Reno Gazette-Journal from Reno, Nevada • Page 28

4B Baseball Sunday, May 24, 1987 Reno Gazette-Journal Batters are playing home run derby Fenway moments Pops up Ted Williams, Hall of Famer who hit 521 home runs, went hitless Saturday in an old-timers game grounding weakly back to the pitcher and popping up to first. Herzog: Baseballs are livelier x' ST. LOUIS (AP) He's not quite Galileo, mind you, and the Gateway Arch is not the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but Whitey Herzog figures he can prove that not all baseballs are equal. The St. Louis Cardinals manager takes the cores from two baseballs, one made last year and one made this year, and drops them from eye level.

The one made this year bounces at least a foot higher. "If it bounces that much higher in a five-foot drop, how about when a guy hits it hard?" Herzog said. "It's like a super ball. I've done it 100 times, and every time it's the same thing. It's amazing." Amazing is not the word Rawlings Sports Goods Co.

would use to describe it. Rawlings spokesman M. Scott Smith says Herzog's experiments are "pretty unscientific" and his findings premature, even though the Cardinals are well ahead of last year's home-run clip. "It's a spring ritual," Smith said. "I think it happened last year when Wally Joyner hit something like 15 home runs in April.

(Joyner actually hit his eighth home run on May 8.) He was a rookie and everybody said, 'Wow, the ball must be "There's always somebody hitting more home runs." No one can argue that because once again, batters are on a home-run binge this season. Through last Sunday's games, major league batters had 998 homers, an increase of 178 or 18 percent over the same period last season. But Smith insists the baseball is not souped up. Smith said the baseballs made by Rawlings have not changed since 1977, when the St. Louis-based company began supplying balls to the major leagues.

"We don't have a reason why home runs have increased," Smith said. "We have absolutely nothing to gain by changing the ball." By Ben WalkerAP The 1987 baseball season is turning into one big home run derby. Sluggers like Mike Schmidt and Dale Murphy are hitting them out of the Eark. So are utility infielders such as uis Aguayo and Rafael Belliard. Everywhere, home runs are up, up and away at a record pace.

Why? Well, it's not a batch of rabbit balls and it's not a bunch of corked bats. Instead, it's Eric Davis and Mark McGwire and Cory Snyder and a whole new breed of young sluggers emerging in the major leagues. Power is what pays these days. Home runs have been on the increase since 1984, and this season's homers are 20 percent higher than last year, when a record 3,813 were hit. "Look at the size of the batters," said Seymour Siwoff, who is head of the Elias Sports Bureau and spends his summer studying statistics and trends.

"The style is changing." Consider who now makes it to the majors. Pete Incaviglia, Jose Canseco, Rob Deer, Joe Carter, Glenn Davis, Danny Tartabull, Mike Pagliarulo, along with Eric Davis, Snyder and McGwire are all young and big. Cincinnati's Eric Davis, who turns 25 next week, leads the majors with 16 home runs. McGwire, a rookie with the Oakland Athletics, heads the American League with 14. The new breed of home run hitters does something besides hit homers it strikes out a lot.

There has always been a rough correlation between home runs and strikeouts in the major leagues, and the recent increase in homers reflects that trend. While the current pace would produce almost 4,500 home runs this year, major-league batters are also on a path to strike out 25,700 times. Last season, a record 24,706 batters fanned. But players don't often want to fool with numbers. They know what they think, or know what they want to think.

Bert Blyleven, who served up a record 50 home runs last season, has allowed 19 in 72 innings this year. Don't try to tell the Minnesota pitcher the ball isn't jumpier. "Definitely. I think instead of one rabbit, there's a whole family in there," Blyleven said. "It creates more offensive punch.

They say players today are stronger, but I just notice the ball coming off the bat quicker." Atlanta's Ozzie Virgil disagrees. He has already hit 14 home runs this season, just one less than his 1986 total. "The ones that I have hit, they were all gone, no doubt about it," Virgil said. "It doesn't mean they're livelier." "Why is everybody looking at the ball? It could be the pitching. Everybody's going, 'It's the balls, it's the I think maybe the answer is the pitching." Siwoff said that theory is a good one.

