Wakefield Slows Down Johnson, 4-0

L.A. Times Archives

July 30, 1997 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

The tortoise beat the hare again.

Tim Wakefield, with a knuckleball that has earned more losses in four months than Randy Johnson’s fastball has had in four years, pitched a five-hitter, and Mo Vaughn hit a two-run homer in the Red Sox’s 4-0 victory over Seattle on Tuesday in Boston.

Johnson (14-3) suffered only his third loss in 40 starts.

“He’s tough,” Vaughn said after hitting his 24th homer of the year in a three-run fifth inning that broke a scoreless tie. “He’s probably one of the toughest, if not the toughest, pitchers in baseball.”

OK, then what is Wakefield?

Well, he’s a pitcher who has lost 12 of 17 decisions. But his knuckleball was working well enough to give him his second shutout in three starts and third complete game of the season.

“It’s like trying to hit a Wiffle ball in your backyard when your big brother’s throwing it and you can’t hit it,” Seattle’s Alex Rodriguez said of the knuckler. “He was dazzling.”

Wakefield struck out six and walked two. Only one of the five hits he gave up went out of the infield and three were bunts.

Said Johnson, who is 50-11 since 1994: “I made some bad pitches. Wakefield didn’t. It [the knuckleball] might be the pitch to learn.”

Vaughn wasn’t intimidated by Johnson, who hit him with a pitch in the first inning, then watched his homer after Nomar Garciaparra’s RBI double in the fifth. The home run was only the second by a left-handed hitter this season against Johnson.

Milwaukee 2-4, Toronto 0-2--The Brewers reached .500 by winning their sixth and seventh games in a row, getting a two-run homer from Gerald Williams in the fifth inning of the afternoon game and Scott Karl’s (6-10) fourth win in a row in the night game in Milwaukee.

The Blue Jays have lost five games in a row.

The Brewers got a combined four-hitter from starter Jose Mercedes (4-6) and relievers Bob Wickman and Mike Fetters in winning the afternoon half of the doubleheader.

In the nightcap, Karl won despite giving up a two-run homer to Carlos Garcia in the fifth inning that trimmed Milwaukee’s lead to 3-2. Karl struck out three and walked none in seven innings.

Wickman pitched a perfect eighth inning in both games and Fetters picked up two saves, his fourth and fifth.

New York 7, Oakland 4--Four Yankee relievers helped Dwight Gooden (4-3) get his first win in more than a month, even though he gave up four runs and seven hits with three walks in five innings at New York.

Gooden led, 6-1, after two innings after the Yankees pounded Carlos Reyes (3-2).

Paul O’Neill hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a sacrifice fly in the second for the Yankees, who got seven hits out of their first 11 batters but didn’t get another until the eighth inning.

Gooden’s night ended after five innings. Kenny Rogers and Jeff Nelson also pitched before Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth, striking out Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco for the final two outs, to get his AL-leading 31st save.

Baltimore 5, Texas 4--Rafael Palmeiro continued his assault on Ranger pitching, doubling home two runs in a four-run fourth inning that carried the Orioles to a victory at Baltimore.

Cal Ripken homered for the Orioles, whose run of seven wins in eight games includes five victories over Texas. Baltimore is 9-1 against the Rangers overall.

Palmeiro went two for four to improve his batting average against Texas this year to .378 (14 for 37). He has six homers and 18 RBIs in 10 games against his former team.

Detroit 3, Chicago 1--Willie Blair (10-4) pitched a three-hitter for his sixth victory this month, leading the Tigers to a win at Chicago.

Damion Easley had a two-run homer and RBI triple for the Tigers, who ended a three-game losing streak. Chicago lost its fourth in a row.

Blair gave up a one-out single to Ray Durham in the first inning, a leadoff single to Durham in the seventh and a homer to Mike Cameron in the ninth. He struck out three--all in the eighth.

Minnesota 11, Kansas City 8--Marty Cordova hit two home runs, his third multi-homer game of the season, and drove in four runs for the Twins in a win in Kansas City.

Minnesota sent 13 batters to the plate in scoring season-high eight runs in the third inning.

Rich Becker had a two-run triple, Ron Coomer hit a two-run double and Cordova had a two-run homer to highlight the big inning.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Jack Howell

Team: Angels

Performance: 3 for 4, 2 HRs, 4 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

Player: Damion Easley

Team: Detroit

Performance: 2 for 4, HR, 3B, 3 RBIs