Schofield’s Grand Slam in Ninth Wins It, 13-12 : Angels Trail, 12-5, Rally for 8 Runs to Beat Tigers

After 8 1/2 innings Friday night, the Angels appeared to be hopelessly beaten. They were trailing the Detroit Tigers, 12-5, and were about to see their American League West lead over the Texas Rangers sliced to 3 1/2 games. Most of the 32,922 fans had already departed Anaheim Stadium or were on their way out.

You see, while the Tigers had been piling up multiple-run homers, the Angels had busied themselves with singles practice.

But all of a sudden, those singles were adding up. Incredibly, the seven-run deficit was reduced to three, and standing at the plate with the bases loaded was shortstop Dick Schofield.

Schofield, not exactly the model of a power hitter, was facing Tiger reliever Willie Hernandez. He took a strike, waved at an outside screwball and then hit an 0-2 fly ball to left field that everyone still remaining in the park knew was going to carry out on this night.

It did.

And the Angels won, 13-12, to stay 4 1/2 games in front.

“I’ve seen a few of them over the years and that’s lots and lots of years,” Angel Manager Gene Mauch said, “but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that one. In fact, I know I haven’t.

“That’s an all-timer, boys. That’s an all-timer right there.”

Schofield’s blast was the Angels’ seventh grand slam of the season and his second. But it might have been more than that. The Angels are hoping it’s a shot heard ‘round the AL West. A death blow to the Rangers, anyway.

“I guess I was in the right spot at the right time,” was all Schofield could manage to say.

He forgot to add, “On the right night.”

For most of the evening, the Tigers were staging a battle to see who got to be on the postgame radio show back to Detroit. And there were lots of candidates.

John Grubb had a shot because of his three-run homer in the first inning that got things rolling. Darrell Evans had the evening’s longest homer, a two-run blow in the third. And Chet Lemon was a front-runner thanks to a two-run double off the center-field fence in the fifth and a three-run homer to left in the seventh.

But all that happened before the Angels sent 10 batters to the plate in the ninth, with eight of them scoring in the team’s biggest inning of the year.

Schofield started it all with a single off shortstop Alan Trammell’s glove. One out later, Wally Joyner walked. Brian Downing blooped in a double that loaded the bases. Then Jack Howell doubled home two runs, and that was it for reliever Randy O’Neal (who had replaced starter Frank Tanana).

George Hendrick singled in Downing. Bobby Grich singled in Howell. Gary Pettis forced Grich, but Ruppert Jones, batting for Jerry Narron, drew a walk, bringing up Schofield for an at-bat he won’t soon forget.

Tanana gave up nine hits in his six innings of work, but he was leading by three runs before he threw a pitch, by four in the third inning and by seven in the fifth. He left with Detroit on top, 11-3.

Brian Downing, who had just three hits in his previous 25 at-bats and had seen his average plummet to a season-low .260, hit what appeared to be a fly ball to left with two out in the first and started trotting to first, shaking his head in disgust.

But it was Tanana who was disgusted a few seconds later, when the ball landed in the seats next to the left-field foul pole for the Angels’ first run.

The Tigers increased their advantage to 5-1 in the third and, maintaining their score-in-every-other-inning pace, got three more runs in the fifth. Two walks, a sacrifice and a fielder’s choice set up Lemon’s two-run double, and No. 9 hitter Mike Heath singled home Lemon to put the Tigers up, 8-1.

Then it seemed that Lemon had really turned things sour for the Angels with his fly-ball three-run homer in the seventh, and when Trammell added a solo shot in the eighth, the fans were leaving in droves.

The few who remained, however, will remember this one for a long time.

Angel Notes

Three hours before the first pitch Friday night, third baseman Doug DeCinces was celebrating his 36th birthday by sitting on the Anaheim Stadium field and sweating in the afternoon sun. DeCinces, who has battled lower back problems for years, goes through a stretching and exercise regimen before every game. “Every game is like the second game of a doubleheader for him,” Manager Gene Mauch said. “He’s does more work getting ready for a game than most ballplayers ever do in a game.” DeCinces’ back is feeling fine these days, and he’s obviously comfortable in the batter’s box, too. He has had 8 home runs, 14 runs and 20 RBIs in August through Thursday. He also was hitting .421 in the five games before Friday night to lift his average to .267, the highest it has been since April 22. “I do at least 20 minutes of stretching,” DeCinces said. “It’s an everyday ritual. And I’ve found it’s not worth it not to do it.” . . . Pitcher Ron Romanick, who figures to be one of the players recalled from Edmonton Monday when major league rosters can be expanded to 40 players, wasn’t exactly awe-inspiring Thursday night against Phoenix. He gave up 12 hits in 7 innings but did manage to allow just 1 earned run. . . . The Angels will pass the two-million mark in attendance tonight. It will be the seventh time they have reached that plateau and the fifth year in a row. . . . The sometimes-maligned Angel pitching staff took the league’s fourth best earned-run average (3.95) into Friday night’s game. Milwaukee (3.90), Kansas City (3.92) and Boston (3.94) were ahead of the Angels, who have never won a team ERA title.

HOW THEY DID IT

The eight-run rally in the ninth inning that gave the Angels a 13-12 win over the Detroit Tigers:

Tigers 12, Angels 5--O’Neal pitching.

Tigers 12, Angels 7--Schofield singled off shortstop Trammell’s glove. Burleson flied to center. Joyner walked. Downing singled to center, loading the bases. Howell doubled to right-center, Schofield and Joyner scoring with Downing stopping at third.

Tigers 12, Angels 8--Hernandez replaced O’Neal. Hendrick singled to left, Downing scoring with Howell stopping at third.

Tigers 12, Angels 9--Grich singled to left, Howell scoring with Hendrick stopping at second.

Angels 13, Tigers 12--Pettis forced Grich, Hendrick taking third. Pettis stole second. Jones, batting for Narron, walked, loading the bases. Schofield homered to left, his 12th.