Sunday, May 23, 1999

REDS 3, PADRES 0

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Harnisch tops three-hitter with first-ever HR

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Pete Harnisch has been stellar in his past two starts (AP photos) | ZOOM |

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        SAN DIEGO — Though the Reds lack a staff ace, Pete Harnisch has auditioned nicely for the role during this road trip. Saturday night, Harnisch played another part, one which has been totally foreign to him: Slugger.

        Harnisch complemented his three-hit shutout pitching with his first career homer, a two-run shot in the seventh inning that helped the Reds smother the San Diego Padres, 3-0, before 49,465 at Qualcomm Stadium.

        Combined with his victory at Colorado last Monday, Harnisch (4-4) has surrendered only two runs and nine hits in 17 1/3 innings. His efforts have helped the Reds (20-19) post a 4-1 mark on this journey, which concludes here today. Cincinnati has won six of its last seven games and 11 of its 16.

        And now Harnisch's wife, Donna, will have to come up with something different to say to her husband before he takes the mound. She had been teasing him before every game by telling him to hit a home run.

        “I know my wife is going to be pretty excited,” Harnisch said. “I just laugh (when she says that). It's been years now.”

        Harnisch's memorable at-bat came in the seventh inning against Padres starter Heath Murray (0-1) with two outs, Jeffrey Hammonds on first base and the Reds clinging to a 1-0 lead. It was already a successful evening at the plate for Harnisch, who had a pair of sacrifice bunts.

        This time he drilled Murray's first pitch into the front row of the left-field seats, ending a homerless streak of 340 at-bats.

Pokey Reese steals second as Damian Jackson bobbles the ball. (AP photos) | ZOOM |

        A .138 career hitter who had only one hit in 17 at-bats this year, Harnisch said he couldn't recall making such solid contact at any other time in his nine-year National League career.

        “I didn't know what to do,” Harnisch said. “I said, "All right, find the bases and get home.' ”

        Harnisch noted that he had displayed improved power in batting practice this year. “So I felt like it (the first homer) was coming,” he said. Otherwise, he was at a loss to explain why he crushed this particular fastball.

        “They throw me that pitch all the time,” he said. “Nobody throws me anything else.”

        Harnisch also considered his second shutout of the season and 10th of his career a tad unusual. He pitched only one perfect inning in the first five, then retired 13 of the last 14 Padres.

        “I really didn't feel too good early on,” said Harnisch, who lowered his road ERA to 1.86. “I felt a little tired and not really sharp with my fastball. But I think it got a little better as the night went on.”

        Harnisch's performance exceeded the standards of Reds manager Jack McKeon. In praising Harnisch, McKeon couldn't resist throwing a verbal jab at Friday night's loser, Brett Tomko, who has clashed with management over pitching inside.

        “Pete stayed with the game plan — which our pitcher last night didn't do — and you see the results if you do those things,” McKeon said.

        Murray, a native of Troy, Ohio, allowed three runs and nine hits in 6 2/3 innings while walking one and striking out two in his first major-league appearance since Sept. 27, 1997.

        The Reds opened their scoring in the fourth inning, which began with Pokey Reese's single to right-center field. Reese stole second and went to third on Sean Casey's groundout to first.

        Greg Vaughn, the former Padre who has received an ovation with each plate appearance at Qualcomm Stadium, doubled to left-center on Murray's 2-1 pitch, sending home Reese.

        Cincinnati squandered a promising opportunity in the following inning. Hammonds and Eddie Taubensee singled and Harnisch's bunt advanced them. But Hammonds broke too far from third base on Mike Cameron's subsequent grounder to third and was trapped for the second out.

        Reese, the team's hottest hitter with three hits in three of his previous four games, missed a home run by inches on Murray's first pitch, belting a line drive to left field that barely missed the foul pole. He ended the inning by flying out to right on the next pitch.

        Meanwhile, Harnisch never faltered, though he was occasionally tested.

        Quilvio Veras doubled to left-center on Harnisch's second pitch of the evening. He advanced no further, as Harnisch retired Eric Owens on a line drive to second base, Reggie Sanders on a grounder to shortstop and Dave Magadan on a fly to center.

        Veras walked and stole second base with two outs in the third inning before Harnisch struck out Owens. After Magadan doubled with one out in the fourth, Harnisch snuffed out Greg Myers and George Arias on fly balls.

       

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