The Lead Sox Have Potential for Triple Plays

If ever there was a team with the potential to hit into two triple plays one night, then six double plays the next, it’s baseball’s answer to a traffic jam, the Boston Lead Sox.

For the second straight season, they not only rank first in the majors in batting (.274), but also first in grounded-into double plays (108) and last in stolen bases (22), going into Friday night’s action.

These guys couldn’t get out of McDonald’s in less than two hours. The first-base coach, former Oriole Al Bumbry, might be their fastest man in uniform.

All this, of course, is nothing new. The 1983 Red Sox stole a grand total of 30 bases -- while two of their players, Jim Rice and Tony Armas, each grounded into 31 double plays.

Rice holds the single-season major-league record for GIDPs by a right-handed batter (36 in 1984). Another Lead Sox great, Carl Yastrzemski holds the record for a left-handed batter (30 in 1964).

Now, grounding into two triple plays in one game is quite a feat, not to mention a first in major-league history. But if ever there was a team with potential to turn two, it might have been Minnesota.

Before getting to that, a quick word on the identical GITPs, which came four innings apart Tuesday night. Both went third base to second to first -- 5-4-3, if you’re scoring at home.

Incredibly, the Red Sox won 1-0 -- behind Tom Bolton, who earned only the club’s second victory by a left-handed starter since the departure of Bruce Hurst after the ’88 season (the other was by the Orioles’ Joe Price).

The Twins, you ask?

They are perceived as a rock-’em, sock-’em outfit, largely because they play in that funhouse known as the Metrodome. But the fact is, they have evolved into one of the best defensive teams in baseball.

The ’88 Twins and ’89 Orioles are the only two clubs in major-league history to finish with fewer than 90 errors in a season. The third baseman who started the triple plays, Gary Gaetti, has won four consecutive Gold Gloves.

Yes, it’s all beginning to make sense.

Gaetti has been involved in six triple plays, starting five. But the funny thing is, the Twins don’t turn many double plays, even though the Red Sox tied an American League record by hitting into six Wednesday night.

Before that game, the Twins ranked last in the American League in double plays, probably due to a low number of chances. The Red Sox, meanwhile, have 42 more GIDPs than National League leader Pittsburgh. Which says something about the two leagues.

The Detroit Tigers once turned two triple plays in consecutive games, on June 6-7, 1908. The Orioles once turned two in a three-month span in 1973 (both started by third baseman Brooks Robinson, who hit into four in his career!)

But two in one game? It had to happen to the Lead Sox.

Their leadoff hitter, Wade Boggs, is one of the best in the game -- until he gets on base (career-high in steals: three). And their flawed history includes the ’86 World Series, in which a ground ball rolled through the legs of a first baseman who could barely walk.

Ah, tradition.

That’s baseball.

LEAVE HIM ALONE: This hasn’t been a good year for icons, and not just because Pete Rose is going to jail. First, Cal Ripken heard boos at Memorial Stadium. Now, Don Mattingly is hearing them in New York.

Mattingly, playing for the worst team in the majors, was batting .253 with five homers and 34 RBI going into Friday night. Many consider him the last great Yankee, but for some reason, it’s no longer enough.

The Ripken parallel is almost eerie. Yankee Stadium fans jeered Mattingly last weekend when he struggled with men in scoring position. Forgotten was his loyalty signing a five-year, $19 million contract in April.

At the time, Mattingly said, “It would kill me if I went someplace else and then they won here.” He began the season with a .323 lifetime batting average. “It’s not like I went around saying I was the best when things were going well,” he said.

The fan frustration in New York can be traced to any number of factors, not the least of which is owner George Steinbrenner. But, as pitcher Chuck Cary said, “Don’t boo Donnie.”

BLUE JAY DISMAY: The Toronto bullpen has been weakened by the loss of left-hander David Wells to the rotation. Tom Henke blew his first save Sunday after starting the season 16-for-16. Duane Ward was the losing pitcher Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s 1-5 with six blown saves in 13 tries.

The Jays also have been set back by injuries to outfielders Junior Felix (calf, four to six weeks), Glenallen Hill (knee, ankle, 15-day DL) and George Bell (hand, day-to-day). Bell had missed five games prior to Friday night; he began the season having missed only 33 since 1984, nine for suspensions.

With Felix out, Manager Cito Gaston tried three leadoff hitters (Ken Williams, Nelson Liriano, Luis Sojo) in a recent three-game stretch. When Tony Fernandez saw his name listed in that spot, he turned over an empty laundry bin. Gaston changed his lineup.

