clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (09/21/89)
CHICAGO (UPI) -- Former Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Tony
Taylor said he'll never forget how 25 years ago the 1964 Phillies team
squandered a 6 1-2 game lead with 12 games left to play.
``It will take me the rest of my life to get over that,'' said
Taylor, who also played with the Chicago Cubs. ``Everywhere I go, people
still ask me, `What happened to the '64 Phillies'?
``After we lost six straight, (Manager Gene) Mauch would come into
the clubhouse everyday and tell us, `We only need one more (victory),'''
Taylor said. ``That put pressure on us. The only thing we could have
changed was the pitching. Mauch pitched Jim Bunning and Chris Short on
one or two days' rest. If we had used another pitcher, he would have
given Bunning and Short an extra days' rest, and we would have had a
better chance to win.''
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TORONTO (UPI) -- Blue Jays reliever Tom Henke says he's tired of
hearing how the Blue Jays will choke in the final days of the season.
Toronto fans and media are having a hard time forgetting how the
club squandered a 3-1 lead over Kansas City in the 1985 best-of-seven
divisional playoffs, and a 3 1-2 game lead over Detroit in the AL East
with seven games left in 1987.
``What's the definition of a choke, anyway?'' said Henke. ``Anytime
you lose they say you choked.
``People forget we played seven one-run games with Detroit in '87
with two key players (Ernie Whitt and Tony Fernandez) out with injuries.
In '85 we made it to the playoffs, how can you say we choked? It's an
unfair statement. We didn't choke in '85, we didn't choke in '87 and
we're not going to choke now.''
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CLEVELAND (UPI) -- Despite the fact that the Cleveland Indians have
dropped out of the pennant race, pitchers Bud Black and Jesse Orosco
have had profitable seasons.
Orosco, 1-4 with a 2.03 ERA and three saves, will earn $1 million
this year in base salary and bonuses, the Cleveland Plain Dealer
reported. Black, 11-11, with a 3.43 ERA, will earn $675,000 this year,
including bonuses.
Orosco, who has appeared in 63 games, received a $50,000 signing
bonus and $800,000 in base salary, and earned $150,000 in bonuses for
appearing in at least 62 games. In addition, his performance in 1989 has
guaranteed him a 1990 salary of $850,000.
Black earned $75,000 in bonuses and is guaranteed a $800,000 next
year.
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MINNEAPOLIS (UPI) -- Kirby Puckett is starting to feel like he just
can't do enough.
Puckett continues to hold a narrow lead in the American League
batting race, yet most of the attention directed at the Twins
centerfielder after the Twins Tuesday night victory was focused on his
declining power figures.
Puckett's two-run homer in the sixth was just his eighth of the
year and the first since July 25.
``I don't worry about that,'' said Puckett. ``You can't satisfy
everybody. A lot of people continue to dwell on the negative.
``I just happen to be in a batting championship race and everybody
talks about home runs,'' continued Puckett. ``I get 200 hits (for the
fourth consecutive year) and catch everything I can reach. I'm doing my
job. I don't think it's too shabby.''
... Brian Downing isn't satisfied yet. But he doesn't regret his
decision to return to the California Angels.
Even after 11 often disappointing seasons in Anaheim, Downing
decided to return in 1989 for one more shot at a pennant.
``I wouldn't have come back if I didn't think we had a chance,''
says Downing, who resigned despite the Angels' fourth-place finish last
year.
``I've gotten to see all the low moments,'' he said, not including
the AL West championships in 1982 and 1986. ``It'd mean a lot to win a
pennant,'' he said.
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ST. LOUIS (UPI) -- After being benched for a game by Manager Davey
Johnson, New York Mets outfielders Darryl Strawberry and Kevin
McReynolds were back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against
the Cardinals.
Johnson benched and fined the two for Tuesday's game in Chicago
because both had left the bench during the ninth inning of the Mets'
10-6 loss to the Cubs on Monday.
Strawberry had to be called back to the dugout from the clubhouse
to bat in the ninth as the Mets rallied. Batting with the bases loaded
and representing the tying run, Strawberry struck out to end the game.
Johnson said after Monday's game that he had ``never been so upset
in my life.''
... Because of his lackluster play, St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog
kept Vince Coleman out of the starting lineup for the fourth straight
game.
Herzog has been upset with Coleman's play on offense and defense.
Coleman is hitting .258 with 27 RBI and 62 stolen bases. Herzog says
Coleman has stranded too many baserunners and is not stealing enough
bases.
