Winning Still a Wright Tradition

The nerves were the worst part. That gut-wrenching feeling. The agony that came with every pitch. And that was just Clyde Wright sitting in the stands.

For Jaret Wright, his son, it was worse . . . and then it was better. He went to the Wright family’s most hallowed ground Wednesday night, the pitching mound at Anaheim Stadium, and came away the winner in the Cleveland Indians’ 10-4 victory over the Angels.

This was more than a major league start for Wright. After all, he already had 10 of those. This was where his father pitched a no-hitter against Oakland in 1970.

“I can’t describe the feeling to go out there and win,” Jaret Wright said.

It has been that kind of whirlwind season for Wright, who ascended from double-A to the Indians’ rotation in a little more than two months. He is 5-2 with Cleveland. But Wednesday night’s son-father night was by far the most important start in his short career.

“Getting through today was hard,” Wright said. “Back in Cleveland, I don’t have to worry about things like leaving 45 tickets at the gate. But I got all that done, came into the clubhouse and tried to focus.”

Among the hefty rooting section behind the Indians’ dugout was Clyde Wright, who won 87 games for the Angels from 1966-73 and now works in the team’s communications department.

It was an agonizing beginning for both.

Tony Phillips, the Angels’ second batter, ripped a ground-rule double to right. Darin Erstad followed with a double to right. Clyde Wright didn’t even twitch on either hit.

After two innings, the Angels’ led, 3-0.

“I could sit there and act as cool as I like, but it was eating me up inside,” Wright said. “People were coming over, being real sad, and saying how they were sorry.

“But I know he has the talent to be out there.”

Wright showed it, retiring 16 of the last 18 batters he faced. The only runners who reached first in that span were Tim Salmon, on an sixth-inning error by right fielder Manny Ramirez, and Craig Grebeck, who walked in the seventh. Wright gave up four hits and struck out four.

It was a performance that was hardly a surprise to his catcher.

“Jaret is quite advanced for his age,” Sandy Alomar said. “He’ll give up a home run and it doesn’t intimidate him. He comes right back into the zone.”

It was that poise--and his 97-mph fastball--that rocketed Wright along in the Cleveland organization.

The Angels could have selected Wright with their No. 6 pick, but instead chose Clovis West High School outfielder McKay Christensen. Wright went to the Indians at No. 10 and Christensen went on a two-year Mormon mission, never to return to the Angels. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox as part of the Jim Abbott deal.

Wright, meanwhile, spent less than three years in the minor leagues. He was 4-1 with a 1.80 earned-run average at triple-A Buffalo before being called up June 24. He went 5 2/3 innings against Minnesota that night for his first major league victory.

That ranked as his biggest start, until Wednesday.