Higuera Shuts Out Angels on Four Hits for First Win

He doesn’t roll his eyes toward the heavens before pitching and his earned-run average is much higher than baseball’s most famous Mexican pitcher. But there are a great many similarities between the Milwaukee rookie, who picked up his first win at Anaheim Stadium Friday night, and the reknowned Dodger left-hander, Fernando Valenzuela.

Like the name, for instance.

Teodoro Valenzuela Higuera, who was born and raised in Los Mochis, Mexico, about an hour and a half from Fernando’s hometown, yielded just four hits en route to a 7-0 win over the Angels in front of 41,923 Friday night.

It was a very Fernando-like performance, too. Higuera mixed up his fastball, slider, curve and (you guessed it) screwball, to hold the Angels to four singles and was never really in trouble.

“Yeah, yeah, he reminds of Fernando, too,” Brewer Manager George Bamberger said, anticipating reporters questions. “He’s got all the pitches, the same kind of heart and he’s from Mexico.”

Higuera doesn’t have his own personal interpreter yet, so utility infielder Ed Romero did the honors Friday night.

“I’m very proud to pitch a shutout for my first win,” Higuera said. “Yes, I know Fernando very well. We pitched against each other once in the Mexican League and he won, 3-2.”

This one wasn’t nearly that close as the Brewers pounded five Angel pitchers for 18 hits.

There was a good deal of hooting, hollering and more than a bit of laughter coming from the lounge area of the Angels clubhouse before the game as the players watched the Dodgers give up nine runs to the Pirates in the fourth inning.

“I hate to see that, even on TV,” Angel shortstop Dick Schofield said, shaking his head in disgust.

Schofield probably hated it even more live and in-person.

The Brewers gave the Angels a not-so-instant replay a couple of hours, erupting for six runs in the seventh.

There was no laughter in the Angel clubhouse after the game.

Milwaukee had nine hits--one short of a club record--in the inning and if it wasn’t for Gary Pettis’ perfect one-hop throw to the plate to nip Cecil Cooper and turn Ted Simmons’ pop fly into a double play, well, it would have been worse.

Ben Oglivie singled to left to begin the inning and his single to right nine batters later drove in the sixth run of the inning. The Brewers had eight singles, including two sacrifice bunt attempts that ended up as hits, and one double to chase starter Tommy John, Doug Corbett and Pat Clements. Stewart Cliburn and Rafael Lugo mopped up.

The most excitement in the early going was provided by home plate umpire Ken Kaiser and Brewer pitching coach Herm Starrette.

Bobby Grich, hitting .328 but mired in an 0-for-11 drought coming into the game, lined a double into the right-field corner in the first inning. Kaiser then called a balk on Higuera. Bamberger offered a mild protest, but Kaiser didn’t like what he was hearing from the dugout and walked over and ejected Starrette before the second inning got under way.

The whole Brewer coaching staff descended around him, but Kaiser stood his ground and went jaw-to-jaw with each one before the pow wow finally broke up.

Milwaukee got a run on three hits in the third and John got off easy. Paul Molitor laced a one-out double to right, Jim Gantner struck out chasing a pitch in the dirt and then Cooper and Mark Brouhard ripped back-to-back singles to center. Simmons hit a sharp two-hopper to short to end the inning, however.

Milwaukee had five hits in the first two innings and all were well-struck. But John found the rhythm in the third and retired the next seven Brewers in order, getting seven straight infield outs, before Cooper singled in the sixth and the roof caved in in the seventh.

Higuera wasn’t exactly overpowering, but he was plenty effective. Schofield beat out a roller to short in the second and then the little left-hander waltzed through the next four innings, yielding only a fourth-inning walk to Reggie Jackson.

The Angels got consecutive singles from Jackson and Mike Brown with one out in the seventh, but Higuera got Schofield to pop up and Bob Boone to bounce to short.

Angel Notes

Rod Carew was hobbling around the clubhouse on crutches before Friday night’s game, but said he was only “trying to keep the pressure off” a badly swollen left instep. Carew is on a day-to-day basis after injuring his foot while scoring in the fourth inning Thursday. Toronto catcher Ernie Whitt’s shin-guarded knee came down hard on the top of Carew’s foot. “I told him he had 31 hours to get ready,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said Friday, “but it might be two or three days, realistically.” . . . Both Geoff Zahn (shoulder) and Ken Forsch (elbow) had cortisone injections Thursday night and both “hurt like blazes today which means the doctor hit the right spots,” according to Mauch. Both are scheduled to test their arms on Sunday. . . . Gary Pettis’ spectacular catch Thursday night was still a topic of discussion Friday. Pitcher Jim Slaton wanted to make sure he got his share of the credit. “I’m gonna make him a star,” Slaton said. “ Every time I throw a pitch, I turn around and he’s running somewhere. That was a great catch, but it wasn’t the first time he’s saved me.” . . . Speaking of saves, the much-maligned Angel bullpen had performed most admirably of late, yielding just one run in the 22 innings before Friday night’s seventh-inning outburst by the Brewers. The Angels are 7-1 in one-run games this year after losing 30 of 52 last year. “We’ve got some fine young pitchers out there who seem to have confidence in their stuff,” Mauch said. “They’re going out there and saying, ‘Here it is, see what you can do with it.’ I love to see that.” He’s also happy to see the team ERA at 3.74, fourth best in the American League. . . . Milwaukee’s Robin Yount, who has been playing left field instead of shortstop because of a sore arm, was a last-minute scratch from the Brewer lineup due to a sore left thigh.