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of this copyright. Send reports to reward@clarinet.com.clarinews@clarinet.com (United Press International) (09/22/89)
NEW YORK (UPI) -- Three players were ejected in the first game of
Thursday night's double-header between the Milwaukee Brewers and New
York Yankees following a benches-clearing brawl.
The Brewers were leading 11-1 in the sixth inning when Milwaukee
starter Mark Knudson hit designated hitter Luis Polonia in the chest
with a fastball. Polonia immediately charged the mound and began
throwing punches as both benches emptied.
After peace had been restored, Mel Hall continued to instigate the
incident and was ejected along with the principal participants.
Polonia was convicted of a misdemeanor for having sex with an
underage girl on the Yankees' last visit to Milwaukee.
In the seventh inning, New York pitcher Kevin Mmahat hit Charlie
O'Brien with a pitched ball, and was ejected by home plate umpire Dale
Ford.
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CHICAGO (UPI) -- White Sox first baseman and designated hitter Greg
Walker underwent diagnostic arthroscopic surgery Thursday for a nagging
injury to his right shoulder, a team official said.
Vice President for Public Relations Chuck Adam said the surgery was
successful and will help Walker's doctors decide what further treatment
might be needed.
Walker, 29, suffered the injury while playing high school football
but Adam said it has ``troubled him more this year than in years past.''
``The problem has been present most of his major-league career,''
Adams said. ``Based on the season he hasn't had -- he probably was
injured more than he was able to play -- we thought it was time to at
least take a look now at the shoulder.''
Adam said if Walker and his physicians decide on rehabilitation
there is plenty of time during the off-season for Walker to improve the
shoulder before next spring.
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TORONTO (UPI) -- Toronto leftfielder George Bell will likely be
relegated to playing designated hitter for the next few games after he
left Wednesday's game against the Boston Red Sox with a sore throwing
elbow.
Bell, who leads the Blue Jays with 99 RBI, left after hitting a
single in the fifth inning of the 10-3 loss.
He was examined at a Toronto hospital Thursday morning and the
injury was diagnosed as a slight nerve irritation, said a Blue Jays
spokesman.
Bell will be able to swing a bat but won't be able to throw, the
Blue Jays said.
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NEW YORK (UPI) -- The Chicago Cubs won a coin toss Thursday with the
St. Louis Cardinals to determine the site of a possible playoff game
between the teams.
If the Cubs and Cardinals end the regular season deadlocked, the
playoff will be held at Wrigley Field on Oct. 2.
The Cubs entered Thursday three games ahead of St. Louis in the
National League East.
The coin toss was done by conference call at the office of NL
President Bill White. The teams were represented by their general
managers -- Jim Frey of Chicago and Dal Maxvill of St. Louis.
Chicago made the call because it is in first place and won by
choosing tails.
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CHICAGO (UPI) -- Although Rookie-of-the-Year candidate Jerome Walton
received some good news on his sore right hamstring, the Chicago Cubs'
outfielder may not return to the lineup before the weekend.
An examination revealed that the hamstring is pulled, and not
re-torn, as had been feared.
``It's nothing to worry about,'' Walton said.
``It was a good report,'' Manager Don Zimmer said. ``He should be
able to work out in another day or two.''
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CLEVELAND (UPI) -- Oakland left-fielder Rickey Henderson has started
a game with a home run 40 times, a major league record, but interim
Cleveland Manager John Hart says Henderson probably is a more effective
offensive weapon when he keeps the ball in the park.
Henderson homered to lead off Wednesday night's 8-6 win over the
Indians, but later in the game walked twice, stole second and third both
times, and scored on sacrifice flies. The first walk and pair of stolen
bases ignited a five-run Oakland rally in the sixth.
``In Baltimore, we used to say if he hits it out of the ballpark,
so what?'' Hart said. ``It might keep them out of a big inning. He's
just in a class by himself.''
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MINNEAPOLIS (UPI) -- Kirby Puckett of the Minnesota Twins and Carney
Lansford of the Oakland Athletics are meeting head-to-head in their
battle for the AL batting title, but both downplay the contest.
``I've achieved it in the minor leagues before,'' Puckett said.
``In 1982 I hit .382 in rookie ball, so I won a batting title.''
Lansford sounds a similar note.
``It's not even im my mind,'' he said. ``My goal is to win the
championship and get into the postseason. I've only got a couple of more
years left. That's what's important.''
Under pressure, Puckett does admit that a batting championship
would have more meaning than a minor league title.
``If I do it in the big leagues I can add it to my accomplishments
in my almost six years,'' he said. ``I'll just go home and look at it
(the trophy) and smile about it and put it in the trophy case with
everything else.''