"The pitchers are the culprits. ERAs are atrocious. It's not the ball at all. The ball is the same. It's the pitchers." While 20 of 26 teams are above their 1986 home-run rates, earned run averages are way up.

Throughout the majors, ERAs are running well over 4.00, an increase of more than a half-run per game. Chris Speier connected for two grand slams. But, if those little guys are hitting home runs because of a lively ball, then the traditional sluggers should have more than ever. That's not the case, though. Jesse Barfield, who led the majors with 40 last season, has 11.

Schmidt, with 37 homers in 1986, has 13. Associated Prass The Rawlings Sporting Goods which has supplied major-league baseballs since 1977, downplays the notion of a souped-up ball. Surely, a few eyes popped open early this year when Belliard, a 5-foot-6 shortstop for Pittsburgh, hit his first career home run. Aguayo, who hit four homers last year with Philadelphia, has six this season and San Francisco's OUT: Ted Williams, former star with the Boston Red Sox in a career spanning 19 years, 1939-42, "46-60, watches his pop foul during the first inning of Saturday's old-timers game in Boston. The foul was caught by Orlando Cepeda.

Notes 14 I J' I Giants fall I ft I From page 1B behinds off and we got beat by a umpire. "Nine out of 10 umpires won't even call it if he did balk, and he didn't." Therein lies a difference of opinion. Giants catcher Bob Melvin said he didn't, Giants starting pitcher Jim Gott said he did, and Robinson, well, he didn't care to say much of anything. Robinson had walked Wilson, but before he could deliver his first pitch to Von Hayes, Harvey signaled a balk. "There's no way he could balk the way he (Harvey) said he did," Melvin said.

But Gott, who was watching the game on television in the clubhouse and thus had the benefit of seeing a replay, backed Harvey's judgment. "He (Robinson) didn't stop. That's my own opinion. He comes up to here (his chest) and he just went," said Gott, who left the game in the fourth inning. "Everybody out there (in the Giants' dugout) might say, 'Yes, it but you've got to see it as one of those things that can go one way or another.

"It's a tough time to call it. But, from what we saw (on TV) and three or four of us saw it that was an accurate call." So Wilson moved to second base and Robinson intentionally walked Hayes to pitch to the right-handed hitting Parrish, who drilled a 1-0 pitch to left-field. Jeffrey Leonard fielded the ball, but before he could make a throw to home plate to get Wilson, he slipped and fell on the damp artificial turf at Veterans Stadium. "Yes, he's (Leonard's) got a play," Craig said. "He (Wilson) is a below average runner.

He's got a good shot at him." The Giants had rallied from a seven-run deficit to tie the game on a triple to the 408-foot mark in center field by rookie Matt Williams off Phils' relief ace Steve Bedrosian. Williams scored the tying run by beating a throw by second baseman Juan Samuel to home plate after a ground ball by Mike Aldrete. 'Si Ayxs a tail in ina miii ii. inn mtml Associated Press GAME OF TAG: Franklin Stubbs of the Los Rafael Santana tags him in a rundown in the fourth Angeles Dodgers trips as New York Mets shortstop inning after Stubbs was caught stealing Saturday. A's lose heartbreaker; Dodgers end streak Old-timer pitcher evens score with Ted Williams BOSTON On Sept.

28, 1960, Ted Williams capped a fabulous career with the Boston Red Sox by hitting his 521st home run off Jack Fisher of the Baltimore Orioles. Fisher, now 48, finally got even Saturday by retiring Williams on a slow tap back to the mound in a fun game on a dreary afternoon at Fenway Park. Williams, a Hall of Famer, and other standouts of yesteryear were given a warm welcome as they donned old, and altered, uniforms for the second annual Equitable Old-Timers game. Nostalgia was the theme as the Equitable Old-Timers beat the Boston Old-Timers 6-1 in a three-inning get-together. Dick Allen, who hit 351 home runs in a career with the Philadelphia Phillies, drove in four runs with a tremendous homer and a double.

