Rod Carew Ties Frank Robinson on Hit List and Is Still Moving Up

It was just another hit in the fourth inning Sunday for Rod Carew, even though the looping double to left tied Carew with Frank Robinson in the 19th spot on baseball’s all-time hit parade with 2,943.

If Carew seemed nonchalant about the achievement, it’s because he’s still 57 hits away from that next important milestone--3,000 hits. Carew and Cincinnati’s Pete Rose are the only active players among the top 20 on the all-time hit list. While Rose is busy chasing Ty Cobb’s 4,191, Carew is as low-key as ever.

“I really wasn’t aware of the record,” Carew said. “It was just another hit. Then I heard some noise. I looked up at the scoreboard and saw I had tied Frank Robinson. I’m hitting better now than I have in the first few games. I feel comfortable, which is the key.

“As far as the 3,000 hits goes, I think you guys think about it more than I do. When I get down to about 30 or 20 hits away, then I’ll start thinking about it. I’ve got a long way to go.”

He’s also come a long way from an injury-shortened season in 1984. An injured nerve in his neck cut Carew’s playing time to only 93 games. In that sense, he lost ground in the hits category, managing only 97, or nearly half of what he could expect from a full season.

In addition, Carew lost some of the feeling in his hands and was on the disabled list for two weeks through Sept. 1. His .295 season average marked the first time in 16 years that Carew failed to hit .300 or better. Questions about Carew’s health and worth were raised.

But Carew got two doubles Sunday and is now hitting .318 in 12 games this season. He says he’s getting help from teammate Gary Pettis, whom he hits behind, and Angel Manager Gene Mauch. Pettis is hitting .361 from his leadoff position.

“He (Pettis) was swinging the bat well all spring,” Carew said. “I’m not taking it for granted. It’s nice having him in front of me. I just keep telling him to hit more triples. “

RBIs may mean more to Carew than the 3,000 hits, at least in terms of respectability. The 18-year veteran has always been known as a hitter, but he has a reputation of not being able to hit in the clutch.

“For years, people have been saying I don’t drive in runs or I don’t bring people around or this and that,” Carew said. “Everybody wants to drive in runs, but I do a lot of things that help the team. That’s what’s important. I don’t dwell on it.”

Another boost for Carew has been Mauch, his former manager in Minnesota. “We all need some help, and he has helped me a great deal,” Carew said. “He’s constantly reminding me of the fact that I need to use my hands and he keeps telling me not to pull the ball. He knows that if they (outfielders) play in, I can hit it over their heads. If they play back, I can drop it in front of them.”

The latter is precisely what happened on Carew’s two doubles Sunday. After walking in the first inning, Carew dropped a double to left-center in the second. Carew’s double in the fourth drove in Bobby Grich, his ninth RBI of the season. He was out on a pop up in the fifth and flew out to left in the eighth.

Carew, 39, is in the last year of a two-year contract. In spring training Carew was noncommittal about the future, saying only that he would wait to see how he was playing later in the season. Sunday, Carew shed no new light on the question.

“No one has said anything to me about coming back,” he said. “I take it day by day. When the season ends, we’ll see if they want me or not. If they don’t, I’ll go shopping around.”

And when teams shop for Carew, he may have 3,000 hits to offer them.