Hathaway Does His Job Again : Baseball: Left-hander baffles Rangers with off-speed pitches to help Angels win, 4-1.

Mickey Hatcher, Ranger first base coach, was walking through the stadium tunnel before Wednesday’s game when one of his players stopped him.

“Hey, Mick, who’s pitching for the Angels tonight, anyway,” he asked.

Hatcher: “Geez, I don’t know. All I know he’s left-handed and he’s got a funny name.”

They laughed loudly, and retreated into the clubhouse where the Rangers seemed more preoccupied with the news that the Chicago White Sox had lost rather than some 23-year-old pitcher who looked like he stepped off the set of Beverly Hills 90210.

The laughter stopped before the night ended, with the Rangers still in disbelief that they could lose 4-1 to the Angels at Arlington Stadium, dominated by a pitcher named Hillary Houston Hathaway.

“He didn’t have anything to fool us with,” said Ranger batting coach Willie Upshaw. “I mean, nothing.”

The Rangers were so unimpressed by Hathaway that when Juan Gonzalez popped up a 3-and-1 pitch in the crucial sixth inning, he told everyone that he was fooled by a change-up. Sorry, Hathaway shrugged, that was one of his 81-m.p.h. fastballs.

“Actually, it was a fastball right down the plate,” Hathaway said, not knowing whether to smile or apologize. “He should have killed it. I got lucky.”

While Hathaway (4-1) has a fastball that leaves scouts wondering if their radar guns are working, and his curveball and change-up doesn’t exactly leave hitters dumbfounded, he quickly is proving he’s a winner. The Angels are 7-3 in Hathaway’s 10 starts this season.

“He’s certainly not a flame-thrower, and he doesn’t knock out your eyes with any of his pitches,” said Angel pitching coach Chuck Hernandez, who compares him to Yankee starter Jimmy Key, “but he wins. He’s won at every level we’ve put him. And that’s the bottom line.”

Hathaway yielded only five hits and one run during his six-inning stint, walking one and striking out one. He kept the Rangers so off-balance that they grounded out eight times and hit four infield popups.

“He’s got great pitching sense,” said Whitey Herzog, Angel vice president. “I’m telling you, this guy has got baseball smarts.

“He reminds me of John Tudor. He threw 84 m.p.h., never had a curveball, and he had the best damn winning percentage of any pitcher in St. Louis Cardinal history.”

Said Angel Manager Buck Rodgers: “We’ve learning a lot about Hilly Hathaway, and we like what we’re seeing. Who knows, we might be onto something here.”

The defining moment of Hathaway’s performance occurred in the sixth inning. He had already surrendered one run on a Rafael Palmeiro single to right that cut the Angel lead to 4-1, and the Rangers still had runners on first and third with only one out.

If that wasn’t frightening enough, Gonzalez (.330, 33 homers, 84 RBIs) was at the plate, with Julio Franco (.275, 12 homers 57 RBIs) on deck.

Rodgers had his bullpen warming up furiously, but instead of bringing in right-handed reliever Gene Nelson, he allowed Hathaway to fend for himself, just to see how he’d react.

Hathaway fell behind 3-and-1 to Gonzalez, and then held his breath as he floated a fastball over the plate. Gonzalez swung mightily, only to hit a foul pop-up to catcher Greg Myers. Franco then ended the Rangers’ final threat by grounding out to shortstop Gary DiSarcina.

“The one thing we learned about that sucker,” Hernandez said, “is that he don’t panic.”

Said Hathaway, who is 3-0 with a 1.86 earned-run average in his last three starts: “I’ve been quiet and shy my whole life, and I don’t think that will ever change. But when I’m out there, I’m all business. I have to constantly prove I have the stuff to stay up here.

“But I have big expectations of myself, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m here to stay.”