Padres’ Sheffield Maintains Steady Hitting Pace

The sun rises, the sun sets . . . and Gary Sheffield hits.

Hillary Clinton stands by her man, Dan Quayle critiques Murphy Brown . . . and Gary Sheffield hits.

He is in his own zone these days, in a place where hitters sometimes go and cannot be disturbed. He will not be disturbed. No matter how routine--or how crazy--things are, Sheffield remains consistent.

He had a sixth-inning home run against Sid Fernandez in the Padres’ 8-3 loss Thursday to the Mets, extending his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games.

The homer also gave him 33 RBIs, which ties him with Atlanta’s Ron Gant for first in the NL.

“This is the best I’ve ever felt,” Sheffield said. “It goes back to being healthy and ready to play.

“Now, I know how to prepare myself for a long season, how to pace myself for 162 games.”

The 14-game streak ties him for the second-longest NL hitting streak this year and, tonight against Chicago, Sheffield can tie Atlanta’s Terry Pendleton for the NL’s longest such streak this season.

“Really, it’s just one of those things,” Sheffield said. “When you’re swinging the bat OK, you try to put a long hitting streak together and keep it going. When you do, you start making hard contact.”

In the past 14 games, Sheffield is batting .397 (23 for 58) with five home runs and 17 RBIs.

A 16-game streak, which came in 1990, is Sheffield’s personal best, but even that came amid the tumult that plagued his career in Milwaukee.

Since coming to San Diego on March 27, Sheffield, 23, hasn’t stopped smiling. He said the first two months of this season have been his most enjoyable since making his major league debut in 1988.

“I can’t even describe the fun I’m having,” he said. “It’s amazing. It’s like being a kid all over again--just go outside and have fun.

“That’s how I feel.”

Even when it seems he is in trouble, Sheffield has been able to dig himself out. He struck out in the first and then struck out again in the fourth Thursday. Then came the sixth, and the 1-0 pitch from Fernandez.

Boom.

But what has Sheffield even happier than his eight home runs this season is his .333 batting average.

“I’ve learned some things about myself that I didn’t know,” he said. “You just have to believe in yourself, that you can hit for home runs and average in this league.

“I never believed I could hit for average.”

Said Padre Manager Greg Riddoch: “The kid has just been absolutely phenomenal.”

Sheffield said the his biggest adjustment has been mental, knowing he is capable of producing every day.

“Once I start relaxing too much and not concentrating, that’s when the mistakes happen,” he said.

His most obvious mistake Thursday came in the first, when he misplayed Eddie Murray’s grounder with runners on first and second. It was his sixth error.

“I tried to catch the ball and throw to first (for the double play) at the same time,” he said. “But if I make an aggressive mistake, I don’t worry about it.”

Meanwhile, he has yet to encounter any of the problems he faced in Milwaukee. He is getting along with his teammates and manager, and he has not publicly criticized his organization.

He has yet to face adversity, but Sheffield intends to persevere peacefully this time.

“I helped myself in a way, too, by coming here and doing everything they asked me to do,” he said. “I’ve tried to bend over backwards to make it work.

“Now, things are going OK, and we’ll try to keep them that way.”

An average over .300 surely would do the trick.