McGwire Gets Even, and A’s Get Win Over Angels

Deciding it infinitely better to hit than to be hit, the Oakland Athletics’ Mark McGwire avenged his Friday night beaning by Kirk McCaskill 24 hours later, waiting for precisely the proper moment before evening the ledger with one monstrous stroke of his bat.

That wasn’t McCaskill on the mound when McGwire stepped to the plate in the top of the ninth inning, but it was an Angel pitcher--Donnie Moore, to be exact--and for McGwire, that was enough. McGwire crushed the first pitch he saw into the left-field seats for a three-run home run that gave the A’s an 8-6 come-from-behind victory over the Angels before 44,314 at Anaheim Stadium.

McGwire’s home run, his second in as many nights, capped a four-run Oakland rally after the Angels had scored three times in the bottom of the eighth to take a 6-4 lead.

Before McGwire, it had been a great evening for pinch-hitters, young and old.

Oakland rookie Doug Jennings, a former property of the Angel farm system, delivered his first big league hit in the eighth inning, a three-run pinch-double that gave the A’s a momentary 4-3 advantage.

Then, in the eighth, 38-year-old Bill Buckner stroked the 2,600th career hit, a two-run pinch single that highlighted a three-run Angel outburst.

And then, in the top of the ninth, another former member of the Angels’ organization, name of Don Baylor, helped set the stage for McGwire. With one run in and Dave Parker on first base, Baylor pinch-hit for Steve Ontiveros and laced a single to right.

That brought up McGwire to face Moore, the Angels’ third pitch of the night. One pitch . . . and sweet vengeance was McGwire’s.

The victory improved the A’s record to 4-1, while dropping the Angels to 1-4. It was Angels’ third straight defeat, a loss in which the Angels failed to hold a 3-0 for Mike Witt.

Mark McLemore, the Angels’ new leadoff hitter, had a hand in each of the three runs the Angels scored in the first two innings.

McLemore opened the game by drawing a leadoff walk from Oakland starter Dave Stewart and sprinted to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run play by Johnny Ray, who bounced a single through the infield hole vacated by shortstop Walt Weiss.

Stewart then balked McLemore home and Ray to second base, his first of three balks this night. Stewart went on to walk Wally Joyner and Brian Downing but pitched out of the inning by striking out Jack Howell.

McLemore used a more unusual tactic to make it 3-0 in the second inning. After Bob Boone walked and Dick Schofield struck out, McLemore hammered a two-run home run into the second deck--yes, the (start ital) second (end ital) deck--in right field. Unquestionably the longest hit of his brief big-league career, it was only McLemore’s second home run as a major leaguer.

Suffice it to say, the Angels didn’t move Ray from second base to the outfield in order to accomodate McLemore’s power bat. But better run production was the idea--regardless of the method.

For the next five innings, the Angels did nothing against Stewart, merely watching the A’s gradually chip away at the lead.

Oakland ended Mike Witt’s shutout bid in the fifth inning when Tony Phillips singled, moved to third base on a pair of outs and scored on a sigle to left field by Carney Lansford.

Witt pitched out of a bases loaded situation in the sixth and worked his way into the eighth, where more trouble--and Manager Cookie Rojas’ hook--awaited. After surrendering a one-out single to Ron Hassey, Witt was removed by Rojas and replaced by DeWayne Buice.

Ontiveros pinch-ran for Hassey and immediately wound his way to second base on a single by McGwire. Ontiveros then took third when Terry Steinbach hit into a double-play grounder.

Buice needed just one more out to wriggle out of the inning, but never found it. Instead, he walked both Phillips and Stan Javier to load the bases. Then, came Jennings, who stroked a three-run double to right field, turning a 3-2 Angel lead into a 4-3 Oakland advantage.

The hit also meant the end for Buice, who was replaced by Moore. And Moore finally ended the top of the eighth by retiring Lansford on a fly to right.

The ninth inning would not be as kind to Moore. After surrendering singles to the first three Oakland hitters he faced, Moore then surrendered the bomb to McGwire.

He was unable to finish the ninth, leaving with one out and one runner on base. When he left, Moore was escorted to the dugout by boos.

The Angels had lost their third straight. And McGwire, to his way of thinking, was 1-1 in Anaheim.

Angel Notes

In the Oakland clubhouse, Mark McGwire remained miffed over the pitch that got away from McCaskill Friday night and beaned McGwire in the side of the helmet. “I saw the video last night, and the ball was not even close to the plate,” McGwire said. “I read in the paper that (McCaskill) is not that kind of guy and that he was not throwing at me. I believe that. But the thing is, he did it--he hit me in the head.” At the time, McGwire said he considered charging the mound and going after McCaskill. “I wanted to do something,” he said, “but the umpire was there. The next time it happens, there will be no hesitation. I’m going to be out there.” . . . McCaskill held a pregame press conference to announce the formation of of a fund-raising project he calls the Kirk McCaskill “Strike Out Hunger Foundation.” McCaskill says he will donate $20 for every batter he strikes out this season to the foundation, which will distribute food in Orange County. McCaskill will also sponsor a charity biathalon and casino night, to raise money for the same purpose.

Angel relief pitcher Greg Minton will test his sore elbow Monday by throwing for the first time in two weeks. “My arm feels perfect,” Minton said. “Of course, that’s because I haven’t picked up a baseball in 12 days. It stopped hurting two or three days ago, and I hope that’s healed it. Hopefully, I can start spring training in two days.” Minton said it would be at least another 10 days before he’ll be ready to return from the disabled list--and probably longer. “I imagine I’ll need to throw on the sideline every other day at least five times,” Minton said. “And I’m sure there’ll be some simulated games, too. Basically, I haven’t thrown in five weeks now. I’m pretty much down to zero arm strength. So, it’s going to take some time.