Remembering the 1984 Padres

The baseball world was stunned by the sudden burst of the Detroit Tigers to open the 1984 baseball season, By late May, they were well in front of the American League East Division with a 35-5 record. The race was over before the summer had begun.

In the American League West, the upstart Kansas City Royals, led by pitchers Bud Black and Dan Quisenberry, along with outfielder Willie Wilson, overtook the California Angels and Minnesota Twins with a late season splurge but lost three straight to the Tigers in the League Championship Series.

But over in the National League all eyes were on the Chicago Cubs. Never champions of anything since the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, the Cubs started the season strong and stayed in contention the whole way. Second baseman Ryne Sandberg emerged as the National League’s MVP, while pitcher Rick Sutcliffe, obtained from the Indians in June, captured Cub fan’s hearts with a 16-1 record.

Standing in the way of the 1984 World Series for the Cubs were the San Diego Padres, winners of the Western Division by 12 games over the Atlanta Braves, the Padres first pennant in sixteen years of existence.

The first two games of the LCS were won by the Cubs in Chicago by a combined score of 17-2. The Padres were dominated in all phases of the game; outhit 24-11, and outhomered 5-0. It was a dreadful flight home, the team was in a deep depression knowing they would have to win three straight against a team that most of America was rooting for. They felt completely alone.

Until they got back to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Unbeknownst to the Padres, more than 3,000 staunch supporters had stayed up most of the night, cheering wildly, waiting for their heroes to return home, hoping to pump them up and get the winning edge back on track. Bedlam ruled. Shortstop Garry Templeton waved his cap at the fans before the start of Game 3, stirring them into a frenzy never seen before in San Diego.

The Padres won 7-1 behind the pitching of Ed Whitson, setting the stage for Game 4 and Steve Garvey’s greatest performance as a Padre. His double in the third inning staked the Padres to a 2-0 lead. When Garvey came to bat in the fifth the Padres were behind 3-2, but Garvey tied it at 3-3 with a two-out single. In the seventh, another two-out single made it 5-3 Padres. But he would save the best for last.

The Cubs best reliever, Lee Smith, came on in the ninth with the score tied at 5-5. Alan Wiggins led off and struck out, but Tony Gwynn lined a single bringing up Garvey once again with the game on the line. Garvey, whose eight home runs were his lowest season total during his career, had not had a roundtripper in almost two months. But 58,354 people yelled and stomped their feet pinching themselves in disbelief as Garvey lined Smith’s 94 mile an hour fastball over the right field wall. That blast was truly the turning point in the history of the franchise.

No longer would the Padres be known as the kissing cousins of the Los Angeles Dodgers. No longer would they be remembered for finishing last in their first six seasons in the National League. No longer did they wear those putrid brown and yellow uniforms that made them look like honeybees or tacos. And no longer was the franchise attached to names like Arcia, Gaston, Friesleben, or Spiezio. Now it was Garvey, Kennedy, Gossage and Gwynn.

The next day the Padres reduced Cub fans to tears, as they came back from a 3-0 deficit against their ace, Rick Sutcliffe, and wound up with a 6-3 win. Their loss in five games to the Tigers in the World Series was anti-climactic, the mental and physical letdown from the tough series with the Cubs was visible among all the players. Despite losing the Series this was a baseball team that took heart from the front office down to the casual fan and will always be remembered for capturing the the cities fancy as it had never been seen before.

But how did it happen? What brought about the dramatic climb out of the NL West’s second division? Who were the important cogs in this winning transformation?

The General Manager

The miracle of Mission Valley actually began when Padres President Ballard Smith hired Jack McKeon to be the new general manager in September of 1980. In four short years, Trader Jack made 22 moves involving more than 50 players leaving only four holdovers from the old regime: pitchers Andy Hawkins, Eric Show, Mark Thurmond and utilityman Tim Flannery.

McKeon’s designated youth movement was shored up with the signing of free agents, Steve Garvey and Goose Gossage. Garvey gave the Padres a bonafide star and power hitter while Goose became the stopper in the bullpen. A three- way deal with Montreal and Chicago brought the Padres reliever Craig Lefferts and power hitting outfielder Carmelo Martinez. Power was further strengthened when veteran third baseman Graig Nettles was acquired from the Yankees for southpaw Dennis Rasmussen.

McKeon was also responsible for the drafting of NL batting champ Tony Gwynn by the Padres; the shifting of Alan Wiggins, the 1984 NL stolen base king, from the outfield to second base; and the drafting of outfielder Kevin McReynolds in the first round even though he had torn up a knee and would need a year of rehabilitation. Clearly, the man knew talent and could project it to the future.

The Manager

To mold all this talent together on the field, the Padres hired Dick Williams as their new manager. Williams, who had directed the Boston Red Sox to the 1967 AL title and Oakland to world championships in 1972 and 1973 was from the old school of managing as taught to him by the likes of Charlie Dressen, Bobby Bragan, and Paul Richards.

