The Burlington Free Press from Burlington, Vermont • Page 5

mm 'iv'W mwwn ii iki The Burlington (Vt.) Free Tuesday, July 19, 1988 3C Pittsfield pitcher baffles Mariners for 6V3 innings during 2-0 victory 1 1 linimijW.iwiy;..il.iyi...i. i.hiii II. 1 1 II I III. I Jlllll WMj jiaiaa, By Kevin lole Free Press Staff Writer Even for a grizzled veteran of no-hitters such as Bill Kazmierczak, the thought of firing a perfect game was exciting. The Pittsfield Cubs' right-hander, who threw two no-hitters earlier in the year at Single-A Winston-Salem, tossed 6Vj perfect innings against the Vermont Mariners Monday before combining on a three-hitter with reliever Dean Wilkins in a 2-0 victory at Centennial Field.

Kazmierczak was flawless through six innings, maintaining his perfection until the seventh, when shortstop Omar Vizquel sliced a one-out double down the line in right. Kazmierczak pitched eight innings, allowing two hits and a walk. Wilkins allowed one hit in the ninth to earn his 19th save. "The guy's thrown two of those already this year. That's Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan-type stuff," said Pittsfield manager Jim Essian.

Kazmierczak overmatched the Carolina League when he was pitching at Winston-Salem for the first half of the season. He was 9-2 with a 1.34 ERA and struck out 93 and walked only 23 in 87 innings. He was the league's pitcher of the month in May. He was promoted to Pittsfield in June, where he is 4-3 with a 3.99 ERA. "He's got the type of stuff that's going to help him throw no-hitters at this level," said Vermont manager Rich Morales.

"He gets the breaking ball over the plate and he gets ahead in the count. He keeps the hitters off-balance." Kazmierczak was in such complete command that he did not even reach a three-ball count until the sixth inning. He befuddled Vermont with a fastball, slider and change, keeping the Mariner hitters on a string throughout. "A big key for me was that I got ahead in the count early and I could get them to swing at my pitch," Kazmierczak said. "I had them hitting my pitch a lot.

They swung at a lot of pitches early in the count and that just let me throw what I wanted later." The Cubs made sure they didn't waste Kazmierc- zak's brilliant effort by doing just enough damage to Vermont starter Greg Brinkman, who was excellent in his own right. Cedric Landrum legged out a double to left-center in the sixth, stole third and scored when catcher Jerry Goff 's throw went into left field. John Lewis hit a solo homer in the eighth for Pittsfield's other run. Thus, the spotlight fell squarely on Kazmierczak, who responded in big-time fashion. "I was thinking about the perfect game more than the no-hitter," said Kazmierczak.

"After the fifth, I realized I had a shot at it. I knew if I could have gotten through the lineup one more time, I'd get it." It wasn't to be. He got through the sixth and then weathered a mini-storm when Eric Fox worked the count to 3-2 leading off the seventh, but got Fox to fly to left. Kazmierczak lost his chance at perfection when the switch-hitting Vizquel, batting left, lined a double to right. "It wasn't a bad pitch, it was a bad choice of pitches," said Kazmierczak.

"I was behind in the count and I thew him a change. I had been getting him out with hard stuff and I probably should have stuck with that." The hit didn't affect Kazmierczak too much because he ended the inning by striking out Dave Brundage and Jim Wilson. He hit his only trouble spot in the eighth, when Goff led off with a single and Greg Fulton walked one out later. But Kazmierczak met the challenge, as he had all night, and got Jorge Uribe to ground into a 6-4-3 double play. "He kept the ball down well and he got it over the plate," said Vermont pitching coach Dave Schuler.

"I'll bet he only through five pitches above the waist all night." "He mixes speeds so well and he throws strikes," Pittsfield pitching coach Grant Jackson said. "You don't have to throw the ball 900 miles an hour to get an out. When I went out there, I said give me a slider or a change or whatever, just get me an out. The name of the game is getting outs and winning. Do that and I'll buy you a beer after the game." The Associated Press THE ALMIGHTY BUC: Bobby Bonilla, the National League player of the month for April and May, is one reason why Pittsburgh is still right on the heels of the New York Mets.

