When It Matters Most, A’s Have Enough Power to Defeat Angels, 8-2

That’s a nice new scoreboard the Angels have in left field--bright color, better-than-VCR quality. And the bench-clearing shoving match in the top of the fourth inning was an interesting extra touch.

But on the field, those were the same old Angels Friday night. More pitchers serving up more home runs, more baserunners running the offense out of big innings, more fielders botching routine plays, and one more loss, this by a score of 8-2 to the Oakland Athletics.

Before an Anaheim Stadium crowd of 45,586 at their home opener, the Angels lost for the third time in four games under Manager Cookie Rojas, as Kirk McCaskill couldn’t last six innings in his 1988 debut before getting into all sorts of trouble.

There was the two-run home run to Mark McGwire in the second inning, a line drive that found the seats just inside the right-field foul pole. There was the stunning fourth-inning home run by light-hitting Stan Javier, a man who entered this game with a .191 career batting average.

And in between those shots was the shot McCaskill delivered to McGwire’s left temple--an 0-and-2 fastball that plunked McGwire in the side of his head.

Retaliation for the home run of two innings earlier? McGwire apparently thought so at first. He began to approach the mound before McCaskill shook his head, a peacemaking gesture, and McGwire seemed ready for retreat.

Just then, the A’s bench emptied onto the field and, as these things go, so did the Angels’. For a while, everybody just stood around, as they do in a hockey fight, which must have struck former National Hockey League draft pick McCaskill as familiar. Finally, there was a little pushing, with the Angels’ Mike Witt and Oakland’s Carney Lansford right in the middle of it, before the umpires could part the masses.

McGwire was removed from the game by Manager Tony LaRussa for precautionary reasons and claimed he felt all right afterward.

“I’m fine, there are no problems,” McGwire said.

But he remained incensed over the beaning, despite the apology McCaskill offered during his postgame interview.

McCaskill: “I feel sick about it. That’s not part of my mind. I would never, ever do that on purpose. He was in no mood for an apology at the time, so I’m telling him right now, it was unintentional. I’m just happy Mark’s OK, because that’s a very sickening thing.”

McGwire: “I don’t care if he was trying to hit me or not. The problem is, he hit me square in the head. The pitch was a beeline right for my skull, and I had no chance to get away.

“I’ve been in the league a year and four days, and I’ve been hit in the head twice. It’s not going to happen again.”

McCaskill was asked about the delayed reaction of the A’s bench, which spilled onto the field just before it appeared McGwire would walk to first base without altercation.

“I don’t really remember everything that happened,” he said. “It was like I was in a dream--a nightmare. In the heat of the moment, everybody assumed I did it on purpose.

“If somebody hit Wally (Joyner) in the head, I’m sure we’d be mad about it, too.”

Rojas said the pushing started when LaRussa accused McCaskill of hitting McGwire in response to the home run.

“Tony started agitating, (saying), ‘He threw at him because of the home run,’ ” Rojas said. “I told him he was full of it. Nobody’s going to accuse one of my pitchers of throwing at some one. I don’t believe in hitting anybody in the head--ever.”

LaRussa: “I don’t think he hit him on purpose, but he got careless and that’s bad enough.”

LaRussa said he took McGwire out of the game because “there was some discoloration and a little blood. The head is a dangerous area.”

The A’s attack suffered little without McGwire. Before the fourth inning was over, Javier would strike his third big league home run, and by the seventh inning, Jose Canseco had introduced himself to Angel rookie reliever Frank DiMichele with a towering two-run home run to center field.

Lansford added another two-run homer, off Stewart Cliburn in the ninth inning, giving the A’s four home runs for the evening.

McCaskill lasted 5 innings. In his first start since last Sept. 4, when a sore elbow forced him out of the rotation, McCaskill threw 93 pitches and allowed 4 earned runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He struck out 2.

McCaskill’s cause wasn’t helped much by his teammates.

In the top of the sixth, right fielder Chili Davis overran a sinking line drive by Dave Parker, watching the ball bound behind him to the wall for a triple. Parker didn’t score, but McCaskill only faced three batters after the play.

More poor running, this on the basepaths, proved faulty in the second inning when the Angels put together two singles and a double against Storm Davis (1-0)--and came away with just one run.

This can happen when Jack Howell is on second base, Bob Boone is on first and Dick Schofield hits a deep fly ball that caroms right off the top of the center-field fence. Holding up to see just what the ball might do--be caught or fall over the fence--Howell had to hustle to the plate and prevent Boone from running up his back.

Boone had to retreat to third base, where he was stationed when Mark McLemore lofted a one-out fly ball to middle-depth right field. Potential sacrifice fly. But Boone hesitated after tagging up, and he who hesitates is often hung out to dry.

Right fielder Canseco’s throw home beat Boone by 10 feet, and all Boone could do was stop in his tracks, backpedal and await catcher Ron Hassey’s tag.

Double play . . . and a big opportunity had been wasted by the Angels.

A home opener was well on its way to the same resolution--wasted. Angel highlights on the new scoreboard will have to wait for another day.

Angel Notes

Anaheim Stadium unveiled its Sony Jumbotron color scoreboard, which replaces the sepia-and-white “Rhinestone Vision” that served the Angels and Rams for eight years. The 26-foot board, which features color player mug shots, replays, animation and, yes, commercials, is part of a $5.3-million scoreboard system consisting of seven panels. Also new are two black-and-white matrix boards in right field and above home plate, two auxiliary boards along both baselines and two outfield boards charting out-of-town games in progress. The old board? “It’s been scrapped,” said Kevin Uhlich, Angel manager of stadium operations who no longer has to answer questions about that nice color scoreboard that the Dodgers have.

Angel catcher Bob Boone received his 1987 Gold Glove before Friday’s game. It was the fifth Gold Glove of Boone’s career and his third with the Angels. Boone then walked to the edge of the Angel dugout to receive the ceremonial first pitch from his former manager, Gene Mauch. Mauch was greeted by a brief, but standing, ovation. . . . Friday’s crowd of 45,586 was the largest ever for an Angel home opener. . . . Johnny Ray was back in the lineup after removing himself from Thursday’s game in the second inning because of a pulled muscle in his rib cage.