Padres, Giants Are Moved by Visit From Dravecky

The Padres and San Francisco Giants were fidgety Friday before their game--won by the Padres, 10-5. They kept telling themselves that there was no need to be apprehensive, it was simply an old buddy coming to see them.

The two clubs last had seen Dave Dravecky three months ago in Pittsburgh, getting reacquainted, talking of old times. But the last time, Dravecky’s left arm was in a sling.

This time, he would have no left arm.

Dravecky, who had not attended a baseball game since the June 18 amputation of his left arm and shoulder, arrived Friday morning at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. First, there was the filming for a documentary. Fans then lined outside for 2 1/2 hours, stretching three blocks, for his book signing. Next was an hour-long press conference.

At last, the moment he awaited. He took the elevator down to the basement level. It was time to see his fomer teammates--the Padres and Giants.

Dravecky spent nearly an hour in the Giants clubhouse, chatting with catcher Terry Kennedy, whom he played with in San Diego and San Francisco. He looked at the clock. He had to hurry. It was time to see the Padres.

The clubhouse door opened. The first player to spot him was left fielder Bip Roberts, a rookie during Dravecky’s final 1987 season with the Padres.

Roberts acted as if it was just an old friend coming by to say hello. He asked how he was doing, stuck out his hand and in suddenly appearing solemn, said: “You’re my man.”

Slowly, one by one, the Padres greeted Dravecky. There were hugs.

“This is a special day for a lot of us,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said. “This would be a devastating type of thing for most people, but for him, this is the right thing to do. He’s got no pain now. He can go on with his life.”

Dravecky, who was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and had half his deltoid muscle removed, made his comeback in 1989. He yielded only one hit in seven innings Aug. 10, 1989, against the Cincinnati Reds, but five days later his left arm snapped in a game. It broke again in the Giants’ pennant celebration.

“For all practical purposes, it was a miracle he even came back,” said Padres reliever Craig Lefferts, who played with the Giants at the time. “He was back when nobody said he would, and didn’t pitch any different than he did before.

“That’s a miracle.”

Dravecky’s career ended that season, but the cancer refused to call it quits. It continued to spread through his left arm, until the pain finally forced him to undergo an amputation.

“For the first time, I can tell you that I feel extremely well physically,” Dravecky said. “‘When it comes to touch in the area where the arm was removed, there’s no pain.”

“I do have phantom pain, but I’ve learned to deal with it, and I think it’s just become a part of my life. It’s going to be a thing over time that’s going to take just a mental adjustment. I hope that mental adjustment comes soon.

“Lefties have a tendency not to adjust mentally very well. Now that I’m a righty, hopefully that will occur a little quicker.”

Dravecky’s presence, which was recognized in a pregame ceremony, overshadowed the Padres’ 11-hit offensive explosion, which was highlighted by first baseman Fred McGriff. He hit two home runs and had five RBIs. It gave him 100 RBIs for the season, making him the fourth Padre in history to achive the milestone.

John Costello, who came in relief of starter Dennis Rasmussen in the fourth inning, pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for his first victory.

The game was delayed by 30 minutes Friday when the Padres were getting telephone complaints of fans who were afraid they could not reach the stadium in time for Dravecky’s tribute. When he stepped to the microphone--ironically seven years to the day the Padres clinched the National League West with Dravecky ont he mound--the crowd of 12,409 rose to their feet for an emotional standing ovation.

The most trying moment of the day, Dravecky laughingly said, was the signing of thousands of autographs--particularly since he has only recently learned to write right-handed.

“But as verification from the folks who got my signature,” Dravecky said, “they liked what they saw. So I guess it’s going OK.”

Still, the times have been trying. The trauma has caused marital problems with his wife, Jan, he said, which recently have been rectified through counseling.

“Jan has gone through a very difficult time with all of this,” Dravecky said. “Everything has kind of crashed down on her all at once. It nearly burned her out physically, then it went into a emotional burnout where she experienced a clinical depression.

“We have been seeing Christian counseling the past four months, and I’m not afraid to say that. There really isn’t anything to hide. . . .

“These last three months, you think something as dramatic as an amputation would be kind of a setback to things, but it hasn’t. It has been a freedom. A letting go.

“Actually, the beginning of a new life.”