A Consistent Lamp Lights Blue Jays’ Pennant Road

There’s a significant reason for Dennis Lamp’s surreal 1985 season.

“Last year,” his catcher, Ernie Whitt, points out, “he was in a role he wasn’t suited for.

“This year,” Whitt says of Toronto’s long relief ace, “he is in a role he is suited for.”

Which may be why the right-hander was 11-0 by Sept. 26, had one save and a 3.44 earned-run average. Lamp pitched 102 innings in 49 games.

Two winters ago the Blue Jays signed Lamp to a large multi-year contract, figuring he was going to fill the hole as a short relief man--even though he’d been a starter for three years with the Chicago Cubs and a swing-man for three seasons with the Chicago White Sox.

Turns out the 6-3, 215-pound Lamp couldn’t fill that short relief hole.

He pitched in 56 games, all but four in relief, but saved only nine games. For someone who’s supposed to be a closer, that’s a bit like going to the bank intending to withdraw $60,000--from an account with only $6,000 in it.

Lamp was only 8-8 with a 4.55 earned-run average.

“To me,” Toronto Manager Bob Cox said, “he did not do that badly. The fans expect too much. Every time we sign a free agent, they’re not supposed to give up a hit or give up a walk.”

“The first or second day of spring training,” Lamp said, “Bob came up to me and said, ‘I hope you don’t feel the whole (disappointing 1984) season was placed on your shoulders.’ That meant a lot to me. It had been a long winter.

“When I came to spring training, the main thing was for me to be consistent,” said Lamp, who now holds the Blue Jays’ record for consecutive wins. “Last year I wasn’t consistent. So from the manager’s viewpoint, why put a guy out if he isn’t effective?”

Lamp is a sinker-slider pitcher who, up to a point, needs to pitch a lot so the ball stays down.

This year he’s easily getting all the work he wants or needs. He also is continuing a weight-flexability training program he began last November.

“I’m getting older,” the just-turned-33 Lamp said. “So every year you go to spring training just wanting to keep your job. There’s a lot of young guys out there after it--especially here.”

Lamp had no feeling of awe or amazement over his undefeated mark.

“Are you kidding? I went through a lot of bad times with the Cubs,” he said. “I pitched effectively but got no runs. You just take what they give you. You go out to pitch and you can only control what you do.”