The streak. The brawls. And the Hall.
Throw in a couple of showdown series and it was an amazing week in the American League.
Ken Griffey Jr.’s home run streak was the real highlight. Eight consecutive games with a home run. A feat only two other players-Dale Long and Don Mattingly-have accomplished.
And when it was over the one word that kept coming up repeatedly was failure. Even the hometown papers in Seattle wrote that Griffey “failed” to get a home run.
The 23-year-old Griffey has had his share of failures in his still-young career. But last week wasn’t one of them.
Just ask Kirby Puckett, who was on the field playing for the Minnesota Twins when 45,607 fans packed into the Kingdome to watch Griffey try for a home run in his ninth consecutive game.
“What he has done is phenomenal,” said Puckett, who has done some phenomenal things of his own. “I can’t say enough about him.”
Puckett and the Twins were hapless bystanders throughout the final days of the home-run streak.
“We didn’t come out to see `The Ken Griffey Show.’ We just happened to be here when everything was going good for him,” Puckett said. “He was great. He has generated that much enthusiasm and excitement. That says a lot about him. And he’s just a kid having fun.”
Brawl ball: The Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals had their share of fun and excitement during a big five-game showdown series in Arlington. Six batters were hit by pitches during the series, and two brawls erupted. The ugliest was in the final game when Kansas City outfielder Brian McRae made a beeline for the Rangers’ dugout after being hit for the second time in the game. He was looking for Texas manager Kevin Kennedy, who had hinted the night before that his pitchers would retaliate for Rafael Palmiero being plunked on the kneecap after hitting three homers in two games.
“I was going after Kennedy, but I couldn’t get to him,” said McRae, who was held back by two players and coach Willie Upshaw. “I figured since he was the one doing all the talking last night that he’d be the best guy to go after. He’s probably the guy who gave the orders.”
Brawl ball II: The Rangers and Royals weren’t the only ones in the middle of a beanball war. The week started with Texas reliever Tom Henke throwing a ball up and in on Toronto’s Paul Molitor. And by week’s end, the Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers nearly went at each other two nights in a row because each team thought the other’s pitchers were throwing at their hitters. Detroit’s Tony Phillips was the most upset when Tom Henke threw a wild pitch that sailed past Phillips’ head.
Crunch time: It hardly was surprising that tempers were short. Both division races in the AL are closer than they have been in years. At one point last week, eight of the 14 teams in the league were within five games of first place.
Reg-gie! He was only a .262 lifetime hitter. But he came through when it counted, which is why Reggie Jackson goes into the baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday. He had 563 career homers and added 16 more in the playoffs and World Series. He had a lifetime World Series batting average of .357 and holds the record for career slugging percentage among players who have appeared in 20 or more World Series games (.755). Still, his .262 lifetime average is the lowest of any outfielder ever inducted into Cooperstown.
Roger who? Red Sox rookie Aaron Sele, who was called up when ace Roger Clemens went on the disabled list earlier this season, won his fifth game without a loss last week. Sele tied Don Schwall for the best career start by a Red Sox. Schwall was 5-0 to start the 1961 season. He finished 15-7 and was named AL Rookie of the Year.
Faceoff: The Texas Rangers may have suffered a big blow in their quest to win their first AL West title in their last season at Arlington Stadium. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez was hit in the face with a bat and broke a bone right where the jaw meets the skull. First reports were that he could miss three to six weeks, but the Rangers were hoping at week’s end that Rodriguez could come back sooner. Rodriguez was batting .284 at the time of the injury and had eight consecutive hits-one shy of the Texas team record and four shy of the major-league record.
Wahoo hoopla: A state senator in Ohio introduced a bill last week intended to force the Cleveland Indians to abandon their Chief Wahoo logo. The bill, by Sen. Jeff Johnson (D-Cleveland) would bar public funding of any agency that uses a mascot or logo that treats “a recognized racial or ethnic group in a demeaning manner.” Johnson is part American Indian. A similar measure was defeated by six votes in the Ohio Senate last December. The Indians play in city-owned Cleveland Stadium and move next year to the $362 million complex that is being built, in part, with public funds.
Still struggling: Cleveland pitcher Bob Ojeda broke away from the team last week and sought out a counselor in Baltimore to help him in his continued efforts to cope with the death of two teammates in a boating accident last spring. Ojeda was the only survivor of the March 22 crash that killed fellow pitchers Tim Crews and Steve Olin. Ojeda suffered severe head injuries.
“This is a monumental emotional thing to deal with,” said Ojeda’s agent, Ron Shapiro. “The scars on his head can heal. But the scars inside his head will take longer.”
Around the league: Toronto’s John Olerud, still hanging around the .400 mark, had a 15-game hitting streak end last week. . . . Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened 61 years ago this weekend when 76,979 fans turned out to see Lefty Grove of the A’s beat the Indians 1-0. The Indians are scheduled to play their last game in the stadium Oct. 3 this year against the White Sox. . . . Kansas City’s Jeff Montgomery continues to lead the AL in saves with 31 coming into this weekend. He has blown just three save opportunities. . . . California’s Mark Langston finally beat the Oakland A’s last week. That was the first Langston victory against Oakland since Aug. 12, 1987, when he was with Seattle.
