Padres Run Out of Town

The San Diego Padres are having a bad experience in the World Series, and they hope things improve soon.

The New York Yankees don’t plan to help.

Taking an early lead and building on the momentum, the Yankees routed the stunned Padres, 9-3, in Game 2 of the World Series on Sunday night.

The American League champions scored three runs in the first inning and the Padres never recovered before a frenzied sellout crowd of 56,692 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had 16 hits--including two-run home runs by Bernie Williams and Jorge Posada--and chased Padre starter Andy Ashby after 2 2/3 ineffective innings.

The Yankees took a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series that shifts to Qualcomm Stadium beginning Tuesday. The Yankees are the 45th team to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series. Of the previous 44, 33 won titles.

Rookie right-hander Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez made his second impressive start of the postseason, pitching seven innings.

Hernandez gave up six hits and one run, striking out seven with three walks. He improved to 2-0 in the playoffs.

Ashby gave up 10 hits and seven runs (four earned). Ashby was relieved by Brian Boehringer with two out in the third.

New York took a 3-0 lead in the first on an error by Padre third baseman Ken Caminiti and two-out, run-scoring singles by Chili Davis and Scott Brosius. Williams’ two-out homer off Ashby in the second made the score, 6-0.

The Yankees prevented the Padres from taking an early lead when right fielder Paul O’Neill made an outstanding catch to end the first inning. With two out and runners on first and second, O’Neill climbed the padded wall in right to catch a line drive hit by Wally Joyner.

San Diego leadoff batter Quilvio Veras delivered a two-out, run-scoring double in the fifth after Chris Gomez tripled. The Padres left the bases loaded in the seventh against Hernandez when Greg Vaughn popped out to short to end the inning.

New York, playing in its 35th World Series, also overwhelmed the Padres in Game 1 by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning of a 9-6 victory. The Padres, who dropped to 1-6 in two World Series appearances, have history going against them.

In Game 3 on Tuesday at San Diego, the Padres will send Sterling Hitchcock, the most valuable player in the National League championship series, against David Cone. Hitchcock has been a giant-killer with victories over Houston’s Randy Johnson and Atlanta’s Greg Maddux in the postseason.