American League Roundup : Tigers Shell Carlton in AL Debut

Steve Carlton was just kidding when he announced his retirement. He was merely leaving the San Francisco Giants and the National League.

After his American League debut with the Chicago White Sox Tuesday night at Detroit, the 41-year-old left-hander may be tempted to make another announcement.

The Tigers used the future member of the Hall of Fame for batting practice. Mike Heath and Chet Lemon, two guys in slumps, hit home runs, and Carlton was tagged for six runs and seven hits in three innings. The fast start enabled the Tigers to win, 7-3, and moved to within five games of first in the East.

Carlton struck out four, walked two and threw a wild pitch. With one out in the first, Alan Trammell doubled and Heath, starting his first game as the Tiger catcher, hit a home run. It was the fifth home run of the season for Heath, who was batting .203 when the St. Louis Cardinals traded him to the Tigers.

In the third inning, Lemon, who had not homered since May 14, hit his fourth, with Heath and Darrell Evans on board. That was all another former National Leaguer, Mark Thurmond needed.

Thurmond, 3-1 since coming to the Tigers from San Diego, gave up five hits and all the White Sox runs in eight innings.

Surprisingly, Carlton talked afterward. “I was generally happy with everything except a couple of pitches I got up,” he said. “You can’t get pitches up and win.”

The White Sox were desperate for pitching help because Neil Allen and Bob James are out indefinitely. Carlton, who announced his retirement after picking up his 4,000th strikeout, did so because the Giants wanted to activate Mike Krukow.

“We’re a club that’s short on arms right now,” explained White Sox Manager Jim Fregosi. “Steve is an experienced pitcher who may be able to help us now.”

Fregosi did everything he could to make things right for Carlton, a four-time Cy Young Award winner. Among other things, he kicked the media out of the clubhouse, in order, he said, that Carlton could get himself ready for the game.

After Carlton’s opening performance, Fregosi may be having second thoughts.

Kansas City 5-6, Boston 1-5--The Royals, perhaps inspired by the first visit by Manager Dick Howser since his illness was diagnosed as cancer, swept a doubleheader at Kansas City, and the Red Sox lead in the East was cut to 3 1/2 games over the New York Yankees.

In the first game, Frank White tripled home three runs and Darryl Motley doubled home the other two when the rain-delayed game finally started. Danny Jackson gave up one unearned run in six innings to get the victory.

In the second game, Jorge Orta hit a two-run home run in a three-run sixth inning that broke the game open.

Don Baylor of the Red Sox was hit by a pitch in the ninth inning of the second game. It was a league-record 25th time he has been hit this season. The major league record is 50, set by Ron Hunt in 1971.

Mike Gubicza won the nightcap, with Dan Quisenberry getting only his 10th save of the season.

Toronto 3, Baltimore 0--Jesse Barfield set his sights on 30 home runs last season and fell two homers short. This season he set a goal of 35.

When he took over the league-lead in home runs with a two-run smash in the sixth inning at Baltimore, it gave him 29 and left him just six short.

“The reason I set the goal so high,” Barfield said, “is that I knew I would move up in the order and figured I would get more chances to hit home runs.”

Barfield drove in all the runs to help Jim Clancy (13-6) gain the victory. Clancy gave up only four hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. It was the sixth loss in the last seven games for the Orioles.

New York 6, Cleveland 4--With the pitching staff he has, Manager Lou Piniella has to do a lot of juggling and hope he will get lucky once in a while.

He did in this game at New York. After Joe Niekro was shelled out again in the third inning, Piniella summoned Tim Stoddard to the mound. Stoddard had a 4.84 ERA in nine appearances, but he pitched 4 scoreless innings to gain his first win for the Yankees.

Mike Easler hit a two-run home run in the sixth to give Stoddard his victory.

Milwaukee 7, Texas 2--Rookie outfielder Glenn Braggs is considered a power hitter. However, only the Rangers have felt his home run power.

In this game at Arlington, Tex., Braggs hit two home runs. He now has three, all against the Rangers.