Angels Are Reborn in the Ninth : Narron’s Grand Slam Earns 9-6 Win and ‘a Walk in the Park’

A seven-game trip had stretched into eternity for Jerry Narron, the Angels’ reserve catcher whose wife, Linda, had given birth to the their second daughter, Caitlyn, on Monday.

Understandably, Narron’s thoughts and emotions were in Anaheim. Then, in the ninth inning of Wednesday night’s trip finale, Narron found a way to make the long flight home considerably shorter for himself and his team.

He pinch-hit for reserve shortstop Craig Gerber and delivered the first grand slam of his career, connecting off Bill Caudill, the Toronto relief star, to cap a six-run rally that gave the Angels an improbable 9-6 victory.

One out from a three-game losing streak, their fifth loss of the trip and the likelihood that they would also lose first place in the American League West, the Angels salvaged a significant measure of emotional momentum, scoring the final six runs on just two hits--a pinch triple by Darrell Miller leading off the ninth, and the Narron bomb.

Instead of wondering and worrying about the four runs they had handed the Blue Jays in a continuation of their recent defensive breakdown, the Angels could fly home exhilarated by the way they had capitalized on three ninth-inning walks and a two-out error by shortstop Tony Fernandez that made five of the six runs unearned.

“Three thousand miles will seem like a walk in the park,” Manager Gene Mauch said of the flight home. “Another loss would have made it seem like a trip around the world.

“The difference between being 2-5 and 3-4 on this trip is immeasurable.

“The difference in being able to go and enjoy a day off is indescribable.”

The 59-year-old manager couldn’t sit. He roamed the clubhouse slapping hands and backs.

It was as if this was his first managerial win rather than his 1,666th.

He brushed a hand through his gray hair and said: “It’s funny how a grown man can feel differently about the outcome of a game kids play. I guess that’s the feeling that holds onto you.”

It gripped Narron, too. He smiled--a rare show of emotion for the quiet catcher who has had a season’s total of 639 at-bats in his 6 1/2 years with the Mariners, Yankees and Angels.

The long summers have provided equilibrium. A grand slam is sweet. A second daughter is sweeter. Tonight, the spotlight. Friday night, it’s back to watching Bob Boone catch.

“This feels good,” Narron said in a noisy clubhouse, “but I’ve been playing awhile, and baseball is an everyday thing.

“Everyone had to battle to keep us in it. I was just fortunate to get up. I think the whole club has battled back more than last year.

“I think Gene Mauch gives us the intensity to battle back.”

The Toronto bullpen had not allowed a run in its last 27 innings when the ninth began with Miller batting for Rob Wilfong and delivering a triple off Gary Lavelle.

A ground-out scored Miller, making it 6-4. Walks to Juan Beniquez and Reggie Jackson brought on Caudill, who had a 4-2 record and 7 saves. A Bobby Grich pop-up was out No. 2. Then Brian Downing fought off an 0-2 count, took it to 2-2 and hit a hard grounder up the middle.

It wasn’t an easy play, but Fernandez should have made it. The ball whipped under his glove, however, for an error that scored Beniquez and kept the Angels alive.

Caudill then walked Ruppert Jones to load the bases and bring up Narron, who had struck out on a Caudill curve as the final out of a Toronto win at Anaheim this season, but who had also delivered a pinch homer on a Caudill fastball in Oakland last season.

“I wasn’t about to think curve until he got two strikes,” Narron said afterward. “I knew with the bases loaded that he couldn’t afford to get behind, that he’d stay with the fastball. I was trying to hit it up the middle.”

He hit a 1-1 fastball over the right-field fence, bringing the entire Angel team out of the dugout.

“Awesome,” said Donnie Moore, whose string of 19 scoreless innings ended on an unearned run in the eighth but who pitched a flawless ninth to complement his eight saves with a second win.

It had started with Ron Romanick allowing four runs and six hits in a five-inning stint during which shortstop Dick Schofield booted a double-play grounder in a two-run Toronto fourth, then failed to glove another grounder generously called a hit in a two-run fifth.

Pat Clements, who succeeded Romanick, hesitated before throwing on a possible double-play ball that would have prevented a run in the seventh, and Gerber then kicked a grounder, leading to a run in the eighth.

All of it was almost forgotten later.

“We didn’t play real well on this trip,” Mauch said. “but it still didn’t turn out too bad. We’ve been on the move. It’s been hectic and distracting.

“We haven’t caught the ball like we can. We didn’t capitalize on our scoring chances.

“Now we have a chance to go home and spend 10 or 11 days in one spot for the first time.”

Jerry Narron thought about that and smiled. “It’ll be great to see Linda and the baby,” he said.

Angel Notes

The Angels played the ninth inning with catcher Jerry Narron at first base, outfielder-first baseman Juan Beniquez at shortstop and catcher-outfielder Darrell Miller at third. . . . The last time Beniquez had played his original position was as a Boston minor leaguer in 1972. The last time the versatile Miller played third was at Edmonton in 1983. Each handled a ground ball flawlessly. . . . Gary Pettis’ club-record streak of seven straight games with a stolen base came to an end. So did Toronto’s four-game win streak. . . . Angel starting pitchers had a 6.81 ERA and did not go beyond 6 innings in the seven games of the trip. . . . Ron Romanick has a 5.96 ERA for his last five starts after allowing just one run in each of his first two. . . . While General Manager Mike Port pursued trade possibilities for a starting pitcher Wednesday, Manager Gene Mauch juggled his rotation for the weekend series with New York in Anaheim. . . . Mauch, impressed with Tommy John’s last two relief appearances, is returning him to the rotation. He will start the Saturday afternoon game, replacing Kirk McCaskill, whose last-chance start is now scheduled for Tuesday night against Detroit. . . . Of 0-3 McCaskill, Mauch said: “If he doesn’t start doubting himself, we’re not going to start doubting him, but he’s got to go out and challenge hitters better than he has. The stuff is there if he’ll show it, but it looks to me like he’s become tentative.” . . . Spurred by the probability that neither Geoff Zahn nor Ken Forsch will be off the disabled list soon, Port said his continued trade probes have yet to produce substantive talks. “I’d like to come away with a Cadillac,” he said, “but there aren’t many out there. I’m still hopeful we’ll be able to do something.” . . . The Toronto Globe and Mail reported that the Blue Jays are pursuing Angel outfielder Mike Brown, but Toronto General manager Pat Gillick denied it. “It’s been a month since I talked to Mike (Port) about a player, and never about Brown,” Gillick said.