Santiago Delivers Message : Baseball: Before Padres’ 2-1 victory, the catcher tells the team he will agree to play in left field. During the game, he shows off his catching skills.

The Padres saw it with their eyes Monday in their 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, and still they couldn’t believe it.

They’ve seen plenty of throws from All-Star catcher Benito Santiago over the years. They’ve seen him throw out Vince Coleman while on his knees and Tim Raines while on his stomach.

Still, they’re not sure if they’ve ever seen this one.

Santiago told the Padres he would play left field once or twice a week when needed. The Padre management rejoiced. The players wondered if they’re out of their minds.

“I still don’t understand why you’d want an All-Star catcher playing left field when he’s never played it in his life,” Padre right fielder Tony Gwynn said, “but hey, I don’t make the decisions around here.”

Santiago used the game to showcase his talents. If they want to move him to left, fine. But if they move him, he wanted to remind management they’ll be missing.

“I really don’t want to go over there, and I know it’s not my position,” Santiago said, “but I decided to do it for the team. I’m a winning guy, and I want to help make the team a winner.

“I still think I can best help the team behind the plate, but whatever they want to do.”

Santiago’s value to the Padres became clear in the seventh inning. The game was tied, 1-1. Darren Daulton was at second base with one out, and Jim Deshaies was on the mound. Deshaies threw a changeup to Joe Millette. Daulton was halfway to third before the pitch even Deshaies’ left hand.

“I thought he had no chance, absolutely no chance,” Padre center fielder Darrin Jackson said. “Then I watched the throw, and said, ‘Hello.’ ”

Santiago scooped the pitch out of the dirt and fired a strike toward the right side of the bag. Third baseman Gary Sheffield slapped the tag to get Daulton.

“There’s not another catcher in baseball who can make that throw,” Sheffield said.

Said first baseman Fred McGriff: “That was the play of the game right there. That saved the game.”

McGriff then came on to win it.

McGriff, who homered in the second inning for his 20th of the season, came up in the ninth inning with runners on first and third with one out.

Phillie Manager Jim Fregosi, who received a one-year contract extension earlier, elected to have right-handed reliever Barry Jones pitch to him.

McGriff slapped a fastball into left field, scoring Tony Gwynn from third, and the Padres (50-44) had their third consecutive victory. It’s the first time since the end of the 1991 season that they are six games above .500.

Bullpen stopper Randy Myers managed to make it quite interesting once again before recording his 16th save.

“What does he have, 16 saves and 15 scares?” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said.

Myers entered the game in the ninth in place of winner Rich Rodriguez (5-2). Before anyone knew it, Myers walked back-to-back batters with two outs, and loaded the bases.

Myers fell behind in the count, 2-and-0 to Ruben Amaro when the infield suddenly decided to have a team meeting. Sheffield told him he was overthrowing. McGriff told him to throw strikes. Second baseman Kurt Stillwell asked where he should be positioned.

Ball three. The crowd of 20,795 at Veterans Stadium began hooting. One more ball, and the game was tied, with Lenny Dykstra standing on the on-deck circle.

Strike one. Strike two.

Amaro swung at the next pitch, and hit a line drive right to Stillwell. The game was over.

“I didn’t see the end of it because I was getting some Maalox,” pitcher Andy Benes said, “and I had to stand in line to do it. Everybody got a damn ulcer.”

Said Sheffield, who felt like volunteering himself to retire the final batter: “I told him to start looking at (Santiago’s) mitt. Randy gets so excited, he doesn’t even look at the mitt. I must have aged a couple of years.

“The good thing is that we’re so used to pressure now that when we get to the playoffs we’ll win it, because we’ve already handled so much pressure.”

Said Myers, joking: “Pressure? What pressure?”

The most pressure in these coming months may belong to Santiago. He told Riddoch before the game that he’d be willing to play left field once or twice a week.

Although he played left field for two innings last season in a double-switch blunder, he has not played the position since he was a teen-ager in Puerto Rico.

“I’ll show people that I’m not a bad person, I don’t want to have a bad reputation,” Santiago said. “The only thing I ask is if they let me know a couple of days before I play left so I can at least take some fly balls out there. It’s not going to be easy, I know that. But they’re going to have to understand that.”

Santiago’s decision to play left field was not questioned so much by his teammates. Instead, they wondered aloud why the Padres would want Santiago to play left field.

Said Sheffield: “To me, if you’re an All-Star player and make a move like that, that’s a pretty big sacrifice. That’s a tough decision, but he’s showing he’s a team player.”

In the meantime, Deshaies is just happy to still be part of the team. He was expected to be sent down to triple-A Las Vegas during the weekend, but when Dave Eiland’s right ankle still was too tender to pitch, Deshaies was asked to hang around.

He may be around for quite awhile. Deshaies pitched seven innings, allowing only four hits and one run, and now has is yielding a 1.42 ERA in two starts with the Padres.

“I’d sure like to stay here,” Deshaies said, “because I think they have a chance to win this thing. I’d love to be in a pennant race again.”