A Huge Sacrifice, Boone’s Fast Feat Help Angels Win

Bob Boone, legendary baserunner, considered the feat of his feet during the Angels’ 6-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox Monday night and began to swagger.

“Yeah, I rank myself just behind Rickey Henderson,” said Boone, puffing out his chest. “Or maybe (John) Cangelosi. I’m always thinking stolen base. It’s my goal in life.”

To know Bob Boone is to know, when it comes to speed, that he ranks somewhere closer to Terry Forster and Tom Lasorda. Boone is 38 years old. He has caught nearly 1,800 major league games. His knees are adorned with four surgical scars.

Yet Monday, in the top of the seventh inning, Boone sparked a five-run Angel outburst with a play that would draw envy all the way from Henderson to Vince Coleman.

Bob Boone, Mr. Molasses, scored from second base on a sacrifice fly.

To left field.

Actually, it was left-center field. And it was a well-hit sacrifice fly--a drive into the gap off the bat of Ruppert Jones. But Chicago left fielder Cangelosi got to the ball, made the catch and, thus, was the guilty party.

Cangelosi had no chance to get the runner tagging up at third base, Dick Schofield. But Boone? Cangelosi could have run the ball in.

Instead, he decided to throw it--after much deliberation. Cangelosi took time to right himself on the warning track, face home plate, double-pump and then release the ball.

Boone, tagging and digging hard for third base, noticed Cangelosi’s hesitation out of the corner of his eye. So did third base coach Moose Stubing, who motioned Boone to keep moving.

At 5-6, 150 pounds, Cangelosi doesn’t have baseball’s strongest arm, and the throw by cutoff man Ozzie Guillen wasn’t much, but Boone made it a photo finish. Chicago catcher Carlton Fisk went up the line to receive the ball. Boone plowed into Fisk’s extended arm. The ball squirted loose.

Boone rolled over home plate, safe, with what would eventually prove the decisive run.

Two runs scored--on one sacrifice fly.

Gene Mauch, a big league manager for 25 years, had trouble recalling a similar sight.

“I haven’t seen that too often,” Mauch said, almost giggling. “And we’ll probably never hear the end of it from Boonie. He keeps wanting to steal a base. I keep telling him, ‘You’re 38, but you think you’re 28.’ ”

Boone’s burst gave the Angels a 6-0 lead--and the Angels would need every bit of it. Starter Urbano Lugo gave up two runs in the seventh inning and relievers Gary Lucas and Donnie Moore allowed three more in the eighth.

The blowout was blown away. By the bottom of the ninth, Chicago had the tying run on first base with two outs remaining.

The winning run was represented, first by .290-hitting Daryl Boston, and then by Harold Baines, Chicago’s home run and RBI leader.

Moore got both on fly balls to center, bringing a nervous end to the Angels’ 15th victory in their last 19 games. With the win, the Angels retained their first-place lead over the Texas Rangers at nine games and lowered their magic number to 11 games.

It was a strange game all around. On a cold, windy night at Comiskey Park, Boone didn’t produce the only oddity.

Consider that:

--The Angels found a fifth starter who could win a game. Since Ron Romanick was banished to Edmonton in late July, the No. 5 spot in the Angels’ rotation had produced a record of 1-6. But Lugo, making his first Angel appearance since undergoing January elbow surgery, earned this victory by allowing two runs on four hits in 6 innings.

--The Angels centered their five-run seventh inning around a wind-aided triple by Doug DeCinces, the ball being blown beyond the grasp of center fielder Boston; an error by third baseman Dave Cochrane; a single off second baseman Tim Hulett’s glove; and a single off pitcher Dave Schmidt’s shoe.

--The White Sox scored their first two runs on Cochrane’s first big league home run in the seventh.

--The White Sox rallied for three more runs in the eighth with the help of Angel reliever Gary Lucas, who couldn’t beat Boston to first base on a grounder behind the bag and then wild-pitched him to second; and DeCinces, who couldn’t field a grounder off the bat of Ron Karkovice.

Boston scored on a double by Ron Hassey, who scored on a single by Russ Morman. Karkovice accounted for Chicago’s fifth run, coming home on Guillen’s sacrifice fly to right field.

But the Angels staggered to victory as Moore finally closed down the White Sox in the ninth, earning his 19th save.

“I’m surprised the game was as clean as it was,” Mauch said. “It was a tough night to play ball.”

For Boone, it was a night to remember. He doesn’t figure to pass this way again.

“After I scored, I wanted to go back and get the ball,” Boone said, grinning. “When you talk about speed, I usually shut up and try to melt into the background. I never made a nickel in this game with speed.”

But Monday night, he made the Angels winners. Call him Flash Boone.

Angel Notes

Urbano Lugo has four major league victories. Three have come against the White Sox. “Maybe it’s the mound,” Gene Mauch said, trying to explain Lugo’s Chicago success. “He seems to be comfortable here. Tonight was a pleasant development.” . . . Add Lugo: He allowed three hits through six innings before walking Ozzie Guillen and surrendering a home run to Dave Cochrane with two outs in the seventh. At that point, Mauch brought in Gary Lucas from the bullpen. “He was losing a little bit of life on his fastball,” Bob Boone said. “He had a little ‘flip’ on the ball that he started to lose. It was the same velocity, but it’s a different ball to hit. (But) I was tickled to see him throw so well. I hope this game helps him in the future. This is what people expected from Lugo--and then he had the elbow surgery and was put on the backburner.”

Boone’s surprising score from second base on a sacrifice fly knocked Chicago catcher Carlton Fisk out of the game and drew the ire of White Sox Manager Jim Fregosi. Boone slid into Fisk’s glove hand, dislodging the ball and jamming Fisk’s thumb. “It wasn’t Fisk’s fault,” said Fregosi, who placed the blame on left fielder John Cangelosi. “Once you catch the ball, you’re supposed to throw it.” Said Boone: “When I tagged, I went as hard as I could into third. I glanced at Cangelosi and saw him double-pumping. I just relied on Moose (Stubing). I knew I wasn’t going to walk in. Fisk was up the line and on the inside. My knee, his glove and the ball all hit at the same time.” . . . By nearly blowing a 6-0 seventh-inning lead, the Angels fairly jogged Mauch’s memory. “I lost a six-run lead once in my life,” Mauch said. “Jim Gentile, in Triple-A in Indianapolis, beat us. With a home run. On Labor Day, 1958. Off Willard Nixon. In the ninth inning. With two outs.”

If it’s September, the Angels must be complaining about the schedule. Last year, the Angels griped over the fact they had to play their last 10 games on the road. This year, there is displeasure over how the Angels will open their final home stand. The Angels play host to Kansas City after playing a night game in Chicago and flying home. The Royals, meanwhile, had Monday off in Anaheim. “It’s a weird schedule,” Doug Corbett said. “A 6 o’clock game here and then a home game tomorrow? I’m sure the Royals had a nice off in Anaheim. I’m just glad we have a nine-game cushion and don’t have to play the Royals head-to-head (for the division championship)” . . . Injury Update: Kirk McCaskill still had some soreness in his right hip after falling on it while diving for a bunt attempt Sunday, but he is expected to make his next scheduled start Friday. Wally Joyner was available to play Monday, but Gene Mauch elected to keep Joyner’s tender right shoulder out of the cold Chicago weather. “It wouldn’t be good to bring Wally back on a cold night,” team therapist Roger Williams said. “We’ll get him back home, where it’s nice and warm, and he’ll be ready to go.”