ECKERSLEY FANS 13 AS TRIBE TOPS HALOS
Rare Rainy Day in Orange County Shortens Eck’s Outing

ANAHEIM, Cal., July 6 (AP) – Dennis Eckersley matched a season high with 13 strikeouts to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 4-0 victory over the California Angels at Anaheim Stadium.  Eckersley’s outing ended with the right-hander having fanned six consecutive batters, tying him with Nolan Ryan for the second longest such streak in the major leagues this year.  Eckersley himself holds the top mark, having struck out nine in a row in a loss to the Baltimore Orioles on June 26.

Eckersley was removed from the game following an almost unheard of development—a summer rain delay in Anaheim.  Eckersley and Angels starter Sid Monge both weathered a 52-minute delay in the fifth inning, but Monge was removed after the two teams sat through a 47-minute rain-induced break in the eighth.  Eckersley had just fired strike three past pinch hitter Adrian Garrett when what had been a light drizzle turned into a hard rain.  The strikeout streak that ended with Garrett had begun in the sixth inning when, with one out already recorded, Eckersley fanned Tommy Davis and Bill Melton.

Cleveland got to Monge in the second when Rico Carty led off with a single and advanced to third on George Hendrick’s double to left-center.  Buddy Bell then grounded a single through the box, scoring both runners for a 2-0 Indians lead.

Cleveland added a run in the third.  Larvell Blanks opened the frame with a base hit and advanced to second when Monge walked Frank Robinson.  Carty popped to short for the first out but Hendrick’s single to right scored Blanks.

The Indians capped the scoring in the eighth on Hendrick’s lead-off home run, his 12th long ball of the season.

Eckersley has now reached double digits in strikeouts seven times in 15 starts this year.  Only Ryan (8) has turned the trick more times thus far this season.

7/6/1976, Cle76-Cal76, Anaheim Stadium
 
                       1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9     R  H  E   LOB DP
1976 Indians           0  2  1  0  0  0  0  1  0     4  8  0     8  1
1976 Angels            0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0     0  3  1     5  0
 
Indians              AB  R  H BI   AVG    Angels               AB  R  H BI   AVG
Manning           cf  5  0  0  0  .279    Guerrero          2b  4  0  2  0  .337
Blanks            2b  5  1  1  0  .300    Briggs            cf  4  0  0  0  .197
Robinson,F        dh  3  0  0  0  .200    Bonds             rf  4  0  0  0  .247
Carty             1b  4  1  2  0  .244    Davis,T           dh  4  0  0  0  .276
 Gonzalez         1b  0  0  0  0  .209    Melton            1b  2  0  0  0  .141
Hendrick          lf  4  2  3  2  .275     Jones,B          ph  1  0  0  0  .164
Bell,B            3b  4  0  1  2  .323    Bochte            lf  3  0  0  0  .260
Spikes            rf  4  0  1  0  .267    Jackson,Ro        3b  3  0  1  0  .278
Pruitt            c   3  0  0  0  .192    Chalk             ss  2  0  0  0  .241
Duffy             ss  4  0  0  0  .173    Etchebaren        c   1  0  0  0  .220
                     36  4  8  4           Garrett,A        ph  1  0  0  0  .184
                                                               29  0  3  0
 
Indians                          INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Eckersley        W 8-6           7.1  3  0  0  3 13 128  79  3.04
Buskey                           1.2  0  0  0  0  0  15   9  6.10
                                 9.0  3  0  0  3 13 143  88
 
Angels                           INN  H  R ER BB  K PCH STR   ERA
Monge            L 3-3           7.0  6  3  3  3  4 101  58  2.94
Verhoeven                        2.0  2  1  1  0  2  29  19  4.50
                                 9.0  8  4  4  3  6 130  77
 
Cle: Gonzalez inserted at 1b in the 7th
Cal: Garrett,A batted for Etchebaren in the 8th
     Garrett,A moved to c in the 9th
     Jones,B batted for Melton in the 9th
 
E-Jackson,Ro. 2B-Hendrick(10), Spikes(4). HR-Hendrick(12).
RBI-Hendrick 2(40), Bell,B 2(25). SB-Manning(12), Spikes(3), Jackson,Ro(1).
K-Manning 2, Blanks 2, Duffy 2, Briggs 2, Bonds 2, Davis,T 2, Melton,
Bochte 2, Jackson,Ro 2, Chalk, Garrett,A. BB-Robinson,F 2, Pruitt, Melton,
Chalk, Etchebaren. WP-Monge.
GWRBI: Bell,B
Dennis Eckersley was removed after a rain delay
Temperature: 75, Field: wet, Sky: threatening, Wind: left to right at 6 MPH,
Rain Delays: 52 and 47 minutes.
Attendance: 7,064
Game Time: 2:31