New Pitch for the Old Pastime

As innovations go, in the 121 years that baseball supposedly has been our national pastime, this one probably didn’t rank right up there with the installation of electric lightbulbs or the planting of plastic grass.

But when eight teams, among them the Dodgers and Angels, broke with tradition Thursday night and began interleague play for the first time, it might have been a small step for mankind, but it was quite a stride for the boys of summer.

“I think this is a pretty nice thing to happen to our game,” said Dave Parker, now a coach with the Angels after a long, distinguished career as a player in the National League. “And our game could use more nice things to happen.”

Looking to attract a new generation of fans, baseball finally accepted a change it had long been resisting. Since 1901, when the American League was formed to join a National League that had already existed for 25 years, no teams from these two leagues had ever met in anything but meaningless exhibition games or the World Series.

That changed Thursday, beginning with a game in Arlington, Texas, between the visiting San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers, a game that counted in the standings like any other. Pro football, basketball and hockey had always accommodated interleague play, but for major league baseball, this was a first.

Texas went whole hog, inviting Willie Mays and Nolan Ryan, two former greats of the Giants and Rangers, to toss out ceremonial first pitches. As for the ball that Texas pitcher Darren Oliver threw to open the actual game, it was saved to be sent to Cooperstown, N.Y., for inclusion in baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Large crowds were in attendance not only there but in Oakland, where the Dodgers met the Athletics for the first time since the 1988 World Series, as well as in Seattle, where the Mariners and their fans got their first in-person look at a National League team, the Colorado Rockies.

Interleague play did not get quite the same reception in Anaheim, for the historic first meeting between the Angels and a National League team.

For such a landmark moment, Anaheim Stadium’s seats were occupied well short of capacity Thursday at 7:08 p.m., when Rickey Henderson of the San Diego Padres stepped up to bat.

Never before had a National League player appeared in an official major league game against the Angels, who have never been in a World Series.

“Maybe we can get some National Leaguers back here again . . . you know, in October,” said a wishful-thinking Terry Collins, the Angels’ manager.

The game between the Angels and Padres drew only 22,164 customers, a crowd no larger than Anaheim typically attracts. But attendance is expected to increase considerably for contests tonight against the Padres and this weekend against the Giants.

And then comes next week’s schedule, with a number of interleague games that thousands of fans have been waiting for all their lives. They include unprecedented series between the Dodgers and Angels--beginning Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium--and between New York’s rival teams, the Yankees and Mets. In addition, the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs will meet in a game that counts for the first time since the 1906 World Series.

Baseball is attempting to revive interest, after a serious drop-off in attendance and television revenue dating to an acrimonious labor strike that resulted in the cancellation of the 1994 World Series.

Many believe interleague play will help. Others believe that players will balk at repeating this experiment, upset at the time and travel necessary for these additional series, in what already is considered an overlong 162-game season.

“Personally, I think it’s a boon for baseball,” said San Diego outfielder Tony Gwynn, before playing for the first time in Anaheim, not far from his hometown of Long Beach.

“I’ve been looking forward to this. It’s a chance to play against great American League players like Ken Griffey, Randy Johnson, Juan Gonzalez and others that a lot of our fans have never seen before. This should give baseball a little extra excitement.”

It also gives baseball an opportunity to test its conflicting rules, principally the one that requires pitchers to bat in the National League, whereas designated hitters take their place in American League games.

Collins called it an advantage for the home team, the Angel manager saying: “I’m not so much worried about our pitchers hitting. I’m worried about their running the bases. We practice hitting every day, but we never practice running.”

Added Parker: “This whole experiment could be worth it, just to see how funny those pitchers are when they run.”

Guys who have been around this game for decades, like Parker and Gwynn, do have a sense of history in the making. The same might not apply to the starting pitchers in Thursday’s game, however. San Diego started left-hander Heath Murray, 24, who was making his third major league start. The Angel starting pitcher, Matt Perisho, turned 22 last Sunday, and was appearing in his fourth big league game.

Neither had ever pitched against a single hitter on the Angel or Padre rosters, before this game.

“This is more fun for somebody older, like me,” said Fernando Valenzuela, the former Dodger and Angel star who now pitches for the Padres. “I only spent a year in this [American] League, but I know this is something the people want to see.

“I’m happy to see something good for the fans.”

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What Is It?

Interleague play between the National and American leagues. Teams in East and Central divisions will play 15 interleague games each. West clubs will play 16.

* Will the rules change? Home team rules will apply, with the designated hitter being used in American League parks and pitchers batting in National League parks.

* Will they count in the standings and statistics? Yes on both counts.

* Why are they playing these games? To generate interest. Fans will finally get a chance to see how their teams stack up against teams from the other league.

WHEN ANGELS, DODGERS MEET

AT DODGERS: JUNE 17, 18

AT ANGELS: JULY 2, 3