Hough’s Amazing, Disappearing No-Hitter : Angels Win, 2-1, on Joyner Hit, 2 Passed Balls

By design, the knuckleball is a fickle pitch. As it makes its flight from mound to plate, it flutters and flips, never really certain where it might land. Batters flail away, umpires squint and catchers curse. The unpredictability of the pitch is both its beauty and its bane.

Charlie Hough can tell you all about it.

Through 8 innings Monday night at Anaheim Stadium, Hough’s knuckler had completely numbed the Angel offense. The Angels were still groping for their first hit as Hough threatened to become the third knuckleball pitcher to throw a major league no-hitter, attempting to join the all-time masters of the pitch, Phil Niekro and Hoyt Wilhelm, in that class.

But then, Hough’s left fielder, George Wright, dropped a fly ball, allowing an Angel runner, Jack Howell, to reach third base. Wally Joyner then singled him home on a 2-and-2 pitch, snuffing out history and tying the score in one stroke.

Then, the knuckleball--and all resultant proceedings--got really wild.

One pitch got by catcher Orlando Mercado for a passed ball, enabling Joyner to move to second. One out and an intentional walk to Reggie Jackson later, another pitch got away from Mercado, a passed ball--this one coming on strike three to George Hendrick.

If Mercado had caught the ball, the game would have gone into extra innings. But he failed to block the pitch, the ball rolled halfway to the backstop and Joyner, running on the full-count delivery, sprinted all the way in to give the Angels a startling 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers in front of a crowd of 24,993.

Hough couldn’t believe it. As his final offering went skidding past Mercado, Hough stood on the front slope of the mound. Stunned, he neglected to cover home plate.

Mercado retrieved the ball and turned to throw, but found no receiver. All he could do is stagger back to the plate and try to tag Joyner himself.

Mercado lost the foot race.

And Hough (5-3) lost perhaps the strangest game of his 14-year career. From the brink of the record book to defeat--thanks to the quirkiness of the pitch that had brought him so far.

“You end up losing a game with a guy holding the ball with no one to throw it to . . , “ Hough said, his voice trailing off. He had just pitched the game of a lifetime, but all he could dwell on were those few seconds he froze while Joyner stole the game away.

“I flat out blew it,” Hough said. “I thought (Mercado) had a chance at first base, but he apparently thought differently. He had to go farther to get the ball than I initially thought. I should have covered home to get Joyner.”

Joyner thought the same thing.

“It was a mental lapse on Charlie’s part,” Joyner said. “I’m sure he thought the throw would go to first, but what if George beats the throw to first. They’ve got to have home plate covered.”

Joyner began his sprint from second base, rounding third on his own when he spotted Mercado chasing the ball.

That, according to Angel Manager Gene Mauch, may have caught Hough off guard.

“Hell, Charlie’s not thinking about a guy scoring from second,” Mauch said. “If there’s a guy on third, Charlie would have been there, but I’m sure he’s waiting for the kid (Mercado) to throw to first.

“The kid cocked his arm, saw Joyner out of the corner of his eye and probably thought, ‘If I throw to first, we lose the game.’ ”

Said Mercado: “The count is 3-2, the play is at the plate. They’re gonna be running. I didn’t even look to first. If I throw to first, it would be late.”

Meanwhile, amid the confusion, Kirk McCaskill, who pitched an overshadowed four-hitter, suddenly was presented with his sixth victory in 10 decisions. And the Angels, just as surprisingly, had sliced a game off the Rangers’ first-place lead in the American League West, narrowing their deficit to 2 1/2 games.

“That’s the most amazing game I’ve ever seen,” said McCaskill, who allowed just an unearned run in the second inning. “I asked some guys who’ve been in the league 15-20 years and they said they’ve never seen anything like it, either.”

Mauch has been in baseball 40 years. “That was the most unique finish of a game I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I’ve seen them all kinds of ways, but never with a guy scoring from second on a strikeout and a passed ball.”

The weirdness began with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning when pinch-hitter Jack Howell lofted a high flyball down the left-field line. Wright, inserted between innings as a defensive replacement, had shaded toward center against Howell and had to make an extended run to get to the ball.

