Padres Go to Gloves to Help Show Blank the Cardinals, 1-0

Of all the reels of highlight film the Padres shot here Tuesday night--two regular double plays, two two-man double plays, throwing out Vince Coleman stealing--it figures that one guy thought the simplest play was the hardest.

With two out in the ninth, with 19,701 on their feet, with the tying run on third, St. Louis’ Terry Pendleton hit a grounder to second baseman Roberto Alomar. He picked it up and turned to first and his eyes became saucers.

“All these people in the stands jumping around, that guy running in from third, we’ve done so good the whole game but had to have this to win . . . “ the rookie recalled. “It was very tough.”

He threw. It was wide right. First baseman Carmelo Martinez stretched into nearly a split. “I would do everything to get the man out,” Martinez said.

And everything worked. Martinez left the base to make the catch. He hopped back to the bag just before Pendleton got there. Game.

The Padres and Eric Show win, 1-0, and afterward in a clubhouse where heads were still shaking and hands still clapping, shortstop and captain Garry Templeton couldn’t help but shout: “Awesome. Just awesome.”

So it just might have been as Show led the Padres to their third consecutive shutout, extending the pitching staff’s scoreless innings streak to 33. If Jimmy Jones can throw eight shutout innings tonight, it will set a club record.

“The pitching has been unbelievable,” Manager Larry Bowa said. “I would say the pitchers are carrying the load right now.”

And the fielders made Show’s 10-hit shutout every bit as impressive as Andy Hawkins’ one-hit shutout of Houston Sunday. At San Diego Jack Murphy stadium Tuesday, the outfit of the night was leather, and the catch of the day could have been any number of things.

“The people behind me were so outstanding,” Show said afterward, jubilant after entering the game at 0-3 with an 8.36 ERA. “Every time I turned around, they were doing something else.”

As it usually is, perhaps the most exciting play was the one that nearly cost the Padres the game.

With two out in the ninth, it nearly turned when possibly the best catch of Tony Gwynn’s career was followed by the best hit of Marvell Wynne’s career.

With two out and none on, Bob Horner hit a drive to deep right-center. Gwynn and Wynne gave chase, Gwynn got there first after about a 40-yard dash, stuck out his glove and caught it. At the same time, Wynne hit him flush on the shoulder, knocking them both to the ground while the ball trickled away.

Gwynn knew he didn’t have it. Wynne didn’t. Thinking the game was over, Wynne immediately jumped up and hovered over Gwynn, asking if he was hurt. Gwynn couldn’t believe his eyes or ears.

According to the two players, the ensuing short conversation went like this:

Gwynn: “Get the ball, get the ball.”

Wynne: “Oh my God.”

By the time Wynne picked it up, Horner was on third with a triple. Only Pendleton’s groundout to Alomar ended it.

“It’s a miracle we survived that one,” Wynne said. “Can you imagine what would happen if Horner had later scored? A miracle.”

With Horner on third, out ran Bowa, visiting Show for the first time this night. Many thought Show, who has been lifted in the sixth inning in such jams before, was gone. Show knew he wasn’t.

“I could tell by Larry’s body language that I was staying in,” Show said. “I saw him walking out and said, ‘Oh good, I get a chance to finish it.’ ”

According to Bowa, the manager said, “This is your game to win.”

Show replied, “I’ll do it.”

And he did, getting Pendleton to give the Padres their fourth consecutive victory and pull them to within one game of .500 (8-9). A win today would put them at the break-even mark for the first time in nearly two years (July 20, 1986).

Oh yes, lost in all the great plays was the fact that this game was won on a homer from a guy--Carmelo Martinez--who was 3 for 33 for the season. He took reliever Randy O’Neal, who had just entered the game, deep on a 1-1 pitch in the seventh inning for his first homer of the year. O’Neal was only in there because Cardinal starter John Tudor, making his 1988 debut, could only go between 60-70 pitches, and quit after throwing 64 pitches over six shutout innings.

“It’s about time I hit one ball,” Martinez said. “I’m just glad Larry hasn’t given up on me, because I haven’t given up me.”

After Tuesday’s game it appeared Bowa hadn’t given up on anybody, as he rushed the field to whack Show and Alomar and the rest of them on the shoulders. This was a game close to Bowa’s heart which, as a player, was always close to his glove.

“There was a lot of leather out there, huh?” Bowa asked afterward. “Sometimes those balls are going to get through, people have to realize that, but we should ride it out while we can.”

Here’s some of those balls he was talking about:

--In the first, Coleman singled. After throwing what seemed like a game’s worth of pitches to first to hold him on, Show finally bore down on batter Ozzie Smith. Five pitches later, a double play grounder, from Alomar to Templeton to Martinez.

--In the second, after Horner led off with a single, Templeton picked off a Pendleton grounder up the middle, stepped on second and threw to first for a double play.

“It’s easy when Eric is throwing the ball quick, getting them to hit grounders. It keeps us on our toes,” Templeton said. “Give him a lot of credit.”

--In the fourth, with runners on first and third and one out, Templeton picked off another grounder, from Tom Brunansky, and threw to Alomar for another double play.

--In the eighth, with two out, Coleman singles. He tries to steal second. Padre catcher Benito Santiago throws him out from his knees.

“Amazing,” Show said. “It seems like the worse the pitch, the better his throw to second.”

--In the ninth, Alomar picked off a grounder and tags Smith on his way to second and throws to first for the double play on Willie McGee.

“My favorite play,” Bowa said. “Smith was doing everything he could to stop that tag.”

Meanwhile, Tudor, who has been sidelined since the start of the season due to problems with his shoulder, his knee and the flu (thought to be a disabled list record for pitchers), proved he felt pretty darn good.

He allowed just four hits in his six innings, and was only in trouble once. In the third, with two out, Show singled to left. A couple of pitches later, Gwynn hit a shot underneath the glove of second baseman Luis Alicea and into right-center field for a double.

Because there was two out, when Show was approaching third he was waved around by third base coach Sandy Alomar. The throw from right fielder Brunansky to Smith to catcher Tony Pena was perfect all the way through. Show was out by three steps to end the inning.

The only other inning when more than one man was on base was the sixth, when Show started another rally with another single, this one a one-out grounder deep into the hole at shortstop.

PADRES AT A GLANCESEVENTH INNING

Padres--O’Neal took the mound. With one out, Santiago singled to center, but was caught stealing. Martinez homered to left, his first. Templeton flied to left. One run, two hits.