At 43, Hough Is Still Tough; Angels Lose : Baseball: Age prevails over youth as White Sox knuckleballer gets best of Kyle Abbott in 9-2 victory.

Charlie Hough had completed two seasons in the Dodgers’ minor league system before Kyle Abbott was born.

That Hough would still be pitching 23 years later--and pitching well enough to prevail over Abbott Sunday--amused the 43-year-old knuckleballer after Chicago’s 9-2 rout of the Angels at Anaheim Stadium.

“It’s amazing, with no talent,” Hough said of his longevity. “I was really lucky ever to get to the big leagues.”

Hough (9-8) has carved out a creditable career, recording 195 victories and becoming the only major league pitcher to win 10 or more games each of the last nine seasons. Abbott (0-2) has lost both of his major league starts, but Manager Buck Rodgers said he won’t give Sunday’s outing too much weight in his evaluation of his rookie left-hander.

Abbott lasted 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, including a grand slam off the left-field foul pole by Craig Grebeck that gave the White Sox a 5-1 lead.

Abbott, who had played summer ball with Grebeck’s brother, Brian, knew Craig had “some pop” despite his 5-foot-7, 160-pound stature and saw it in the second inning when Grebeck doubled off the base of the left-field fence.

In the third inning, after Chicago loaded the bases on three singles and Carlton Fisk popped to first, Abbott tried to start Grebeck with an outside fastball. But when the pitch darted over the plate, Grebeck slashed it down the line for his sixth homer of the season and his first career grand slam, earning cheers from friends and relatives among the crowd of 23,530.

“I tried to make him look good,” Abbott joked. “The first time he was up, I was trying to get a first-pitch out or a popup. The second time, I was trying to get a double play. It was just a mistake. It wasn’t a very good pitch in that situation. . . .

“You just can’t get away with mistakes at this level. These guys are paid to hit mistakes, and you can’t get away with mistakes you can get away with in the minor leagues.”

Grebeck, who was bothered by a stiff back and almost didn’t play Sunday, got a scouting report on Abbott from a golfing pal. “He had a pretty good curveball,” said Grebeck, “but I hit the fastball before he could get to the curveball.”

Abbott, who gave up two runs over six innings in his debut last Tuesday, will get at least one more start. He probably will face the White Sox again, in Chicago, during the Angels’ upcoming six-game trip.

“Actually, one bad pitch cost him four runs,” Rodgers said. “So even though this wasn’t one of his better outings, statistically it was deceiving. The pitch to Grebeck, I’m sure he’d like to have back, especially after Grebeck hit a first-pitch fastball for a double. But he didn’t have runners in scoring position every inning and wasn’t in trouble all the time.”

The White Sox are still within reach of first place in the AL West, having gained a game to move with 7 1/2 of the Twins.