A Rare Jackson Triple and 11 Witt Strikeouts Give Angels a 4-3 Win

It was the prophet Jackson, the Reggie visionary, who predicted an Angel victory over the Chicago White Sox Wednesday evening at Anaheim Stadium.

Standing near the batting cage during pregame warmups, Jackson, 40, noticed White Sox rookie left fielder Bobby Bonilla.

“You were struggling in Chicago,” Jackson said. “Now you get a little hot, start feeling good . . . now you want to be seen. You’re wearing that short-sleeve shirt, showing off your pipes.”

Bonilla kicked at the dirt, not quite sure how to take Jackson’s gentle teasing.

“Don’t you be going to left,” Bonilla said. “Can’t make no money going to left.”

Said Jackson: “If I go to left, it’s a souvenir. There ain’t gonna be any sweeps. Don’t be coming out here with any brooms. I’m out there tonight.”

Jackson smiled during all of this. Bonilla smiled back. He could afford to.

The White Sox had won the first two games of the three-game series and 9 of their last 12 games. Meanwhile, the Angels had slipped quietly out of first place in the American League West, a half-game behind the Texas Rangers. Four losses in their last five games had seen to that.

“I hear you,” Bonilla said.

Jackson began to move toward the batting cage. “We’ll be OK, even if I have to start a fight in the fourth inning,” he said.

Not necessary. A first-inning, bases-loaded triple by Jackson, his first triple in his last 245 games, did just fine as it allowed the Angels to match Chicago’s three early runs. And wouldn’t you know it, on this night of schoolyard bravado, that Jackson would score moments later on a shallow fly by Doug DeCinces to White Sox right fielder Harold Baines. Baines’ throw after the catch reached home plate a moment before Jackson, but Jackson slid neatly under the tag of catcher Carlton Fisk, giving the Angels a 4-3 lead that later became a 4-3 victory before an audience of 27,596.

The win came at a convenient time. The Rangers won again Wednesday, meaning the Angels remained one victory away from regaining first place if Texas falters.

Better yet, the Angels didn’t waste Mike Witt’s season-high 11 strikeouts and his eighth complete game of 1986. After allowing the White Sox three runs in the first inning, Witt let only one runner reach second base the remainder of the game. And he didn’t allow a hit after the third inning.

“Mike just took charge of the game,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “I’m surprised when anything goes wrong when Mike Witt is on the mound. He’s shown me enough that I expect him to be flawless every time out. I know that won’t happen, but I expect it.”

Witt began the evening among the league leaders in innings pitched, complete games, strikeouts and shutouts. But he promptly gave up three runs and dug himself an unwanted hole.

The runs didn’t take much doing. With one out, shortstop Ozzie Guillen singled to right. That was followed by a walk to Baines, which was followed by a home run by Greg Walker to right-center field, his 10th homer of the season. Witt watched the ball fall over the fence from a crouched position on the mound. Complete game? Witt might have been wondering if he would complete the first inning.

Ron Kittle flied to center, and Fisk struck out, assuring Witt of another inning’s appearance.

“I told myself that I had good stuff and to just go right at them,” said Witt, who improved his record to 9-6. Witt didn’t win his ninth game last year until Aug. 5.

Before he could do it this time, there were prophecies to be fulfilled, which may explain how the Angels were able to score four runs in the bottom of the first.

As with the White Sox, the Angels did most of their damage with one out. Ruppert Jones led off with a ground-out to first and returned to the bench to see Gary Pettis reach base on a walk by Chicago starter Neil Allen. Then came Wally Joyner, who singled to right on a hit-and-run play that left Pettis standing on third.

Brian Downing was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases for Jackson.

Jackson, who retained his .300-plus batting average, drove a 3-and-2 Allen pitch to the left-center-field wall. Bonilla, who had warned Jackson to keep the ball away from that area, semi-bungled things by interfering with center fielder John Cangelosi’s effort to get the ball into the infield. By the time Cangelosi’s throw reached the White Sox cutoff man, Jackson, who didn’t see third-base coach Moose Stubing’s sign to stop with a double, was on third.

“When you’re 40, you really don’t think triple ,” Jackson said. “But when I was touching second base, the ball was still on the warning track. I beat him by just a step. I saw the replay, and Cangelosi double pumped. If he doesn’t double pump, he probably gets me.”

Jackson proudly wore the dirt stains of two slides. He has earned his $975,000 salary this season with singles, doubles, and now a triple, rather than with a lot of home runs. He last hit a homer May 14, when he passed Mickey Mantle on the all-time list, and has seven for the season.

Wednesday night, he walks to the plate and finds three baserunners. Single or home run?

“Oh sure, I was thinking home run,” he said. “Everytime there’s the bases loaded, you go up to the plate thinking home run. We were down, 3-0; we needed a run. It was real important for us to get at least one run.”

So Jackson provided three runs with a triple and another with a sprint toward home on DeCinces’ sacrifice fly. With that done, Jackson, nicknamed “Judy” by several of his teammates because of his shift toward batting average, said he has few complaints.

“If I can swing the bat and be a factor in making us win, hopefully the home runs will come, my ego will be satisfied and everyone will be happy,” he said.

Angel Notes Pitcher John Candelaria is scheduled to start Tuesday night’s game against the Brewers at Milwaukee County Stadium. Candelaria, on the disabled list for more than two months because of elbow surgery, will make his first start since April 9 at Seattle. Candelaria pitched twice for the Angel Class A team before he was pronounced fit for the start against the Brewers. He made just 41 pitches in his last outing and later said he was bothered by the condition of the mound. “In the back of my mind, I was worried about that more than anything,” he said. Manager Gene Mauch said Candelaria can expect to pitch “for five innings or something like that.” . . . Reliever Gary Lucas, who is nursing an injured back, will continue with a 20-day rehabilitation assignment that includes “five or six” starts for the Angel Class A team. “At this point, I wish it were different,” Lucas said. “But we’ve made progress. That’s why we wanted to go out and try this rehabilitation.” Lucas, who also pitched for the Class A team Tuesday, is scheduled to pitch again Saturday in Palm Springs.