Re-Armed Don Aase Ready to Help the Orioles

“At this point last spring, I couldn’t imagine being here now,” former Angel Don Aase said Tuesday morning, sitting in front of his cubicle here in the Baltimore Orioles’ clubhouse.

At this point last spring, Aase was going on close to two years of being unable to pitch and was uncertain if he ever would again. But here he is, with a reconstructed arm and a four-year, $2.4 million contract, a key member of a bullpen that the Orioles hope will be one of the best in baseball.

Oriole pitching coach Ray Miller believes that Aase can combine with Tippy Martinez to give the Orioles a 1-2 short relief combination comparable to the Goose Gossage-Ron Davis tandem when both were with the Yankees. That would free Sammy Stewart to return to middle relief, at which he excelled.

That would also allow Baltimore Manager Joe Altobelli to play the percentages, since Aase is a right-hander and Martinez a lefty. Gossage and Davis were both right-handers.

Aase, 30, has made his comeback with a Tommy John-style bionic arm put together by Dr. Lewis Yocum, who transplanted a tendon from Aase’s left wrist to his right elbow when Aase was still with the Angels.

That was on Oct. 18, 1982. It took Aase until last June to return to action, but when he did, the results were startling.

He went 4-1 with eight saves and a 1.62 earned-run-average for the Angels. “And I was throwing as hard as I had at any time in the past,” he said.

After the season, Aase went into the re-entry draft and the Angels let him get away. “All I’ll say is that I was really disappointed in their first couple of offers,” he said.

But when asked about the charge made by Angel Vice President Mike Port that Aase was guilty of ingratitude in leaving the Angels, Aase said: “I don’t want to dwell on the past.”

For the present, Aase said: “I’m having no problems at all. I’ve done everything anyone else has done in spring training.

“With three guys in the bullpen--Tippy, myself and Sammy--I think we’ll take the pressure off each other. That way you don’t have to rely on one person all the time.”

Said Miller: “We have a rigorous throwing schedule here and so far he’s met every requirement. He’s quite a gifted athlete, and he’s healthy.”