He’s Not Fearless, but He Is a Leader : Baseball: Shortstop Gary DiSarcina is only in his second year, but he’s already a stabilizing force for the Angels.

Gary DiSarcina tossed and turned, unable to sleep on the night of July 25. It had been a long, exhausting day, but he couldn’t put the afternoon’s events out of his mind.

Again and again the baseball rolled toward DiSarcina at shortstop, and each time it slipped under his glove and into left field, keeping the New York Yankees’ rally alive. There was nothing he could do to change the outcome.

The error--on a slow roller off the bat of Mike Stanley in the ninth inning--allowed the Yankees to erase an eight-run deficit and eventually hand the Angels their ninth consecutive loss.

DiSarcina knew it should have been a double play, period. The Angels should have held on to win, no question.

Back at home that night, he felt the unbearable pressure of failure. He had let his teammates down when they needed him most, failed when they expected him to make the play.

“It was one of those situations where you second-guess yourself,” DiSarcina said. “What if I had done this? What if I had done that? That wasn’t the only reason we lost that game, but the responsibility was on my shoulders.”

A year ago, he might have worried that he would be headed to the minor leagues with a few more mistakes such as that one. This year, his concerns centered on blowing the Angels’ chances for a victory.

Leadership and responsibility are new roles for DiSarcina this season, thrust on him by injury, inexperience and a lack of production by his fellow infielders.

“You look around the infield and it’s been a revolving door at every position,” he said. “It’s my infield. I have to take charge out there.”

This season, the Angels have played 104 games and DiSarcina has appeared in every one of them. The Angels haven’t had anyone play in all 162 games since Don Baylor in 1979. Jim Fergosi, in 1964, is the only shortstop in club history to play 162 games. DiSarcina has played in 189 consecutive games, dating to last year.

Around him, players have come and gone this year.

Rene Gonzales, Gary Gaetti, Kelly Gruber and now rookie Eduardo Perez have played third base. Gonzales was ineffective, Gaetti was released June 3 and Gruber’s career is in jeopardy because of a neck injury.

At second base, Damion Easley and Torey Lovullo have shared the position. But with Easley back on the disabled list because of chronic lower leg pain, the Angels have signed former San Diego Padre Kurt Stillwell.

At first base, rookie J.T. Snow roared through April with a .343 average, six home runs and 17 runs batted in. But he faltered badly at the plate and was demoted to triple-A Vancouver last week. Gonzales and Ty Van Burkleo, who reached the major leagues for the first time in 11 seasons in the minors and Japan, share the starting spot.

Against this backdrop of disappointment and unpredictability, DiSarcina has stood out as someone to count on.

“You take him for granted,” Lovullo said. “He makes every play. He makes the tough ones look easy. He’s the leader. I kind of feed off him. He’s got a great attitude. He pulls me along.”

Sometimes, as Manager Buck Rodgers, is quick to point out, it’s easy to forget that DiSarcina is in only his second full season in the major leagues.

“I think you’ll see him emerge next year as a leader on the infield,” Rodgers said. “He’s already done that to an extent. It’s pretty hard for a guy with less than two years on a ballclub to do that.

“I’d rate him in the top third, maybe the top quarter of shortstops (in the American League). I don’t think he’s (Kansas City’s Greg) Gagne yet. He’s on par with everyone else, though. You don’t start judging a shortstop until he’s got a few years under his belt.

“Two years is a nice beginning. Three years is better.”

Progress defines DiSarcina’s career.

Growing up as a three-sport standout at Billerica (Mass.) High, DiSarcina never dreamed of a major league baseball career. He was too busy playing the game to dream.

He remembers his first trip to Fenway Park in nearby Boston as if it were yesterday.

“The wall was so green, so big and green,” DiSarcina said of the famed Green Monster in left field. “The bases were so white. The infield dirt was so brown.”

The 6-year-old walking into the historic ballpark with his parents never thought he’d play there some day, however.

“I never dreamed about it until my first full pro season,” he said. “I never thought I’d be good enough. I always thought it would be unreachable.”

He said he was a “follower” last year, his first season as the Angels’ everyday shortstop. He was constantly on edge, troubled that he wasn’t living up to expectations.

“Last year, I can recall going five games without a hit and panicking about being sent down (to the minors),” he said.

DiSarcina batted .247 with three home runs and 42 RBIs, and despite committing a club-high 25 errors, the job was his.

This season, his average has slipped to .243, but he has three homers and 42 RBIs. More importantly, he has only 10 errors. Five came in a difficult 15-game stretch, punctuated by the ninth-inning boot against New York.

“Granted, my batting average isn’t what it should be,” DiSarcina said. “You can’t judge your whole season on batting average. Mentally, I’m handling situations better than I did last year. I haven’t really panicked much this year.”

Sleepless nights aside, he seems to have embraced his role as a team leader, becoming a vocal cheerleader on the bench.

“When I first met him, I thought he was real quiet,” Lovullo said. “Then I got to know him and found out he’s a loudmouth. He kind of fooled me. He keeps everybody loose out there.”

Said DiSarcina: “I was not real comfortable (as a leader) at first, but I’m starting to feel more comfortable. I’m taking on a role of responsibility. I feel like I’m growing up a little bit.”