Fernandez fights off Quakes

Alex Fernandez hit a two-run homer and added an RBI double before being beaned to help Lancaster beat Rancho Cucamonga

By BRIAN ROBIN
Valley Press Staff Writer

Invite Rancho Cucamonga pitcher Rick Guttormson, too. In between the bloopers, bleepers and practical jokes, there would've been some real action.

In between taking one of Guttormson's pitches for the team, Fernandez went 3-for-3 with a tworun homer, double and single, scored three times and drove in three runs. Greg Wooten, meanwhile, continued building on his strong July as the JetHawks scored a commanding 6-1 victory over the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes.

The announced crowd of 6,137 at The Epicenter watched Lancaster bid farewell to Rancho for 1999 with only its second win in 10 games at The Epicenter.

Familiarity truly breeds contempt here. In more ways than one.

After driving in two with the homer in the first and another one with the double into the right-field corner in the third, Fernandez was clearly and firmly ensconced in Guttormson's head. So much so that Fernandez said he knew he was going to get hit before he stepped in.

"I saw him looking at third three times and I said `What the hell you looking at me?' And here it comes, it hit me," Fernandez said.

Aside from leading the Cal League with 12 wins, Guttormson is one of the league's marksmen. Pitchers with 29 walks in 132 innings and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3 1/2-to-1 usually have a pretty good idea where their next offering is going.

Which is why right after Guttormson's pitch met Fernandez's flesh, he was going to the mound. He didn't get far before Quakes catcher Wilbert Nieves and home plate umpire Steve Cox intercepted him.

The benches emptied, with no JetHawks getting past the firstbase line. No JetHawks, except for Patrick Williams, who meandered over from second to keep Fernandez's back before he was escorted away.

"I didn't even remember what I said to him, I was so mad," Fernandez said. "It just pissed me off, you know."

At that point, and with angry Lancaster manager Darrin Garner prodding him at every step, Cox issued a warning to Guttormson. This turned out to be rather amusing, seeing that the Quakes righthander lasted for the duration of the inning before giving way to Tom Szymborski.

"It wasn't fair for him to give a warning right there. I didn't feel it was time for a warning right there," Garner said. "It's obvious he hit him. I don't know about the first time, but he hit him twice. I feel I have to retaliate."

Actually, Guttormson got Cirilo Cruz Jr. the first time. But Jason Regan took care of the retaliation.

After plunking Fernandez, Guttormson picked Williams off second for the second out. Then, he gave up a titanic two-run homer to Regan that cleared the second line of advertising billboards in left field.

Thus ended Guttormson's evening, seven hits and six earned runs after it began.

Wooten, meanwhile, was gliding through the Quakes as effortlessly as he and his teammates glided through the nearby Ontario Mills mall while waiting for the pregame Harmon Celebrity Game to run its course.

Harmon, the actor, spouse of Pam Dawber and one-time "Sexiest Man Alive," according to People magazine, is a part owner of the Quakes. This, however, did not entitle him to any second takes Saturday night.

After losing to Guttormson and the Quakes July 22, Wooten completely shut down Rancho. In his seven innings, Wooten held the Quakes to five hits. Two of the hits came in the seventh, when a tired Wooten walked Brandon Pernell to force home Nieves for the Quakes' only run.

"Things went a little haywire there at the end," said Wooten, who won his sixth game in eight decisions since July 1.

Uploaded August 9, 1999