Pirates on a rampage Mets can't shake pesky Pittsburgh Wleis' lead drops to 2 National three homers and eight runs batted in. Van Slyke followed up his diving catch in last Tuesday's All-Star game with two better catches against the Giants. He's batted .370 during the winning streak and has 46 RBI in his last 50 games. The Pirates also have been winning big at the box office. They went over one million in attendance Sunday, the earliest calendar date in their 101 year history that they've surpassed the million mark.

With 35 home dates left, they could threaten the franchise attendance record of 1,705,828 set in 1960. Are these the same Pirates who lost 104 games in 1985 while dialing only 735,900 spectators? Who almost had to abandon Pittsburgh because of dwindling attendance and a major drug scandal? No way, Leyland said. Since winning 27 of their last 38 last season, the Pirates are 80-48, .625, and Leyland said, "That's championship stuff." "We've got a lot of hungry ballplayers, and a manager likes to see that," he said. "We're hungry, and that is what this team is in San Diego to briefly fall into third place, 7 'a games behind the Mets. The Pirates have been so hot that they were the banner headline across the top of Monday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports page.

The opening of Steelers' training camp, normally something akin to a religious holiday locally, got a one-column headline at the bottom of the page. Pirates Manager Jim Leyland has come up a winner lately even when he's gambled with the odds. He rested four regulars Sunday against the Giants, including his two hottest hitters, Barry Bonds and Andy Van Slyke, yet came up a 5-4 winner when Bonds hit a two-run, pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning. The Pirates have continued to get consistent pitching from buddies Bob Walk and John Smiley, who have combined for 19 wins after beginning the season as the No. 4 and 5 starters.

Mike Dunne and Doug Drabek, who began the season 1-2 in the rotation, have also started to win regularly. The bullpen has been consistent all year behind former Giants Jim Gott (13 saves) and Jeff Robinson (7-2 record, eight saves) and has allowed only one run in 26 innings. Bonds has shrugged off a cranky left knee that still may require arthroscopic surgery to hit in eight consecutive games (14-for-29, .483) with six doubles, I CINCINNATI Nick Esasky's sacrifice fly and Tim Teufel's errant relay throw scored two runs on the same play Monday night, lifting the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets. Danny Jackson, 11-5, stopped the Mets on three hits for seven innings to get his sixth victory in his last eight starts. John Franco, the fourth Cincinnati pitcher, got four outs for his 17th save, including the Reds' last seven victories.

The loss reduced New York's lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates to two games in the National League East. The Pirates' game against San Diego was rained out Monday. Sid Fernandez, 5-7, held Cincinnati hitless for five innings before falling victim to his wild-ness and Teufel's error. Kal Daniels led off with a clean single to right and Eric Davis drew Fernandez's sixth walk. With Esasky at bat, Daniels and Davis executed a double steal.

Esasky then hit a 1-2 pitch that Mookie Wilson caught against the center field wall for a tying sacrifice. Davis tagged on the play and rounded third, forcing Teufel to make a quick relay, and the off-target throw eluded catcher Barry Lyons up the third base line and allowed Davis to score easily. Fernandez left for a pinch-hitter in the seventh, having allowed just one hit in six innings. Both teams finished with only four hits. Jackson also had a bout of wildness, and it led to the Mets' run in the third.

He walked Wilson and Teufel with one out, and Dar-ryl Strawberry followed with an RBI single to center. Astros 6, Expos 1 MONTREAL Joaquin Andu-jar won his first game in more than a year, supported by Kevin times in one inning against Cincinnati during a 12-3 victory on May 30. Dodgers 1, Cardinals 0 ST. LOUIS Tim Leary pitched a five-hitter and Mike Marshall homered in the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals for their sixth straight victory.

