clarinews@clarinet.com (09/22/89)
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BALTIMORE (UPI) -- The Baltimore Orioles are a miracle in the
making.
The Orioles are threatening to become the first team to vault from
last place one year to first place the next and, heading into the final
week of the season, are on target to pull off the greatest one-year
turnaround in the history of major league baseball.
Last year's collapse, when the team lost the first 21 games of the
year and finished with the worst record in the major leagues at 54-107,
seems as long ago as the last Ice Age. But it has provided a measuring
stick to just how remarkable these Orioles have been.
``To turn it around in one year is just amazing,'' said Baltimore
Manager Frank Robinson.
Entering the three-game home weekend series against the New York
Yankees, the Orioles stood at 83-70, just one game behind the Toronto
Blue Jays in the race for the AL East crown with nine games to go.
If the Orioles win just 84 games this season, they will have pulled
off the greatest one season turnaround since divisional play started in
1969.
Eighty-eight victories would break the American League record for
most games improved from one season to the next (33 games by the Boston
Red Sox from 1945 to 1946). And 89 victories, meaning the Orioles would
have to win six of their final nine games, would mean a 35-game
improvement and would break the major league record set when the New
York Giants went from 48-88 in 1902 to 84-55 in 1903.
Robinson remembers forecasts that his team would never emerge from
last place this season.
``If we listened to what people thought about this ballclub, there
wouldn't have been any reason to show up for this season,'' Robinson
said. ``We would have just taken last place. But we didn't concern
ourselves with what people thought. We knew why we were losing and we
knew what we had to do to correct it and we did it.''
The Orioles' rebuilding philosophy of dealing away uninspired
veterans for young prospects paid dividends more quickly than anyone
could have imagined. Among the veterans jettisoned by the Orioles were:
first baseman Eddie Murray, outfielder Fred Lynn, pitcher Mike
Boddicker, catcher Terry Kennedy and reliever Don Aase. At every
position, a younger player has excelled in the place of a discarded
veteran.
Robinson is not kidding himself that Baltimore's rebuilding project
has been completed.
``We understand that we still have a long way to go. We can't just
all of a sudden sit back and say, `Everything is fine.' We have to
continue to work towards a goal of respectability, making this a sound
and solid ballclub and a sound and solid organization again. It's going
to take a while. It's not going to take just this one year to cure
everything.''
Robinson, who assumed the reigns of the team six games into the
1988 crash, is being mentioned prominently as a candidate for AL Manager
of the Year. Entering this year, Robinson had a 562-631 record as a
major-league manager in three seasons with the Cleveland Indians, four
with the San Francisco Giants and one with the Orioles.
Robinson developed a reputation for being impatient with his
players and a manager who would rather deliver a kick in the pants than
a pat on the back. But he has been masterful this season in nursing
along his young players, giving gentle encouragement rather than
histrionics.
``We've just tried to point out their mistakes so we can correct
them so they won't make them again,'' Robinson said. ``There's been no
screaming and hollering around here. There's been a lot of teaching and
a lot of talking baseball and there's been a low-key type of
atmosphere.''
Robinson said the good work ethic of several veterans, including
All-Star shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., has also served as a good model for
his youngsters.
``The way the Cal Ripkens and Phil Bradleys and Mickey Tettletons
and people like that have conducted themselves has been very important
because it has set the tone for the younger players,'' Robinson said.
``They look at them and see how they respond and how they go about
things and say, `If they're doing it this way, it must be the way to do
it.'''
Robinson tried to sound uninterested in being named Manager of the
Year.
``What if I don't get it? It won't mean that much. It won't take
anything away from what the players have accomplished this year, what
the ballclub has accomplished this year,'' Robinson said. ``If we don't
get any awards, it's not taking anything away from this ballclub. They
deserve a lot of credit. They've done an outstanding job. Awards would
just make it that much sweeter.''
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While the Orioles are the youngest team in the major leagues,
Ripken said the young players have acquired plenty of experience already
this season.
``It's a young team, but it's grown older along the way,'' Ripken
said. ``There have been some bad spots during the course of the season,
but the confidence level has stayed the same.''
The Orioles have shown improvement in every phase of the game over
last season, but the most notable improvements have been in pitching and
defense.
Jeff Ballard, who had won just 10 of his 30 major league decisions
entering the season, emerged as the ace of the starting rotation. The
left-hander carried the staff through the first month of the season and
raised his record to 18-7 with a victory over the Detroit Tigers
Wednesday. Robinson has succeeded essentially with a three-man rotation,
with Ballard and rookie right-handers Bob Milacki and Dave Johnson.
Gregg Olson has been the stopper out of the bullpen. Entering the
weekend series with the Yankees, the power-pitching rookie had amassed
an American League rookie record 26 saves and a 5-2 record with a
sterling 1.79 ERA.
Right-hander Ben McDonald, the Louisiana State product who was the
top pick in this year's draft, signed in August and joined the team on
Sept. 1. While Robinson has used him sparingly and exclusively as a
reliever, McDonald has the potential to emerge as a superstar in the
future.
A trio of other rookies -- first baseman Randy Milligan, third
baseman Craig Worthington and outfielder Mike Devereaux -- have also
emerged as likely contributors for years to come.
``It's done so well with so many rookies on the squad and next year
they're going to have one year of experience under their belts,'' said
McDonald. ``As far as what I see, things can only get better for this
team.''
What has been remarkable about the Orioles is the character the
team has shown under pressure. For example, it appeared the young team
had crashed when it lost eight straight and 13 of 14 games from July 19
to Aug. 1. But the team rebounded strongly, holding on to the AL East
lead until Aug. 31 before the surging Blue Jays finally overtook them.
``We showed what we're made of by bouncing back and coming back and
playing good, sound, solid baseball,'' Robinson said.
Robinson reflected on his team's persistence in the pennant race.
``This ballclub has no quit in it and it hasn't quit all year
long,'' Robinson said. ``It didn't quit when things got tough and it
didn't get cocky when things were going good.''
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