McGwire’s Homer Didn’t Floor Flener

Toronto Blue Jay pitcher Huck Flener, a former Cal State Fullerton standout who will start against the Angels today, had a good view of the longest home run in Skydome history--he was on the mound.

“When he hit it, I just said, ‘Wow.’ That one wasn’t coming down,” Flener said of Oakland slugger Mark McGwire’s July 25 blast, which reached the fifth deck and was estimated at 488 feet.

“Did I watch it? Oh, yeah. I’ve never seen a ball hit that far, and I don’t think I ever will again. I just thanked God no one was on base.”

Flener’s pride may have been bruised that day but the left-hander’s record wasn’t. The Blue Jays came back and won, 4-3, and Flener, who played on Fullerton’s 1988 and ’90 College World Series teams, got a no-decision.

In his next start Tuesday at Cleveland, Flener, who relies mostly on sliders and changeups, gave up only one run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings in a 3-1 victory.

Flener missed most of the 1994 season after undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery. He is 1-0 with a 2.39 earned-run average in four starts since being recalled July 12 from triple-A Syracuse. It’s his second major league stint since being drafted in 1990.

“I’m not sure if anyone ever feels you’re here to stay,” said Flener, who appeared in six games for the Blue Jays in 1993. “I know better than to expect much in the future. But if I continue to throw consistently, I have a good chance of staying.”

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Mark Langston, who made his 400th major league appearance Saturday, did not give up a hit in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. He also held Toronto’s Joe Carter, who entered with a .303 career average and four homers against Langston, to no hits in four at-bats. . . . Reliever Mike James, whose ERA has risen from 1.55 on June 16 to 3.21, had more problems Saturday. He started the ninth inning and gave up a solo homer to Ed Sprague and two singles before giving way to Mike Holtz, who gave up an RBI single to Otis Nixon. Manager Marcel Lachemann finally summoned closer Troy Percival, who struck out Domingo Cedeno with two runners on to end the game.