American League Roundup : Breakfast of Champions: Tettleton Fuels Orioles

Last season, after the Baltimore Orioles set the record for consecutive defeats to open a season--21--they continued a desperate search for help.

Shortly thereafter, the Orioles brought up a catcher, Mickey Tettleton, from their Rochester farm club.

Tettleton had some bright moments later in the season, but there was no preview of what to expect.

Now, the 28-year-old switch-hitter is the toast of Baltimore. While other hitters are moaning about deadened baseballs, Tettleton sees “rabbit” wherever he goes.

Wednesday night at Baltimore, Tettleton hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning to carry the Orioles to an 8-5 victory over the Texas Rangers.

The home run, Tettleton’s 13th of the season, was his eighth in the last 16 games. Tettleton, who has driven in 16 runs in the last 19 games, is tied for the league lead in home runs with Lou Whitaker of the Detroit Tigers.

In parts of five previous seasons, Tettleton averaged a home run every 33 at-bats. This season he is averaging one every 12 at-bats.

Tettleton’s explanation is that it’s either the Fruit Loops cereal he eats for breakfast or the weightlifting he does during the season.

“I really don’t know why this is happening,” Tettleton said. “It could be the weightlifting. That’s something I’ve never done during the season. Maybe the wind’s blowing out. I’m just enjoying it while I can.”

His wife, Sylvia, revealed the choice of breakfast food. It seems he started eating it before day games. A banner attesting to Tettleton’s cereal preference has been hanging at Memorial Stadium.

Manager Frank Robinson of the Orioles said he had hoped that playing regularly, Tettleton might hit as many as 16 homers this season.

“Mickey doesn’t have a history of hitting home runs,” Robinson said. “But he’s playing on a regular basis for the first time. Also, he has become much better as a hitter batting left-handed.”

Last year Tettleton hit nine of his 11 home runs batting right-handed. Wednesday night’s home run off Cecilio Guante gave him nine of his 13 as a left-handed hitter.

It may have been a costly victory for the Orioles, however. Pitcher Jeff Ballard, going for his ninth victory, was hit in the collarbone by a line drive off the bat of Pete Incaviglia in the fifth inning. Ballard finished the inning, leading, 4-0, then left, and the Rangers forged ahead, costing him a shot at the victory.

Boston 4, Oakland 3--Do the Athletics miss bullpen ace Dennis Eckersley? Well, Dave Parker hit his eighth home run of the season in the top of the 10th inning to give the Athletics a 3-2 lead at Boston.

So, with Eckersley sidelined because of a shoulder problem, the A’s brought in Eric Plunk. He retired slumping Mike Greenwell, but Dwight Evans singled, Ellis Burks doubled and the tying run came in on an infield out. Rick Cerone singled in the winning run.

Greenwell ended an 0-for-16 slump with a single in the seventh, stole second and scored the go-ahead run on a hit by Nick Esasky.

A throwing error by shortstop Jody Reed enabled the Athletics to get even in the ninth.

New York 9, Seattle 5--Deion Sanders, another former football All-American trying to make it in major league baseball, had an auspicious debut at New York.

Unlike Bo Jackson, a running back, Sanders is a defensive back from Florida State who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League.

He arrived from Albany, N.Y., earlier in the day, threw out a runner from center field and singled to ignite a five-run seventh inning that brought the Yankees from behind. He was 1 for 4 and had a run-scoring ground-out.

Don Mattingly went 4 for 5, including a two-run home run, as the Yankees rallied from a 5-2 deficit. A three-run home run by Jeffrey Leonard in the top of the seventh broke a 2-2 tie.

Rickey Henderson and Mattingly followed Sanders’ hit with singles in the seventh. Mike Pagliarulo greeted reliever Jerry Reed with a bad-hop double, and Alvaro Espinosa later squeezed in a run.

Cleveland 7, Toronto 4--As interim manager, Cito Gaston had the Blue Jays showing improvement; then before this game at Cleveland, it was announced that he would manage for the rest of the season.

The Blue Jays responded by wasting a 4-2 lead, and their record under Gaston fell to 8-7.

Pete O’Brien paced the Indians, going 3 for 3 and driving in three runs.

Several years ago, Bud Black was a top reliever. The Indians used him in a rescue role for the first time this season and he responded by holding Toronto to two hits and no runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Joe Carter, who had a leadoff double to start the Indians’ go-ahead rally in the sixth, homered in the eighth.

Detroit 4, Chicago 3--Lou Whitaker hit a two-run home run in the eighth inning at Chicago to put the Tigers ahead, and they survived rain in the ninth to hand the White Sox the 11th loss in their last 12 games.

Whitaker’s second homer in two games gave him 13 for the season.

Minnesota 7, Kansas City 1--Dan Gladden hit a grand slam off reliever Tom Gordon (5-3) in the sixth inning at Kansas City, and shortly thereafter the rains came.

After waiting 78 minutes, the umpires called the game.