earned runs in five innings.

“Everything he threw was up,” Riddoch said, “and he’s not going to be successful that way.”

The only positive aspect of the game for the Padres was that catcher Benito Santiago hit only the second homer by a non-Padre pitcher in the past 11 games.

Yes, it was that kind of game, and perhaps it was a blessing that it finally was stopped.

Maybe it would have been best when it was stopped originally in the bottom of the sixth inning with Met shortstop Kevin Elster at the plate. When Santiago was unable to stop Wes Gardner’s first pitch, allowing Rick Cerone to second, Gwynn started waving his arms, saying he couldn’t see.

Doug Harvey, realizing that the fog was rolling in, immediately trotted out to right field, and asked Tony Gwynn his opinion.

Harvey: “Tony, can you see a fly ball.”

Gwynn: “Harv, I didn’t even see the last ground ball.”

That’s the only thing that Harvey needed to hear, and he summoned the other umpires, and immediately suspended the game.

“It was turning into a farce,” Harvey said. “We didn’t want fly balls hit out there, and have it turn into a circus.”

Said Gwynn, afterwards: “It was actually kind of scary. I mean, I didn’t even see the wild pitch. Someone started yelling, ‘The runner’s going, the runner’s going, and I didn’t even see the ball.’

“The balls that were hit high in the air, we couldn’t even see. We were sitting ducks out there.”

The game was stopped for 1 hour, 38 minutes, and before it resumed, the circus was on the field.

Harvey asked for two volunteers from the Padres to test the conditions, and in a matter of minutes, there was Bip Roberts in right field and Shawn Abner in center, catching fly balls hit by Mets first base coach Tom Spencer.

Spencer, tossing the ball to himself, fouled off his first attempt, and then proceeded to intertwine foul balls with balls hit to the outfield. First, it was Roberts’ turn in right. Then, Abner’s turn in center. Roberts then went to left field and caught a few more.

“It looked like a tryout camp out there,” said Met reliever John Franco.

After a two-minute hitting and catching exhibition, Harvey finally was convinced everything was Ok, and the game resumed.

Unfortunately for the Padres, they remained the same. PADRES AT A GLANCE

SECOND INNING

Mets--With one out, Johnson reached first on infield single to third. McReynolds lined to left. Cerone doubled to left, Johnscon scoring. Elster walked. Gooden lined to left. One run, two hits, two left. Mets 1, Padres 0.

FOURTH INNING

Mets--Johnson homered to left, his fourth. McReynolds flied to right. Cerone doubled to left. Elster popped to first. Gooden singled to right, Cerone scoring. Coleman struck out. Two runs, three hits, one left. Mets 3, Padres 0.

FIFTH INNING

Padres--McGriff led off and singled to center. Gooden balked, McGriff taking second. Santiago homered to right-center, his second. Aldrete grounded to first. Presley bounced to pitcher. Abner struck out. Two runs, two hits. Mets 3, Padres 2.

Mets--With one out, Magadan singled to left. Brooks singled to center, Magadan stopping at second. Johnson flied to left. McReynolds singled to left, Magadan scoring, Brooks thrown out at third. One run, three hits, one left. Mets 4, Padres 2.

SIXTH INNING

Mets--Cerone led off with a single. Cerone taking second on Santiago’s passed ball. Rodriguez relieved Gardner after fog delay. Elster fouled to first. Carreon walked. Coleman struck out. Herr reached first on infield single to third, Cerone scoring, Carreon taking third on third baseman Presley’s throwing error. Magadan doubled to left, Carreon scoring, Herr stopping at third. Brooks lined to third. Two runs, two hits, two left, one error. Mets 6, Padres 2.

SEVENTH INNING

Padres--Gwynn led off and walked. McGriff flied to left. Santiago singled to center, McGriff stopping at second. Jackson reached first on fielder’s choice, and third baseman Johnson’s error. Pena relieved Schourek. Presley flied to left, Gwynn scoring. Abner grounded to first. One run (unearned), one hit, two left. Mets 6, Padres 3.