News
Durango's speed wins it in 10th frame
Left fielder impressive in his Major League starting debut
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
09/16/09 9:00 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- The question didn't stump Bud Black, but it certainly appeared that way.The truth is the Padres manager only fell silent on Wednesday because he was trying to calculate in his head the combined distance of Luis Durango's first three Major League hits.
"I've got 140 [feet]," Black finally said, smiling, sounding self-assured.
It was a reasonable guess, and perhaps even a little generous, though the Padres enjoyed every inch as they rallied for a 6-5 victory over the D-backs in 10 innings before a crowd of 14,377 at PETCO Park.
Durango, recalled earlier in the week from Double-A San Antonio, had three hits and an important stolen base in the 10th inning that put him in position to score from second base on Everth Cabrera's single into right field which strong-armed Justin Upton had a bead on.
"I was very confident I was going to score," Durango said through first-base coach Rick Renteria, who acted as an interpreter.
But Durango, who was clocked at 3.6 seconds going from home to first base on Wednesday, beat the throw where probably anyone other than himself and Cabrera wouldn't have been able to help the Padres avoid a sweep at the hands of the D-backs.
"Incredible speed, game-changing speed," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said as the 23-year-old native of Panama was encircled by television cameras and reporters. "... We had him at 3.6 today. From the left side 3.94 is about average. Less than a handful of guys can do that [3.6]."
Durango, who had 44 stolen bases for San Antonio, reached base on bunt singles in the second and sixth innings, balls that Black estimated traveled some 30 feet apiece. Then, during the 10th inning, he chopped a ball to first baseman Brandon Allen with reliever Yusmeiro Petit bolting from the mound to cover first base.
Petit never had a chance, as Durango beat him to the bag. Two batters later and after it looked like the rally by the Padres (66-81) might stall, Cabrera, who also had three hits, punched a ball between first and second base with Durango scoring the game-winner.
"There's no doubt this guy is fast ... that's an understatement," Black said. "The thing about Luis is he's hit everywhere he's been. This guy has won batting titles. Time will tell [if he sticks in the Major Leagues] but he has that look in the eye. ... He's playing."
The Padres, fielding an unusual lineup with regulars David Eckstein (sore neck), Kevin Kouzmanoff (strained left calf) and Adrian Gonzalez (sore shoulder, day off) not in the starting lineup, took seven walks and had three sacrifices which helped them turn 11 hits into six runs.
"When runs are at a premium, you've got to get a guy over," Black said.
The offense, with Cabrera at the top and Durango, in his first Major League start, hitting eighth, wasn't a complete blur. In order to get to extra innings in the first place, the team needed Gonzalez to come off the bench and club an opposite-field, two-run homer off Esmerling Vasquez in the ninth inning to tie the game.
"I'm not trying to hit a home run there," said Gonzalez of his first career pinch-hit home run. "But I knew I hit it pretty well."
The Padres, who will give their relievers and everyone else a rest on Thursday's off-day, used nine different pitchers to get 30 outs on Wednesday. In all fairness, the team knew spot starter Edward Mujica (4 2/3 innings, two runs) wasn't going to work deep into the game. Over the last 5 1/3 innings, eight pitchers combined to allow one earned run.
Closer Heath Bell, who has struggled this week, blowing two saves and losing twice, got the victory by working a scoreless 10th inning. It was his first game after shaving a goatee he's worn since 2004.
"I'm more aero-dynamic now," Bell quipped. "The last couple of days haven't been fun, but this was fun."
Bell, who gained notoriety in Spring Training with tales of getting in shape using the Wii Fit, was asked how he would fare against Durango in a footrace covering 100 meters.
"If I'm at 95 meters," he said, smiling. "It would be a close race."
Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
