Buckner Reminds Angels of a Big Mistake : He Returns to Anaheim and Gets Three Key Hits as Royals Win, 6-4

Everybody has his own personal memory of Bill Buckner.

In Chicago, he’s remembered as the 1980 National League batting champion. In Boston, he’s remembered for, well, The Ground Ball, that cataclysmic 1986 World Series moment. And in Anaheim, he’s remembered as the man the Angels released in order to make room for Junior Noboa.

A few heads are still being scratched over that last one.

In his new allegiance with the Kansas City Royals, Buckner returned to Anaheim Stadium Sunday afternoon and in four at-bats delivered a home run, a single and a two-run double, accounting for half his team’s run production during a 6-4 victory over the Angels.

That left Buckner with season totals of 3 home runs--or as many as Wally Joyner has--and 20 RBIs--which is one fewer than Brian Downing has.

And Noboa? The utility infielder/pinch-runner Angel Manager Cookie Rojas chose to keep on his roster instead of Buckner retains an .071 batting average. That’s one hit in 14 at-bats. And no RBIs.

On the same day the Angels released Buckner (May 6), they also recalled Chico Walker from Edmonton, making Walker, in a roundabout way, a replacement for Buckner. Indeed, Rojas often uses Walker as his No. 1 pinch-hitter against right-handed pitchers--Buckner’s old job--as he did in the eighth inning Sunday.

Walker is currently batting .161 with no home runs and 1 RBI. As a pinch-hitter, he’s 0 for 8.

Yes, another great roster move in Angel history.

If Buckner wondered about the rationale behind such a decision a month ago, he has since occupied himself with happier thoughts.

“It’s like I died and went to heaven,” Buckner said, grinning from beneath his blue Royal cap. “That’s the only way I can describe it. How many times do you get released by one team and sign with another that’s higher in the standings-- and end up playing more?”

Sunday, Buckner started at first base for Kansas City and, after hitting his home run in the top of the fourth inning, took a hit away from the Angels in the bottom of the fourth. Diving to his right, Buckner gloved a sharp one-hopper by Chili Davis, rose to his knees and tossed to pitcher Ted Power for the out at first base.

That play seemed to please Buckner as much as any of his three hits.

“I really don’t think Cookie felt I could play any more,” Buckner said. “I felt that way all through spring training. He was afraid to play me in the field.

“With (Royal Manager) John Wathan, I think he has confidence in my defense. He thinks I do a good job out there.”

In the Angel clubhouse, however, Rojas continued to stand by his original thinking on Buckner.

“Bill Buckner is a good hitter, but in our situation, there weren’t that many times we could use him,” Rojas said. “We already have Brian Downing at DH and Wally Joyner at first base.”

That confined Buckner, basically, to a pinch-hitting role with the Angels and, as Rojas put it, “How many times in the eighth or ninth innings (would we have) had a chance to use him?”

Can’t argue with that. By most eighth or ninth innings these days, the Angels are already looking forward to the first inning of their next game.

“Bill Buckner’s with a good ballclub and he’s surrounded by some good hitters,” Rojas said.

“But I’m not worried about Bill Buckner. He did his job today. If we do ours, we still had a chance to win this game.”

But many Angel jobs were left undone Sunday.

Angel starter Willie Fraser didn’t do his, yielding 4 runs in the first 4 innings. In the second inning, Fraser (4-6) surrendered a run-scoring double to Frank White and a two-run single to Mike Macfarlane. In the fourth inning, he surrendered Buckner’s home run, a solo shot into the right-field seats.

DeWayne Buice, the Angels’ first relief pitcher, failed in his assignment, too. Buice served up Buckner’s two-run double in the eighth inning, a hit that eventually provided the difference in the outcome.

And aside from two, two-run home runs by Joyner and Chili Davis, the Angel offense also failed. Royal starter Power (4-1) limited the Angels to 4 hits in 8 innings before reliever Gene Garber completed matters in the ninth.

In the ninth inning, Rojas appeared to pay Buckner a backhanded compliment by instructing reliever Sherman Corbett pitch to Kevin Seitzer with runners on second and third, first base open and Buckner on deck. Seitzer is batting .308 and is right-handed. Corbett and Buckner are both left-handed.

Instead of intentionally walking Seitzer, Corbett pitched to him--and got him to ground out to end the inning.

Rojas claimed he was merely trying to preserve the confidence of a young pitcher, noting that Corbett has already walked one left-handed batter, George Brett, in the inning. Rojas didn’t want Corbett pitching to another with the bases loaded.

And, just maybe, he didn’t want to give Buckner another chance to vent some pent-up frustrations against his former team. A home run, a double, a single and 3 RBIs were more than enough to get the point across on this afternoon.

Angel Notes

Chided the previous day by Manager Cookie Rojas for his lack of home-run and RBI production--”He’s hitting .280, but it’s not a productive .280”--Wally Joyner struck his first home run in nearly six weeks in the first inning Sunday. Brian Downing led off for the Angels with a double and Joyner, moved into the No. 2 spot in the batting order, followed with a home run into the right-field seats. It was Joyner’s third home run of the season, his first since May 1 and his first at home since last Oct. 3--a span of 26 games.

Chico and the Fans: Chico Walker received the loudest ovation of his Angel career when he picked up a bat and strode toward the batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cheers for a .161 hitter? No, cheers for a hitter--any hitter--called upon to bat for George Hendrick. Hendrick started in left field for the Angels, batted twice and struck out twice, lowering his season’s average to .177. He was booed before and after each plate appearance.

Kansas City Manager John Wathan, on Bill Buckner’s 3-for-4 performance: “It’s no surprise. He’s a good hitter--he leads all active players in hits, doesn’t he? He’s really been a big help to us. He talks with the young players about their hitting and when he’s not playing, he’s a cheerleader on the bench. Twice in the last week, we bunted two guys over in front of him and he drove them both in both times.” . . . Wathan also said he “was surprised to see Buckner’s name on the waiver list” last month. So was Chili Davis. “Yeah, it surprised me,” Davis said. “You know Bill Buckner. It’s just a matter of time before he starts hitting. But we’ve got some good young hitters in the minors. Jim Eppard’s going to be a good hitter; he won the PCL (Pacific Coast League) batting title last year. A hitter like that deserves a chance to play in the big leagues.”

Angel Attendance

Sunday’s attendance 36,931

1988 attendance (28 dates) 858,698

1987 attendance (28 dates) 963,563

Decrease 104,865

1988 average per date 30,668