Leary, 9-6, pitched his fourth shutout of the season and sixth complete game. He struck out four and walked one. Todd Worrell, 4-7, relieved to start the ninth and Marshall hit the second pitch for his 12th home run. Bob Forsch and Larry McWil-liams shut out Los Angeles on four hits for eight innings. The victory gave Los Angeles an eight-game lead in the National League West over San Francisco and Houston.

The Dodgers swept a five-game series in Chicago during the weekend and have a 29-13 road record, best in the majors. The Cardinals have lost 10 of their last 11 games and 26 of 33. St. Louis has not scored more than three runs in its last 11 games. Braves 9-1, Phillies 8-4 PHILADELPHIA Rookie Ricky Jordan hit a two-run homer for the second straight day and David Palmer pitched four-hit ball for seven innings as the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 4-1 in the second game for a split of their doubleheader.

In the first game, Andres Thomas scored from second base on an error by first baseman Greg Gross in the 11th and Atlanta won 9-8. Palmer, 5-6, did not walk a batter and allowed only one hit through six innings. He also hit an RBI single in the sixth for the game's first run. From wire reports all about." Bass' three-run homer and Buddy Bell's solo shot as the Houston Astros beat the Montreal Expos. Andujar, 1-4, won for the first time since July 2, 1987, with Oakland.

He gave up one run on six hits in six innings. Danny Darwin finished with one-hit relief for his second save. Bryn Smith, 6-6, gave up five runs, four of them unearned, on five hits in five innings. Billy Hatcher opened the game with a grounder that second baseman Tom Foley misplayed for an error. Hatcher stole second, Bill Doran singled and Glenn Davis hit an RBI single.

One out later, Bass hit his eighth home run of the season. Montreal scored in the second on singles by Foley, Nelson Santo-venia and Luis Rivera. Cubs 8, Giants 3 CHICAGO Vance Law hit a two-run, go-ahead single in a six-run eighth inning as the Chicago Cubs rallied and beat the San Francisco Giants, ending a five-game losing streak. San Francisco has lost five consecutive games. The Cubs, who scored seven runs their four previous games, won for the second time in 11 games.

With Chicago trailing 3-2, Rafael Palmeiro opened the eighth with a single off Craig Lefferts, 2-6. Mark Grace walked and Scott Garrelts relieved. Andre Dawson singled to load the bases and Law followed with his hit, which put Chicago ahead 4-3. Shawon Dunson then hit an RBI single and Garrelts later walked Jerry Mumphrey with the bases loaded to make it 6-3. Mitch Webster added a two-run single for Chicago, which last scored six By Alan Robinson The Associated Press PITTSBURGH The Bucs haven't stopped here.

Or in Los Angeles, or San Diego or San Francisco. In fact, the rallying cry around the National League these days isn't just can the Mets and Dodgers be caught, but who's going to stop the Bucs? The Pittsburgh Pirates who lost 98 games just two years ago have been as hot as the weather lately, winning an NL season-high nine in a row. The only hotter streak hereabouts has been a record-setting streak of 13 consecutive 90-degree days. "That team is hot. That team is h-o-t," San Francisco Manager Roger Craig said after the Pirates swept a four-game weekend series from the Giants, who had won five in a row before the All-Star break.

"Everything they do is right, and it's tough to beat a club like that. They're hitting in the clutch and getting good pitching." The Pirates' winning streak is their longest since June 1983 and has kept them within 2 games of NL East-leading New York. The Mets keep winning they took three of four in Atlanta but still can't pull away from the Pirates, who have remained legitimate contenders a lot longer than many baseball experts thought they would including some of the Mets. In fact, the only thing to slow down Pittsburgh lately was a rain storm which postponed Monday's game against San Diego. New York lost to Cincinnati 2-1 to reduce the Mets' lead to two games.