Right-hander Luis Tiant, given a welcome second only to the standing ovation for Williams, surrendered a single and a walk at the start of the game. Allen then leaned into a 1-0 pitch and sent a towering drive over the screen atop the 37-foot, left-field wall for his homer. Allen then had an RBI double in a three-run second against Jim Lonborg and Willard Nixon. Williams, who will be 69 in August, got in plenty of jogging by chasing balls in left field. Facing the old shift devised by Lou Boudreau in the 1950s, Williams fouled out to first and grounded weakly to Fisher.

Hall of Famer Bob Feller, Mark Fidrych, Hoyt Wilhelm and Fisher combined for a three-hitter. Jimmy Piersall accounted for Boston's only run against Feller in the first inning. Piersall walked, moved to second on an infield out, stole third as the bag was left uncovered by the third baseman's shift to short with Williams at bat, and scored on a wild pitch. SAN DIEGO right fielder Tony Gwynn and his wife filed for bankruptcy, citing liabilities of $1,147,000 and assets of $690,150. A petition for liquidation of the Gwynn's debt was filed Friday in U.S.

Bankruptcy Court in San Diego. Gwynn, who will earn $700,000 playing for the San Diego Padres this year, refused to comment on the matter when contacted before Friday night's game against the Montreal Expos. THE NEW YORK Yankees purchased the contract ot pitcher Ron Guldry from their top farm team, the Columbus Clippers of the Class AAA International League. to make room for Guidry, the Yankees optioned pitcher Pat Clements to Columbus. Guidry, who re-signed with the Yankees May 1 after playing out his option and becoming a free agent, made two appearances for Fort Lauderdale of the Class A Florida State League and one for the Clippers.

He was in uniform and available for Saturday night's game against California. JOHN MATIAS drove in a pair of runs as Hawaii beat Arizona 6-3 Saturday, eliminating the defending College World Series champions from the NCAA West II regional playoffs in Tempe, Ariz. Hawaii starter Rocky Ynclan, 12-3, went six innings for the victory, with reliever Joey Vlerra earning his ninth save by pitching the last three innings. Arizona starter Frank Hal-covich, 6-7, took the loss. IN THE NORTHEAST Regional in Atlanta, Kenny Kremer pitched a five-hitter and hit two solo home runs as Rider eliminated Dartmouth, 6-3.

Rider will play either Georgia or Fordham In today's regional championship game. Georgia eliminated Michigan, 10-8 Saturday. IN THE ATLANTIC Regional in Tallahassee, South Alabama will play Florida State In today's championship game. Florida State has an 11 -game winning streak. IN THE WEST I Regional In Stanford, Oral Roberts stayed alive by beating Minnesota, 7-0.

Top-seeded Stanford eliminated UC-Santa Barbara, 12-5, as the Cardinal's Paul Carey had a grand slam and finished with six RBIs. In a late game, Jeff Hooper beat out a two-out, ninth-inning Infield hit to drive in the winning run as Washington State rallied for a 4-3 victory over Wichita State. Today, Oral Roberts plays Wichita State at 9 a.m. POT and Stanford takes on Washington State at 12:30. The first-game winner plays the second-game loser at 4 p.m.

IN THE MIDEAST Regional In Starkville, Western Carolina eliminated Mississippi State, 8-1. IN THE SOUTH I Regional in Huntsville, Arkansas stopped Clemson, 6-5 in 10 Innings to remain undefeated in the tournament. The Razorbacks, 49-14-1, will meet Cle-mosn against today In the championship series. Clemson advanced with a 6-3 victory over Auburn. Arkansas needs one victory in two games today to advance to the College World Series.

