the post-game questions, leaving his teammates to criticize him in his absence. "I'm tired of hearing about his unlucky luck," said Tim Flannery. "That's been at the root of the problem all year. If something goes wrong, he quits. That's why runs aren't scored for him. Guys don't want to play for him. One guy got tired of hearing it." Before the game, when Show had been asked about the possibility of giving up "The Hit", he responded: "I guess it doesn't mean as much to me as it does to other baseball enthusiasts. I mean, in the eternal scope of things, how much does this matter? I don't like to say this, but I don't care. ... Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not putting down Pete. It's a fantastic accomplishment." "Gosh, he felt so bad after that, and he didn't know how to articulate it," said teammate Dave Dravecky. "Sometimes when you're brilliant like he was, the simplest of things are the hardest of things to express." Show later offered, "We have a choice – to think or not to think – and I've come to the conclusion that most of these guys don't want to think about anything but baseball, and I'm kind of ostracized for that." Later career On July 7, 1987, Show hit the year's eventual National League MVP, Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs, in the left cheekbone with a fastball during a game. Dawson had homered in three of his last five plate appearances at that point, and the Cubs reacted with a bench-clearing brawl. Show and his manager (and former Cub), Larry Bowa, later denied that the pitch was purposeful, while Bowa acknowledged that he could understand why the Cubs would think it was. Show made his last appearance on the National League leaderboard in 1988, a season in which he went 16–11 with 13 complete games and pitched innings. In June 1989, Show underwent back surgery and then received cortisone injections for ongoing back discomfort. Show showed signs of drug addiction in his later career, and some of his teammates suspected that the issues had started as Show attempted to relieve his back pain. By 1990, Show had lost his regular spot in San Diego's rotation. The Padres did not pick up his option and bought out his contract for $250,000. Though Show had become known for his tardiness and confrontations