Scurry Is Linked to Drug Case : Pitcher Identified as Cocaine Purchaser

Rod Scurry of the Pittsburgh Pirates became the first player directly linked to the investigation of drug use in baseball when he was identified Monday as a customer of a man who pleaded guilty to selling cocaine.

The plea was entered by Dale Shiffman, one of seven men indicted by the grand jury investigating drug sales around Three Rivers Stadium. Shiffman pleaded guilty to 20 drug trafficking charges. Another 91 counts against him were dropped in a plea bargain.

James Ross, assistant U.S. attorney, said that if Shiffman’s case had gone to trial, Scurry was prepared to testify that he bought cocaine from Shiffman on at least 19 different occasions during the 1982 and 1983 seasons. Scurry has undergone drug rehabilitation and has publicly acknowledged his drug use.

Ross said the left-handed pitcher bought cocaine from Shiffman “every day the Pirates were in Pittsburgh during the 1983 season.” Scurry could not be reached for comment and Pirate publicist Ed Wade said the team would have no comment.

Shiffman, 33, of suburban Bethel Park, faces a maximum 15-year prison sentence, a fine of $25,000, or both, and a minimum three-year special probation after the prison term is served under the plea-bargain agreement. U.S. District Judge Barron P. McCune did not schedule sentencing.

Shiffman, 33, is known to have visited the Pirates’ Three Rivers Stadium clubhouse on numerous occasions and was frequently seen at Pirate games carrying a camera. During the investigation that led to the indictments, a federal grand jury heard testimony from at least 12 current or former major league players, all or most of whom testified under immunity from prosecution.

Ross also told McCune that Shiffman admitted selling cocaine Nov. 8, 1984, at his home to the Pirates’ former team mascot, Kevin Koch.

The New York Times reported Monday that outfielder Dave Parker of the Cincinnati Reds and infielder Dale Berra of the New York Yankees, both former Pirates, were among the players named as cocaine purchasers in a statement given to federal prosecutors by one defendant. Both Parker and Berra have denied the allegations.

The newspaper also said that those two were expected to testify in the trial of another defendant, Curtis Strong, along with Keith Hernandez of the New York Mets, Lee Lacy of the Baltimore Orioles, Lonnie Smith of the Kansas City Royals, Al Holland of the Angels, Jeff Leonard of the San Francisco Giants and Enos Cabell of the Dodgers.

Parker said of the report: “I don’t have anything to say.” Asked if he will testify at the trial, he replied: “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

Hernandez, in a statement issued through the Mets in New York, said: “With the possibility of the case going to court, I find it improper and inappropriate for me to say anything at this time.”

None of the other players mentioned had any immediate comment.

The New York Times also said that a former Giant has named four players on the 1985 club as frequent cocaine users and that one of them, Chili Davis, conceded that he had experimented with the drug and had been warned by FBI agents in 1983 that he was under surveillance.

“That was enough for me,” Davis was quoted as saying, “You know, a word to the wise.”

Scurry spent a month at a rehabilitation center early last season and was used mainly by Manager Chuck Tanner in mop-up roles after that. He was briefly suspended by the Pirates this June for failure to follow his rehabilitation program, but rejoined the team three weeks later.

Scurry’s effectiveness has deteriorated since 1982. He had a 5-6 record with a 2.53 earned-run average and four saves in 43 appearances last season and is 0-0 with one save and a 3.32 ERA in 43 innings this season. He has pitched fewer innings than any Pirate pitcher, other than several obtained recently.

Ross said that prosecutors would also have introduced the testimony of Koch, the former Pirate mascot known as the Parrot. Koch’s purchase of cocaine at Shiffman’s home was electronically monitored by the FBI, Ross said.

Koch, 32, resigned as the Parrot in June.

Two other defendants have now reached plea-bargain agreements. Kevin Michael Connolly, 27, and Thomas Patrick Balzer, 27, both of Pittsburgh, pleaded guilty last month and were sentenced to jail terms. The attorneys for Shelby Greer, accused of 10 cocaine-related charges, said they are are negotiating a plea bargain with federal authorities.

Of the four defendants whose cases have yet to be resolved, the most likely to stand trial is Strong, 38, a former caterer in the Philadelphia Phillies’ clubhouse.