Indians’ Hall and Corrales Have Admiration Society

Although Mel Hall was severely injured in an automobile accident last May, he nevertheless has been promised the starting left fielder’s job by Cleveland Indians Manager Pat Corrales.

This bit of news is not totally unexpected. Just observing the way Hall and Corrales interact is indicative of their relationship.

The manager and player have more than the give-and-take of best friends. Their byplay suggests analogies of lawyer-to-client, priest-to-sinner, physician-to-patient and, ultimately, father-to-son.

“Mel has a big mouth, is sometimes crazy and needs his butt kicked from time to time,” says Corrales. “But he’s a hell of a ballplayer.”

“Pat is a good manager because you can talk to the guy and know he won’t lie to you,” says Hall. “The only problem is that I’m usually wrong and he’s usually right.”

Corrales has been Hall’s biggest booster in the latter’s return to health.

The outfielder was a passenger in a car driven by Indians traveling secretary Mike Seghi. Seghi was turning into a parking lot when another car slammed into the passenger side of the rented vehicle.

Seghi received as assortment of bumps and bruises, but Hall’s season ended with a fractured left clavicle, a fractured pelvic bone, a strained neck and a concussion.

“Did you ever hear your own bone breaking? It was maybe the worst experience of my life,” said Hall. “What hurt more than the physical pain was knowing my season was over. I was doing so well, too.”

At the time of the accident, the left-handed Hall was leading Cleveland with a .318 batting average, no homers and 12 runs-batted in in 23 games.

“We didn’t miss Mel as much offensively as we did defensively,” says Corrales. “I also think that a healthy Mel would’ve been able to improve. He certainly would’ve hit better against left-handed pitching.”

That aspect is what caused Corrales to platoon Hall with right-handed outfielders Joe Carter and Carmen Castillo.

Though the power-hitting Carter inherited left field after Hall’s accident, Corrales feels the former is not the latter’s equal defensively.

Over his three-year career, Hall is batting .296 against right-handers and .113 against left-handers.

“I don’t think I’d have any trouble hitting lefties if I had a chance to hit, period,” said Hall. “I just haven’t had that chance, but Pat says I will.”

Hall, 25, a native of Lyons, N.Y., was acquired from the Chicago Cubs on June 13, 1984, along with outfielder Joe Carter and pitchers Darryl Banks and Don Schulze in exchange for pitchers Rick Sutcliffe and George Frazier and catcher Ron Hassey.

“The rap on Mel was that he was a cocky guy,” said Corrales. “I don’t mind that, and here’s why. You can be cocky but not have the talent to back it up. That means you’re a phony. You can also be talented and not say anything at all. That means you’ll never be a leader.

“But if you’ve got talent and say something about it, that’s not being cocky. It’s being proud and assertive. That’s Mel.”