Where Sheffield Goes--Deep--McGriff Follows : Baseball: Back-to-back homers in first and second innings lead Padres by Houston, 7-5.

It was like watching Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly trying to outdance one another. Or Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett trying to upstage one another in concert. Or Winton Marsalis and Al Hirt trying to bring the house down with trumpet solos.

On a balmy Thursday night during the Padres’ 7-5 victory over the Houston Astros at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff put on a show that few will forget.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Padre Manager Greg Riddoch said. “I mean never.”

In back-to-back moments in the first and second innings, Gary Sheffield and Fred McGriff produced four homers and seven RBIs.

It’s the first time in Padre history that teammates hit back-to-back homers twice in the same game.

In fact, Elias Sports Bureau believes it could be the first time it has occurred in back-to-back innings in major league history.

The last time teammates have hit back-to-back homers twice in a game, according to Elias, was April 16, 1955, when Ernie Banks and Dee Fondy achieved the feat for the Chicago Cubs in the second and 12th innings. Ironically, Fondy was in attendance at Thursday’s game, scouting for the Milwaukee Brewers.

The only other known game in which the feat has occurred, Elias said, was Aug. 16, 1947, when Ralph Kiner and Hank Greenberg homered back-to-back for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the first and fourth innings.

Certainly, it’s a night that Astro starter Brian Williams will not soon forget; he tied a club record for the most home runs yielded by a pitcher. It was last accomplished a year ago by Jim Deshaies, now a Padre.

“All I could say was, ‘Wow,’ ” said Astro right fielder Eric Anthony.

The scene opened in the first inning when Tony Fernandez opened with a sharp single to center. Tony Gwynn popped to center field for the first out, setting the stage for Sheffield.

Williams ran the count to 3-and-2 and tried to put a fastball past Sheffield. Instead, Sheffield smacked the ball 414 feet into the left-field seats for a two-run homer,

McGriff shook Sheffield’s hand as he came across the plate and smirked. He couldn’t help it. But McGriff wasn’t about to be upstaged.

Three pitches later, McGriff walloped a 458-foot home run into the right-center field seats.

The encore came an inning later. With two outs and runners on first and second, Sheffield worked the count to 2-and-2.

Then he homered again, this time 391 feet into the left-field seats for a 6-1 Padre lead.

McGriff shook his hand and smiled coyly. He told Sheffield, “You got me now. You’re going to leave me, aren’t you.”

But six pitches later, McGriff outdistanced Sheffield again, sending Williams’ pitch 415 feet into the center-field seats.

Make that 7-1, Padres.

“It seems like every time I homer,” Sheffield said, “it just wakes him up. He always has to outdo me.”

The crowd of 15,231 stomped and screamed, beckoning Sheffield and McGriff to come out for an encore. Sorry, they never heard the crowd; they were too busy teasing one another.

Each has vowed he would hit more homers than the other by the end of the season. Sheffield, who eclipsed Dave Roberts’ 20-year record for most homers by a third baseman, has 22 homers and 73 RBIs.

McGriff, the only player in baseball who has hit at least 30 homers in five consecutive seasons, is about to make it six in a row. He has 25 homers and 72 RBIs.

They remind each other on their drive to the ballpark every day just who’s on top in the home run parade, and this past month has meant a long ride for Sheffield, listening to McGriff’s exploits.

“That could change in three weeks though,” Sheffield said. “I’m getting hot.”

So what’s the big rivalry between these two, anyway? Do they each want to be known as Tampa’s Sultan of Swat?

“No, it’s nothing like that,” Sheffield explained, “we just have a bet.”

A large amount of money?

Sheffield: “No, just dinner.”

Must be some fancy restaurant?

McGriff: “I don’t know, it might be McDonald’s.”

Oh.

Actually, Joe McIlvaine, Padre general manager, and the entire Padre ownership group should be taking McGriff and Sheffield out to dinner for their feats this season. They not only each have emerged as the National League’s premier power hitters, but very well could finish among the top three in the MVP voting.

Not bad, considering Sheffield is earning a base salary of only $450,000 this season. And instead of being eligible for free agency at the end of the season, McGriff already is signed to a four-year, $15.25-million contract.

“Joe McIlvaine has got to be laughing somewhere out there,” McGriff said.

The irony of the ordeal was that Sheffield almost pulled himself out of the lineup before the game because his stomach hurt after eating a peanut butter sandwich in the afternoon. McGriff asked what was wrong. Sheffield told him about the peanut butter, and remembering that he also had the same sandwich, McGriff felt a little queasy himself.

They started to feel better by game time, and by the second inning, Padre starter Andy Benes (9-10) was feeling a whole lot better. Benes yielded nine hits and three runs in seven innings for only his second victory since the All-Star break.