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 Qualcomm before the storm Back home, Padres seek ways to stop relentless Yankees
Posted: Monday October 19, 1998 11:19 PM
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Tony Gwynn was standing alone in right field, checking out the grass torn up a day earlier by an NFL game, and his hearty laugh echoed throughout the empty ballpark. Gwynn was the first player on the field for the San Diego Padres' practice Monday afternoon, and his disposition matched the weather -- bright sunshine, blue California sky, temperatures in the 70s. A change of scenery for the World Series, for sure, from the subway trains clacking outside Yankee Stadium to the palm trees inside Qualcomm Stadium. But a change in the Padres' luck against the New York Yankees? No telling. The Yankees look unbeatable so far, taking a 2-0 lead into Game 3 Tuesday night. David Cone will start against former Yankees pitcher Sterling Hitchcock, the NLCS MVP. "What I've seen from New York in the first two games, I'll have to admit, is very impressive," Gwynn said. "We're down 0-2, but we can get back in this thing if we play our game, which is pitching and defense and some timely hits." Gwynn has done his part, tied for the Series lead with four hits. Yet unless Padres pitching improves, it could be over real soon. Of the 44 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series, 33 have gone on to win the championship. Then again, the Yankees were wiped out in Atlanta in the first two games in 1996 before coming back to win four in a row against the Braves. Cone began that comeback with a win in Game 3. Cone traveled to the West Coast on Sunday, before the Yankees romped 9-3 in Game 2. He was already in San Diego relaxing while watching the victory. "This is the time of year when pitchers feel a bit fatigued," he said. "I'm looking forward to closing this out and getting a nice rest." Hitchcock already has beaten Houston's Randy Johnson and Atlanta's Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine in the playoffs. Now he's likely to face his toughest challenge, trying to shut down a Yankees team that scored nine runs in two straight nights against San Diego. "They can hit. Bottom line, they can hit," Hitchcock said. Hitchcock, however, will have a few advantages that Padres starters Kevin Brown and Andy Ashby did not have. For one thing, he's feeling a little better, aside from some congestion -- a flu bug bit the San Diego staff right before the opener. Hitchcock will have two other factors in his favor -- he'll be facing a lineup that does not include a designated hitter, and he'll be pitching at twilight. The DH is not used for games at the NL park, meaning Cone, a career .152 hitter, will be batting. That could mean Chili Davis will be on the bench, although Yankees manager Joe Torre held out the "wild card" possibility Davis might play left field. "David Cone is sure I picked him for Game 3 because of his bat," Torre joked. "Without the DH, you have to pay a lot more attention. You have to be aware of double-switches. You have that situation that haunts National League managers: 'Should I try to get a pitcher through an inning because he's the second or third hitter the next inning?"' Game 3 is scheduled to begin at 5:20 p.m. PDT, a time when shadows can make it difficult for hitters to see the ball. Despite the early start, the park should be almost filled by the first pitch. Unlike crowds for other Southern California baseball teams, the Padres fans are known for making noise. "It's 65,000 people in your face wanting you to do well," Hitchcock said. Such a raucous crowd would be different than what Game 1 winner David Wells remembers from his days growing up in San Diego, when he attended "hundreds" of games at the park. "People in New York are real aggressive. They try to intimidate you. It's just their nature," Wells said. "I think California people are more laid back. New Yorkers come across as tough guys."
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