Teufel Helps Padres to Wild Victory : Baseball: He gets three hits, including home run, and makes sparkling play at third as Padres top Cubs, 7-5, in 14 innings.

It was the craziest of times; it was the best of times. And when it was over, the Padres didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The Padres ran through the gamut of emotions in their 7-5, 14-inning victory Friday over the Chicago Cubs, and by the time it ended 4 1/2 hours later, the Padres almost were too numb to move.

Who could blame them after their biggest ninth-inning comeback of the season?

“These are the type of games that you’re not sure quite how you did it,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said, “but you’ll take them any way you can get them.”

It was a game in which:

- Third baseman Gary Sheffield sustained a strained right hamstring in the fourth inning, and his replacement, Tim Teufel, was the star of the game.

- The Padres ran out of all their position players except catcher Dann Bilardello in the 11th inning--thanks to having only a 26-man roster, 14 below the legal September limit--but survived by using bullpen stopper Randy Myers as a pinch-hitter and reliever Gene Harris as a pinch-runner.

- There were 42 players used, but inexplicably, Fernando Ramsey, the Cubs’ outfield defensive specialist and world-class sprinter, never left the bench.

- There were 27 runners left on base and seven intentional walks.

- The Padres used 11 players in the No. 9 spot in the lineup.

- This time, for a change, the other manager was being second-guessed.

The Padres overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth, blew a one-run lead in the 12th and relied on homers by Darrin Jackson and Teufel to win in the 14th.

“I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Teufel, who replaced Sheffield at third base. “Man, there were a lot of tired people out there.”

The only one left with energy was Sheffield, who sustained a strained hamstring while running out a triple in the fourth inning. Sheffield, who’s expected to miss the remainder of the Cub series, spent the next 3 1/2 hours watching the game from the clubhouse.

“I got tired just watching,” he said.

The entire escapade was made possible in the ninth inning when the Padres overcame a three-run deficit, benefiting from Cub Manager Jim Lefebvre’s strategy.

Although reliever Paul Assenmacher stymied the Padres on one hit for 1 1/3 innings, Lefebvre decided to go with Bob Scanlan in the ninth inning. The same time, Lefebvre chose not to use a defensive replacement for the ailing Andre Dawson in right fielder.

The moves haunted Lefebvre for the next two hours. Catcher Benito Santiago opened the ninth with a double into right field that Dawson failed to cut off. Scanlan then walked Jackson walked on four pitches. Jerald Clark followed with a single to center, scoring Santiago.

Lefebvre allowed Scanlan to pitch to Teufel. Another base hit, loading the bases.

Finally, Lefebvre went to his bullpen. Chuck McElroy induced a sacrifice fly from Kevin Ward for the first out. Tony Fernandez lifted a pop fly to right field, but Dawson, suffering from aching knees, couldn’t reach the ball. The game was tied.

Why didn’t Lefebvre use Ramsey? After all, Ramsey is an Olympic sprinter about whom Cub roving instructor Jimmy Piersall says: “There isn’t a better outfielder in all of baseball.”

“(Dawson) was running fine,” Lefebvre said. “Beside, he’s our hottest player.”

Apparently, Lefebvre really believed it. It was his decision not to pinch-run for Dawson in the 12th that cost them the game.

The Padres took a 5-4 lead in the top of the 12th on Clark’s run-scoring single, but Myers was unable to hang onto the lead. Myers yielded a leadoff single to Ryne Sandberg, and after Mark Grace sacrificed, Dawson doubled to right. It was the fourth of Dawson’s five hits, equaling a career high accomplished last in 1987.

While the crowd of 22,074 at Wrigley Field roared their appreciation, it also was the moment everyone awaited for a pinch-runner. After all, Dawson has undergone surgery eight times on his arthritic knees, and he is scheduled for surgery again this off-season.

Instead, Lefebvre stuck with him. Myers intentionally walked Steve Buechele, and then gave up a slow roller through the infield by Derrick May.

Dawson was waved on, took a wide turn at third and hobbled home. Clark’s one-hop strike to the plate beat him.

“I really didn’t even know if I’d have a chance,” Clark said. “I just ran toward the ball, and threw it. I was just praying it would get there in time.”

“We had the right guy running,” Teufel said. “Dawson has bad wheels.”

Teufel made sure Clark’s play would be meaningful. Pinch-hitter Hector Villanueva hit a screaming grounder toward third, but Teufel picked the ball and threw to first baseman Fred McGriff for the third out of the inning.

“Sheff left some hits and nice plays over there,” Teufel said. “I’ll pick them up any time.”

Two innings later, Jackson and Teufel put the game away. Jackson hit a leadoff homer off Shawn Boskie in the 14th, and one out later, Teufel added another for a 7-5 lead.

This time, Jeremy Hernandez shut down the Cubs 1-2-3 for his first victory of the season.

“It was one of those games where you just want to shut out all the distractions that happened beforehand,” Hernandez said, “and go forward with your job.

“The crazy things that happened today, you couldn’t afford to think about anything else.”

Triple Crown Watch

Batting Average

Gary Sheffield, Padres: .333

Andy Van Slyke, Pittsburgh: .333

John Kruk, Philadelphia: .322

Home Runs

Fred McGriff, Padres: 32

Gary Sheffield, Padres: 29

Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh: 25

Runs Batted In

Gary Sheffield, Padres: 92

Darren Daulton, Philadelphia :92

Terry Pendleton, Atlanta :87

Fred McGriff, Padres :87