PADS, METS COMBINE FOR 33 RUNS
S.D. Holds off Late N.Y. Comeback
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 20 (AP) - The San Diego Padres took an 18-7 lead into the ninth
inning and held on for a wild 18-15 victory over the New York Mets at Qualcomm
Stadium. The 33 combined runs sets a new major league season high,
eclipsing the 31 runs scored by the Cleveland Indians and Colorado Rockies on
June 5 at Coors Field in Denver. The 37 combined hits is one off the
nine-inning major league season high, set by the Florida Marlins and Texas
Rangers on June 14 at the Ballpark in Arlington. The Mets and Padres are
among the most unlikely pair of clubs to set a run-scoring record; they rank
14th and 15th in the 16-team National League in scoring this season.
The Padres pushed across a run in the bottom of the first when Phil Nevin
singled home Mark Kotsay, who had doubled, and the Mets countered with two in
the top of the second on a two-run homer off the bat of Timo Perez. San
Diego took a 4-2 lead in the bottom half of the second on Ramon Vazquez's
three-run bomb, but the Mets tied the game in the third on Jason Phillips' RBI
single and a bases loaded walk drawn by Joe McEwing. The Padres took a 5-4
lead in the bottom of the third on Ryan Klesko's sacrifice fly. It was a
lead San Diego would never surrender.
In fact, the Padres appeared to blow the game open once and for all with a
seven-run fifth inning, spotting them a 12-4 advantage. San Diego sent 12
men to the plate that frame, with the big blows coming off the bats of Klesko
(two-run homer) and Kotsay (three-run homer).
The Mets scored three times in the sixth, when pinch-hitter Tony Clark's two-run
home run was followed immediately by a solo shot off the bat of Roger Cedeno,
but the Padres got two back in the bottom half of the same inning on an
RBI-double from Sean Burroughs and a run-scoring single off the bat of Gary
Bennett.
On top 14-7, the Padres didn't let up, scoring three more runs in the seventh on
run-scoring hits from Klesko, Rondell White and Bennett. Already ahead by
10 runs, the tally that scored on Nevin's double play grounder in the eighth
seemed like piling on.
San Diego took an 18-7 lead into the ninth, but the Mets didn't quit.
Facing Jaret Wright, in the game in the ultimate mop-up role, Mike Piazza led
off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and moved to
third on Phillips' base hit. Perez walked to fill the bases but Ty
Wigginton fanned for the first out. Pinch hitter Vance Wilson, however,
singled home two runs, chasing Perez to third. It was now 18-9. Jay
Bell followed with a single, scoring Perez to cut the deficit to eight
runs. Raul Gonzalez drew a free pass to load the bases again. The
Padres bullpen was tired, so the decision was made by manager Bruce Bochy to
stick with Wright. That decision appeared to be vindicated when Cedeno
popped to first for the second out. But Wright then walked Marco Scutaro
on a 3-2 pitch, forcing home a run and bringing Piazza to the plate. On a
1-0 pitch, Piazza drilled a fastball into the left field stands for a grand
slam, cutting the Padres lead to 18-15. Phillips then grounded to third to
end the game in a somewhat anti-climactic fashion.
8/20/2003, NYM03-SD03, Qualcomm Stadium 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E LOB DP 2003 Mets 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 0 8 15 14 2 7 1 2003 Padres 1 3 1 0 7 2 3 1 x 18 23 0 9 0 Mets AB R H BI AVG Padres AB R H BI AVG Cedeno rf 6 1 1 1 .263 Vazquez,R ss 6 2 2 4 .249 Reyes,J ss 4 1 2 0 .304 Kotsay cf 5 3 2 3 .272 Scutaro ph 1 1 0 1 .214 Loretta 2b 4 2 3 0 .289 Piazza c 5 3 2 4 .276 Roa p 0 0 0 0 .400 Phillips,JL 1b 6 2 3 1 .301 Buchanan ph 2 1 2 0 .274 Perez,Ti lf 4 2 1 2 .288 Nevin rf 5 0 2 1 .295 Wigginton 3b 4 0 0 0 .244 Wright,Jar p 0 0 0 0 .500 Duncan cf 3 1 2 0 .299 Klesko 1b 4 2 2 4 .233 Weathers p 0 0 0 0 .000 White,Ro lf 4 3 2 1 .286 Wilson,V ph 1 1 1 2 .258 Beck p 0 0 0 0 .000 McEwing 2b 2 0 0 1 .225 Matthews,G ph 1 0 0 0 .199 Bell,J ss 1 1 1 1 .247 Burroughs 3b 5 3 4 1 .296 Heilman p 1 0 0 0 .083 Bennett c 4 1 2 2 .217 Franco,Jo p 0 0 0 0 .000 Peavy p 2 0 0 0 .102 Clark,T ph 1 1 1 2 .193 Merloni ph 3 1 2 1 .261 Roberts,G p 0 0 0 0 .000 45 18 23 17 Gonzalez,R rf 1 1 0 0 .264 40 15 14 15 Mets INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Heilman L 1-5 4.1 9 9 8 2 4 103 57 9.00 Franco,Jo 0.2 5 3 3 0 0 18 11 6.25 Roberts,G 1.2 8 5 5 0 2 43 28 5.59 Weathers 1.1 1 1 1 2 2 25 11 4.33 8.0 23 18 17 4 8 189 107 Padres INN H R ER BB K PCH STR ERA Peavy W 10-7 5.0 4 4 4 5 3 88 47 4.28 Roa H 3 2.0 5 3 3 0 1 26 19 4.80 Beck 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 10 7 3.91 Wright,Jar 1.0 5 8 8 3 1 46 23 7.47 9.0 14 15 15 8 7 170 96 NYM: Clark,T batted for Franco,Jo in the 6th Cedeno moved to cf in the 7th Gonzalez,R inserted at rf in the 7th Scutaro batted for Reyes,J in the 8th Scutaro moved to 2b in the 8th Bell,J inserted at ss in the 8th Wilson,V batted for Weathers in the 9th SD : Merloni batted for Peavy in the 5th Merloni moved to 2b in the 6th Buchanan batted for Roa in the 7th Buchanan moved to lf in the 8th Matthews,G batted for Beck in the 8th Matthews,G moved to rf in the 9th E-Piazza 2. 2B-Kotsay(19), Loretta(13), White,Ro(18), Burroughs(14). 3B-Duncan(7), White,Ro(3), Buchanan(3). HR-Cedeno(3), Piazza(7), Perez,Ti(6), Clark,T(7), Vazquez,R(5), Kotsay(5), Klesko(17). RBI-Cedeno(31), Piazza 4(22), Phillips,JL(51), Perez,Ti 2(35), McEwing(22), Clark,T 2(25), Scutaro(5), Bell,J(7), Wilson,V 2(25), Vazquez,R 4(29), Kotsay 3(35), Nevin(12), Klesko 4(57), White,Ro(64), Burroughs(41), Bennett 2(25), Merloni(15). SB-Loretta(3), Nevin(1). K-Piazza, Wigginton 2, Duncan, McEwing, Gonzalez,R, Scutaro, Vazquez,R 3, Kotsay, Klesko, White,Ro, Merloni, Matthews,G. BB-Piazza, Perez,Ti, Wigginton, Duncan, McEwing 2, Gonzalez,R, Scutaro, Kotsay, Nevin, Klesko, White,Ro. SH-Heilman. SF-Klesko. HBP-Bennett. PB-Bennett. HB-Heilman. WP-Wright,Jar. GWRBI: Klesko Temperature: 65, Sky: partly cloudy, Wind: out to right at 17 MPH. Attendance: 15,677 Game Time: 3:41