Once-Grounded Chuck Looks Like Finley of Old

Chuck Finley was looking for the 1,700th strikeout of his career--all as an Angel--when the first Toronto Blue Jay stepped to the plate Sunday afternoon. Falling behind on the count, Finley chucked what appeared to be ball four, far outside the outside corner. “Strike two,” umpire John Hirschbeck called instead.

The batter, one .191-hitting Jacob Brumfield, just stood there, laughing. Brumfield had homered off Finley back in April, when things weren’t going so well for the Angels or for their left-handed ace. This time, though, Finley struck him out, swinging. Then he smoked Juan Samuel as well, for victim No. 1,701.

“Remember who was No. 1?” Finley was asked after the game.

“No, I honestly don’t,” he said.

(Pat Sheridan, Detroit Tigers, May 29, 1986, Chuck.)

Old man Finley’s memory may be beginning to fade, but thank heavens, his left arm is OK.

And so is his right eye, which was struck with a bat in Arizona, during spring training. That nasty accident cost Finley nearly a month.

By the end of Sunday’s game, however, Finley had won his fifth decision in a row and the Angels were winners for the 12th time in 13 games. They remained the hottest team in baseball and catcher Jim Leyritz was squirting pitcher Allen Watson with shaving cream, because that’s the kind of thing hot teams do.

Leyritz played for the winning side in last year’s World Series, remember.

Finley has never been in one. He joined the Angels in the wake of 1985’s collapse. He is 34 now, and still an ace who has never been a king.

But after a workmanlike 9-5 win over the Blue Jays, in which he threw 131 pitches in 6 1/3 innings, Finley felt fine.

In fact, that’s what Manager Terry Collins kept asking him: “How do you feel?”

Finley’s reply was: “I feel great. Why? Don’t I look that good?”

At least that’s what he answered, when Collins came up to him after the sixth inning to ask how he felt.

“I’m pretty sure he asked me after every inning,” Finley said.

As recently as June 27, Finley’s record was 3-6, he had just been bombed by Seattle and his earned-run average was an ugly 5.71.

Three weeks later, he is 8-6 and his ERA is lower by a run.

“They took my suitcase away,” Finley said.

Suitcase?

“Yeah. It was all packed and in front of my locker.”

Not really.

But by the end of June, nothing would have surprised the pitcher. He was having one of those years. The bat that struck him at Tempe Diablo Stadium on March 15 left Finley with a “non-displaced fracture of the right orbit.” He was inactive until April 14. He didn’t win a game until May 16.

Then one day, shortstop Gary DiSarcina gave the southpaw a nudge and said, “We need you, man.”

It was a friendly reminder that the Angels were counting on Finley to show them the way. And as soon as Finley got hot, his teammates got hot right along with him. They are 10-1 since the All-Star break. Of the 13 games the Angels have won in July alone, Finley has won five.

And next in July, a trip to New York, Boston and Cleveland.

“We can play with any of those guys,” Finley said after Sunday’s game. “I think those East Coast teams know how well we’re playing. They might see a different team coming in there this time.

“As far as I’m concerned, we can play with anybody, East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, South, North . . . what other directions are there?”

Self-confidence has come to Anaheim.

Third inning, Finley’s shaky, Toronto’s scoring three times . . . Collins leaves his man out there. Seventh inning, Finley’s already thrown 120, 125 pitches . . . Collins leaves his man out there.

“Not many pitchers bounce back the way Chuck does after a bad inning,” Collins said. “He’ll give up a few runs, come into the dugout and say, ‘OK, get ‘em back. They got a couple, but that’s where it’s gonna stay.’ That’s the way he approaches the game.”

Finley doesn’t care if Collins keeps him out there all day, or uses a four-man rotation all year.

He said, “Even if I’m scuffling, they know I’m going to be out there until they take me out, yank me out or knock me out.”

Or leave a suitcase by his locker.

They have no such plans.