For the Cy, He’s a Few Runs Shy : Charlie Leibrandt May Be the Best, but Won’t Get Award

Charlie Leibrandt is arguably the best pitcher in the American League, but the Kansas City left-hander is hardly a favorite to win the Cy Young Award. His earned run average (2.91) may be the league’s best, but Leibrandt would have to leap frog a dozen other pitchers to finish the season with the most wins.

Leibrandt got his 14th win Monday at Anaheim Stadium and it was--for him, anyway--a relatively easy 5-2 victory over the Angels.

Leibrandt sat in the dugout during the fourth inning and watched his teammates provide him with a rare luxury--a three-run lead.

Now to some--say a guy who pitches for Detroit or Milwaukee--getting three runs on the board is something you expect by the second inning. But for Leibrandt, it’s once-a-month occurrence. In 11 of his starts this season, the Royals have scored two or fewer runs.

“There’s no doubt about it, his record should be better,” Manager John Wathan said. “The thing about Charlie is that when he’s pitching, you know if you score, you have a great chance of winning.”

Unfortunately for the Royals, who have scored fewer runs than any team in the league, that’s a very large “if.”

Leibrandt, the kind of guy who would defend the Royals’ batters if he lost a no-hitter, isn’t complaining, though.

“I think the time to look at a season from a personal basis is when it’s over. Maybe then I’ll be able to look back and say it was a pretty good season. But I tasted champagne with these guys back in ’85 and anything less than another division title is a disappointment.”

The Angels aren’t too upset that Leibrandt won’t be making any more appearances in Anaheim Stadium, where he has a 4-1 lifetime mark. He wasn’t particularly overpowering Monday--the Angels collected seven hits off him--but none when they really needed them.

“Charlie’s a master out there,” Wathan said. “The way he moves the ball in and out and changes speeds, he’s a master.”

Leibrandt certainly squirmed out of big trouble in the sixth.

Big Trouble--Dick Schofield lined a shot over center fielder Willie Wilson’s head and Wally Joyner singled him home to trim the Royals’ lead to 4-2. Brian Downing followed with a single to left.

The Squirm--Leibrandt induced DeCinces to chase a change-up and pop up to shallow left. “The change is my bread-and-butter pitch but this one was high and over the plate,” Leibrandt said, “but I got him out on his front foot and he couldn’t do anything with it.”

Leibrandt came back with a fastball on the fists to get Johnny Ray on a pop-up to second. He walked George Hendrick to load the bases, bringing up Tony Armas and a lot of grand-slam wishes in the stands. Leibrandt had another idea, however, and he struck out Armas, who watched one strike and swung feebly at two others.

“I made some awfully tough pitches on those two guys,” Leibrandt said, coming scandalously close to bragging. “I can’t throw all change-ups and I came in with a good fastball to Ray. Then I got Armas to swing over one, watch a fastball on the corner and then chase a low change-up.

“It was the part of the game when I had to do something.”

Sounds simple enough. Now, if the Royals’ batters could just figure out the part of the game when they have to do something, Leibrandt might spend next offseason polishing his Cy Young Award.