first pitch: 1:05 p.m., PT
television: Channel 4SD
matchup: Clay Hensley (10-11, 3.81 ERA) vs Marty McLeary (1-0, 4.76 ERA)
previews: Padres.com | SI.com | ESPN
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Trevor Hoffman ties Lee Smith for the all-time big-league saves record (rumor has it even ESPN woke up for that one). Jake Peavy ties Andy Benes for the franchise record with his 15th double-digit-strikeout game. Josh Barfield hits another game winning homer (you know Barfield’s got your back). The Padres tie last year’s victory mark with eight games remaining. The Dodgers lose to Arizona.
Whew, I’m exhausted. But it’s a good exhausted, you know?
Padres go for the sweep this afternoon against the Pirates. Former Friar Marty McLeary makes his first big-league start, while Clay Hensley toes the slab for San Diego. Hensley sports a 2.72 ERA over 72 2/3 innings since the All-Star break, allowing just three home runs during that stretch.
I’ll be out at Petco Park once again, hoping that today’s isn’t the final home game of the season. I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready for this to end just yet. Go Padres!
They’re now showing it on ESPN.
11 Games over .500, right? Sheesh! Tough to breathe in this thin air up here!!!
AZ down in top of 8th … still 1-1 …
Hensley had a great game. 9/0 K/BB today.
Geez…getting dusty in here…
Nice of Brantley to make the point that he was never on Hoffy’s level.
Magic Number is now 6.
TH – nothing but class. How lucky are we to have Gwynn and Hoffman as our two legends?
The link on Yahoo to the Dog’s box score is titled “Dodgers desperate in home finale” … sweet!
I’m glad Trevor didn’t do this as a Cleveland Indian.
re: 158 … well said!
oh – mlb.tv just cut off!!! I got screwed!
Random: Sheffield doesn’t look good at first base.
Dbacks go to the pen … Vizcaino in in botom of 8th … good move … I as afraid they’d Livan in too long … I could use him gettin’ a W for my roto team … but the real-deal is on the line! Go Snakes!
Dogs go down meekly in the 8th …
- J. Kent struck out swinging
- J.D. Drew grounded out to first
- W. Betemit struck out swinging
… they’ve got their 7-8-9 spots due in the 9th … hmmm ….
Trevor Hoffman has never been given the high regard that Marino Rivera has. Hopefully, the publicity from the save record combined with a Cy Young (who else deserves it?) will partially remediate this.
Lynch Mob- I was in the living room taping it for you to WATCH on Thursday. I knew you want to see the whole thing, including the tribute. Needed a few tissues.
In 23 years of watching the Pads, that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Only the 98 playoffs and a few Gwynn moments come close. How perfect that it happened at the last home game of the year, in first place.
163: Richard, good of you to mention Sheffield; that was one Fire Sale trade I’m OK with.
Nice momentum to take on the road.
AP story up at Yahoo … http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/recap?gid=260924125
Re: 168- I agree with you, except for one thing. The final game in 1984 vs Cubs may have been the most exciting thing I have ever personally witnessed. LynchMob can attest to that, as he was with me and saw it too!
For any still harboring thoughts of not home-field advantage … Padres have now won 14 of their last 16 home games!
SDNG … YA, BABY!
Oh yes, games 4 & 5 of the ’84 NLCS will be *very* hard to top!
Today’s game is on the short list …
here we go in LA…man on 3rd, 2 out, tie game, bottom 9
So, I just got back from the game…SWEET Trevor!!!
They were showing his speed at 89mph…I don’t think so…but it was still really cool to be there.
I saved the ticket, hopefully he will sign it in the spring!!
One question…Do you think he wll send Freddy Sanchez a Rolex for jogging down the line to end the game?
#176…Sanchez stepped on the bat as he was leaving the box and fell down…
Coronado Mike: I officially hate you.
Kidding!
wow, I have NO faith in the Dback’s pen to get this done
Thanks Clayton…:-)
I still am absolutely amazed every time he gets a save…throwing 83-84mph “heat” and making major league hitters look silly. I have some of his games saved and will show it to any future kids I have to show them how important location, location, location is!!!
crud. I HATE nomar.
BTW, Nomah just hit a walk-off Grand Slam to win the game for the Dogs in LA
CM – I’m *way* jealous!
If anyone else out there went to the game and doesn’t know what to do with their ticket stub … you can give it to me and I’ll add it to my collection
(I’ve got ’84 NLCS stubs + some A’s WS stubs + a ’82 Stanford/Cal stub + a stub from the highest scoring game in NFL history (my folks went to it) … just fun)
Bottom Line: nice to share this day with fellow Ducksnorters!
RE: 181- Me too. Dang it.
Was really hoping that the Snakes would pull that dude…he seemed so outta gas.
This just in:
Dodgers: not going away
Phillies: not going away
Hope Trevor and the boys saw that…
That’s twice in one week that Nomar has hurt us with a HR.
Wow, Dbacks Vizcaino thru 43 pitches in 1.2 innings … sigh …
Great mananging there
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=olney_buster#20060923
Buster Olney’s blog…mentions Pads as possible Manny Ramirez destination (among others). This is clearly remote, but God help me I hope we don’t go near that guy. Yes, his bat would be huge, but talk about a negative in LF (in an OF at home that demands good defenders) and I don’t think even Trevor could get him to toe the team line.
Wow, what an awesome close to the final homestand! I’ll have photos from the game posted a little later this evening. Meantime, we’ve got T-shirts to celebrate the occasion if anyone is interested.
can you re-try the t-shirt link? doesn’t seem to want to work…
Someone should keep track of the amount of coverage Hoffman gets for breaking the record and then compare it to Rivera if/when he breaks Hoffman’s record in 3-5 years.
They justification for not covering Hoffman has been that saves are watered down now. Bet they won’t be saying that if/when Rivera gets close.
Clayton, I think I fixed it 191, but just in case: http://www.cafepress.com/ducksnorts/1885732
2B Josh Barfield became the ninth player in franchise history to steal 20 bases in his rookie season. … Rookie reliever Cla Meredith laid down a sacrifice bunt in the seventh inning in his first big league plate appearance. … Russell Branyan’s fourth-inning homer traveled an estimated 453 feet, tying Atlanta’s Andruw Jones for the longest homer in Petco Park’s three-season history. Jones hit his homer off Chan Ho Park on July 15.
I’ll have pics from my perspective in right field up later…not nearly as good as yesterday’s I’m afraid.
What a day! My son ended up with a ball Giles tossed into the stands, for the (seriously) fourth time this year I saw the longest hom run in Petco Park history, and of course…#479. I got goosebumps all over again reading the day’s comments.