As his foot struck the foul line, Wright reached up and got his glove on the ball. But the ball nicked his glove and bounced behind him, falling to the ground.

Hough winced and looked, hopefully, toward the scoreboard. Official scorer Ed Munson ruled it an error and E-7 quickly flashed for all to see.

Hough exhaled. The no-hitter was still alive.

Munson is employed by the Angels to score all home games. Wright said he concurred with his decision.

“You don’t want a hit on that kind of play during a no-hitter,” Wright said. “You’re expected to make those kind of plays. I got there. The ball came back on me and I just overran it.”

The ruling became moot when the next batter, Joyner, lined the Angels’ first and only hit to right.

That started the chain of events that brought the end for Hough and the Rangers.

Hough was working with a 1-0 lead, courtesy of a dropped flyball by the Angels’ Gary Pettis in the second inning. Pettis’ fourth error of the season, equaling his 1985 total, put Toby Harrah on second, from where he scored on a single by Steve Buechele.

Hough’s center fielder, Oddibe McDowell, helped preserve the no-hit bid with a diving catch in the fourth inning, sprawling on the grass to grab Doug DeCinces’ dying line drive over second base.

Two other balls in the early innings threatened, but failed, to develop into Angel hits.

Rob Wilfong led off the third inning with a sharp grounder to the left side of the infield that Pete O’Brien’s diving attempt could not stop. Second baseman Toby Harrah, however, had hustled over to back up the play. He made a running scoop of the ball and threw to Hough, covering the bag, for the out.

Then, in the fifth, Dick Schofield sent a line drive headed for left field, but Texas third baseman Steve Buechele intercepted it with a leaping grab.

Through eight innings, that was all the Angels had managed against Hough.

On came the ninth. That is when the knuckleball, and everything else, got out of hand for Texas.

Angel Notes

John Candelaria and Gary Lucas each pitched the equivalent of three innings in a simulated game Monday and for Candelaria, the session earned him a ticket to Visalia. That’s not as bad as it sounds. Visalia is where Candelaria will pitch on a rehabilitative assignment Saturday for the Angels’ Class-A affiliate, the Palm Springs Angels. Depending on the outcome of that start, Candelaria could return to the Angels’ rotation as early as next home stand (June 27-July 2). “If everything goes perfectly, he could be back after one start,” Gene Mauch said. “If he needs another, he’ll go again a week from Thursday in Palm Springs. And I’ll be there to see that one.” Next Thursday is an off-day for the Angels and Mauch resides in Palm Springs. . . . Mauch said Reggie Jackson, who stood in to bat against Candelaria, told him that Candelaria “threw him the best left-handed curveball he’d ever seen.” Added Mauch: “He threw both pitches (fastball and curveball) with good quality, although he didn’t have outstanding control. (But) he threw free and easy. It’s reasonble to assume he’s within two weeks away.” . . . Lucas came away from his outing with mixed results: Some pain, but less than usual. “I have a ‘toothachy’ feeling in my lower right side,” he said, “but I was able to pitch with that discomfort last year. This is a definite improvement.”

In other rehabilitative action: Urbano Lugo lost his last outing for Edmonton, dropping a 6-0 decision to Phoenix Saturday. Lugo worked 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 3 walks and 4 earned runs while striking out 4. . . . The Rangers placed injured catcher Darrell Porter (ankle) on the 15-day disabled list and recalled former Angel outfielder Bobby Jones from their Oklahoma City farm club. Jones, 36, was hitting .240 with 29 RBIs in 48 games with the 89ers. THE BIZARRE ANGEL NINTH INNING

Ruppert Jones--Batting for Bob Boone, Jones struck out. One out.

Jack Howell--Batting for Gary Pettis, Howell reached third on left fielder George Wright’s fielding error.

Wally Joyner--Singled to right, Howell scoring.

Doug DeCinces--Struck out. Joyner took second on a passed ball. Two out.

Reggie Jackson--Walked intentionally.

George Hendrick--Struck out but reached first on a passed ball, Joyner scoring. Two runs (both unearned), one hit, one error, two left.