Torre now 5th on all-time wins list
June 19, 2009
LOS ANGELES (AP)—Joe Torre got an opportunity to match wits with SparkyAnderson during his first two seasons as a big league manager in the late 1970swith the New York Mets, losing 14 of 20 games to the Cincinnati Reds.
In time, Torre got better at the job—and now he has more victories thanthe Hall of Famer. Torre earned his 2,195th regular-season win Thursday night,taking over sole possession of fifth on the career list with the Dodgers’ 3-2victory over the Oakland Athletics.
“If you told me a dozen years ago that I’d be in this rarefied air, I’dtell you you’re full of baloney—because I certainly started way under .500when I took over the Yankees in 1996,” Torre said. “But I have to thank GeorgeSteinbrenner for putting me in a position to do this. I’ve admired what Sparkydid for all those years, and I’m proud to be in that company.”
Orlando Hudson(notes) homered, pinch-hitter Mark Loretta(notes) drove in the go-ahead runand Randy Wolf(notes) pitched six solid innings to help the Dodgers take the rubbergame of the interleague series and improve to a major league-best 44-23.
“Joe passed another great man in Mr. Anderson. Just to be in uniform and bea part of this is a big deal,” Hudson said. “He knows the game because he’splayed it and managed for so many years. He’s got four World Series rings andtons of pennants, and he’s gone to the playoffs year after year. That’s thebeauty of playing for somebody who understands the game and knows how hard itis.”
Series at a Glance Oakland 4 LA Dodgers 5 Tue, Jun 16 – Final 10th Oakland 5 LA Dodgers 4 Wed, Jun 17 – Final Oakland 2 LA Dodgers 3 Thu, Jun 18 – Final
Brad Ziegler(notes) (1-3) relieved Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro(notes) after six innings,giving up a one-out double in the seventh to James Loney(notes) and a walk to RussellMartin(notes). Loretta, hitless in his previous 14 at-bats as a pinch hitter, singledto left field to snap a 2-2 tie.
Wolf allowed a run and five hits. Rookie Brent Leach(notes) (2-0) got the victory,getting Adam Kennedy(notes) to ground into an inning-ending double play in the seventhafter Cory Wade(notes) gave up the tying run.
Wolf has 10 no-decisions in 15 starts this season. He allowed two hits overfive innings in his previous start at Texas, but a power failure led to a1-hour, 41-minute delay and the hard-luck left-hander did not return to themound. The Dodgers scored all of their runs after the game resumed, and won 3-1.
With closer Jonathan Broxton(notes) sitting out his second straight game aftergetting a cortisone shot to treat a sore toe on his right foot, Ramon Troncoso(notes)got the final two outs for his fourth save in five attempts after 1 1-3scoreless innings by Ronald Belisario(notes).
Oakland Athletics second basem… AP – Jun 19, 1:03 am EDT
Juan Pierre(notes) singled in Russell Martin in the fifth to give the Dodgers a 2-1lead. Martin led off with an infield hit and advanced on Wolf’s sacrifice.
Pierre is batting .323 with 19 RBIs in 38 games since left fielder MannyRamirez(notes) was suspended on May 7 for violating Major League Baseball’s substanceabuse policy.
In the seventh, Pierre made a costly split-second decision to relay the ballto second on a pinch single by Nomar Garciaparra(notes) with one out and the speedyRajai Davis(notes) on first base. Davis looked over his shoulder at Pierre whilerounding third and coach Mike Gallego waved him home with the tying run.Garciaparra was not credited with an RBI.
“First of all, Raj has to read that ball to make sure it’s falling in,which he did well, then he sprinted hard to third,” manager Bob Geren said.“And when Pierre’s throw went toward second, Mike saw it and waved him, and Rajdidn’t slow down. That was a heads-up play by my third base coach, and it gaveus a chance.”
Kurt Suzuki(notes) hit a two-out RBI double in the third but the Dodgers tied it at1 in the bottom half. Hudson drove a 1-0 pitch to center field with two out forhis fifth homer and the only one allowed by Mazzaro in 25 2-3 innings spanninghis first four big league starts.
“It got too much of the plate and he got it up in the air,” Mazzaro said.“I mean, you’re going to give up home runs, but it’s what you do afterwards.You just can’t lose your focus. You’ve just got to keep going out andbattling.”
Mazzaro allowed two runs and five hits in six innings and struck out five.The right-hander set up Oakland’s first run with a sacrifice, and got anotherone his next time up.
Mazzaro also had two in his previous start last Friday at San Francisco,which made him the first A’s pitcher with two sacrifices in one game since KenHoltzman on Aug. 27, 1972—the year before the American League adopted thedesignated hitter rule.
NOTES: The A’s activated OF Ryan Sweeney(notes) from the 15-day disabled list andoptioned OF Chris Denorfia(notes) to Triple-A Sacramento. Sweeney had been sidelinedsince June 3 because of a sprained left knee.