The gruff, but candid, Williams meshed the veterans, like Nettles, Garvey, and Gossage, with the raw talents of youngsters, such as Wiggins, Dravecky, and McReynolds. He permitted Gary Templeton to assume a quiet leadership as unofficial captain of the Padres while maintaining complete control as a stern but respected manager.

The Lineup

The Padres leadoff man was second baseman Alan Wiggins, a converted outfielder who had the ability to cover more ground than any other infielder in the league. His 70 stolen bases set a team record as well as his 104 runs scored.

Wiggins set the table for 24-year-old rightfielder Tony Gwynn who usually batted in the second slot. Tony’s .351 average led the major leagues, 30 points higher than his next closest NL competitor. A former basketball and baseball star at San Diego State, Tony’s speed and daring led to 33 stolen bases and a Gold Glove in right field.

Batting third was veteran first baseman Steve Garvey who saved the Padres season with “the Home Run” against the Cubs. The 35-year-old Garvey gave the Padres the leadership and professionalism they had sorely lacked in their formative years. After a career-threatening thumb injury the year before, Steve came back with a .281 average, second on the club, and a team leading 86 RBI’s, His perfect fielding at first helped stabilize Alan Wiggins in his shift to second base.

Kevin McReynolds missed the World Series when he broke his wrist sliding in the fourth game of the LCS against the Cubs. The Padres sorely missed his 20 home runs and 75 RBI’s against the Tigers. McReynolds ability to cover center field helped give the Padres one of baseball’s best outfields.

Veteran third baseman Craig Nettles solidified the Padres weakest position in their history. After being acquired from the Yankees, Nettles contributed 20 home runs and 66 RBI’s in just 120 games. Known as a streak hitter, Nettles dry wit and sense of humor kept the Padres loose all year.

After being acquired from the Cubs, Carmelo Martinez proved that he could play the outfield and also demonstrated a fine throwing arm as well. His 13 homeruns and 66 RBI’s helped relocate Alan Wiggins to second base. Carrneto’s 28 doubles paced the club and he also tied Steve Garvey for the most sacrifice flies with 10.

Catcher Terry Kennedy had an off year with the bat with a .240 average, 14 home runs and 57 RBI’s. But he came on strong at the finish and his defense behind the plate was superb all year long. The pitching staff depended a lot on his cool confidence in calling the game in crucial situations all year long.

Although he usually hit in the eighth spot, Gary Templeton led the NL with 19 intentional walks supporting the statement that Gary was one of the best 8th place hitters in the game. A solid defensive shortstop, Garry also hit .258 with a lot of punch in the bottom of the order.

The Starters

On the mound the Padres were led in victories by righthander Eric Show (15-9, 3.40 ERA). His outstanding arsenal of pitches featured a sinking fastball and a sharp-breaking slider. Drafted late in the 18th round in 1978, Show became one of the Padres best steals ever.

Ed Whitson had his finest season in baseball with a 14-8 record and a 3.24 ERA. Ed could have won a lot more with a little more luck. Eight times he had no decision while holding the opposition to two runs or less.

Stylish lefthander Mark Thurmond had the best record of his young career with a 14-8 record and a 2.97 ERA, ninth best in the league. Not an overpowering pitcher, Mark teased the hitters all year by hitting all the corners of the plate. He was by far the most consistent pitcher during the 1984 season.

Tim Lollar was the best hitting pitcher in the NL with 2 homeruns including the game-winner that clinched the Western Division title. His biggest problem during the season was consistency, concluding with a 11-13 record and a 3.91 ERA. His 195 innings pitched was second on the club while his 131 strikeouts paced the pitching staff.

The Relievers

Goose Gossage wasn’t used as much in the stretch run because the Padres had such a big lead, but he had a hand in 33 of the Padres first 77 games. His 25 saves and 10-6 record was the best by a Padre reliever since the days of Rollie Fingers. His 25 saves was good for fifth in the NL

The left-handed complement to the Goose, Craig Lefferts posted the lowest era on the club (2.13) while his 10 saves were second only to the Goose. Craig used his screwball and slider effectively to allow only 25 walks and 89 hits in 105 innings.

Dave Dravecky did not find his niche on the pitching staff in 1984. He was exceptional as a starter and as a reliever. His 9-8 record, 2.93 ERA and eight saves showed how valuable he was helping the Padres to their highest win total ever (92). Dave gave up only 125 hits in 156 innings, the second best ratio on the club.

The 1984 Padres played the best they possibly could, although they fell a bit short in the World Series against the Tigers. But when nostalgic waves of memories take us back to those last three playoff games against the Cubs, there can be nothing more exciting and fulfilling as to remember Garvey’s ninth-inning drive over the right field fence, and the jubilation it brought to San Diego and its patient fans. Those were great times. That was baseball.