American League Roundup : Boggs Continues Torrid Hitting

As the baseball season was about to swing into June, the Boston Red Sox were frantically trying to swing a deal to unload third baseman Wade Boggs.

Never much on defense at best, Boggs, a lifetime .344 hitter and the American League batting champion in 1983, wasn’t even hitting. Moreover, the Red Sox were still smarting because their top left-handed hitter had been awarded a $1 million contract in arbitration. They were almost willing to give him up for nothing.

The best thing that has happened to that penny-pinching organization this season is the failure to get rid of Boggs.

Boggs, with a fabulous two-month surge, has soared from .282 to .354 and is now the leading hitter in the majors.

Boggs had four hits Sunday at Kansas City, including a bunt in the 12th inning that preceded Bill Buckner’s two-run double that gave the Red Sox a 6-5 victory and dropped the Royals’ four games behind the Angels in the West. Buckner also beat the Royals Saturday night with a three-run home run.

It has been a big help to Buckner that he bats right behind Boggs and usually comes up knowing he will see strikes because Boggs is on base and Jim Rice is next.

Beginning with a 4-for-4 effort against Minnesota May 27, Boggs has terrorized American League pitchers for the last 62 games. During that span he has accumulated 98 hits in 243 at-bats for a .403 average.

Included in his streak was a 28-game hitting streak. The hitting streak ended on a night that he played despite a stiff neck. He had a streak of 55 consecutive games in which he reached base safely on either a hit, a walk or by being hit with a pitch ended last week.

Now in his fourth season with the Red Sox, Boggs is daily proving that Hall of Famer Ted Williams was right.When Williams first saw Boggs at spring training several years ago he called the youngster a pure hitter.

Immodestly, Boggs professes to only one goal. “I want to be the best player in baseball,” he told the Associated Press during his hitting streak.

“I’m really not interested in hitting streaks,” Boggs said. “One thing I definitely will not do. If I’m on a streak--I don’t care if it is for a record--I won’t swing at a bad pitch to try to get a hit if I’m 0-for-3. That could lead to bad habits.

“Besides, my main function is to try to help the Red Sox win games. I’m not helping them if all I’m concerned with is extending a hitting streak.”

If the baseball players go on strike, as they have threatened to do Tuesday if an agreement isn’t reached on a new contract, Boggs may have clinched his second batting title in three years. His surge in the last four games, in which he was 10 for 18, sent him zooming past Rickey Henderson and George Brett. Boggs is hitting .354, Henderson .349 and Brett .347.

Henderson and Brett get one more game before the strike deadline, but Boggs and the Red Sox are off tonight.

Oakland 5, Seattle 3--It won’t happen this year, but Don Sutton appears certain to join Tom Seaver in the 300-victory club. The former Dodger star won his 290th in this game at Oakland.

The home run ball, which has haunted Sutton most of his career, almost deprived him of his 10th win this season. Jim Presley hit a three-run shot, his 24th homer, in the second to give the Mariners a 3-0 lead.

The A’s battled back to tie and rookie Steve Kiefer broke the deadlock with a single that scored Dave Kingman from second in the sixth inning.

Sutton needed help in the seventh and Steve Ontiveros and Jay Howell protected his lead. Howell retired the last three Mariners, two on strikes, to record his 22nd save.

Baltimore 5, Cleveland 4--Lee Lacy, another former Dodger, is enjoying one of his best seasons and his .318 average is fourth best in the American League. He knows he has a tremendous edge batting in the No. 2 spot in the Orioles’ lineup.

“With Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray and Fred Lynn coming up behind me,” Lacy told the Associated Press, “I’ve got to be patient because I know I’ll get good pitches.”

In the ninth inning at Cleveland, reliever Rich Thompson gave Lacy a good pitch and Lacy hit it for his fifth homer and his fourth game-winning hit.

Texas 8, Toronto 4--Wayne Tolleson’s infield hit with the bases loaded in the eighth inning broke a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning at Toronto and the Rangers went on to end their five-game losing streak.

The Blue Jays’ second loss in the last 15 games left them 9 1/2 games in front in the East.

Toronto ace Dave Stieb (10-7) was the loser. He also started the other loss in the last two weeks but escaped the defeat.

Detroit 7-4, Milwaukee 4-14--Darrell Evans’ second grand slam of the season and 24th home run broke open the first game of a doubleheader at Detroit, but the nightcap was all Milwaukee.

Ben Oglivie hit a three-run home run in the second inning of the second game to cap a six-run rally. And, the Brewers came back with six more runs in the third inning to make it easy for Ray Burris (6-9).

An oddity of the opener was that Rick Waits pitched hitless ball for 3 innings and was the loser. With the score tied, 3-3, he walked the first two batters in the seventh. Bob Gibson replaced Waits. Lance Parrish sacrificed and, after an intentional walk to Barbaro Garbey, Evans hit a towering drive that landed halfway up in the upper deck in right.