BASEBALL / DAILY REPORT : ANGELS : Boskie Injured in Brawl With A’s

The last Angel you’d expect to see in the middle of a bench-clearing brawl would be pitcher Shawn Boskie, who has a mild-mannered demeanor and spends much of his time before games reading religious literature.

But sure enough, that was Boskie sprinting from the dugout to the mound to body slam Oakland pitcher Jim Corsi in the bottom of the seventh inning Thursday night, after Corsi had hit Tim Salmon with a pitch.

Boskie, who gave up four hits in eight innings of the Angels’ 2-0 victory over Toronto Monday, paid the price for his charging foul--he suffered a slight cervical strain of his neck and will undergo precautionary X-rays today.

He also had a small cut on his chin and still appeared to be reeling from the incident after the game.

“I don’t know, my mind is not real clear right now to give you a solid story,” he said. “I did give (Corsi) a shot. That stuff happens.”

Told that his actions didn’t seem to fit his personality, Boskie said, “This is a battle . . . it’s just an emotional thing. I was upset that he hit our guy. I’m not saying I was right, but this is our team and we all fight together.”

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It was early in spring training, and Angel shortstop Gary DiSarcina was pondering the prospects of playing the 1996 and ’97 seasons without designated hitter Chili Davis.

“We’d be cellar-dwellers for two years,” DiSarcina said.

The Angels, hoping to avoid that scenario, agreed to terms with Davis on a three-year, $11.4-million deal that will keep one of the team’s most productive--and popular--players in an Angel uniform through 1997.

“That’s great, he’s earned it,” DiSarcina said. “He’s carried us for the two years he’s been here. He and Tim Salmon are the two big threats in our lineup, and it’s good to have them secured now.”

DiSarcina said the Angels’ decision to pull the Davis deal off the table in early April raised the eyebrows of several players.

“You wonder what you have to do to get security when you’ve put up tremendous numbers for so long,” DiSarcina said. “It makes you wonder about the commitment (of the organization). But common sense prevailed.”

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Left fielder Tony Phillips was right in the middle of a seventh-inning brawl that cleared both benches and bullpens Thursday night, and Wednesday night he found himself jawing with fans behind the Angel dugout.

Phillips, traded this spring from Detroit for center fielder Chad Curtis, said several spectators were chanting, “We want Chad! We want Chad!” and hurling a variety of epithets his way.

“You make me mad, I just want to show you that much more,” Phillips, 36, said. “I’ll fight anyone who challenges me. When people try to put me down, I’m not one to sit there and be quiet.

“This was the part of the trade I was regretting, but that’s the way people are. I dealt with that in Detroit. Everywhere you go you have to prove yourself. I’ve seen Hall of Famers get booed.”

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Phillips had as much trouble with the Anaheim Stadium lights Thursday night as he did with the fans Wednesday. Phillips, who lost a ball in the Toronto Skydome lights last week, could not track Scott Brosius’ liner to left-center field in the sixth inning, and the ball went past him for a two-out, two-run double.

Mike Bordick followed with an RBI single to give the A’s a 7-5 lead before Stan Javier’s strikeout ended the inning, so Phillips’ misplay essentially cost the Angels three runs.

Javier then flied to left in the eighth and Phillips again lost the ball in the lights. But as he turned his back and moved his glove toward his hip to brace for a collision, the ball miraculously landed right in his glove, much to Phillips’ pleasure, and amazement.