Blyleven Finally Wins No. 283

The Angels’ Bert Blyleven had made 671 starts in his career, but as he took the mound at Anaheim Stadium on Friday night, he knew that if 672 didn’t go a little better, his future would be shaky again.

Interim Manager John Wathan hadn’t specifically said that Friday was do-or-die time after Blyleven’s comeback from shoulder surgery at 41 stalled with four consecutive losses. Wathan simply implied that D-Day was approaching--and at a lot faster pace than Blyleven’s fading pitches.

Blyleven bore down and held on to his spot in the rotation with a 6-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers before 22,951.

It was the Angels’ ninth victory in 12 games.

Blyleven retired the final 11 he faced in earning his 283rd career victory, which ties him with Jim Kaat for 25th on the all-time list.

It was Blyleven’s first victory since June 16.

“It’s been a long time,” he said. “I’ve been working hard between starts. I knew it was there.”

He left the game with a 4-3 lead with one out in the sixth thanks to Luis Polonia, who stole three bases and scored three runs--and thanks to the most unlikely spot in the Angel batting order: the cleanup spot.

At the All-Star break, the No. 4 hitters in the Angel lineup had combined to bat .196, the lowest average of any spot in the order.

Wathan has found himself having a tough time picking someone to bat cleanup. But Von Hayes was his man Friday, and Hayes’ two-run double to the gap in right-center field during the fifth inning gave the Angels their first lead of the game, 4-3.

Hayes had been batting only .148 in July with eight hits during the month.

Blyleven (4-4) hadn’t made it through the fifth inning in a month, but when he left with one out in the sixth and Cecil Fielder at the plate, he knew he had done his job. He gave up three runs on four hits, and cruised through his last 3 2/3 innings.

In the dugout, he was greeted with more than the usual number of smiles and handshakes. He was back from the brink again, and Mark Langston slapped him on the chest for it.

“Bert kept himself under control and did the things he needed to do to win,” Wathan said.

Learning to do that is a process for Blyleven.

“This one game is not the answer,” he said. “I’m adjusting to the stuff I have now. I have to go out and not lose my aggressiveness, but do it in a different way.”

Joe Grahe pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his seventh save.

Blyleven did not begin the game strongly, however. He loaded the bases with one out, on two singles and a walk to Fielder. The Tigers scored on Mickey Tettleton’s sacrifice fly, but Blyleven got out of the inning on Dan Gladden’s fly out.

Blyleven gave up two more runs in the second, the second scoring on a sacrifice fly by Lou Whitaker, who was the first of 11 batters he set down in order.

“Early on, he was not getting his curveball over and he did not look very good,” Wathan said. “He started to settle down and pitched a fine game.”

Polonia scored during the first without the benefit of a hit, and again in the third on only one, his own infield single.

Junior Felix drove him in during the first inning with a groundout after Polonia walked, was balked to second, and took third on a groundout.

Polonia led off the third by beating out a grounder to short. He then stole second and third--the play wasn’t close either time--and came home on Luis Sojo’s grounder to third.

“He’s an exciting guy to watch,” Wathan said.

The steals--Polonia’s 33rd and 34th of the season--moved him ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Pat Listach for the American League lead.

He extended that lead during the fifth inning with his third steal of the game and his 35th of the season. Once more, he was unchallenged, as catcher Tettleton dropped the ball and didn’t make a throw.

The Angels increased the lead to 5-3 in the eighth, when Ron Tingley drove in a run with the first triple of his career, and Polonia followed with an RBI single.