Gary Pettis Is Off and Running for the Tigers

In the top of the sixth inning Thursday night, just moments after the Angels had mounted a serious rally to draw within one run of the Detroit Tigers, who should come zipping across the plate to score an insurance run for the Tigers but the Angels’ former teammate, Gary Pettis?

There Pettis was, doing all those things the Angels wished he had done for them last season. Getting a sharp single to center. Stealing second. Tagging up and advancing to third on a fly ball. And then tagging up and sprinting home to score Detroit’s seventh run of the game, giving the Tigers a sufficient 7-5 lead. Detroit went on to win, 8-5, at Anaheim Stadium.

The stolen base was Pettis’ 15th of the season, putting him in second place in the American League. He already has more than half his stolen base total of last year (24).

When the Angels traded Pettis to Detroit last December for pitcher Dan Petry, the center fielder was surprised.

“I’d heard rumors about other teams, Pittsburgh, Seattle,” Pettis said. “I was surprised. But it didn’t take long for me to get over the initial news I was traded.”

Pettis suffered a torn ligament in his left hand at the end of last season and felt that Angel management lacked confidence in him.

“I enjoyed coming here to play and showing that I still have a few good years left in me,” he said.

Going into Thursday’s game, Pettis was batting just .180. But so far this season, he has been fulfilling his duties as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter. He has a .293 on-base percentage with 16 walks, the seventh-highest base-on-balls total in the American League.

And Pettis’ run against the Angels was the 13th he has scored this season. He also had an RBI Thursday night, giving him eight for the season. Last season, Pettis had only 17 RBIs, well below the 58 he had in 1986.

“He’s been playing well defensively,” Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson said. “But he’s getting a lot better offensively. I’m a real Gary Pettis fan.”

Pettis is the leading base-stealer in Angel history with 182. In 1985, he had a career-high 56, and his goal this year is to break his single-season best.

“I’m going to surpass my highest mark in the majors,” Pettis said. “It feels good to be able to go out and run whenever I want to. With California, I felt a little restricted. But now, I think I can go out and play the way I’m capable of playing.”