American League Roundup : Toronto Pitcher Finds Key to Success Early

Toronto pitcher Jimmy Key was happy just to get past the first batter--much less the first game--Monday.

The Blue Jays’ left-hander, who failed to record an out in his first start of 1986, when he gave up five runs on only 16 pitches, retired Tony Bernazard to begin the 1987 season and took it from there. He lasted six innings this time, allowing just three hits, and beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-3, before a crowd of 40,404 at Toronto.

“As soon as I got Bernazard for that first out today, I felt I was way ahead of last year,” Key said. “I’ll tell you one thing, 1-0 is a lot better than 0-3 with a 13.27 ERA, which I was last year after my first six starts. I really wanted to get that first win out of the way. Last year, it took me until May 11.”

Mark Eichhorn and Tom Henke provided relief help for Key, while Lloyd Moseby supplied much of the offense with a home run and three runs batted in. The Blue Jays had 11 hits, seven of which went for extra bases, including a home run by Willie Upshaw.

Tom Candiotti, a right-handed knuckleballer, took the loss for the Indians, giving up six runs and eight hits in five innings.

“I couldn’t get my best pitch over and I couldn’t come in with my curve because it was no good,” Candiotti said. “I stuck with my knuckleball but it was the worst knuckleball I’ve had in a long time.”

Cory Snyder hit a home run for Cleveland.

Milwaukee 5, Boston 1--Bob Stanley, an unlikely opening day starter for the Red Sox, gave up three runs and nine hits in 4 innings as defending American League champions lost to the Brewers before a crowd of 52,285 at Milwaukee.

Stanley, primarily a reliever throughout his major league career, started in place of Roger Clemens, who ended a 29-day holdout last weekend, and Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd and Bruce Hurst, who are injured.

Stanley’s troubles began early as Paul Molitor led off the bottom of the first with a triple and Robin Yount followed with an RBI single to give Milwaukee a 1-0 lead.

“(I thought), here we go,” said Stanley, who was making only his second start since 1980. “First batter up, a triple. I knew I wasn’t going to get out of that. I’m not a strikeout pitcher. I know it doesn’t show in the box score, but I think I did OK.”

Ted Higuera, 20-11 last season and second to Clemens in voting for the Cy Young Award, held the Red Sox scoreless on six hits for seven innings before giving way to Mark Clear. Boston got its only run in the ninth off Dan Plesac.

Yount drove in two runs with a single and a double, Molitor had a double and a triple, and Jim Gantner had three hits to pace the Brewers’ 12-hit attack. They are the only three players left in the Brewers’ starting lineup from the 1982 league championship team.

New York 2, Detroit 1--The Yankees got their first opening day road victory since 1969 as Rickey Henderson doubled home Claudell Washington with two out in the 10th inning at Detroit.

Jack Morris took a six-hitter into the 10th for the Tigers before giving up two-out singles to Washington and Wayne Tolleson. Henderson then drilled a 1-and-1 pitch into the right-center field gap for the game-winning hit.

Dave Righetti earned the victory with three innings of one-hit relief. Dennis Rasmussen worked the first seven innings for the Yankees, allowing four hits while striking out three batters and walking one.

Larry Herndon hit a long home run for Detroit in the sixth inning to tie the game, 1-1.

The ball would have gone more than 500 feet had it not struck the screen atop the upper-deck facade in center field.

The center field wall is 440 feet from home plate and Herndon’s shot was just beginning its downward arc when it hit the screen.

Baltimore 2, Texas 1--The Orioles, playing at Baltimore, gave Cal Ripken Sr. a win in his first game as a major league manager. Larry Sheets’ sacrifice fly with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth scored pinch-runner Rene Gonzales.

Gonzales, from Glendale College and Cal State Los Angeles, reached third base when Texas reliever Greg Harris threw a wild pickoff attempt to first. Terry Kennedy and pinch-hitter Jim Dwyer were then walked intentionally to bring up Sheets.

Interestingly, Sheets’ name was inadvertently skipped when Baltimore’s non-starters were introduced to the Memorial Stadium crowd of 51,650. The announcer later acknowledged Sheets.

Chicago 5, Kansas City 4--Harold Baines and Tim Hulett each had run-scoring singles in a four-run second inning as the White Sox, who were involved in 52 one-run games last season, won at Kansas City.

Dick Howser, who is battling a cancerous brain tumor and stepped down as the Royals’ manager Feb. 23, received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of more than 38,000 when he was introduced from the press box in the sixth inning.

George Brett hit a home run for the Royals.