Commentarry : Battle of Baltimore Will Hurt Whitson, Martin, Yankees

Simmering Yankee disharmony erupted into a vicious barroom brawl between pitcher Ed Whitson and Manager Billy Martin early Sunday morning.

What remains to be seen is who will survive, Martin, the proclaimed peacemaker dragged unknowingly into another sensational scandal, or Whitson, who reportedly accused the manager of starting the brawl with a sucker punch.

Whatever version proves to be true, one thing is certain. Billy Martin’s fourth reign as Yankee manager may have suffered a fatal blow.

Martin seemed headed for trouble because of the team’s recent eight-game losing streak and some questionable personnel moves he made during that streak. Now comes the fight with a player, Martin’s second barroom incident in two days.

The ramifications of the incident are not fully known, yet. The Yankees officially withheld comment until the team could look into how the altercation started.

General Manager Clyde King and Woody Woodward, vice president in charge of baseball operations, arrived in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon and began an investigation.

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner issued a statement saying, “As much as I’m concerned about the fights, I’m even more upset about the curfews and the fact that so many players were in the bar that late at night before day games. That was one thing Billy promised when I made him manager again--that he’d enforce the curfews. Otherwise, I just don’t have anything else to say about all this until I get my reports on everything.”

Martin suffered a broken arm in the altercation, which took place at the Cross Keys Inn, the hotel used by the Yankees when they visit Baltimore. Whitson reportedly suffered a split lip, the result of a punch Martin said was thrown by infielder Dale Berra.

Both men were drinking in the hotel bar at about 12:15 a.m., right before the incident.

Martin claimed Sunday that Whitson had attacked him after he had tried to come to the pitcher’s aid in what looked to be a potential fight between Whitson and an unidentified bar patron.

Whitson, who was sent home to New Jersey by team officials early Sunday, was not available for comment.

However, his agent, Tom Reich, indicated that Whitson’s version differed somewhat from Martin’s.

Reich said he didn’t want to comment on the fight because “there’s so many discrepancies. But before anything is said, I want to find out all the facts and then meet with George (Steinbrenner). The discrepancies start with who started the fight. There are serious discrepancies as to who did what to whom.

“There’s obviously plenty of heat between the two of them. It’s unfortunate in the sense that the Yankees have played so well and have become a serious contending team.”

During Martin’s recount of the incident, he recalled Whitson yelling, “You hit me with a sucker punch, you hit me with a sucker punch.”

“He said I suckered him,” Martin said. “If I suckered him, I wouldn’t have a broken arm.”

Martin had his right arm placed in a cast Sunday afternoon before arriving at Memorial Stadium here. Martin said his arm was broken as a result of being kicked by Whitson.

Martin told reporters he became involved in the incident because he was attempting to act as peacemaker.

“Some guy came up and said, ‘Get over there, Whitson’s in trouble,”’ Martin said. “Dale (Berra) and I went over there right away. He (Whitson) had this guy straightened out. It looked like he was going to belt him.”

Martin said he told Whitson, “‘Hey, don’t get in trouble, now, you don’t need it.’ He just turned on me. I don’t know what he said.”

Martin said he started to fight back after Whitson kicked him in the groin. “When he did that, I went after him,” Martin said. “I’m not denying that. I don’t know what the hell he was on, but he was crazy.”

Several eyewitnesses, including reporters who travel with the team, recounted a different version of the incident.

After Martin and Whitson were separated by catcher Ron Hassey, Whitson was pulled into the lobby. Martin came out looking for the pitcher and charged at Whitson, who was being held by security guards. Whitson, whose arms were pinned to his sides, kicked at Martin and hit him in the groin.

Martin reportedly screamed over and over again, “Now I’m going to kill you. I have to do it, I have to do it.”

Martin was restrained, and Whitson was dragged out of the lobby toward the parking lot.

Martin broke free and bolted to the parking lot through another door. Once outside, he and Whitson tangled again. Whitson reportedly tackled the manager, knocking him to the pavement, where Martin struck his head. Whitson was then dragged off by Berra.

The altercation ended when police showed up.

Berra returned to the lobby and reportedly said, “I got him, I got him.” Martin also said Whitson had been punched by the infielder, something Berra confirmed in the morning hours but denied Sunday afternoon.

It seemed the incident, then about 20 minutes old, was finished and both parties were escorted to their rooms.

Those rooms, however, were both on the third floor. When Martin and Whitson met in the hall after getting off separate elevators they began shouting at each other. Members of the Yankee traveling party, including trainer Gene Monahan and announcer Frank Messer, kept the two apart.

Whitson was led to his room, guided by hotel security, and Martin went to his room.

Martin emerged a little while later and addressed several reporters and a security guard who were in the hallway.

“You know what I’m going to do?” said Martin, who was then in a jovial mood. “I’m going to suspend him without pay. It’s about time some guys got sent down. Am I wrong? It’s all right, it’s all right. These things happen. But I’m gonna get him.

“Come here, come here,” Martin said. “Wait around for about 10 minutes, I don’t want the security guard to hear this. Go to room 345 (Whitson’s room), you’re gonna see a guy get the . . . kicked out of him.”

Martin was heard yelling in his room later, reportedly having called Whitson. Coaches Lou Piniella and Willie Horton were with Whitson at the time and would not let him leave his room.

Piniella, Horton, traveling secretary Bill Kane, management representatives and security members from the hotel patrolled the hallways on the third floor well into the morning to prevent further altercations.

The incident was the second of the weekend involving Martin. The first took place in the early hours Saturday, when a bridegroom tried to go at the manager after he felt his bride had been maligned. The groom, who remains unidentified, was pushed from the bar by several Yankee players.

Although Martin said he was not sure what Whitson’s future would be, he said he would probably use the pitcher again if it could help the team win the pennant.

Whitson’s agent, Reich, said, “Billy is taking the position that he’s pitching Friday. Whitson will be with the team and he’s prepared to pitch.”

Whitson, signed as a free agent this season, is 10-8 with a 5.03 ERA in 29 games. He was to start on Friday in Baltimore but was scratched, reportedly because of a sore right shoulder. He angrily denied he was hurt that day and said he’d never missed a turn in 13 years of pro ball.

Benching Whitson on Friday is one of several personnel shifts that have baffled, if not angered, Yankee players recently. The fact that Martin allowed reliever Brian Fisher and starter Ron Guidry to absorb vicious batterings in two losses raised eyebrows, too.

Martin was also second-guessed for allowing left-handed hitter Mike Pagliarulo to switch hit for the first time in his major league career during a Yankees’ rally against Detroit last week. Pagliarulo struck out and the Yankees lost that game, a fact that doubly angered many players because Phil Niekro was going for his 300th career victory.

As for Whitson, the right-hander had gone through a season of barely hidden hostilities with Martin. He had often complained, in private, of early hooks and Martin’s penchant for calling pitches from the bench. But Whitson always declined to take his complaints public, saying he was just trying to make it through the season.

Whitson, 30, signed a five-year, $4.4 million contract with New York last season after leaving San Diego. He started the season at 1-6 but rebounded from midseason on, almost becoming a cult hero at Yankee Stadium in the process.

As for Whitson’s future, Don Baylor said he would contact the pitcher when he returned to his New Jersey home Monday night. Baylor, an American League representative to the executive board of the Major League Baseball Players Assn., said the union will monitor the situation as it pertains to Whitson’s future.