Sutton Bests Seaver for 299th Win

CHICAGO —  Angel pitcher Don Sutton hurried toward career victory No. 299 Monday night with all the dispatch of a man late for an important business appointment, mainly, career victory No. 300.

First he ignored the Chicago White Sox, a team on a four-game winning streak and armed with living legend Tom Seaver. Sutton flicked them away with a two-hit, 3-0 shutout that moved him within one game of baseball immortality and the Angels one game closer to first place in the American League West.

By doing so, Sutton supplants former White Sox great Ed Walsh on the all-time career shutout list. Sutton has 58 shutouts, which moves him past Walsh’s 57 and into ninth place on that ledger. Sutton remains in second place on the active list, trailing only--you guessed it--Seaver, who has 61 shutouts.

On Monday, Seaver and Sutton went to the mound with 604 career wins between them, the highest total for opposing pitchers since 1926, when Walter Johnson (408 victories) of the Washington Senators faced Urban (Red) Faber (197 wins) of the White Sox. Like the visiting Johnson of 60 years ago, Sutton threw a complete game and earned a victory. Now he finds himself one start away from a milestone. His next start comes Saturday against the Kansas City Royals at Anaheim and most likely against Dennis Leonard.

“It’s a mountain top,” said Sutton, sipping occasionally on a glass of wine. “It’s exciting to look at the mountain top.”

Sutton had help Monday night but not much. Third baseman Doug DeCinces hit a fourth-inning, three-run homer that provided Sutton with the necessary lead. DeCinces has seven hits in his last 15 at-bats, including two home runs, a double and six runs batted in.

But it was Sutton who helped offset an otherwise notable game by Seaver, who held the Angels to just three hits before departing after seven innings.

The White Sox got their first hits in the fifth inning and almost finished Sutton’s shutout bid. Outfielder Bobby Bonilla singled to left to open the inning and moved to third when designated hitter Scott Bradley followed with another single in nearly the same spot.

Earlier this season, Sutton would falter in such situations. This time he reminded Manager Gene Mauch of the days when Mauch was with the Philadelphia Phillies or the Montreal Expos and Sutton wore a Dodger uniform and confounded his hitters.

“I think, and I’ve looked it up, that Sutton has beaten my team like 16 times in the National League,” Mauch said. “I’ve never really seen him better than this.”

With two on and 19,611 fans watching, Sutton struck out third baseman Tim Hulett. Then he struck out shortstop Ozzie Guillen, who stormed angrily back to the dugout. Second baseman Julio Cruz was next. Sutton disposed of him with another strikeout.

“It was a shot in the arm to me and hopefully it was a shot in the arm to everybody,” Sutton said.

There would no further trouble. The White Sox went down in order in the sixth. Sutton walked one in the seventh, but that was that. No ball left the infield in the eighth, though Carlton Fisk and Harold Baines sent long fly balls to left field in the ninth. Fisk’s fly ball prompted a visit from catcher Bob Boone.

“Boone came out and said, ‘Don’t try to overthrow the ball,’ ” Sutton said.

With that done, Baines flied out and first baseman Greg Walker ended the game with a strikeout, presenting Sutton with his first shutout since June 26, 1985.

Sutton (4-5) threw 113 pitches Monday night, which violates a heretofore etched-in-stone rule: Sutton will never throw more than 100 pitches. “But you know what rules are for,” Mauch said later, trying to hide a smile.

Entering the ninth, Sutton had thrown 96 pitches. He went 3-and-0 on Fisk, and Mauch squirmed in the dugout. “I thought, ‘Gene, what are you doing?’ ” Mauch said.

But then came two quick outs and another strikeout, Sutton’s eighth of the night, and the Angels were back at .500 (28-28), in third place behind the Texas Rangers and Royals.

There were other contributors. Reggie Jackson, who entered the game against Seaver with a lifetime batting average of .100 (2 for 20, 9 strikeouts), reached base each of his four at-bats, three against Seaver. He walked in the first, singled and scored in the fourth and was hit by a pitch in the sixth. Jackson then stole second for his first stolen base of the season and only his second in the last two years.

Jackson reached base again in the eighth, this time courtesy of a walk by reliever Joel McKeon.

And then there is DeCinces, showing few signs that he still is suffering from a mildly separated shoulder. He made a nice over-the-shoulder catch of a foul ball in the third and, an inning later, hit his seventh homer of the season.

But DeCinces was more impressed with Sutton, and why not?

“He was in complete command all the time,” DeCinces said. “He didn’t even give up any balls tonight, pitches that could have been hit out.”

Career win No. 300 awaits in Anaheim. Sutton can’t wait.

“It’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time,” he said.

Angel Notes The Angels continue their quiet search for a starting pitcher. General Manager Mike Port, who has accompanied the Angels on this two-city trip, said Monday that he has made several inquiries about trades. “I’ve talked to some clubs, as always,” he said. “I had some calls in to some people. I spoke with one club today and it just didn’t . . . there was nothing to pursue with that one. I have some calls into a couple of others. That’s just the normal course of business.” Port wouldn’t say which teams he has contacted, although the Angels reportedly covet Pittsburgh Pirate starter Rick Rhoden. The Angels find themselves without a true fifth starter as swing man Jim Slaton, who has a 4-5 record and a 5.19 earned-run average, has been pressed into duty because of John Candelaria’s absence. And with reliever Donnie Moore on the disabled list, too, the Angels’ bullpen has been stretched and strained.