Next stop on a 2-5 road trip: Oakland.

HOW QUICKLY THEY FALL: Eight days after appearing with his brother Sandy in the All-Star Game, San Diego second baseman Roberto Alomar was benched at the scene of his triumph, Wrigley Field.

The Padres want Alomar to move to shortstop so they can ease out Garry Templeton. Alomar, 22, does not want to change positions. Several of his teammates have privately questioned his work habits and attitude.

Meanwhile, new Manager Greg Riddoch lost 5 pounds in seven days after taking over the Padres. His team is on an even worse pace -- 17 losses in 20 games.

Alomar, 4-for-26 since the All-Star break, was not in the lineup Wednesday or Thursday night. Riddoch said he looked tired, but did not say how long his benching would last.

CRAZY CUBS I: Those poor Cubbies didn’t even have it easy on a day they ended a six-game losing streak. Their 6-1 victory over Los Angeles Sunday was interrupted three times when low-flying aircraft buzzed Wrigley Field.

Who knew that the Lakefront Air and Water Show would cause such a disturbance? One jet rattled the light towers, forcing the Dodgers’ Ray Searage to balk and the Cubs’ Mark Grace to scramble for cover.

“That scared the heck out of me,” said Grace, who wanted to hit a rocket, not get crushed by one. “I was waiting for the guns to start shooting. And I’m supposed to hit after that?”

Not really.

The umpires erased the balk.

Grace grounded out.

CRAZY CUBS II: The day after the Invasion of Wrigley, Manager Don Zimmer promised to swim Lake Michigan if pitcher Greg Maddux won for the first time in 14 starts. Zim looked great in his life vest the next day.

Wait, there’s more from the Cubs.

On Wednesday, noted practical joker Rick Sutcliffe discovered his high-school yearbook picture was splashed on a billboard four blocks north of Wrigley.

“Rick Sutcliffe welcomes friends to Chicago,” the billboard message said. “For ticket information, call ...” The number listed was for Sutcliffe’s home phone.

Among Sutcliffe’s suspects are his wife Robin, Grace, California’s Wally Joyner and Bert Blyleven and actor Mark Harmon. The poor guy can’t even relax during his time on the disabled list.

HOPE THEY MEET IN THE PLAYOFFS: That Oakland-Cleveland season series was a beauty. The A’s not only won eight of 12 games, they had two players (Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire) each outhomer the Tribe 7-6.

The A’s finished with 22 homers, three times hitting three in one inning. Of their 105 homers this season, a whopping 21 percent have come against the Indians.

Asked why his pitching staff couldn’t keep the ball in the park against Canseco and Co., Cleveland Manager John McNamara snapped, “Go ask Mark Wiley.”

Wiley, of course, is the Cleveland pitching coach. He held the same position with the Orioles when they allowed a major-league record 10 homers to Toronto Sept. 14, 1987.

SHADES OF ‘51? It doesn’t look that way for the Giants, who were 17-28 on Memorial Day, 14 1/2 games back. They have gone 32-13 since then, but gained only six games on first-place Cincinnati.

The ’51 Giants established a standard that will be difficult for the current San Francisco version to match. They were 13 1/2 games behind Brooklyn in mid-August, then won 16 straight to spark a 39-8 finish.

Bobby Thomson hit the Shot Heard ‘Round the World to stun Brooklyn in a three-game playoff. The Giants can only hope that Robby Thompson is capable of the same.

AROUND THE HORN: The rich get richer, the rich get poorer: The signing of No. 1 draft pick Todd Van Poppel to a three-year, $1.2 million contract means the A’s have now guaranteed $55 million in contracts since winning the World Series (Canseco, Rickey Henderson, Dave Stewart, et al).

Homers, homers: St. Louis matched its total of the previous 18 games by hitting two homers Thursday night against San Diego. The Orioles’ Randy Milligan has seven over the same stretch. Atlanta, meanwhile, hit five against Montreal on Sunday -- and lost 16-14.

How ‘bout those Braves? They scored 32 runs and allowed 39 in a 1-3 stretch against Montreal and Philadelphia. Just what you’d expect from a club that has hit the second highest number of homers in the National League, but has the worst ERA in the majors.

Kansas City’s Bill Pecota has hit four of his eight career blasts at Yankee Stadium. “I told him, ‘Don’t take any calls from Steinbrenner,’ ” Manager John Wathan said. Rest assured, Steinbrenner was tied up in other matters.