ATHLETICS ADD TO ANGELS’ WORRIES WITH 7-6 WIN : Collision Leaves the A’s Shaken and Short-handed

It was one of those moments that will remain frozen in the memories of most who watched the flight of Gary Pettis’ drive to right-center Wednesday.

Pettis led off the fifth inning of the Athletics’ 7-6 victory over the Angels with a line drive to the gap in right-center. Oakland center fielder Dwayne Murphy and right fielder Mike Davis sprinted toward the spot where the ball would fall. At the last second, Davis started to slide. He reached up and got his glove on the ball just as Murphy’s knee slammed into his head.

Davis’ head snapped back like a fighter walking into a straight right. Murphy flipped through the air, then they both lay motionless on the grass as the ball rolled to the warning track and Pettis circled the bases for an inside-the-park homer.

In the dugout, A’s Manager Tony LaRussa saw the 1987 season pass before his eyes.

“It was scary, scary as hell,” LaRussa said. “When two guys that big (Davis is 6-feet 3-inches, 185 pounds and Murphy is 6-1, 185) are moving at full speed, it creates a hell of a lot of force. And those two guys are tough as nails. They don’t play any little games. So when they didn’t get up and tip their hats, I got a real scary feeling.”

Davis, who was unconscious for a couple of minutes, was lifted onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. He was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange and was diagnosed as having a concussion.

Murphy, who injured his right knee--it was his left that hit Davis’ head on the play--was taken to the same hospital for X-rays, which were negative. Murphy returned to Oakland Wednesday, but Davis was scheduled to stay longer for observation.

“When Mike first came to, he didn’t remember anything about the collision,” LaRussa said. “He seemed OK otherwise--he had a small cut--but he had no recollection of what happened.

“He called me Billy . . . I don’t know if that meant Martin or Williams.”

LaRussa managed a smile. Then he thought about how close he came to losing two-thirds of his starting outfield and shook his head.

After the collision, shortstop Alfredo Griffin ran out to his fallen teammates, took one look at Davis and ran screaming and waving toward the dugout.

“Oh man,” Griffin said after the game, still obviously shaken. “The ball was hit right in the middle. There was no chance for anyone to call it. When I tried to talk to Mike and he didn’t say anything, I ran to get a doctor.”

Second baseman Tony Phillips was the first player to get to Davis. He cradled the right fielder’s head in his arms for a few seconds before signaling for help.

“Mike was moving, but he wasn’t conscious when I first got to him,” Phillips said.

“Part of it was lack of communication because neither one of them called for it. But it took a great play for both of them to even get there.”

Oakland’s third starting outfielder, Jose Canseco, was sidelined with the flu, so LaRussa was forced into a defensive juggling act. Only pitcher Curt Young, catcher Mickey Tettleton and Griffin remained in the same positions after the game resumed.

Phillips moved from second to left field, Stan Javier from left to center, and Mark McGwire from first to right. In the infield, Ron Cey became the first baseman and Johnnie LeMaster the third baseman, and Mike Gallego went from third to second.

“It was devastating to the club,” designated hitter Reggie Jackson said. “I’ve never seen that many defensive changes on one play.”

Jackson, a veteran of 20 major league seasons, said he had never seen a more violent collision on a baseball diamond, either.

“If one of those guys would have been built like Pettis, he really could have been seriously hurt,” Jackson said. “I had one with Paul Blair that ended up as an inside-the-park homer, but we both eventually walked off after a while.

“This was the worst I’ve ever seen.”