Angels Put Yankees Away in 13th, 7-6

Whitey Herzog was sitting in front of his television set Wednesday night, realizing he was responsible for this intriguing matchup.

He traded starting pitcher Jim Abbott to the New York Yankees, creating a furor heard ‘round Southern California.

He provided Angel starting pitcher Joe Magrane his extravagant two-year contract, creating a furor heard ‘round baseball.

Now, sitting in his living room 1,900 miles away in St. Louis, Mo., he was recognizing the irony of the Angels’ 7-6, 13-inning victory over the Yankees in front of 24,312 at Anaheim Stadium.

Damion Easley hit a one-out single past a drawn-in infield for the game-winner that ended at 12:04 a.m. Thursday. Bob Patterson (1-1) pitched three shutout innings for the victory, and Donn Pall was the loser.

The winning rally was set up when Jorge Fabregas singled to right. Harold Reynolds and Gary DiSarcina followed with singles, loading the bases for Easley. He singled to left, and was mobbed by his teammates.

The victory snapped the Angels’ six-game losing streak, and prevented their worst start at home since 1980. Despite their 10-18 record, the Angels are 2 1/2 games out of first place in the American League West, the division being called the Fab Faux Pas.

Center fielder Chad Curtis prevented the Angels from disaster in the top of the 13th when he made a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch on Gerald Williams’ fly ball. Paul O’Neill followed with a single to center, but Curtis threw out Don Mattingly trying to score from second, ending the inning.

The Yankees, after blowing a 5-2 lead for Abbott in the seventh inning, took a 6-5 lead in the 10th inning when Angel reliever John Dopson threw a wild pitch past catcher Fabregas. Mike Stanley ran in from third, and although Fabregas’ throw reached Dopson in time, plate umpire Mike Reilly ruled Dopson missed the tag.

The Angels tied the game in the bottom of the 10th when Chili Davis hit a one-out double into the right-center field gap, scoring Tim Salmon from first base. It was Davis’ 24th RBI of the season.

Despite the late-inning festivities, the featured event of this night was the matchup of Abbott vs. Magrane, brought to you by the White Rat.

“I guess they’re bringing that up a lot tonight, huh?” Herzog said. “But you know something, if I had to do it all over again, I’m not sure I would have changed anything.

“I wanted to keep Abbott as much as anyone, and maybe the deal didn’t work out like we hoped, but I still think I was right in not giving him what he wanted.

“And you know something, I still think Magrane will be a solid No. 3 starter. When I saw him last year, I told our people, ‘Damn, if we can get a third starter for our ballclub for $1.5 million, why not take a shot? Where are you going to find a pitcher who does what he does?’ ”

Magrane, who underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery before spring training began, was impressive in his season debut. He yielded four hits and two earned runs in five innings, walking three batters with two strikeouts. If not for Danny Tartabull’s two-out, two-run homer in the first inning, Magrane could have left the game after 85 pitches with a 2-0 lead.

Instead, neither he nor Abbott received a decision. Abbott left after six innings.

“We’re in the process of getting our pitching staff together,” Angel Manager Buck Rodgers said, “and Joe Magrane is the first piece of the puzzle to come back.

“I hate to lose as much as anyone else, but we knew coming out of spring training we had some problems, and we compounded it with (Mark) Langston getting hurt and (Chuck) Finley struggling. And I hate to say this, but we may struggle for a while.

“But I think once we get things going, we’ve got a chance to go .500 for a while. And that may be good enough in this division.”

The feat might be much easier, of course, if Herzog never had traded Abbott. It already is perceived as one of greatest blunders in Angel history, particularly considering what they received in exchange. First baseman J.T. Snow and starting pitcher Russ Springer have been demoted to triple-A Vancouver, and reliever Jerry Nielsen is toiling in double-A Midland.