Grimsley Puts It Together

He had an 0-3 record and 11.68 earned-run average in his last three starts. He described himself as “boneheaded” after his last loss and shaved his head after another loss. He was teetering on the brink of a demotion to triple-A Vancouver.

Yes, folks, Angel right-hander Jason Grimsley, who gave up 19 runs on 23 hits in his last three starts, pitched a complete-game five-hitter to beat the New York Yankees, 1-0, Tuesday night in front of 17,284 in Anaheim Stadium.

Grimsley outdueled Yankee left-hander Kenny Rogers, who pitched a two-hitter but walked Chili Davis with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth for the game’s only run.

It was the first career shutout for Grimsley, who mixed an effective sinker and curveball with his fastball to induce 15 ground-ball outs--and three double plays--against the American League’s top offensive team. Only two Yankees reached third base, just one night after the Yankees bombed the Angels, 16-5.

“It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?” Davis said, marveling at the game’s strange twists.

Almost as odd as Grimsley’s sudden dominance was the Angels’ ninth-inning rally, which included a little hustle and a lot of luck and vaulted the Angels to their first victory against Rogers since June 28, 1991.

Rogers, who has a career 9-2 record against the Angels, including a perfect game in 1994, took a no-hitter into the eighth when Garret Anderson led off with a soft single to center, just out of shortstop Andy Fox’s reach.

Anderson was eventually erased on an inning-ending double play, keeping Rogers’ shutout intact, but Rogers lost the game in the ninth.

Rex Hudler sent a one-out grounder to Fox, who was spelling starter Derek Jeter for the evening, but Fox’s throw pulled first baseman Tino Martinez off the bag, and Hudler was ruled safe. Replays showed Hudler was out.

“The minute I saw [Tino’s] foot leave the bag, I started to get excited,” Hudler said. “I just said, ‘Stay in the air. Give me a little Michael Jordan hang time.’ It was close, but I run like that on routine outs all the time. Infielders know they’re going to have to make a good throw.”

Randy Velarde then flared a double off the end of his bat to right field, with Hudler stopping at third. Rogers intentionally walked Tim Salmon to load the bases but didn’t come close to the strike zone on four pitches to Davis, who drew the game-winning walk.

“I knew he had to throw three perfect pitches or give up the run,” Davis said. “All the pressure was on him. Once it got to 3-0, he figured I was swinging, that there was no way I was going to take a fastball down the middle.”

Did Davis have the green light on the 3-0 pitch?

“I’m not telling,” he said.

Lachemann also wouldn’t say whether Grimsley had saved his job, which is in jeopardy because of Mark Langston’s scheduled return to the rotation Friday night. But it will be difficult to send Grimsley down after Tuesday’s performance.

Grimsley (3-4) kept his sinker down and regained confidence in his curve, throwing it even when he was behind in counts. It was the Angels’ first shutout of the season and the first 1-0 game between the Angels and Yankees since Nolan Ryan outdueled Ron Guidry on May 2, 1979.

“I’ve never seen him pitch so well,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said of Grimsley. “Our guys kept talking about how his balls were sinking. We’d get a man on and think we’d have something going, then he’d get a grounder and get out of it.”

Torre also did his part to keep Grimsley out of harm’s way with a questionable decision that probably cost the Yankees a run in the seventh. Jim Leyritz led off with a double to left, but Torre inexplicably had Mariano Duncan, the team’s No. 7 hitter, swing away--instead of bunt--on the first pitch.

Duncan grounded to shortstop, forcing Leyritz to hold at second. Ruben Rivera then lined to center, a drive that would have likely scored Leyritz had he been sacrificed to third. Grimsley retired Fox on a grounder to end the threat.

Grimsley said it was “a good feeling” to get the shutout, “especially against a team with such an unbelievable offense,” but he didn’t attach any special significance to his performance.

Asked what the shutout meant to him, he replied: “That I didn’t give up a run.”