Power Recalls Koufax’s Advice and Gets Results

Ted Power wasn’t thinking about Don Drysdale when he stepped up on the mound Sunday in Anaheim Stadium. But he was thinking about Sandy Koufax.

The Kansas City right-hander, who came up to the majors in the Dodger organization, had not allowed a run in 18 innings going into the game against the Angels. Drysdale holds the major league record with 58 consecutive scoreless innings.

“Are you kidding me?” Power said, laughing. “Not in my wildest dreams would I think about that record.”

But he often reminds himself of something Koufax once told him.

“Sandy was a big influence on me,” said Power, who broke in with the Dodgers in 1981. “He took me aside once and told me to quit worrying about the front office and just pitch the way I want to pitch. They always wanted you to strictly follow the scouting report, and it’s a terrible feeling to pitch the way they want and get beat. He told me to pitch the way I felt would work.”

So Power remembered what Sandy told him and then went out and blew through the Angels’ lineup in an outing that would have made either Koufax or Drysdale proud.

He lost the scoreless inning streak in the first, when Wally Joyner hit a two-run homer, but he retired 20 in a row during one stretch as the Royals defeated the Angels, 6-4. Power (4-1) went 8 innings, allowed only 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 7 without issuing a walk.

“We felt (reliever Gene) Garber needed an inning of work because he’d gone six days without throwing,” Royal Manager John Wathan said. “That’s the only reason we took Ted out.

“He was just outstanding again. I wasn’t worried about the shaky first because he’s been pitching so well lately. He didn’t let the bad start affect him and that’s the sign of a confident pitcher.”

So what’s the secret to Power’s recent success?

“I’ve quit trying to throw hard and just let them hit it,” he said.

OK, so maybe Koufax and Drysdale might consider that theory a little weird, but even dominating power pitchers can relate to what Power is trying to say.

“He’s staying within himself, not trying to overthrow and he’s throwing strikes,” Wathan said. “Plus, he’s been able to make the big pitch when he’s had to.”

It’s all added up to an impressive first season in the American League for Power, who was traded to the Royals along with shortstop Kurt Stillwell for pitcher Danny Jackson and infielder Angel Salazar during the off-season.

Power, who lost his last six games with Cincinnati in 1987 while the Reds scored a total of nine runs in those games, said he was excited about the trade because, “I was looking for a breath of fresh air.”

“I went to Kansas State, and that part of the woods is thick with family and friends,” Power said. “My only regret was that my daughter (Lauren) is in school, so my wife and kids have to wait until school’s out to move.”

For a while, however, the move to Kansas City wasn’t exactly a dream come true. Power figured he’d either be “the short relief guy or the No. 5 starter” for the Royals, but he came out of spring training in limbo. He became a starter when Wathan went from a four-man rotation to a five-man alignment in mid-May.

Power came away from his first three starts without a decision, even though he left with 4-2 leads in two of them. He has won three in a row since, including back-to-back shutouts of Seattle and Oakland. His earned-run average in his six starts is 2.70.

Power wasn’t upset that he lost a shot at a third consecutive complete game.

“I’ve gone the distance the last two times out, so maybe it’s better that I wasn’t taxed so much today,” he said.

After facing the first two Angel hitters, it appeared there might be a Power shortage on this Sunday. Brian Downing hit a drive that one-hopped the wall in left-center and Joyner followed with the homer.

“Nobody likes to start out two runs down, but I didn’t panic,” Power said. “I just told myself to stop rushing toward the plate and relax.”

Power relaxed and the Angel bats fell into a stupor.

“I’m on a roll and it feels great because I want this team to have confidence in me,” he said. “I don’t want them to think they have to score a bunch of runs when I pitch.”

Sort of the way the Dodgers used to feel when Drysdale or Koufax pitched.