American League Roundup : Mattingly Now Has Everything Going His Way

Owner George Steinbrenner of the New York Yankees showed his young hitting star, Don Mattingly, who was boss last March, but it may turn out to cost Steinbrenner a bundle.

Mattingly, who won the American League batting title with a .343 average in his first full season as the Yankee first baseman, was nine days away from being eligible for arbitration.

When Steinbrenner and Mattingly couldn’t agree on the worth of the talented 24-year-old left-handed hitter, the owner, as was his prerogative, renewed Mattingly’s contract with a raise from $130,000 to $325,000.

The Yankees could have signed Mattingly to a four-year contract calling for about $1 million per season. They will never get a chance to sign him that cheap again.

After undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in late February Mattingly was off to a slow start. He is in high gear now and spearheading the Yankees’ drive to overtake Toronto in the East.

Mattingly bounced a double over first base with two on and one out in the seventh inning at New York Sunday to drive in two runs, break a 2-2 tie and give the onrushing Yankees a 4-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox, their fourth win in a row.

The hit stretched Mattingly’s hitting streak to 16 games and increased his major league-leading RBI total to 98.

During his hot spell, Mattingly is 31 for 64, has raised his average from .306 to .333, has scored 20 runs, hit 8 home runs and driven in 19 runs.

Mattingly leads the league in total bases (253), doubles (36), extra-base hits (59) and in game-winning RBI (15).

“I won’t forget what happened,” Mattingly told Tom Verducci of Newsday last spring. “He (Steinbrenner) got his this year. I’ll get mine next year.

“I’m disappointed with the numbers, and I’m not at all happy the way my agent and I were treated and the way they failed to get back to us.

“George didn’t want to take care of me, so I’ll take care of myself from now on.”

Steinbrenner will have to dig deep.

Among those who are aware of Mattingly’s importance to the Yankees is Boston Manager John McNamara. “We pitched him away and played him away,” McNamara said. “He hits the pitch the other way anyway. That’s why the Yankees are a hot ballclub. He’s something.”

Left fielder Billy Sample also played an important part in the Yankees’ seventh win in a row over the Red Sox. He drove in one of the runs earlier, then made two outstanding plays in the seventh. With the bases loaded and one out, Sample made a diving catch of Marty Barrett’s soft liner for the second out. Then, Wade Boggs singled home a run, but Sample cut down Rich Gedman trying to score from second to end the inning and leave the game tied for Mattingly.

Toronto 10, Kansas City 6--It isn’t that unbeaten Tom Filer is such an effective pitcher, it’s just that he brings out the best in the Blue Jay bats.

Although he gave up five runs in 5 innings, Filer won his sixth game since being called up in early July. Twice the 28-year-old right-hander has pitched shutout ball into the sixth inning but, on other occasions, it has been Toronto’s hitting that has done the job.

In his last five starts, all of which he has won, Filer has given up 15 earned runs in 28 innings. But the Blue Jays have scored 39 runs in those games.

The Blue Jays banged out 11 hits, including a two-run home run by George Bell and a bases-loaded triple by Jesse Barfield and maintained their five-game lead over the Yankees in the East.

The Royals, despite home runs by Hal McRae and Steve Balboni, missed a chance to gain on the Angels and trail by 2 1/2 in the West.

Detroit 4, Cleveland 0--Rookie Nelson Simmons claims Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson doesn’t talk to rookies. If Simmons keeps up his hot hitting, that may change.

In this game at Detroit, Simmons hit his fourth home run in the last five games to help Dan Petry improve his record to 13-11 in a game delayed almost two hours by rain. Chet Lemon and Marty Castillo also homered.

In six games since being recalled from the minors last week, Simmons is 11 for 23 and has driven in 11 runs.

Seattle 7, Minnesota 2--Mark Langston’s elbow has stopped hurting and that means trouble for American League hitters.

Langston held the Twins to four hits in seven innings at Minneapolis and said the frustration of his second season has ended. His left elbow hurts no more, he said.

The win improved his record to 7-9. As the top rookie pitcher in the league last season, Langston was 17-10.

“It’s too bad the season’s nearing the end,” he said. “I feel strong for the first time all season.”

Chicago 8, Milwaukee 4--Jerry Hairston hit a pinch two-run single in the seventh inning at Milwaukee to break a 3-3 tie and Rudy Law hit a two-run triple to break it open in the eighth.

Britt Burns, removed after rookie Carlos Ponce hit his first big league home run in the seventh, nevertheless improved his record to 13-7. Burns, plagued by arm trouble last year, was 4-12.

Ozzie Guillen, who started the rally in the seventh, squeezed home one of the three White Sox runs in the eighth.

Texas at Baltimore--Rain did what Texas pitchers couldn’t. It stopped the Oriole hitters, washing out the game after the Orioles built a 6-0 lead in three innings. Eddie Murray lost two RBI singles.