Witt Can’t Open Like He Closed : Mauch Takes Blame for Brunansky’s Winning Homer

The box score on Tuesday night’s game between the Angels and Minnesota Twins shows that Mike Witt, who closed out the 1984 season by pitching a perfect game against the Texas Rangers, opened the 1985 season somewhat less fashionably.

The Twins collected 10 of their 14 hits off Witt in his stint of 7 innings, and they went on to a 6-2 win before an Anaheim Stadium crowd of 35,244.

The ‘L’ in the box score is next to Witt’s name, but Manager Gene Mauch said the loss belonged to no one but himself, that he should never have allowed a tired Witt to pitch to Tom Brunansky in the eighth inning.

There were two out and two on in a 1-1 game when Brunansky hammered a high, inside fastball into the field level seats in left for a three-run homer.

Mickey Hatcher hit a two-run homer off Luis Sanchez in the ninth, wrapping up a victory in which Frank Viola and Ron Davis combined to stop the Angels on four hits.

Said Mauch later:

“I stunk up the whole damn ball park in the eighth inning. I had no business leaving that man out there after (Roy) Smalley got the basehit.

“Sometimes you manage too much with your heart, and this was one of those times.

“I mean, those were two outstanding young pitchers out there tonight, and I wanted our man (Witt) to win it.”

Witt had two outs in the eighth when he walked Kent Hrbek on four pitches, yielded the eighth Minnesota hit, a single to Mauch’s nephew, Smalley, then got the fastball up and in to Brunansky.

Mauch had gone to the mound after Hrbek walked. He had Donnie Moore and Pat Clements warming up.

“I wanted Mike to know that I approved of him pitching carefully to Hrbek,” Mauch said, “and I wanted to ask him how he felt. He said he was fine, but I knew better after Smalley got the hit.

“You get a ball above the belt to any of these Minnesota hitters and their eyes get big as saucers. That wasn’t where he wanted the pitch to Brunansky, but he was too tired to spot it.

“I knew that, but I was thinking with my heart and not my head.”

Witt said that he would leave any comments to his manager, but that overall, “I just didn’t have my good stuff, I wasn’t sharp.”

The home run allowed Brunansky to pick up where he left off last August when he hit three home runs in a three-game series at Anaheim Stadium and was accused by catcher Bob Boone of using a corked bat.

This time, Boone silently watched Brunansky circle the bases with the eighth home run he has hit against the Angels since being traded for Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong on May 11, 1982.

Brunansky, who hit .314 as the Twins won 9 of 13 games from the Angels last year, had grounded out, walked and struck out against close friend Witt before connecting for the decisive homer.

“I’d have left him in, too,” Brunansky said. “He had pitched me tough the whole game. They had gone with a different scheme from last year and kept the ball on the outside part of the plate. I’m sure he didn’t want to get the ball in on me. I’m sure it had to be a mistake.”

It was a quick dividend for the Twins, who on Sunday signed Brunansky to a six-year contract estimated at between $5 and $6 million.

Left-hander Viola, who was 18-12 in only his second full season and is just 24, looked like a million, too.

He shut out the Angels until the sixth when the second of Rod Carew’s two singles, a sacrifice and the first of Bobby Grich’s two singles tied the game.

Viola had the 4-1 lead supplied by Brunansky going into the home eighth, but a walk and a two-out single by Grich made it 4-2, bringing on Davis, who had 29 saves last year when he also blew 15 save opportunities.

Davis hit Doug DeCinces, the first batter he faced, to put the potential tying run on base, but then got Brian Downing on a fly to right. It was a four- run Minnesota lead that Davis took into the home ninth when he wrapped up the win despite a two-out walk to Rob Wilfong.

Grich and Carew got the only California hits as Mauch began the new season doing what predecessor John McNamara felt he frequently had to do--pinch hit for Bob Boone, Dick Schofield and Gary Pettis in the late innings.

The insurance homer by Hatcher was the second key hit for the former Dodger. He had singled off Witt in the first to set up the initial Minnesota run.

Witt then kept pace with Viola until the eighth, when the thinking man’s manager said he stopped thinking.

Angel notes

A CAT-scan disclosed calcification in the area of Ken Forsch’s elbow strain. Forsch will take medication to reduce the inflammation and still may be ready to come off the disabled list April 16, a club spokesman said . . . General Manager Mike Port said he is hopeful of offering minor league contracts to pitcher Craig Swan and outfielder Rufino Linares, the two free agents who were not offered major league contracts when the Angels made their final roster cut Monday. Swan and Linares told Port that they want to explore major league possibilities before considering a minor league offer . . . Manager Gene Mauch selected pitcher Pat Clements, first baseman Wally Joyner and third baseman Jack Howell as co-recipients of the Fred Haney Award as the spring’s outstanding rookie. . . Robert O. Reynolds, Gene Autry’s initial partner in the ownership of the Angels, was on hand to see Autry throw out the first ball, kicking off the 25th season . . . Geoff Zahn (13-10 last year) faces Mike Smithson (15-13) tonight.