Al Nipper Nearly Gets His Shutout

Al Nipper of the Boston Red Sox still is looking for his first major league shutout.

The Texas Rangers are just looking for a winning formula in the second week of the 1987 American League season.

Nipper came within five outs of the elusive shutout Tuesday before settling for the victory in the Red Sox’ 4-1 decision over the Rangers.

Nipper’s flirtation with his first shutout in 79 starts with the Red Sox ended with Pete Incaviglia’s home run with one out in the eighth inning.

“I was thinking shutout all the way when I went out there for the eighth inning, but it wasn’t to be--again,” Nipper said. “I can’t worry about shutouts, though. Winning the game is most important. It’s the only thing the matters.”

The Rangers know only too well what Nipper means. They managed nine hits, including the homer and three doubles, and collected four walks, two from reliever Calvin Schiraldi in the ninth. However, they left 11 runners on base in dropping to 1-6 with their fifth loss in a row.

“Our emotion and competitiveness have been there, we’re just lacking a little bit of killer instinct,” Texas Manager Bobby Valentine said. “I think our guys can put things in the right perspective. We’ve got a long season ahead. There’s a lot of baseball to play yet. We’ll be all right.”

Nipper, whose last complete game victory at Fenway Park was in an 11-1 romp over Toronto on Sept. 18, 1985, threw 142 pitches in eight innings before turning over the job to Schiraldi, who struggled through the ninth for his first save.

“I didn’t think I threw that many pitches and I was surprised when the manager (John McNamara) told me after the eighth,” Nipper, 1-0, said. “I had a good fast ball, slider and screwball today, but the curve may have been my best pitch. It got me out of a couple of jams.”

Nipper retired Texas in order in the seventh, then got Pete O’Brien to start the eighth. Incaviglia followed by hitting a 3-2 pitch off the wall at the flagpole in center for his third homer.

“He really tatooed that ball,” Nipper said. “It was home run all the way. There was nothing cheap about that one. They should have got two runs for that one, it was crushed so hard.”

Nipper, who had a 1-2 record with a 9.00 earned run average in spring training, struck out five and walked two in his most impressive outing since last year.

“This game definitely will be a big help for me going into my next game,” he said. “Now I know my stuff is there and I’m not as erratic as I was this spring.”

The right-hander, who just turned 28, also dismissed the five strikeouts, claiming he doesn’t have “the overpowering stuff to pitch over the plate.”

“If I’m going to pitch it over the plate, you can start the showers while I’m warming up,” he said.

“It’s not like the guy’s a strikeout pitcher or anything, but he finds ways to get people out,” Valentine said.

Designated hitter Don Baylor gave Nipper all the offensive support needed with a three-run homer, his third, with two out in the first inning against Texas starter Ed Correa, 0-1.

“He challenged me with a fast ball high in the strike zone on a 3-2 count and as soon as I hit it I knew it was out,” said Baylor, who broke an 0-15 slump with his first homer Sunday against Toronto.

Baylor also had a single, moving him to within 13 hits of his goal of 2,000 for his career.

“I can’t think about it, but getting 2,000 hits means a lot to me,” he said. “Last year it was getting 300 home runs. I made it. This year it’s getting 2,000. Every year it’s something different.”

The Red Sox, 3-4, wind up their first home stand of the season today, sending southpaw Bruce Hurst to the mount. Hurst, a two-hit shutout victor over Toronto last Friday, was due to be opposed by the Rangers’ Charlie Hough, a veteran knuckleballer with an 0-1 record.