Angel Double Play in a 4-1 Win Makes the Red Sox See Red

Of the 102 double plays that the Boston Red Sox have hit into this season, they won’t soon forget good ol’ No. 99.

That would be the play, bizarre enough to cause considerable postgame debate, that ended one Red Sox rally and eventually gave birth to an Angel scoring spree and 4-1 victory at Anaheim Stadium Saturday.

“That play gave everybody quite a lift, obviously,” said Angel Manager Gene Mauch, who knows a good understatement when he speaks one.

The play not only helped give the Angels a much-needed win but also prevented the pesky, second-place Texas Rangers from gaining more ground in the American League West Division.

The players:

Catcher Bob Boone, center fielder Gary Pettis and shortstop Dick Schofield for the Angels; base-runners Bill Buckner and Jim Rice and batter Don Baylor for the Red Sox.

The play:

With one out in the fourth inning, Buckner, who runs as if he has a slug in his leg, beat Brian Downing’s throw from left for a double. Rice then singled past Schofield to put Buckner on third and to put Angel starter Mike Witt in all sorts of trouble.

Witt already had given up a home run to Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman in the third, which gave Boston a 1-0 lead. Now he had to figure out a way to coax designated hitter Baylor, he of lumberjack biceps, into grounding a ball to, say, Schofield for a routine shortstop-to-second-base-to-first-base double play.

Instead, Baylor lofted a pop fly to shallow center field, where Gold Glover Pettis awaited with mitt open. Baylor jogged toward first, expecting an easy catch; Rice took a few steps toward second; Buckner decided whether to try for home on a tag-up.

And then it happened.

Somehow, while sneaking a look toward Buckner and home plate, Pettis dropped the ball, beginning a chain reaction that resulted in a double play, all right, but not quite the kind that Witt or any of the 33,977 fans expected.

Pettis picked up the ball and threw it toward Boone at the plate. By then, Buckner had committed himself. He ran nearly to Boone and then made the only play he could, diving headfirst, arms outstretched at the plate.

Television replays would show that Boone appeared to miss the tag, that Buckner was safe. Plate umpire Drew Coble didn’t have a television; he called Buckner out.

“Boone knew he missed me--that’s why he came after me and tried to tag me again,” Buckner said.

Boone would have nothing to do with the controversy. “C’mon you guys, lay off me,” he said when asked about the tag. “I can’t answer that. I’ve got to take the Fifth Amendment. I’ve got to be good to the umpires.”

Mauch, who said he was unsure as to the proper call, ventured that Boone may have tagged Buckner “way up front.” Buckner, meanwhile, later said Coble told him that Boone tagged him on the shoulder.

While Buckner jumped up and down, pounding his fists against the ground in protest of Coble’s decision, Boone threw to Schofield at second base and forced out a surprised Rice, who had begun to turn back toward first just as the ball banged against Pettis’ glove.

“He just stayed at first base, didn’t he?” Angel second baseman Bobby Grich said of Rice’s blunder. “I wonder what he was thinking about? He probably couldn’t believe (Pettis) dropped one. He was stunned.”

Just all part of your basic 8-2-6 double play.

With that done, the Angels responded with their four runs in the bottom of the fourth, courtesy of two-run homers by Doug DeCinces and Bobby Grich off starter and loser Bruce Hurst (5-5). As Grich rounded first base after homering to straight center field, some 410 feet away, he raised his right arm and punched his fist into the air.

Grich, who has platooned with Rob Wilfong at second, and DeCinces, who has shared time at third with Jack Howell, said the victory did more than just keep the Rangers off the Angels’ backs for a day. “I think we sort of reestablished some confidence in our team,” Grich said. “We could have possibly been doubting ourselves a bit.”

Overshadowed somewhat during the day’s events was the pitching of Witt, who allowed just five hits during his eight innings of work. Donnie Moore completed the game and earned his ninth save of the season, his first since July 9.

Witt (10-7) had lost his first two starts this season against the Red Sox. On Saturday, he retired 10 of the first 11 Boston batters, allowing only Gedman’s homer in the third.

After that, Witt wiggled out of trouble in the fourth and again in the fifth.

“It used to be that something like Gedman’s home run would really get me on a downer,” Witt said. “But I’ve learned you can give up home runs--one-run home runs--and still win. You have to recover from it and get the next guy.”

And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to get four double plays, as the Angels did, including Boston’s friendly No. 99.

Angel Notes

Doug DeCinces’ home run, his 11th of the season, was the first he has hit at Anaheim Stadium since June 17. . . . Second baseman Bobby Grich made a fielding error in the ninth inning that brought back memories of a play involving him on July 10 that helped Boston to a 12-inning, 8-7 win at Fenway Park. In that game, Marty Barrett lined toward Grich, who had the ball but then dropped it. It was ruled a single. On Saturday, Grich botched a ground ball by Wade Boggs. “I turned to (shortstop Dick Schofield) and said, ‘If that ends up hurting us, I want you to bring a gun tomorrow and shoot me.’ ” Grich said. . . . Reliever Terry Forster tested his sprained right ankle Saturday by throwing off the mound for the first time since his July 7 injury. Forster, still on the disabled list, said that the ankle “is 100% better the last couple of days” and that he hoped to be ready to pitch in time for the Oakland series, which begins Monday. Angel management has said it will take a more cautious approach. . . . The Angels’ Don Sutton (8-7) faces Tom Seaver (4-8) today. It marks the second time this season that two career 300-game winners have pitched against each other. On June 28, Sutton faced Cleveland’s Phil Niekro.