Santiago Puts His Finger on Problem

Benito Santiago came out and said it Sunday night: He wants to play elsewhere in 1992.

Even a three-run homer, which beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, didn’t ease the mental anguish for Santiago, whose contract impasse with Padre management has prompted rough treatment from the fans at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium this season.

After being booed several times during the Padres’ 7-4 victory over the Pirates in front of 13,099, Santiago was in a testy mood.

He made several remarks about Padre fans, saying that they “know nothing about baseball,” and eventually the subject turned to his contract situation. If he isn’t signed by the end of next season, he will become a free agent.

“I think they’re going to do something with me over the winter,” Santiago said.

Asked if he wanted to be traded, he said, “Yeah, I’d prefer that.”

The Padres have offered Santiago a contract calling for $11 million over a four years. He would accept the length of the contract, but he wants more money.

“If they sign me, they sign me,” he said. “If not, they trade me. Something is going to happen.”

Santiago was asked if he would give the Padres a chance to sign him.

“I don’t know,” he said. “Right now I feel nothing. I just want to play baseball.”

Santiago first felt the wrath of the crowd when he let Jay Bell’s pop foul drop in front of the screen behind home plate in the third inning. When that round of booing ended, a wild pitch by Ricky Bones, the eventual winner, caromed so far off Santiago’s glove that Orlando Merced went all the way from first base to third. And when Santiago finally found the ball and threw it into left field, allowing Merced to score, the jeering hit a new high.

In the bottom of that inning, Santiago got his revenge--if it could be called that. After Darrin Jackson and Fred McGriff had singled off loser Zane Smith, Santiago broke a 2-2 tie with his 14th home run of the season, a line shot over the right-field fence. It raised his runs-batted-in total to 61.

Obviously savoring the moment, Santiago took more than the usual amount of time circling the bases. Then, on the way to the dugout, he taunted the fans by gesturing with his index finger. It could have been interpreted as directing a chorus of boos.

This was one subject that Santiago didn’t want to address.

“I have nothing to say about it,” he said. “I don’t want the fans getting me down. They don’t bother me. It’s been that way all year long. I just remember, that’s all.”

Asked if it was tough to go through this sort of thing during an all-star season, Santiago said, “Yes, it’s tough, but they can do whatever they want.”

Santiago finally brightened up when someone asked how he felt about staying in San Diego.

He cracked a big smile, then said, “I don’t know. I go other places and I play better. I play a lot better. People in those places know about baseball, and they enjoy my game. When people don’t know baseball like here, it’s different for me.

“I don’t know why they’re like that toward me. Look at my numbers out there. For some reason, they don’t appreciate me. At least they don’t act like they do.”

As for the catching misadventures that set off the crowd, Santiago said, “I didn’t see the foul ball. I made a good throw, but Tony (Fernandez) wasn’t there. He couldn’t get over in time.”

Fernandez, the shortstop, would have had to cover third because third baseman Tim Teufel, who later hit a two-run homer two innings later, was playing in for a possible bunt.

As the crowd around Santiago broke up, one reporter noticed 12 baseball cards taped to the back wall of his locker. All 12 players pictured on the cards have been dealt away by the Padres.

Santiago grinned and said, “That’s my dream team.”

General Manager Joe McIlvaine wasn’t exactly thrilled by Santiago’s declaration.

“Aw, geez, it changes every day,” McIlvaine said. “I’m not going to comment on that. We’re not dealing in that right now.

“I don’t want to hear that from our guys. It’s September, and we’re 8 1/2 games out, and we’re trying to get back in the pennant race. That’s the only thing these players should be worried about right now. I’m not going to be concerned about that until the end of the season.”

Of the booing and Santiago’s reaction to it, McIlvaine said, “He didn’t see the foul pop-up. I guess he’s the first catcher in history to miss a foul pop-up. But you can’t be over-sensitive to fans who don’t always understand the game.”

Bones pitched into the sixth inning in recording his second victory against three defeats, and Mike Maddux earned his third save with 3 1/3 scoreless innings. McGriff led the Padres with three singles as they salvaged the finale of the three-game series against the Pirates, who lead the National League East.

“I felt great,” Bones said. “I had a good fastball and a good slider. It felt great to get a win out of the Pittsburgh team. That’s a tough lineup.”

Although Benes gave up four runs in 5 2/3 innings, Manager Greg Riddoch was impressed by the pitcher’s performance.

“He did well for a kid with less than a year in Triple-A,” Riddoch said. “It looks like he has good command of himself.”