BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Rodgers’ Contract Extended One Year

The Angels, appreciating the effort of Manager Buck Rodgers and wanting to compensate him for last year’s lost season, provided him with a one-year contract extension Wednesday through the 1995 season.

“We’re extremely pleased with what Buck has meant to the organization in such a short time,” Gene Autry, chairman of the board, said in a prepared statement. “We believe we’re headed in the right direction for the future and that Buck Rodgers will be a key to our success.”

Rodgers, 54, was approached by the Angels last fall about a contract extension after missing three months because of injuries from the Angels’ bus crash, but elected to wait. They talked briefly again in the spring, but Rodgers wanted to delay a decision until he knew he was healthy enough to continue managing.

“I don’t believe in taking money on false pretenses,” Rodgers said. “I wanted to be sure I could do the job. But I feel good and strong, they made the offer, and I accepted.”

The contract extension comes at a time when the Angels are off to one of their finest starts in club history, posting a 12-5 record entering Wednesday’s game.

“If we had been 5-12,” Rodgers joked. “I don’t think there would be an announcement today. They might have taken a year off my contract.”

Said Richard Brown, Angel president and chief executive officer: “We wanted to do this because last year was a lost season for him. Doing this continues our philosophy of management. I’m very excited to cut a deal like this.”

Rodgers, who previously managed in Milwaukee and Montreal before joining the Angels on Aug. 26, 1991, said this is the earliest in a contract he has been offered an extension.

Angel left fielder Luis Polonia insisted he play Wednesday after being hit in the right temple on a fly ball during batting practice. He was taken to the office of Dr. Jules Rasinski for X-rays, which were negative, and arrived in time to be in the starting lineup. “He really wanted to play,” Rodgers said. “He didn’t want to miss this one.” . . . While the focus of attention at triple-A Vancouver has been pitchers Russ Springer and Jerry Nielsen--the two pitchers from the Jim Abbott trade--Rodgers said the first pitcher to be called up in case of injury would be starter Phil Leftwich. “He’s pitching better than anyone there,” Rodgers said. . . . Rodgers said he was astonished by Kansas City Manager Hal McRae’s recent outburst with reporters, which was telecast on ESPN: “He’s a good friend of mine, and a real class individual. He had to be awfully frustrated for something like that to happen.”