CHUCK FINLEY IS A Modest Millionaire : Despite His New Wealth, Angel Left-Hander Retains Down-Home Perspective--and Disarming Fallibility

MESA, Ariz. —  He bought a new Mercedes to satisfy a dream, but Angel left-hander Chuck Finley insists he will never give up his old truck.

And although he owes no one an explanation, he is quick to say--in tones more than faintly apologetic--that he acquired the shiny white Mercedes before he signed the $2.5-million contract that could buy him a fleet of cars.

“I bought it because I can’t find a car big enough to hold me,” he said, stretching his 6-foot-6 frame to prove his point.

“I told myself four years ago that if I ever got to the point where I was financially stable, I’d buy a car like that. I bought it with the money I got in Japan (for a series of postseason games). The money from the contract isn’t a big deal with me. It’s nice to have it, but I don’t wake up every morning and think I’m a better person than anyone else because I’m getting paid this much money.”

If Finley’s fortune is an embarrassment of riches, there is enough down-home Louisiana boy left in him at 28 to suggest he will use his wealth wisely.

In an age when pitchers throw tantrums almost as often as fastballs, he is still enough the obedient son to be remorseful when his mother chides him for raising his voice to her on the phone.

And he is so fallible. Finley has been known to kick chairs and miss, to fall off curbs and, one day last week, to walk toward a storeroom in the Angels’ spring training clubhouse when he meant to head for the exit to the practice field.

“You’d think after five years I’d know where I was going,” he said.

Professionally, at least, he is going in the right direction.

After having a breakthrough 16-9 season in 1989, Finley earned his second consecutive All-Star selection in 1990. He finished 18-9, with a 2.40 earned-run average that was second in the American League only to the 1.93 by Boston’s Roger Clemens. He ranked among the American League leaders in most major categories, pitching seven complete games and getting 177 strikeouts in 236 innings.

For a final flourish, he combined with Seattle’s Randy Johnson to pitch a no-hitter in the last game of the American major leaguers’ tour of Japan. “It was nice because they were beating us almost every game,” Finley said. “They say you’re only as good as your last start, so I guess we left a good impression.”

Said Angel pitching coach Marcel Lachemann: “He’s got three quality pitches, but he also has a makeup where he will compete against opponents and situations rather than against himself. He’s able to kick himself a click higher when he has to and make a better pitch. And that’s not necessarily throwing the ball harder.”

Finley downplayed his success under pressure.

“It’s just that I got plenty of practice,” he said, referring to jams he created early in his career before his control improved and he began to issue fewer walks.

“When I’m on the mound and things come up, I don’t make more of them than what they are. I trust my ability to get out of them. You’re going to get beat once in a while, but I don’t sit and go, ‘What if I do this, what might happen?’ I don’t think of the worst that can happen.

“You can always improve. For me, it comes back to walks, to being more consistent around the plate. If I stay aggressive and stay healthy, I’m going to improve. There’s nothing wrong with where I’m at. Everybody always wants to strive to succeed. If you ever get happy with where you are, it’s all over.”

For Finley, who is scheduled to be the Angels’ opening-day pitcher April 9 against the Mariners at Seattle, the best times should only be beginning.

“How good can he be? Right now, he’s very good,” Lachemann said. “He’s the best left-hander in the league, and I don’t know how much better you can get than that, except to be the best pitcher in the league.”

Finley’s fastball was promising enough for the Angels to choose him in the first round of the secondary phase of the 1985 free-agent draft, but he had little polish and only 1 1/2 seasons of minor league experience before being promoted by the Angels in May of 1986.

“I still remember the phone call,” Finley said. “I said, ‘Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?’ ”

That question seemed valid at stages of his Angel career. He was 3-1 as a setup man in 1986 but was 2-7 in ‘87, when then-manager Gene Mauch used him to mop up after the Angels fell hopelessly behind. Mauch intended to make him a starter in ‘88, a plan followed by Cookie Rojas after Mauch resigned, but Finley was rarely allowed to finish close games and often watched his relievers squander leads.

Frustrated as he was, Finley was learning the subtle points of pitching. Under the guidance of Lachemann and Joe Coleman, an Angel minor league pitching coach and bullpen coach before becoming the St. Louis Cardinals’ pitching coach this season, Finley developed a forkball that complements his lively fastball.

“It was tough sometimes, but I stayed confident about myself, and I worked with some people who thought I had some ability,” Finley said. “I listened to them and I didn’t run my mouth.

“They said, ‘You might end up being a pretty good pitcher,’ and slowly, I came along. Every year, I built more confidence. I developed cockiness on the mound, but I turn it off when the game’s over. When you’re pitching, you should be considered (mean). You can’t be nice out there.”

But he still is nice off the mound. Rather than shower his parents with lavish gifts, however, Finley said he will probably invest some of his money in his family’s tree farm and nursery in Monroe, La.

“I don’t have to buy them cars or trucks or things like that. I’ve flown them all over so they can watch me pitch,” said Finley, who paid for his parents’ trips to see the last two All-Star games. “My parents and everyone in my family, they know I’m there if they need something.”

The Angels have learned the same thing.