Only last week, Manager Da-vey Johnson said Montreal, not Pittsburgh, was the team he feared most down the stretch. "There's probably 10 teams in the National League who take us seriously," said catcher Mike La-Valliere. "It doesn't make any difference. We take ourselves seriously and that's all that matters." "People think we'll collapse," said first baseman Sid Bream. "Let them keep thinking that.

If we don't, it's going to be fun to see them eat their words." Right fielder Darnell Coles said the Mets "are going to keep saying what they're going to say. I hope they keep worrying about everybody else but us. Everybody thinks we're a fluke, just lucky. We're content to stay in the shadows, but the beginning of October will speak for itself." The Pirates haven't lost since the Fourth of July, when they lost Sanches beats Reggi to win Belgian Open The Associated Press BRUSSELS, Belgium -Fourth-seeded Arantxa Sanchez of Spain beat third-seeded Raffaella Reggi of Italy 6-0, 7-5 Monday to win the rain-delayed women's $75,000 Belgian Open tennis tournament. Sanchez, 16, overpowered Reggi with her superior backcourt game in the first set and kept a winning edge in a see-saw second set to take the $12,000 winner's check.

Reggi earned $6,000 for being runner-up. Tigers throttle Mariners 1 2-3 American ml TREK Mountain Bikes for '88 are outrageous performers at any price. Ride the town, on fire trails or over the rocks and there's a TREK ATB built for you. Choose from the affordable 900 to the take-it-to-the-max aluminum SEATTLE Gary Pettis hit three RBI singles, one of them in Detroit's five-run sixth inning that broke a 3-3 tie and carried the Tigers to a 12-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners Monday night. Walt Terrell, 4-7, halted a four-game losing streak with a five-hitter.

He retired 19 straight batters from the second to the eighth inning. Tom Brookens hit the Tigers' first of four RBI singles in the sixth inning, breaking the 3-3 tie. Mike Heath followed with another run-scoring single and Pettis singled off Seattle starter Steve Trout, 4-5, to drive home Brookens. Gene Walter relieved Trout, and Heath and Pettis executed a double steal before scoring on Lou Whitaker's single. Detroit added a run in the seventh inning without a hit.

Hern-don reached first base on a forc-eout, advanced to second on the second of four balks by Walter and scored as left fielder Greg Briley dropped a fly ball. Walter's four balks tied an American League record. Blue Jays 12, Angels 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. Kelly Gruber drove in three runs and hit one of Toronto's three homers as the Blue Jays defeated the California Angels. Gruber's two-run double touched off a six-run first inning that included seven consecutive hits off Angels starter Chuck Fin-ley, 5-9.

Gruber closed out Toronto's scoring with his 12th homer in the sixth. Brewers 6, Royals 1 MILWAUKEE Joey Meyer and Charlie O'Brien hit two-run homers in the second inning and Mike Birkbeck pitched a seven-hitter for eight innings as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals. Meyer's fifth homer his first since June 7 and O'Brien's first in the majors came off Floyd Bannister, 8-8, sending the Royals to their fifth straight defeat. Birkbeck, 4-5, won his second straight decision since being recalled from the minors earlier this month. From wire reports Athletics 7, Indians 2 OAKLAND, Calif.

Rookie right-hander Todd Burns scattered seven hits and Jose Canseco drove in three runs with a single and his major league-leading 25th homer, leading the Athletics over the Cleveland Indians. Burns, 2-0, making his fourth start and sixth appearance, allowed only two unearned runs. Burns walked one and struck out one for his first career complete game. Left-hander Scott Bailes, 7-9, gave up a first-inning solo homer to Canseco, giving the A's a 1-0 lead. Of Canseco's 25 homers, 17 have either tied the game or put Oakland ahead.

The Indians scored their two unearned runs in the second to take a 2-1 lead. Mel Hall hit an infield single with one out and scored when Carney Lansford threw away Cory Snyder's two-out grounder for a two-base error. Willie Upshaw's single knocked in Hall with the second run. 8500 or one of seven AlB models in between. Get onto something outrageous at your TREK dealer today.

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