One More Time for Angels : They Score Twice in Ninth, Frustrate Tigers Again, 5-4

Coming from behind in their final at-bat each time, the Angels beat the Detroit Tigers twice Sunday.

This was no run-of-the-mill doubleheader--in fact, it was no doubleheader at all. The Angels pulled off their second come-from-behind, 5-4 victory before 29,444 at Anaheim Stadium Sunday afternoon, 16 hours after getting a 5-4, 16-inning win in the wee hours Sunday morning.

The Angels’ victory was the fourth consecutive time they had defeated the Tigers in their last at-bat, and their fifth straight win overall, maintaining their two-percentage-point lead over the Oakland Athletics in the American League West. The Angels begin a three-game series in Oakland tonight.

For the third time in four games, it was Wally Joyner who drove in the winning run, although he didn’t have to lift the bat off his shoulder this time. All he did was turn his back and that was enough.

The Angels trailed, 4-3, in the ninth inning when pinch-hitter Dick Schofield lined a one-out single to center. Claudell Washington followed with a bouncer through the right side of the Tiger infield, sending Schofield to third. Johnny Ray dumped a fly-ball single down the left-field line to tie the game, 4-4.

Devon White walked to load the bases and Joyner, who had a game-winning homer Friday night and a game-winning single Thursday night, was primed for more Tiger-bashing.

Detroit reliever Brad Havens got ahead of Joyner with a pair of strikes. Then he missed inside with two balls. And then he really missed inside with a rainbow curve that hit Joyner in the middle of the back, forcing across the winning run.

“I don’t think I could have gotten out of the way,” Joyner said, “but I was making an effort not to bail out on a pitch inside.”

Havens, who was trying to bail out loser Mike Henneman, said he had no excuses. “The curveball got away from me,” he said. “I just blew it.”

Joyner got the cheers, but this was the sort of “team victory” that had the Angel clubhouse bubbling with mutual admiration.

“This is what happens when you have good people who believe in one another’s abilities,” Manager Doug Rader said. “This was a tough day for everyone after last night’s game. It might be difficult to see, but there was an awful lot of effort expended today.

“Look at that inning. Everyone did their job. Schofield got the hit to get it started. Then Washington first-and-thirded it. Then Ray, a pro who knows how to handle these situations, does his part. And you can’t downplay (White’s) walk in a crucial situation. Then Wally did the appropriate thing.”

The Angels seem to have a lock on doing the appropriate thing these days, even if they’re waiting until the 11th hour--or 16th inning--to do it. Rader may have gone through a few extra packs of cigarettes during the last week, but he’s not going to complain.

Joyner, however, says he would be willing to settle for a less-exciting, wire-to-wire win now and again.

“We have the confidence as a team that we can come back in those situations,” he said, “but hopefully, we won’t make a habit of it. It puts a lot of stress on everyone.”

Joyner was quick to point out, however, that everyone with a halo on his cap has shared a part of that burden.

“No one ever goes up there saying, ‘Oh, I wish someone else was up,’ and I think that’s what makes this team so good,” he said. “That’s why we play this game, to get into those situations.”

Joyner has been No. 1 on the Angels’ respond-to-crisis team, but four players had runs batted in Sunday and five players scored.

Bert Blyleven, who went seven innings and allowed three runs, certainly deserves an assist in this one. He gave up a pair of runs in the third on three singles and a run-scoring groundout. And he yielded one more run in the seventh when Doug Strange singled, moved to third on a groundout and a fly ball and scored on Gary Pettis’ single to center.

The Angels took a 3-2 lead in the fourth. Joyner singled sharply off second baseman Mike Brumley’s forearm, moved to second on Brian Downing’s dribbler to the pitcher and scored on Chili Davis’ single to right. One out later, Jack Howell walked and then both Howell and Davis scored on Kent Anderson’s single to left when left fielder Tracy Jones’ throw eluded third baseman Strange.

Rich Monteleone took over for Blyleven in the eighth and promptly surrendered a double to center by Fred Lynn. Lynn scored on Chet Lemon’s single to left and soon the Angels were just where they like to be, trailing by one in the ninth.

“I don’t think it’s our intention to win these ballgames in the ninth inning,” Ray said, “but our pitching keeps us in the game, and if we can stay close, we feel like we can win.”

Angel Notes

Saturday night’s 16-inning, five-hour six-minute marathon was the Angels’ longest game of the season. The game finally ended when Chili Davis singled home Devon White from second base. The speedy White managed to beat Tiger center fielder Gary Pettis’ throw home. . . . Was this game long? There were two renditions of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” a seventh- and 14th-inning stretch and the seven pitchers delivered the ball to the plate 455 times.

Last Add Marathon: Shortstop Dick Schofield had 14 assists in the game, one short of the major league record for extra-inning games. The record (15) is held by former Angel Rick Burleson, who set the mark April 13-14, 1982, when the Angels and Seattle took two days to settle a 20-inning game at Anaheim Stadium.

The Angels are trying their best to downplay the three-game series that begins tonight in Oakland. Wally Joyner says it should be “exciting,” but quickly adds that it’s “not really that important.” “Even if one team sweeps, the other will have more than 60 games to make it up,” he said. And here’s some perspective courtesy of Manager Doug Rader: “Let’s put it this way, if we sweep are you going to go out and buy a World Series ring?”