Oakland Gets Relief and Baltimore Goes Plunk

Eric Plunk, whose earned run average climbed to 5.84 before his demotion to the minor leagues, returned to the majors Tuesday with an overpowering and almost perfect pitching performance for the Oakland Athletics.

He struck out the first batter he faced, leaving the potential tying run a third base, and totaled four strikeouts in saving a 9-7 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander allowed only one base runner, on a walk in the eighth inning, over 3 innings as he earned his first big-league save.

“Pitching in relief is a little more of a sudden-death thing. You have to come in and get your best stuff over the plate right away,” Plunk said. “I like the challenge.”

He was in the A’s starting rotation when the season began. He had a 1-4 record to go with his unsightly ERA when the team sent him to Tacoma of the Pacific Coast League early this summer to become a reliever.

“He was throwing up around 94 miles an hour,” Baltimore Manager Cal Ripken Sr. said.

“He can be overpowering as a reliever and we still feel he could be a good starter,” Oakland Manager Tony La Russa said, adding that Plunk figures to work strictly in short relief in the A’s pennant drive.

Jay Howell, who was the team’s top short reliever up until mid-summer, went on the disabled list Monday and was replaced on the roster by Plunk, who had nine saves, a 1.56 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 34 innings with Tacoma.

“I cut out my windup and throw basically from a stretch all the time now, and I threw out a few pitches, too. Now I throw almost all fastballs and curves, although I still have a slider,” Plunk said. “I’ve been throwing strikes and adjusting to the mental part of the role.

“This is like a new life for me.”

Baltimore had 10 hits including two of the game’s five homers before Plunk entered the game.

Steve Henderson and Mickey Tettleton hit two-run homers in a six-run, fifth-inning rally which sent the A’s ahead to stay.

The A’s went ahead 8-4 in the fifth, but Baltimore came back in the sixth with three runs, two scoring on Lee Lacy’s two-out triple. Lacy was on third base when Plunk came out of the bullpen to strike out Billy Ripken on three pitches.

The A’s got an insurance run in the seventh on Terry Steinbach’s sacrifice fly.

The victory went to Curt Young, 11-6, who won for the first time since July 25. The loser was Eric Bell, 9-10.

Henderson, who drove in three runs, tied the score 4-4 in the fifth by hitting his third homer of the season after Tony Bernazard walked with one out. The A’s went ahead on Mike Davis’ two-out bloop double which scored Jose Canseco, who had walked, and Mark McGwire, who doubled.

Tettleton’s homer, his seventh, was off reliever Mark Williamson. The Athletics’ first seven runs were charged to Bell.

Young allowed nine hits and six runs in 5 1-3 innings. The left-hander gave up his 28th and 29th homers of the year. Fred Lynn hit a two-run homer, his 20th, in the fourth, and Lacy hit his sixth, also a two-run shot, in the fifth.

Oakland’s Carney Lansford hit his 14th homer leading off in the fourth.