Sheffield Picks Up 100th RBI : Baseball: Myers blows save opportunity as Astros win, 6-5.

Gary Sheffield stood on second base Tuesday during the Padres’ 6-5 defeat to the Houston Astros, trying to camouflage his emotions.

He watched the baseball being rolled into the Padre dugout, then allowed his face to break into an expansive smile.

There it was, for all of the world to see, the 100th RBI of Sheffield’s glorious season.

Sheffield might win the batting title this year. He might win the Most Valuable Player award. He’s still alive in his pursuit of the triple crown.

Yet the way Sheffield figures it, nothing can eclipse the satisfaction of getting 100 RBIs.

“This is something I’ve always dreamed of,” Sheffield said. “To me, it’s the biggest accomplishment there is. I made the All-Star team, I could lead the league in hitting, I’ve done everything you could possibly do in a season.

“But to drive in 100 runs, that’s the ultimate.”

Sheffield’s magic moment occurred in the first inning. Tony Fernandez led off with a single to right, extending his hitting streak to a season-high 14 games. Oscar Azocar, on a hit and run, then reached first on an infield single to shortstop.

That brought up Sheffield. The crowd of 14,573 at the Astrodome, well aware of Sheffield’s feats this season, began to stir.

Sheffield fell behind 0 and 2, fouled off several pitches, then hit a line drive over the head of left fielder Luis Gonzales, scoring Fernandez for his 100th RBI. He became only the fifth player in Padre history to accomplish the feat.

“I almost forgot to run,” Sheffield said. “I was watching the left fielder. I didn’t feel relieved until I saw it hit the turf. It’s been a tough time getting there.

“Now that I’m there, it’s just so hard to believe. You watch (Barry) Bonds, (Mark) McGwire and (Joe) Carter do it. To be included with those type of players is really special.”

Sheffield soon will be joined by Padre first baseman Fred McGriff, who drove in his 98th and 99th runs of the season. It will be the first time in Padre history that two players have driven in 100 runs in the same season.

“I think that will show that we’ve done our jobs this season,” McGriff said. “That’s what you call production.”

The only damper on Sheffield’s evening was that after his first at-bat, his right index finger began swelling. It started bothering him so much, he said, that when he batted in the seventh inning he wasn’t even looking to hit the ball. Instead, he wound up walking.

“I was glad he walked me that last time,” Sheffield said. “I was just up there for fun. There’s nothing I could have done.”

Sheffield was taken out of the lineup in the eighth inning, but said he’ll probably return tonight. Padre Manager Jim Riggleman said he’ll make out two lineups, and if Sheffield is ready, he’ll be back in there.

“It scares me,” Riggleman said, “because he’s pretty banged up right now. But he’s going to play as long as he can. He deserves that opportunity to go for the triple crown.”

Sheffield also is bidding for the Most Valuable Player award, and realizes that the more impressive his statistics, the better his chances of winning the MVP.

“You look at what he’s done this season,” Padre reliever Larry Andersen said, “and it just leaves you in awe. People talk about what Barry Bonds and Terry Pendleton have meant to their teams.

“But where would we be without Sheffield?

“I don’t want to even think about that.”

The Padres, however, were unable to capitalize on Sheffield and McGriff’s night when they blew a 5-4 ninth-inning lead. The defeat left them only 3 1/2 games ahead of the Astros for third place.

The Padres, who earlier blew a 3-0 lead, scored two runs in the eighth inning to take the lead. Riggleman then handed the ball to stopper Randy Myers (2-6) for the ninth.

Rafael Ramirez opened the inning with a single to right, and was sacrificed to second by Craig Biggio. Myers then walked Steve Finley on a 3-2 pitch, bringing Luis Gonzalez to the plate.

Myers fell behind 2 and 0, then watched Gonzalez hit a line drive toward the left-center gap. Left fielder Jerald Clark and center fielder Darrin Jackson reached the ball almost simultaneously.

“As soon as I saw it was hit,” Riggleman said, “it had the look of trouble.”

Clark stuck out his glove, and seeing that Jackson was about to collide with him, recoiled. The ball caromed off Clark’s glove, squirting toward the wall, allowing pinch-runner Ryan Bowen and Finley to score the game-winning runs.

“It’s the first time that happened to us all year,” Jackson said. “We know each other so well we don’t even have to talk. But this time we both go there at the same time, and at the last second, we realized we both had it.

“It was a natural instinct to flinch because I was going to crash into him.”

It resulted in Myers’ second consecutive blown save, and left him with 37 saves for the season--one shy of surpassing Rollie Fingers for the second highest-save total in a season.

Triple Crown Watch Batting Average Gary Sheffield, Padres: .330 Andy Van Slyke, Pittsburgh: .326 Bip Roberts, Cincinnati: .324 John Kruk, Philadelphia: .323

Home Runs Fred McGriff, Padres: 34 Gary Sheffield, Padres: 33 Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh: 32

Runs Batted In Darren Daulton, Philadelphia: 107 Terry Pendleton, Atlanta: 103 Barry Bonds, Pittsburgh: 101 Gary Sheffield, Padres: 100