BASEBALL MISCELLANY

Getting the word:

A week ago Saturday, the New York Yankees traded Joe Niekro to the Minnesota Twins for catcher Mark Salas, which seemed a little strange. A few days earlier, the Yankees had set a single-game club record by stealing seven bases against Salas.

How did Salas get the word that he had been traded?

Salas was behind the plate in the 12th inning of the Twins’ game against the Texas Rangers when Ranger Manager Bobby Valentine was told of a radio report from New York that the deal had been made.

Valentine immediately approached umpire Durwood Merrill, at which point Salas picks up the story:

“He came out and said something about how I wasn’t supposed to be playing. I said, ‘Durwood, what’s this about?’

“He said, ‘You’ve been traded to the Yankees.’

“I said, ‘What?’

“He said, ‘You’ve been traded to the Yankees. It’s a great opportunity.’ ”

The stunned Salas was allowed to finish the game, won by the Twins in the 13th.

The trade was then formally announced and Salas said goodby to a team that quickly moved into first in its division to join a team that quickly fell out of first in its division.

Some opportunity.

Postscript: Tim Laudner, who had never caught a knuckleball, was left to try to catch Niekro’s. His first pitch as a Twin struck his new catcher on the wrist.

Two wild pitches, however, failed to mar Niekro’s victory, after which first baseman Kent Hrbek congratulated Laudner and showed his hockey background by saying: “Hey, you looked like Gump Worsley out there tonight.”

“Yeah,” Laudner replied, “but Worsley didn’t have to wear a mask.”