BASEBALL MISCELLANY

Numbers

If Dave Righetti fails to save the New York Yankees’ season on his own, it won’t be for lack of trying. He has converted his last 21 save opportunities for a total of 38, breaking Sparky Lyle’s club record of 36.

The Detroit Tigers may become only the second team in American League history to hit 200 home runs in two consecutive seasons. The Tigers need 19 in their last 19 games to match the accomplishment of the Minnesota Twins in 1963-64.

The New York Mets are 23-6 in games started by Ron Darling, who is 13-5. “Even my mom would have a .500 record if she pitched for this team,” Darling said.

Although the present continues to collapse on the young Texas Rangers, the future still looks bright. Outfielder Ruben Sierra, 20, has been moved into the No. 3 spot in the batting order by virtue of his .348 batting average, 5 home runs, 6 doubles and 20 RBIs in a 26-game span through Thursday. And Bobby Witt, only a year removed from the Oklahoma campus, has begun to find his control, yielding only 13 walks in the 24 innings of his last four starts, a span in which he has struck out 28 and permitted just 8 earned runs. The Rangers, 6-13 in Witt’s first 19 starts, are 8-0 in his last eight.

Obscured by Mike Schmidt’s bid for the home run and RBI titles in the National League has been Schmidt’s Gold Glove season at third base. He has made no errors since Aug. 2, one since June 22 and only eight for the season, two of those at first base.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were 56-82 through Thursday but had been outscored only 592-585. The St. Louis Cardinals had been outscored only 524-521, though opponents had 69 more homers (114-45).

The Boston Red Sox remained 11th in the American League in home runs at 127 but had hit 52 in their last 40 games through Thursday, 34 in their last 21, and 12 in their last 4. Jim Rice, whose customary 100 RBIs may be complemented by 200 hits and a career-high batting average, hit two grand slams and a three-run homer in a six-game span that began last weekend. Steve Garvey, who will be 38 in December, had 21 home runs through Thursday, the first time he has had 20 or more since hitting 26 in 1980.