IN THE SOUTH II Regional in New Orleans, New Orleans eliminated Southern 6-2 and Cal-State Fullerton eliminated Louisiana Tech, 11-0. IN THE CENTRAL Regional In Austin, Texas, Jody Supak registered his 13th victory and set two Houston pitching standards as the Cougars blanked Sam Houston State 4-0 to eliminate the Bearkats. Houston, 40-23-1 will take on top-ranked Texas, 57-9, in the tournament championship today. If Texas loses, there will be another game played to determine the champion, since the Longhorns are undefeated. Texas has defeated Houston all five times the two met In 1987.

The most recent win was a 15-3 drubbing in the tournament Saturday. Wire service reports American League National League games with a single. Clark, who has 28 RBIs in his last 21 games, then hit a 420-foot homer, his 11th of the season, to make it 4- CUBS 7, BRAVES 6 at Chicago Jerry Mumphrey's 16th-inning double scored Ryne Sandberg with the winning run as the Chicago Cubs beat the Atlanta Braves. Mumphrey had a double in the ninth inning that made an additional seven innings necessary. That came with two outs and none on and the Cubs trailing 6-4.

The next hitter, Andre Dawson, then hit his 13th homer into the left-field seasts off Gene Garber to tie the score and set up the five hour, 15-minute marathon, the major leagues' longest game in both time and innings this year. Sandberg led off the 16th with a single and Manager Gene Michael decided against a bunt. "If it was successful they would walk Dawson and if Mumphrey made out, I still had a guy on base who could steal second," he said. Mumphrey obliged by lining the ball Into the left-field corner of Jim Acker, 0-3. Orioles beat Oakland with 4-run eighth OAKLAND, Calif.

The Baltimore Orioles couldn't win with the long ball, but they got some help from a shaky Oakland defense to edge the A's 5-4 Saturday at the Oakland Coliseum. It was the first time in 15 games the Orioles have not hit a home run. This time the Orioles won with a four-run eighth inning helped by two A's errors. Three of those runs were unearned. If a majority of the crowd of 22,134 was disappointed, imagine how A's right-hander Dave Stewart felt.

He had dueled Mike Boddicker through seven innings and had gone into the eighth with a 2-1 lead. Although he pitched well enough to win, he was still shackled with the loss. "It all is going to come around," Stewart said philosophically. "You have to take the bad with the good." The trouble in the eighth started when Stewart gave up a single to Lee Lacy and then a base on balls to Jim Dwyer. Cal Ripken Jr.

rapped a single to center to knock in Lacy, and when center fielder Luis Polonia bobbled the ball, Dwyer moved up to third and Ripken to second. Eddie Murray followed with a hard grounder that scooted behind second baseman Tony Phillips for an error. That allowed Dwyer to score the go-ahead run. WHITE SOX 9, RED SOX 1 at Boston After 1 1 straight losses to Boston, Floyd Bannister determined he had to be almost perfect to beat the Red Sox. Bannister ended five years of frustration with the seventh two-hitter of his career as the Chicago White Sox beat Boston for the second time In two days.

Bannister retired the first 17 batters in order before Rich Ged-man lined a double just over right fielder Gary Redus. "Today the tables were turned," said Bannister, who last beat the Red Sox on May 18, 1982. "I've had a lot of bad luck in the past. It was disheartening. But this was a fun day." Los Angeles tops Mets after 7 straight losses NEW YORK This is news.

Use the big type, fellas, this hasn't been happening much lately. The Los Angeles Dodgers won a game. It happened, right there in front of a Shea Stadium crowd of 38,606, a national television audience and everything. The final was a 4-2 triumph for the Dodgers over the Mets, a victory that snapped a seven-game Dodger losing streak. Not only did they win, the Dodgers got all the missing elements that eluded them throughout a winless road trip.

There was outstanding starting pitching by Bob Welch, perfect defense and timely hitting including two home runs by Pedro Guerrero. There also was a strong finish by Matt "Murphy's Law" Young and a big play that went their way when newcomer John Shelby lept at the fence to take a three-run homer away from Kevin McReynolds in the eighth. "I'm happy that I can smile a little bit today," said Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. "It's been a long time since I could smile." Translation: It's been a long time since the Dodgers won a game. CARDINALS 4, ASTROS 3 at Houston Jack Clark hit a two-run homer as the St.

Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros for their 15th come-from-behind victory of the season. Billy Hatcher opened the Astros' first with a double, took third on Bill Doran's single and scored on Jose Cruz's sacrifice fly. But Clark walked to start the Cardinals' second against Bob Knepper, 2-4, and Tom Herr singled him to second. The runners advanced on an infield out and Clark scored on Jose Oquendo's sacrifice fly. St.

Louis pitcher Lee Tunnell singled to score Herr with the go-ahead run. With one out in the third, Terry Pendleton extended his career-high hitting streak to 17 TWINS 7, TIGERS 5 at Minneapolis Kent Hrbek and Gary Gaetti hit homers and Tom Brunansky scored three times as Minnesota defeated Detroit. Allan Anderson, making his first major-league start, got the victory, although he needed help from relievers George Frazier and Jeff Reardon. INDIANS 6, BREWERS 2 at Milwaukee Steve Carlton scattered six hits in posting his 326th career victbry as Cleveland defeated Milwaukee. Carlton, who improved his record to 3-4, won as a starter for the first time since Sept.

18, 1986, when he was with the Chicago White Sox. He struck out five and walked six in pitching his first complete game since Aug. 6, 1984, when he was with the Philadelphia Phillies. RANGERS 6, ROYALS 4 at Arlington, Texas Charlie Hough pitched a seven-hitter for his fourth straight victory and Bob Brower, Larry Parrish and Don Slaught hit home runs as Texas defeated Kansas City. Hough, 4-1, pitched a complete game for the second time in 10 starts.

He walked one and struck out nine. Two of the hits were home runs by Steve Balboni. Bud Black, 2-1, took the loss, giving up four runs three of them earned on seven hits in 3 innings. BLUE JAYS 6, MARINERS 2 at Seattle Jim Clancy pitched a six-hitter to win his sixth consecutive game and Ernie Whitt hit a two-run homer to help the Toronto Blue Jays over the Seattle Mariners. Clancy, 7-2, walked none and struck out eight, including the final five and seven of the last eight batters he faced.

The victory tied Clancy with Rick Sutcliffe and Bret Saberhagen for the most wins in the major leagues. YANKEES 3, ANGELS 0 at Anaheim, Calif. The knuckleballing Niekro brothers equaled the major-league record of 529 victories set by Gaylord and Jim Perry when Joe Niekro pitched the New York Yankees to a victory over the California Angels. Niekro allowed five hits, walked none and struck out five in 7Vt Innings for his third victory of the season and the 216th of his career. Phil Niekro of the Cleveland Indians, who lost to the Milwaukee Brewers Friday, has 313 victories.

Wire service reports PIRATES 3, REDS 2 at Cincinnati Sid Bream and R.J. Reynolds hit RBI doubles as the Pittsburgh Pirates beat slumping Cincinnati for their fourth consecutive victory. The winning streak matches the Pirates' longest of the season and gave them a 20-19 record, Pittsburgh has won nine of its last 12 games. Winning pitcher Bob Kipper, 3-4, allowed five hits in 5Vi Inninns InrluHinn rnru secutive home runs in the sixth by Barry Lar-kin and Eric Davis, his 17th of the season. The Reds have lost three games in a row and seven of their last eight.

EXPOS 6, PADRES 0 at San Diego Neal Heaton held San Diego hitless for 6Vi innings and finished with a two-hitter for his first National League shutout as the Montreal Expos defeated the Padres. Until Tony Gwynn broke up the no-hit bid by grounding an 0-2 pitch between first and second for a single, Heaton had allowed only two baserunners. He hit Stan Jefferson with a pitch to start the fourth and Jefferson drew Heaton's only walk leading off the seventh. Both times he was erased in a double plays. Wire service reports.