Sutton and Angels Win, 3-0 : Red Sox Are Thrown Out, Tossed Out

At first glance, the Angels’ 3-0 win over the Boston Red Sox Sunday suggests a pitchers’ duel: a lot of ground balls, a sacrifice fly here and there, all the excitement of knitting.

But this was different. Angel Manager Gene Mauch somehow knew that much when he predicted Saturday that the final game of the series against the Red Sox “is going to be hot and heavy. It’s going to be a hell of a ball game.”

Sunday, after watching the Angels win their third game in their last four, Mauch simply said, “as advertised.”

Included in the game’s festivities was the pitching matchup between Don Sutton and Tom Seaver. Both Sutton, who has 304 career victories, and Seaver, who has 308, created a certain amount of hype and expectations. It marked only the second time since 1892 that two 300-game winners had faced each other.

But what about the rest of Sunday’s circus, which featured all sorts of oddities or as Sutton referred to them, “strange plays?”

For instance, when is the last time you saw mild-mannered Angel rookie Wally Joyner jump up and down in protest of an umpire’s call--not once, but twice after being thrown out on the basepaths?

“I felt like I was safe,” Joyner said.

Fair enough. But explain then the fourth inning, when 61,559 fans, the second-largest crowd in the major leagues this season, watched Red Sox designated-hitter Don Baylor get thrown out of the game, followed soon thereafter by Red Sox Manager John McNamara.

And as if that was not enough, Mauch filed an official protest just minutes after McNamara’s ejection, even though Mauch later said he wasn’t sure of the rule he was protesting.

When order was restored and the Angels took their turn in the inning, the rejuvenated Bobby Grich hit a Seaver pitch beyond the center-field fence for his second home run in as many games. Bob Boone then singled and later scored on an RBI double by Gary Pettis to give the Angels a 2-0 lead.

Grich now is batting .280. Not long ago, it was .240.

The third run came in the eighth, when Brian Downing tripled and scored on Boone’s sacrifice fly to right. By then, Sutton, now 9-7, was gone, replaced first by Gary Lucas and then Donnie Moore, who registered his 10th save.

“Lucas was superb again and Donnie Moore was Donnie Moore,” Mauch said.

But that’s boring. The real fun began in the fourth, when Baylor took a called third strike by home plate umpire Tim McClelland. Angry with the call, Baylor turned around and presumably offered McClelland a gift certificate to a nearby vision center. Dwight Evans was up next and McClelland, again, called a third strike, prompting a stare from Evans and some more choice words from Baylor, no slouch as a bench-jockey.

McClelland apparently had heard enough. He walked toward the Red Sox dugout, pointing in the general direction of outfielder Jim Rice. Rice sprang out of the dugout in his own defense. McNamara followed. Then Baylor came out.

Before it was over, first base umpire Larry Young had joined in, as had Red Sox coach Rene Lachemann. McClelland first ejected Baylor, who returned to the dugout and threw a few obligatory helmets and batting gloves onto the field. As a bat boy retrieved the assorted articles, McClelland was busy throwing out McNamara.

McNamara, who has been ejected from four games this season, didn’t leave without first attempting a few theatrics. He first tried to spoil McClelland’s housekeeping with his feet, “but the clay is so tough around home plate that I couldn’t kick much dirt around.” So McNamara tipped his cap to the booing crowd and then gestured with his arms, as if to say, “I tried.”

Later, he said, “I vowed I wouldn’t get kicked out of any more games, but this series was ridiculous.”

McNamara, still upset about several calls against the Red Sox on Saturday, said McClelland accused Rice of talking too much from the bench. “(McClelland) said, ‘Shut him up or I’ll throw him out.’ I said, ‘Who, Baylor or Rice?’ That’s when Mr. McClelland turned around and threw Baylor out. I said, ‘If he’s going, then I’m going, too.’ ”

And so he went, but McNamara wasn’t even in the clubhouse before Mauch had protested the game, arguing that the Red Sox had to announce immediately who would take Baylor’s spot. Turns out Mauch was wrong. “I don’t know the rule,” Mauch said.

The thrills and chills didn’t end with Mauch’s protest. The Red Sox threw out three Angel base runners trying to make something out nothing. The Angels answered with two throws of their own that caught Boston runners and put an end to any potential rally.

Joyner, a victim twice, angrily returned to the dugout after Red Sox right fielder Dwight Evans’ throw beat him to second base following a soft line drive. Later, Joyner was called out at first on what appeared to be a late throw by second baseman Marty Barrett.

Joyner had company. Boone attempted an ill-advised run from second to home on a short single to left by Pettis in the sixth inning. Rice’s throw from left beat Boone by at least 10 yards.

But the Angels threw out Rey Quinones in the fifth when he tried to turn a leadoff double into a triple. Then, in the eighth, with one out and Wade Boggs on second and Rice on first, Joyner threw out Boggs at third following a throw from Boone. Boone had mishandled a Moore pitch and threw to first in hopes of getting Rice, who had wandered off the bag.

And no day would be complete without the bathing-suit-clad woman hanging by her legs from the center-field seats. It happened, but this was a game that didn’t need any more help.

Angel Notes

Reliever Terry Forster was all set to accompany the Angels on the first leg of their three-city trip when he was told to stay home. The Angels want Forster to remain in Anaheim, at least while the team plays the Oakland A’s today through Thursday, General Manager Mike Port said Sunday. The plan is for Forster to continue rehabilitating his sprained right ankle while working with team physical therapist Roger Williams. Forster, when asked about the condition of his ankle, has said he was ready to pitch. Manager Gene Mauch said Forster was “not even close.” . . . Ron Romanick didn’t help his chances for a return to the Angels or increase his market value Saturday evening in his first start for the team’s Triple-A Edmonton club. Romanick, who was sent down Tuesday with a 5-9 record, allowed 15 hits and 9 runs (all earned) during his 7 innings of work against Tucson. He walked one and struck out one while taking the loss. Romanick had suggested the Angels would have been better off trading him rather than sending him to Edmonton. After Romanick’s Saturday performance, Port said: “How can they tell you, ‘I can pitch at the major league level’, when they can’t pitch at the Triple-A level. That’s a tad contradictory.” Asked if he knew what the cause of Romanick’s pitching troubles were Saturday, Port said: “We’re really not much interested at this point, other than what the numbers would show.” . . . How strong is Red Sox right fielder Dwight Evans’ arm? When Bob Boone, not known for his speed, singled to right in fourth, Boston’s Bill Buckner covered first, awaiting a possible throw.