Sterling effort

Hitchcock's pitching, hitting spark Padres

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Posted: Saturday October 10, 1998 09:54 PM

Unsung hero: Hitchcock is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA for San Diego in the playoffs David Taylor/Allsport

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Not a bad day for a pitcher who couldn't throw the ball where he wanted, and is an admitted "flat-out awful" hitter.

Sterling Hitchcock, playing giant-killer again for San Diego, beat Greg Maddux and the Atlanta Braves 4-1 Saturday as the Padres took a 3-0 lead in the NL championship series.

Hitchcock, who continued an amazing string of Padres' pitching performances in the postseason, added insult to injury by sparking San Diego's pivotal rally in the fifth inning when Atlanta led 1-0.

"It was a blind squirrel finding a nut," Hitchcock, laughing, said of his one-out single off Maddux that started the Padres' two-run fifth.

"I've always taken hitting seriously, but it certainly wasn't anything for me to brag about," added Hitchcock, a .120 lifetime hitter.

Hitchcock, who struck out 11 and beat Houston ace Randy Johnson in San Diego's divisional series clinching 6-1 victory over the Astros, wasn't as crisp against Maddux and the Braves.

Hitchcock gave up just one run and three hits, striking out six against the Braves, but he walked five.

"I struggled with my control," he said. "But I seemed to come up with a pitch when I needed it. I seemed to be able to wiggle out of trouble."

Left in to hit for himself in the fifth, Hitchcock was yanked by manager Bruce Bochy after he walked Andres Galarraga to open the sixth.

"For me to walk the leadoff hitter, that was brainless. That shows how much I was struggling," said Hitchcock, who was 9-7 with a 3.93 ERA in the regular season and is 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA -- and wins over two of the best pitchers in baseball -- in the postseason.

"All year he's done a good job, and he's pitched very well for us in the postseason," said Bochy, who decided to let Hitchcock bat in the fifth after he set the Braves down in order in the top of the inning.

"To be honest, I didn't know he would get a hit," Bochy said.

Hitchcock's single was just the third hit Maddux had allowed. Hitchcock moved to second on a groundout, then scored on Steve Finley's double to tie it.

Maddux intentionally walked Tony Gwynn, who is hitting higher than .400 against him in his career, to face Ken Caminiti. That backfired when Caminiti, whose 10th-inning homer gave the Padres a 3-2 win in Game 1, singled in Finley for the go-ahead run.

Hitchcock got Maddux for a crucial out in the fourth inning, on a fly to left that left the bases loaded.

Hitchcock also benefited from an outstanding defensive play in the third inning. After Atlanta went ahead 1-0 in that inning, Chipper Jones singled sharply to left field with two out and Weiss on second.

John Vander Wal charged the ball and made a perfect throw to catcher Jim Leyritz. Weiss, arriving at almost the same time as the ball, put a linebacker-type hit on Leyritz, who went tumbling but quickly raised his mitt to show he had held the ball for the third out.

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The Braves waste a good opportunity in the sixth after knocking Hitchcock out of the game   • Start(707 K .MOV) Padres starter Sterling Hitchcock says he is happy the team is one win away from the World Series (119 K) Hitchcock talks about the job of the Padres' bullpen (382 K) Hitchcock doesn't expect the Padres to let up (454 K) Click here for the latest audio and video
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