Wade Boggs Surprises Opponents Only When He Doesn’t Hit

When Wade Boggs went 0 for 4 Monday night, it was Angel Manager Gene Mauch and pitcher Don Sutton, not the Red Sox third baseman, who came away shaking their heads.

“That’s the first time in my life I’ve seen confusion on the face of Wade Boggs,” Mauch said.

Sutton was equally amazed.

“Not many people can say they shut Boggs down,” the veteran right-hander said. “We did it tonight, but we might not do it again.”

Well, not Tuesday night, anyway. Boggs lined an RBI-single to center off Ron Romanick in the third inning and singled in the eighth as the Angels beat Boston, 5-4, at Anaheim Stadium.

Few pitchers have been able to keep Boggs off the bases this season . . . or any season, for that matter. Still, Boggs is off to his best start ever and that’s saying a bunch. After all, the guy’s got a .351 lifetime batting average.

“I’d have to play with him a little longer to compare him with the two guys I played with,” teammate Don Baylor said, making reference to former Angel Rod Carew and Yankee Don Mattingly.

“But Wade’s got great concentration, seems to have every pitcher figured out and he gets his hits in multiples. He gets locked in and it seems like he goes 2 for 3 every day.”

Going into Tuesday’s game, Boggs was hitting .432 in his last 10 games and led the American League in on-base percentage (.469) and doubles (11). He was second in walks (27), third in batting average (.350) and fifth in hits (41).

But the most remarkable statistics in the Wade Boggs Numbers Game are strikeouts (actually the lack of strikeouts) and his average against left-handed pitchers. He has struck out just four times since fanning three times on opening day. And the left-handed hitting Boggs’ average against southpaws (.343) is just 13 points lower than when he’s facing right-handers.

All of this, of course, is becoming routine, even expected. In four years in the majors, Boggs has hit .349, .361, .325 and last season led both leagues with a .368 average, the best mark for a Boston player since Ted Williams hit .388 in 1957.

If there is such a thing as a born hitter, Boggs is it. At least that’s the way Williams sees it.

Three years ago, the legendary Boston slugger was shown a picture of an 18-month-old baby swinging a toy bat. Williams said the kid had “a perfect swing.” The kid, of course, turned out to be Boggs.

Baby Boggs was schooled in the art of hitting long before he was old enough for kindergarten. His father, Winfield, was a semipro fast-pitch softball player who was accustomed to looking at 100 m.p.h. pitches thrown from 45 feet, which might have resulted in Wade’s short stroke.

Later, Boggs refined his technique with the help of two of the game’s most respected teachers: Williams and Charlie Lau. He gleaned what he liked from both gurus of swing and formulated his own theory on batting.

“From Williams, I got concentration and the importance of learning the strike zone,” Boggs said. “From Charlie, I learned to use a slight upswing, to use the whole field and not to worry about home runs.

“I think the ability to adjust is the biggest thing, though. And I’ve always been a firm believer in waiting for a good pitch to hit, laying off the pitcher’s pitches. It’s better to walk than make an out.”

Boggs may be as well known for his culinary preferences as he is for his prowess with the bat. He’s probably eaten a piece of chicken for every line drive he’s ever hit. And he’s sure he wouldn’t hit many if he changed his diet.

In 1977, while with the Red Sox Class-A farm team in Winston-Salem, N.C., Boggs started eating chicken three times a week to keep his weight down. He also started hitting, so he started eating chicken every day. One night, he had pork chops instead and went 0 for 3 with an error and got hit in the elbow with a throw.

Since then, his idea of variety in his menu is a choice between a breast and a drumstick.

Boggs’ chicken-a-day habit is just one of the rituals he’s addicted to. He keeps his bats in his locker instead of in the trunk with the rest of the team’s, runs in the outfield every day at 7:17 (he’s into sevens) and always watches--but never participates--when his teammates play cards.

“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Manager John McNamara said. “I’ve heard comments from the players, but to tell you the truth, I don’t even really know it exists. I just know he’s an outstanding hitter with extraordinary hand-eye coordination.

“And he’s fast becoming a complete player. He’s rapidly improving as a third baseman.”

If he gets much better at the plate, he might be the first player since Williams to hit .400.

And then proud parents across the land will be sending pictures of their diapered sluggers-to-be to the Splendid Splinter for evaluation.