Angels’ 7-0 Defeat Pinned on Abbott, Not All the Blame

If Angels didn’t precisely soar, trumpets did indeed blare--there was a pregame battle of the bands--on the night of Jim Abbott’s major-league debut.

There were also ticket lines longer than those down the street at the Matterhorn, four Japanese television crews on location and enough curiosity to fill 46,847 seats at Anaheim Stadium Saturday evening.

Amid the clamor and great expectation of the occasion, Angel Manager Doug Rader stopped squinting into the camera lights long enough to make a simple request of Abbott.

“I just hope he enjoys it,� Rader said. “A player’s first day in the big leagues should be enjoyable, something to savor and remember. But it seems with Jim, all this attention might take that away him, and that would be too bad.�

As Abbott discovered in his career-opening 7-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners, such simple things in life are not always that simple.

Standing alone on the mound that served as his private eye in the hurricane, Abbott surrendered hits to the first two batters he faced as a professional and allowed two runs in his first professional inning.

Then came the second inning: Side retired, 1-2-3.

And the third: Error, single and walk to load the bases; double play to emerge unscathed.

And the fourth: Side down again, 1-2-3.

And, finally, very finally, the fifth.

Betrayed by his nerves, his teammates’ defense and a twist of luck, Abbott yielded four runs in the fifth, leaving the game, trailing, 6-0, with one more out needed to end the inning. All of the runs scored after Angel second baseman Mark McLemore botched a potential double play grounder, with the first two coming home on a broken-bat flare to right by Seattle’s Alvin Davis.

Three of the runs were unearned, but that statistic was of little consequence or consolation to Abbott afterward.

“I’m a little disappointed,� Abbott said from behind the podium during a postgame press conference. “I don’t think I threw too well. I felt sometimes I battled OK and I made some pitches I’m proud of, but overall, I didn’t do as much as I’m capable of.�

The numbers supported such an assessment. In 4 2/3 innings, Abbott allowed six runs (three earned) on six hits, three walks and one wild pitch. Of the 83 pitches he threw, Mariner batters swung and missed only twice. Abbott did not strike out a batter, had as many as two strikes in the count only five times and surrendered Davis’ crushing bloop single on an 0-and-2 delivery.

“Maybe I was a little unnerved by all the attention,� Abbott said. “Today, maybe my mind wasn’t as clearly focused as I’d have liked it to be.�

Rader certainly saw it that way.

“I can’t believe this poor guy’s been going through this,� Rader said as his took his turn behind the microphone in the crowded interview room. “Under the conditions, I thought he pitched outstanding. Had it not been for a misplayed ball and a bloop hit, it would’ve been a different ballgame.

“Under the circumstances, I thought he handled himself very well.�

The circumstances were unprecedented. Abbott, 21, is the 15th player to make the jump from high school or college to the major leagues since the inception of baseball’s amateur draft in 1965--but the first to do it with one hand.

Such distinguishing traits made Abbott the major story of the Angels’ training camp, as well as a focus of controversy when the Angels announced they would begin the 1989 regular season with Abbott not only on the roster, but in the starting rotation.

There were immediate charges publicity-mongering, of using Abbott to sell tickets in the short-term at the long-term expense of his baseball career. The Angels, and Rader in particular, were second-guessed for rushing Abbott to the major leagues without the benefit of minor league development.

“There was one story written saying I was using Abbott just to protect my butt, because I only have a one-year contract,� Rader said. “Then there’s the talk of this being a publicity stunt. To me, all that is so incredibly distasteful.

“When we announced Jim had made the team, I didn’t anticipate anything like this. I thought people would figure, ‘Well, they say he’s emotionally and physically ready and he’s one of their 10 best arms. Sounds OK to me.’ What a jerk I am. Johnny Naive.

“To insinuate the things that have been insinuated, to think there is any selfish motivation for pitching Jim except for the very reason we’re trying to win a . . . game is plainly irresponsible and unfair.�

Angel Notes

Jim Abbott and Co.: The Angel rookie became the 15th player to make his professional debut in the majors since 1965 and the inception of baseball’s amateur draft. Abbott is the first since 1985, when outfielder Pete Incaviglia went straight from Oklahoma State to the Texas Rangers. The rest of the list: pitcher Mike Adamson (Baltimore, 1967); pitcher Steve Dunning (Cleveland, 1969); pitcher Pete Broberg (Washington, 1971); pitcher Burt Hooton (Chicago Cubs, 1971); third baseman Dave Roberts (San Diego, 1972); pitcher Dick Ruthven (Philadelphia, 1973); outfielder Dave Winfield (San Diego, 1973); pitcher David Clyde (Texas, 1973); pitcher Eddie Bane (Minnesota, 1973); third baseman Bob Horner (Atlanta, 1978); catcher Brian Milner (Toronto, 1978); pitcher Mike Morgan (Oakland, 1978); and pitcher Tim Conroy (Oakland, 1978). . . . Add List: Of the pitchers, only Hooton had a winning record (2-0) in his first season. The combined first-year record of the other eight pitchers: 19-44.

The school-to-majors jump may be a rare one, but Angel batting coach Deron Johnson now been in uniform for three such debuts. Johnson played for the Kansas City Athletics in 1961, when pitcher Lew Krausse went from high school to the A’s, and played against Texas on the day Clyde broke in with the Rangers in 1973. . . . Abbott wasn’t the only reason the Angels looked different Saturday night. Manager Doug Rader also started a lineup featuring Tony Armas in right field (and batting cleanup), Dante Bichette in center field, Bill Schroeder at catcher and Glenn Hoffman at third base. “We wanted to give Devon (White) and Lance (Parrish) the day off,� Rader explained. “Also, Jack Howell hasn’t had much success against Mark Langston and Claudell (Washington) has never faced him before.� Howell has a .188 career batting average against Langston, but he’s not the only Angel who doesn’t hit the Seattle left-hander. Through 1988, Parrish was .143 (2 for 14) against him, White .095 (2 for 21), Wally Joyner .158 (3 for 19) and Dick Schofield .138 (4 for 29). Joyner and Schofield remained in the starting lineup, however, because somebody had to play.