American League : Red Sox Likely to Hold On to Torrid Boggs

Wade Boggs’ 28-game hitting streak, the longest in the majors since 1980, came to an end Friday night against Seattle as he managed only a walk in four trips to the plate. But Boggs, hitting .340, has been the hottest commodity in the American League during July.

And to think that one month earlier, trade rumors had it that the Red Sox couldn’t wait to ship Boggs out of town.

Boston Manager John McNamara has thought about the persistent rumors and it makes his weathered face turn as red as his socks.

“You kept hearing that we were going to send Boggs and somebody to the Dodgers for (Orel) Hershiser and who’s their relief pitcher, (Tom) Niedenfuer?” McNamara said. “I said that was absurd. The Dodgers wouldn’t make that trade, and we wouldn’t, either.

“That guy (Boggs) has got to bring some established players. That’s not meant to be demeaning to the names involved, but we’d have to get a truckload for him.”

Another rumor had Boggs ready to swap Red Sox for White ones. But Boston ended up trading outfielder Reid Nichols to the White Sox for pitcher Tim Lollar.

“He was going all over the damn country,” McNamara said. “As far as I was concerned, he wasn’t going anywhere. That’s why I tried to kill it (the rumor).”

One might say that McNamara is an admirer of Boggs, and not just because of the apparently endless barrage of base hits.

Boggs is a much-improved defensive player, which McNamara attributes to some intense fine-tuning during the spring under the tutelage of Red Sox advance scout Frank Malzone, who knew how to pick up a grounder during his days as a Boston third baseman.

The Angels got to meet the new Boggs last week at Fenway Park and watched him take away two potential doubles with leaping catches.

“Wade Boggs tries at every phase of the game,” McNamara said. “That’s why he’s going to be a great player.”

Walk, Don’t Run: Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox may be the odds-on favorite as this season’s American League comeback player of the year, but in Texas, second baseman Toby Harrah, 36, has quietly revived a career that nearly died in New York.

Since saying goodby to the Yankees, Harrah through Friday has put together some decent numbers by swinging his bat: .298, 7 home runs, 28 RBIs.

Harrah had a home run, two singles, three runs scored and two RBI’s in Friday night’s 9-8 win against the Yankees.

But Harrah has made his real mark in 1985 when he isn’t swinging the bat.

Through Thursday, Harrah had drawn 87 walks--almost one a game. That’s nine more than his closest competitor in the American League, and 30 more than the National League leader.

Yankee broadcaster Phil Rizzuto, who remembers Harrah’s unimpressive days in pinstripes, watched in exasperation the other day while a New York pitcher issued Harrah yet another free pass. “I just don’t understand why they can’t pitch to this guy,” Rizzuto grumbled. “You gotta wonder what they’re afraid of.”

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Patience and a keen eye have proven to be virtues for Harrah this summer. It’s the reason he leads the American League in on-base percentage with a .470 mark, which is better than those of such offensive heavyweights as George Brett at .450, Boggs at .441, and Rickey Henderson at .439.

White Noise: In their attempt to catch the Angels in the West, the Kansas City Royals have been powered recently by, of all people, second baseman Frank White.

White hit a pair of home runs Wednesday in a 5-3 victory over the Yankees that completed a three-game sweep of New York. The homers were his 13th and 14th of the season--and 100th and 101st of his career. He added his 15th homer and third of the week in Friday night’s win against Cleveland.

Eight of White’s homers this season have broken ties, and a ninth forced a tie. Barring a strike, White seems certain of surpassing his single-season high of 17 homers, which he set in 1984.

“I started trying to hit more last year,” White explained. “So many of the guys who supplied the power for us are gone. All of a sudden, I’m hitting higher in the lineup. You don’t want to be bunting four times a game in that spot.

“I remember 1975 and ‘76, when I was a utility player. Mac (Hal McRae) and those guys were hitting the ball out of the park. They told me that when you play every day, you can swing hard. A three-run home run can carry you for a week.”

The Quiz Has Answers: In the Kansas City sweep of the Yankees, Dan Quisenberry was credited with all three saves. He is the current AL leader at 22 and has moved him past the 200-save mark at 202.

That puts him fifth on the all-time list.

“I knew I was 20 away during the spring, but there was a time earlier this season when I thought it was going to take me until 1987,” Quisenberry said after No. 200.

“It’s a ball I’ll keep. But, whether I have 199 or 200, I’m still chasing the others.”

The others are Rollie Fingers with 335, Bruce Sutter with 276, Goose Gossage with 252, and Sparky Lyle with 222.

Myth From The East: You know the reputations of the two American League divisions--the beastly East, supposedly the sport’s greatest conglomeration of talent since the first baseball was stitched up, and the weakling West, where inferiority means pennant contention and mediocrity means playoff shares.

The numbers compiled during inter-divisional play so far this season indicate that the reputations may be out of line.

After Saturday’s games, the East held only an eight-game edge in competition with the West, 210-202. Only three Eastern clubs had winning records against the West: Toronto at 39-19, New York at 36-22, and Baltimore at 34-25.

The Angels have headed the rise of the West, with a 35-26 record against the East.

With the recall of 24-year-old rookie pitcher Tony Mack from Edmonton, the average age of the Angels’ starting rotation is 23.8--barely half as old as the Yankees’ Phil Niekro.

On old-timers’ day in Yankee Stadium, Niekro was the starting pitcher in the regular game. “I realize it’s appropriate for me to be pitching today,” Niekro joked. “A lot of people have been asking me if I was going to start both games.”

Peter Gammons of the Boston Globe, on the decision by the Red Sox not to sign Steve Howe: “No, Steve Howe would have been a mistake. The man’s life is a mess, he has yet to demonstrate any responsibility to job or teammates and, if he couldn’t take the pressure of L.A., how do you think he’d be in Boston or Philadelphia?”

John Fogerty’s hit single “Centerfield” was blaring over the sound system at Milwaukee County Stadium during batting practice the other night, catching the attention of Angel Manager Gene Mauch.

As he watched the Brewers take their swings in the batting cage, Mauch started to sing along with the chorus: “Put me in, coach, I’m ready to play . . . “

“You know,” Mauch said, “I could have been a songwriter, if that sells.”

Maybe Mauch still can. Suggestion: He could start by reworking the lyrics of the Angels’ dreadful theme song, “Back On the Diamond Again,” which isn’t getting any better with age.