Donnie Moore Is Waived by Angels : Injuries Limited His Effectiveness After 31-Save Season of ’85

Dave Henderson delivered the unkindest cut with his home run in Game 5 of the 1986 playoff series with the Boston Red Sox. Friday’s development wasn’t as shocking to Donnie Moore.

The Angels activated Moore from the disabled list and then put the veteran relief pitcher on waivers.

“I knew I wouldn’t be here next year. I just didn’t know I wouldn’t be here the rest of this year,” said Moore, 34. He has been handicapped by injuries since he set a club record with 31 saves in 1985, a career-best performance that netted Moore a 3-year, $3-million contract ($850,000 a year plus a $450,000 signing bonus) that expires at the end of this season.

He departs having saved only 30 games in the 3 seasons of the contract, a span during which he was on the disabled list five times. The development of 24-year-old Bryan Harvey, Moore’s recent pattern of injury and inconsistency and the fact that his salary could be cut only 20% to $680,000 next year were believed to be factors in the Angels’ decision Friday.

General Manager Mike Port said Moore now has a chance to catch on with another club when his waivers clear, though Moore said he has not fully recovered from the broken finger that put him on the disabled list this last time.

Moore said he found it strange that the Angels would activate him when he is not fully healthy. He also said that Port told him he would not be pitching in September because the Angels will be bringing up several prospects.

“I don’t know of any prospects they can bring up unless it’s someone they just signed, but I have no disagreements with the Angels, no bitterness,” he said.

“I enjoyed being with them, though it was all downhill after I got hurt in spring training of ’86 and mind-boggling that it took two years to detect what was wrong with me. I don’t know if you call that carelessness or negligence or a case of them not believing me, but it’s why I’m in the precarious position I am now.”

Moore complained of rib discomfort throughout the 1986 and ’87 seasons, but it was not until he had back surgery in November that the problem disappeared.

Obviously, he is still trying to come to grips with that, in addition to Port’s comments of last September that suggested Moore was malingering. There is some bitterness, even though Moore doesn’t use that word.

“All I read is that I’ve been on the disabled list five times, but whose fault is that?” Moore said. “Check the source. It was their negligence, and I had five hours of spinal surgery to prove it.”

Moore said it is unlikely a club will take a chance on him down the stretch, but he is hopeful of resuming his career next spring. By then, the boos he has heard at Anaheim Stadium will have faded, along with the memory of the Henderson homer that deprived the Angels of their first pennant.

“One . . . game and I shouldn’t have even been in it,” Moore said in recollection. “I was scheduled to get two cortisone shots for my rib and shoulder that night. They weren’t even planning to use me. The fans look only at the bottom line. They have a right to boo, but I think I handled it well because I always gave my all. I hope that’s how I’ll be remembered.”