Chili Takes the Tour, Angels Win in 10th, 5-4

Chili Davis, American League newcomer, received the grand tour of Toronto’s scenic and spacious Exhibition Stadium Wednesday night.

There were two trips around the bases following his 11th and 12th home runs of the season, the first checking out the outer limits of the center-field bleachers.

There were 10 innings in right field, the last few divided between fly-chasing and bird-watching, due to the sudden migration of several dozen seagulls from Lake Ontario to the artificial outfield turf.

There was even a defensive stint at second base, with Davis serving as a pawn in Angel Manager Cookie Rojas’ unorthodox late-inning strategy.

Davis was here, there and everywhere during the Angels’ 5-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in a 10-inning game that took the Angels up and down and up again before the outcome was determined.

First, Rojas had Davis come in from the outfield to give the Agnels a five-man infield with one out, the bases loaded and the score tied, 4-4, in the bottom of the ninth. Once escaping that predicament, Rojas needed Davis to stroke his second home run in two at-bats against Toronto reliever David Wells in the top of thr 10th.

Rojas asked for a lot--and received a lot--Wednesday night.

Davis didn’t sweat the two home runs. He has done that before, most recently last Sept. 15 when he was still a San Francisco Giant.

But the second second baseman in a five-man infield?

“I’ve only seen something like that on TV newcasts,” Davis said. “I’ve seen shifts before--like for (Dave) Kingman and some dead-pull hitters. But this was a first.”

Davis wound up stationed in front of second base and between shortstop Dick Schofield and second baseman Johnny Ray at the request of Rojas.

It became necessary when Nelson Liriano hit a two-run triple off Angel reliever Bryan Harvey to tie the score, 4-4, with one out.

In an attempt to keep it tied, Rojas instructed Harvey to walk Manny Lee, the No. 9 hitter in Toronto’s lineup, and Tony Fernandez. The idea was to create a force play at any base.

At that point, Rojas went to the mound, turned toward Davis and waved for him to move in. Davis, just hanging out with the gulls, took a few steps and stopped. Rojas waved again. Davis shrugged.

Finally, first baseman Wally Joyner acted as intermediary.

“Wally yelled at me, ‘You’re playing second base and you got to turn two if the ball’s hit to you,’ ” Davis said.

Davis took his place as the fifth infielder, and Harvey prepared to pitch to Rance Mulliniks. Davis readied for a new life experience, bracing himself for that ball hit up the middle.

“I think I would’ve turned it,” he said later with a grin.

Instead, Mulliniks popped the ball up to Schofield for the second out. Davis retreated to right field.

But all was not well with the Angels. Not yet.

To end the threat, Harvey, the 24-year-old rookie, had to retire George Bell, the American League’s most valuable player in 1987. What ensued was a confrontation that Harvey called “the toughest at-bat of my career”--an eight-pitch shootout that featured a full-count and two nerve-wracking foul balls before Bell flied out to center fielder Devon White.

“Harvey really showed me something there,” Angel catcher Darrell Miller said. “It was a tight situation, but we were having a blast out there. At least, I was. I just had a feeling we were going to get him. Harvey threw the ball great.”

Harvey had less than a blast out there. As he gulped a postgame aspirin, Harvey was asked by a reporter how he felt.

“Not too good,” he said, laughing. “That was tough. When you’re in that situation, there’s nothing left to do. There’s no strategy there. You can’t nick a corner here, nick a corner there. You’ve just got to let it go.”

Harvey wriggled out of the situation and turned affairs over to Davis, who homered for the second time, and Donnie Moore, who pitched the bottom of the 10th, earning his second save.

But afterward, the Angels credited Rojas for the victory--or at least, the groundwork.

“The key was Cookie,” Miller said. “If he didn’t make those (ninth-inning) decisions, I guarantee the outcome would not have been the same. That was crucial, crucial.”

Said Davis: “I think (the five-man infield) affected Mulliniks. You see five guys there and you go away from hitting the ball hard and try to loft it instead. He’s thinking, ‘Easy, I can get it over these guys.’ And then he pops it up.”

Rojas insisted it was a simple decision, one he made as soon as Liriano slid into third base with his one-out triple.

“Lee and Fernandez are good bunters with speed from the left side and they might have squeezed in that situation,” Rojas said. “The only thing I can do is load the bases and try to get a double play.”

And the double play would have to start at home plate, Rojas maintained. Hence the five-man infield.

“We were definitely going to go home,” Rojas said. “We had to get the first out at home. If you’re playing for the double play, you don’t play it halfway.”

And although this alignment was a discovery for Davis, Rojas called it merely old hat.

“There’s been 120 years of baseball,” Rojas said. “They must’ve used (a five-man infield) a million times.

“It’s not a trick play, it’s not a genius play. That’s not a big deal. I was just trying to fill all the holes in the infield, in case they hit a ball through the box.”

That ball never came and for that, the Angels--and Davis--are glad.

“It worked out real good,” Davis said. “Mulliniks hit a pop fly and I stayed away from it--like I’m really going to try and catch it.”

But this infield foray may not be the last for Chili Davis.

“One day, I’m going to be 35 years old,” he said. “I can’t run any more, I’ll still be making errors, and they’re going to put my butt right there--at first base. Either that or DH.”

Any way to keep a bat in Davis’ hands. Wednesday night, the Angels were glad for that, too.

Angel Notes

Chili Davis, the Angels’ Mr. Quote, was on another roll after Wednesday’s game. On his recent offensive surge (10 for 17, 2 doubles, 3 home runs and 8 runs batted in over his last four games): “How come I don’t hit like this at home? Maybe it’s because I get booed too much. It’s weird, I hit better on the road with the Giants, too, but I figured that’s because I didn’t like playing (in San Francisco). I like Anaheim--it’s a beautiful park, a beautiful place to play. I don’t know. Maybe the Road Warrior Syndrome is still with me.” On the flock of sea gulls that swooped over his head and took roost alongside him in right field: “What if I’m looking for a fly ball, a sea gull drops a bomb that gets me right in the nose and I get my 15th error of the season and break the (Angel outfield) record?” And, on his mammoth seventh-inning home run, which was reportedly measured at 405 feet: “Four-oh-five my . . . That ball was blasted. That’s what you call a bomb.”

Lost amid the five-man infield and Davis’ two home runs was a strong pitching performance by Willie Fraser, who limited the Blue Jays to 2 runs and 5 hits over 7 innings while working on three day’s rest. Interestingly, Fraser’s last victory also came on three days’ rest (a 4-2 win over Milwaukee’s Ted Higuera June 26) and his earned-run average in those two starts is 2.57. Contrast that to how Fraser has fared while pitching on four or more days’ rest: 3-8, 6.09 ERA. “I don’t know what it is,” Fraser said. “I know I’m not as strong with three days’ rest and it’s easier to throw strikes. When I’m strong, I overthrow, but when I’m not, I can still overthrow and the ball will stay down.” . . . Donnie Moore, on Cookie Rojas’ five-man infield strategy: “That’s weird, man. I was warming up in the bullpen and I looked over and said, ‘Where the hell’s Chili?’ (Bryan) Harvey did a good job to get out of that, throwing some tough-situation strikes to George Bell.” . . . The Angels had three home runs in the game, with Jack Howell hitting his fifth home run of the season against Dave Stieb in the second inning. Howell also doubled and singled, finishing the game with 3 hits and 2 RBIs in 4 at-bats. Tony Armas added a triple and a single.