Pirates Win to Clinch NL East Title

There were signs in the spring that the Pittsburgh Pirates, defending National League East Division champions, were about to fall apart.

Barry Bonds, the league’s most valuable player, was screaming at Manager Jim Leyland. Bobby Bonilla was upset because he wasn’t offered a new contract.

The signs were false. The Pirates were better than ever, and they became the first team to repeat as NL East champion in 13 years.

They took over first place April 27, dominated thoroughly and clinched the pennant Sunday with a 2-1 victory over the Phillies at Pittsburgh.

The St. Louis Cardinals are 13 1/2 games behind with 13 to play.

Pittsburgh’s Doug Drabek, who has rallied after a horrible start, pitched a seven-hitter to improve to 15-13. Drabek, the National League Cy Young Award winner last season when he was 22-6, started 1-6.

Fittingly, Bonilla and Bonds drove in the runs in the clincher.

The Pirates have had one goal since they lost the Championship Series to Cincinnati last season. That is to win the World Series.

“This team is on a mission,” Bonds said. “These two years have been the best years of my life, but we’ve got more big games to play. We have a lot of unfinished business.”

When the Pirates, also with Drabek pitching, clinched the division last season on the last weekend, there was a wild celebration. After all, it was their first title in 11 years.

Although Leyland shed a few tears, there was little emotion and not a lot of enthusiasm after Drabek struck out Charlie Hayes to end the game with the potential tying run on third.

“We want it all, we want the whole package,” shortstop Jay Bell said. “We want the playoffs, the World Series. Last year, I think we thought we can do it. Now we know we can do it.”

Leyland displayed the emotion when he recalled that in 1986 he took over a club that had lost 104 games.

Now, the Pirates are generally regarded as the best team in baseball. They seem certain to be favored in the National League playoffs over either the Dodgers or the Atlanta Braves.

“When I took this job nobody wanted it,” Leyland recalled. “Now there’s a lot of guys who would like to have it.

“This was real sweet, doing it at home. It was great last year to come home and see all those people at the airport, but this was fun.”

Because they obtained Steve Buechele from the Texas Rangers to play third base after Jeff King was hurt, the Pirates will go into the playoffs without an apparent weakness.

But they will have two weeks to ponder what to do about either the Braves or Dodgers, both of whom won the season’s series against the Pirates.

St. Louis 2, New York 1--On the day they were eliminated, the Cardinals couldn’t help but feel good about a season during which they were expected to finish last.

With surprisingly good young pitching and a solid defense, they gave the Pirates what little competition they had.

Ken Hill (10-10) held the Mets to one hit at New York until Darryl Boston homered with one out in the ninth inning. Boston had broken up Hill’s no-hitter with a double in the sixth.

Hill also scored what proved to be the winning run. He singled in the eighth inning and scored on Ozzie Smith’s double.

The Cardinals have a solid grip on second place.

“I made my commitment to younger players and now have a better idea of what the future holds,” Manager Joe Torre said.

“I know I have pitching and defense and that we still need have some power. That means my stomach will still hurt, but the pitching and defense will still keep us in games.”

Houston 4, Cincinnati 1--Rafael Ramirez’s run-scoring single sparked a three-run seventh inning at Houston that led the Astros to the victory.

San Diego 6, San Francisco 3--The Padres’ Darrin Jackson tied the score in the seventh inning at San Diego with his 20th home run and Tim Teufel hit a two-run homer later in the inning.

Montreal 6-5, Chicago 2-3--The Expos, destined to be nomads for the rest of the season because of damage to Olympic Stadium, made themselves at home in Chicago.

In the first game of the doubleheader switched to Wrigley Field, Mark Gardner held the Cubs to four hits in 8 1/3 innings. Former Cub Dave Martinez hit two home runs in the second game.

Information compiled from The Times’ wire services.