Percival Is Strong but Indians Go Long

By MIKE DiGIOVANNA

Sept. 11, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

CLEVELAND — Angel closer Troy Percival was so strong he threw a baseball through a backstop Tuesday night. This is no exaggeration--a Percival pitch left a hole in the chicken-wire fence behind home plate at Jacobs Field.

But Percival couldn’t get enough of those heaters past the Cleveland Indians, who burned one of baseball’s best relievers for three ninth-inning hits, including Manny Ramirez’s game-ending, two-out, three-run homer that gave the Indians a dramatic 7-5 victory in front of 42,181.

The celebration as Ramirez crossed home plate with his first career hit off Percival was reminiscent of the Indians’ many thrilling comebacks in 1995 and also stirred some painful memories for Percival.

Both of Percival’s losses this season have been to the Indians, the first a 4-1 stunner on May 12 in Anaheim, when he gave up ninth-inning home runs to Albert Belle, Sandy Alomar and Jim Thome. And of Percival’s three blown saves in 37 opportunities, two have come to Cleveland.

“I love to face their big hitters, but you have to be at your best to beat this team,” Percival said. “I couldn’t throw my breaking ball for strikes, and I couldn’t hit the corners with my fastball. I didn’t have much command, and I think they fed on that.”

Rex Hudler had snapped a 3-3 tie with a two-run homer off Orel Hershiser in the sixth, and reliever Pep Harris’ strikeout of Belle with a runner on to end the seventh preserved the 5-3 lead.

But Kenny Lofton opened the ninth with a walk off Percival, who sent ball four over catcher Jorge Fabregas’ head and--yes--right through the backstop.

“The first thing I thought was, who did he kill?” Hudler said. “Luckily no one was standing behind there. . . . Troy was really pumped.”

That was evident when Percival blew a full-count fastball past Kevin Seitzer on the outside corner for strike three, a pitch that was as deceiving as it was devastating. “I was trying to throw that pitch inside,” Percival admitted. “Like I said, I didn’t have a lot of command.”

Lofton stole second and third and Thome lined an RBI single to center to make it 5-4. Percival got Belle on an infield fly, but Julio Franco hit a shot up the middle that caromed off Percival’s glove and past Hudler at second, putting runners on first and third.

Franco took second on a wild pitch, and Percival fell behind Ramirez, 2-1. But with first base open and Omar Vizquel on deck, Percival still went after Ramirez, who drilled a 429-foot homer into the Indian bullpen in center.

“Incredible,” Angel interim Manager Joe Maddon said. “We had the right guy in the right situation and they just beat us. There’s no excuses, nothing to analyze, they beat our best.”

The loss dropped the Angels 18 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers and mathematically eliminated them from the American League West race.

“It would have been a big win,” Hudler said, “but since we’re 50 games out, it didn’t really matter.”

Wasted was a strong effort by starter Dennis Springer (three runs, seven hits in 6 1/3 innings), Jim Edmonds’ homer in the first, his 27th of the season, and Garret Anderson’s two-run single in the third.

Ramirez and Thome weren’t the only Angel nemeses Tuesday night. Add first-base umpire Larry Barnett to that list.

After Anderson’s two-run single, the Angels had runners on first and third with two outs when Jack Howell hit a hard grounder down the first-base line. The ball nicked off Franco’s glove and was heading toward the right-field corner until it hit Barnett in the shin, right behind the bag.

Franco scooped up the ball and touched first to end the inning, saving at least one run and maybe more.

“As you look back,” Howell said, “that ended up being a big play.”

This wasn’t the first time the paths of Howell and Barnett had crossed. On Aug. 8 in Anaheim, Howell rammed into Barnett before catching a popup in foul territory beyond third base. And on June 12 in Kansas City, first baseman J.T. Snow collided with Barnett and was unable to catch a popup.

“He’s just been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Howell said of Barnett.

Added Snow: “He’s got a magnet in his pocket.”