American League / Ross Newhan : Candelaria, on Going from Last to First Place: ‘It’s Wonderful’

About a dozen reporters surrounded John Candelaria in Anaheim Stadium’s media dining room Saturday night. Candelaria’s flight from Pittsburgh had landed at Ontario Airport about an hour earlier. He was now wearing an Angel uniform for the first time. His new team was in the second inning of a game with Minnesota.

The press conference was designed to be a brief one, and Candelaria appeared nervous.

The left-hander’s emotions spanned more than nervousness, however. He said he was thrilled to be a starting pitcher with the first-place Angels and relieved to be out of Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the last-place Pirates’ bullpen.

“Imagine,� he said. “A 30-game difference in two days. It’s wonderful.�

His return to the rotation? That’s wonderful, too.

“I feel it’s where I belong,� he said. “I had no business being in the bullpen.�

Candelaria was 122-80 in 11 years as a Pirate starter, then went 2-4 with nine saves as a reliever this year. He said he hopes to be able to go five or six innings when he faces the Twins today. He was less inclined to face the bad memories of Pittsburgh, saying he had gone through two tough years, that he had burned his bridges via repeated requests to be traded, that he obviously didn’t like the franchise’s direction and that a trade was the only option--for the Pirates and himself.

Now, as a player traded with a multiyear contract, he can ask to be traded again--once the season ends. The Angels would have to meet his request by March 15 or Candelaria could become a free agent.

“I wanted to get out of Pittsburgh and I had my wish granted,� he said. “I’m not the type player to turn around and demand another trade. I’ve heard wonderful things about Mr. (Gene) Autry. I’m sure (General Manager) Mike Port and I can sit down and work things out.�

The successful addition of three rookies to the Kansas City Royal pitching staff last year helped influence the Angels to rebuild their own staff in a similar manner.

Much of that has now changed with the return of Geoff Zahn and the addition of Candelaria and Al Holland to the Angels’ staff, but the prototype rolls on.

Kansas City’s five starters--Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Bud Black, Danny Jackson and Charlie Leibrandt--have not missed a start this year. The Royals, in fact, have made only one change in their pitching staff since opening day, dropping from 10 pitchers to nine in mid-May.

Pitching stability has been the key to the Royals’ resurgence.

“This is as deep as we’ve ever been,� Hal McRae, the veteran designated hitter, said of the Kansas City staff.

“We don’t have a Dennis Leonard or a Steve Busby, but with each of the five guys (who form the starting rotation) we know we have a chance to win every day.�

Said veteran catcher Jim Sundberg: “This is the first time I’ve ever been with a club that the guys you expected to form the pitching staff in the spring have continued to form it all year.�

One result is that the Royals will probably have five pitchers with 10 or more victories for the first time in club history. Three of the starters are already there. Saberhagen has 12. Jackson and Leibrandt have 10 each. Gubicza and Black are closing in, each with seven wins.

Add KC: Besides the steady pitching, the Royals’ recent surge has been fueled by McRae’s revival. The 39-year-old designated hitter is again facing all pitching, after having been benched against right-handers since May of ’84.

McRae went into a weekend series having started nine straight games. He had 14 hits in his last 37 at-bats and had driven in 12 runs and scored eight.

Said George Brett: “To see him perform on a daily basis is a big lift to me and everybody on the club. When I see him go up there, all I think about is all those big RBIs he’s had.�

A strike beginning Tuesday night and lasting for about two weeks would benefit Kansas City. The Royals would lose 11 games against Detroit, Toronto and Boston. The Angels would lose 12 against Seattle, Minnesota and Oakland.

Carlton Fisk, the American League home-run leader, appropriately hit career-high No. 27 against his former employers, the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday night. Fisk had hit 26 three times with the Red Sox, which was something of a disappointment for him. He wanted 27 because it was the number on his back then.

“Through all my years in Boston I tried to hit my uniform number,� he said. “I finally do it and now I’ve got to go for 72 (his number with the White Sox).�

Two streaks ended for Boston third baseman Wade Boggs last week. The first, of course, was his 27-game hitting streak. The second was his streak of having reached base in 53 straight games.

There is no official record for that latter category, although Joe DiMaggio probably has it. DiMaggio reached base in 74 straight games in 1941, the year he hit in 56 in a row. He walked, hit in the 56 straight, walked, then hit in 16 more in a row.

Ron Guidry’s loss Wednesday against Cleveland ended his streak of 12 straight wins but did not mar his 75-22 record under Billy Martin. Martin was still in Texas, recovering from a collapsed lung suffered when he was given an injection for a back spasm. Lou Piniella was in charge of the Yankees when Guidry’s streak ended. Guidry’s record under Piniella and Yankee managers other than Martin is 70-44.

The enigmatic Yankees opened a weekend series against Chicago with the best home record in baseball, 32-13. Their road record was 23-32.

The performance and the personality of the Detroit Tigers have prompted General Manager Bill Lajoie to say:

“I’ve heard enough of the get-ready-for-’86 talk.’ I’ve heard enough of a player or players saying, ‘We’re where we should be, based on the way we’re playing.’ I’ve heard enough of the can’t-turn-it-around attitude.’

“I’m sure if the Giants had felt out of it (in 1951), Bobby Thomson wouldn’t be so well remembered.�

Reminded that Thomson’s dramatic home run against the Dodgers capped what was popularly called a miracle, Lajoie said: “It’s not a miracle. It’s just playing up to your ability and believing you can do it.�

The Tigers were expected to make a strong move last month, but instead, their 11-16 July represented their worst month since June of ’82. Detroit is 0-4-1 in its last five series against the West and has an overall 29-33 record against the West, contrasted with last year’s 57-27.