Been There --Haven’t Done That : Back With Braves, Pendleton Still Looking for Series Ring

Terry Pendleton has come full circle in search of a ring.

The Atlanta Braves’ third baseman has played on four World Series losers, and he longs for a final at-bat with a championship on the line.

“This is a great opportunity, and I’ve got to be ready,” he said. “I’ve got to bounce.”

At 5 feet 9, 200 pounds, Pendleton resembled a bouncing ball as he jogged onto the field at Dodger Stadium for practice Tuesday. The Braves face the Dodgers today in the first game of the National League playoffs.

Yet in a figurative sense, it is his ability to bounce back that enables him to remain in the hunt for a World Series championship.

He rebounded from being released by the Braves in 1994, three years after he led them to the World Series, won the N.L. batting title and was named the league’s most valuable player. The Braves were N.L. champions again in ’92 when Pendleton batted .311 and led the league with 199 hits.

He rebounded from a horrendous start last season with the Florida Marlins, recovering well enough during his 1 1/2-year stint with Florida to pique the interest of the Braves six weeks ago.

And he rebounded from being passed over in today’s starting lineup in favor of shortstop Jeff Blauser, who has been out for two months because of a broken left hand. Chipper Jones will move from short to third, and Pendleton, who has been playing every day at third since the trade, moves to the bench.

“I’ve got to be ready for however [Manager Bobby Cox] calls on me,” Pendleton said. “Pinch hit, pinch run, play defense. I’ve got to stay in the game, stay ready.”

Cox said the decision was difficult but that the switch-hitting Pendleton will be valuable in a reserve role.

“We’re a good team either way we go,” Cox said. “For game one, this is the way it’s going to be. I like the things Terry can do off the bench.”

Pendleton’s role has changed dramatically from his first time around with Atlanta.

Shrunken dramatically, to be precise.

After helping the St. Louis Cardinals to the World Series in 1985 and ‘87, he signed with the Braves as a free agent in ’91. Besides hitting .319 with 22 home runs and 86 runs batted in, Pendleton insulated inexperienced teammates from distractions.

“He taught us how to win,” teammate Jeff Treadway said at the time.

These days, the Braves know how to win better than anyone in baseball. They are defending World Series champions. And they did it without Pendleton.

“Before, I fielded questions from the media so the young guys had room to breathe,” he said. “Now, they handle it fine. They are proven.

“My job is to help in any way, shape or form.”

Pendleton, who played at Channel Islands High and Oxnard College, would rather be helping by getting four at-bats a game, but it is his diplomatic nature that enabled him to rejoin the Braves. He was severely disappointed at being released two years ago after his $10.4 million four-year contract expired, but he never blasted the Braves’ front office.

“That’s the kind of guy Terry Pendleton is,” said John Schuerholz, the Braves’ executive vice president and general manager. “He was frustrated and disappointed, but it says a lot about his character. He dealt with the disappointment in a professional manner.”

When Blauser got hurt, Schuerholz and Cox knew the infield had to be bolstered. Pendleton was the first player that came to mind.

“We needed someone who could help us in a variety of ways and also be a positive influence in the clubhouse,” Schuerholz said.

Pendleton, 36, was batting .251 with seven homers and 58 RBIs in 111 games when traded. He has struggled even more with the Braves, making seven errors and batting only .204 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 42 games.

Coupled with the fact that Jones is more comfortable playing third base than shortstop, Pendleton’s lack of production prompted Cox to insert Blauser. Pendleton finished the season in a 2-for-20 slump.

“Terry has fallen on very hard times,” Schuerholz said. “But he still has the capability, because he has the makeup. With the game on the line, he can dig down further than other guys who haven’t been there.”

Pendleton realizes this might be his last chance. He hasn’t said anything about retirement, but going from the mediocre Marlins to the playoff-bound Braves isn’t something to take for granted, no matter how much longer he plays.

“I feel like I came home,” said Pendleton, who lives near Atlanta with his wife and two children. “This is like a new life. I can get one at-bat or play every day, but getting to the World Series and winning is all that’s important to me.”