From Chapter 7:

1986-1990: If You Re-Build it, Will They Come?

1986

The first order of off-season business was the selection of a new manager. Mark Wiley was the local favorite, but he was taken out of the equation when he was named the Orioles’ minor league pitching coach. Instead Baltimore dipped down to Double-A and promoted Charlotte manager John Hart. The selections of Hart and his staff — Dom Chiti (pitching coach) and former Red Wing outfielder Curt Motton (coach) — were announced at the shareholders meeting.

Hart, 37, played three years (1969-71) in the Montreal system, but had been out of baseball for nine years when he joined the Baltimore organization in 1982. He moved up the managerial ladder, joining Double-A Charlotte during the 1984 season. He led that squad to the playoffs in both ’84 and ’85, winning the league championship in ’84. Hart came in eager to play a part in the resuscitation of the Red Wings.

“This is the flagship of the minor-league clubs,” he stated. “Rochester had the reputation of being the best minor-league club.” Baltimore looked to improve the Red Wings through its farm system, disdaining for the moment the free-agent route that had proven unsuccessful in the past.

The winter line touted a team that looked good at the plate, yet lacked experience on the mound. But before the optimism of spring training could be enjoyed, RCB’s plans for the stadium renovation threatened to unravel.

In February, President Fred Strauss and General Manager Bob Goughan traveled to Albany and attended legislative budget meetings of the state senate and assembly. All seemed to be going well, as the Urban Development Commission presented a budget that earmarked $1.5 million to help rebuild Silver. But when the political maneuvering inherent in the state budget process got into full swing, it soon appeared that Rochester would be forced to choose between the stadium renovation and a new downtown parking garage. Local business and political officials, including Rochester Mayor Tom Ryan, had lobbied intensively for the $8 million garage.

Strauss believed that state financing — approved in principle in 1981 — was his for the asking. When the money was not included in the governor’s budget, his recourse was to go through the local legislative delegation, which had spent all of its efforts pushing for the parking garage. “Disappointed? You’re damn right I’m disappointed,” fumed Strauss, who had no contingency plan. Without the $1.5 million, he was unsure if the project could proceed as planned.

A week later the Monroe County Legislature approved an amendment urging the state to contribute money for Silver, but was silent on the issue of the garage. A day later Mayor Ryan angrily rebuked a city councilman who suggested the state pay for the renovation before the garage. “Let me tell you what I’ve been telling the media for the past eight or 10 days,” stated Ryan. “I was never asked to submit or support anything for Silver Stadium.” Things looked hazy, but when the budget came out in April the $1.5 million was there, as well as $2 million for the parking garage, half of what the city had requested.

By the time that matter was resolved, spring training was well under way. The question remained: would this be the year the Red Wings finally rebounded? After finishes of seventh and eighth place, fans were starved for a winner. What remained to be seen was if the eternal optimism of spring would again be doused by the reality of mid-summer mediocrity.

This squad appeared to have the foundation for a solid club, although its success would hinge on the unproven pitching staff. Hart planned to go with a five-man rotation, featuring returning veterans Joe Kucharski, Bill Swaggerty and Phil Huffman, along with Charlotte grads John Habyan (13-5) and Mike Skinner (11-1). The stopper role would fall on the arms of Nate Snell (3-2, five saves with Baltimore) and the staff’s lone southpaw, Jerry Augustine. The long relievers would be familiar faces Tony Arnold and Odell Jones, along with newcomer Luis DeLeon, a control pitcher picked up from the San Diego organization.

Hart had 13 position players with which to fill his lineup card and although he was not a disciple of platooning, he did plan on keeping his entire roster active. All-star shortstop Kelly Paris was back, although he would be pushed by Rick Jones, the league’s best at Charlotte (.280, 22, 64). Rex Hudler came over from Columbus where he specialized at second base, but could also play either short or third. Tom O’Malley wasn’t as versatile — he was strictly a third baseman, but a good one at that. The only infielder already slotted for an opening-day spot was first baseman Kelvin Torve. Torve, a smooth glove man, hit .290, 15, 77 for Charlotte.

A similar number of combinations existed in the outfield. Jim Traber and Mike Reddish returned, the former hoping for a healthy year to catch the eye of Baltimore brass. Ken Gerhart, touted as the Orioles’ center fielder of the future, was at the next rung of his climb to the majors after hitting .279, 17, 50 for Charlotte. Versatile Mike Hart (not the same Mike Hart who had played for the Wings in the early ’80s) came over from Toledo, where he had 24 circuit clouts and drove in 83 baserunners.

The catching contingent looked strong, and featured a pair of switch hitters. Al Pardo was the No. 1 catcher, after a year split between Rochester and Baltimore. Donnie Scott, who had major-league experience with Seattle, would back him and see time at designated hitter as well.

Hart would make no predictions about his club’s finish, but said, “If nothing else, you’ll see enthusiasm the people are going to enjoy.” There was an interesting mix of young and old, the infield looked strong, and Silver’s short right field porch looked inviting to the eight left-handed hitters. If the veteran starting pitchers came through, there were hopes that this season would be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kucharski got the ball for Opening Day in Richmond against the pre-season favorites. For the right-hander and former O’s No. 1 draft pick, the assignment was as much a reward for his perseverance, as he was the only player who had spent the entire past two dismal years in Rochester. Unfortunately he was not up to the task, allowing six runs in the first inning on the way to a 12-2 loss. The Wings dropped four games of the inaugural six-game road trip.

A turnaround was not in the offering when the Wings returned to Rochester. The home opener was a 2-0 loss to Richmond in front of 8,450, the largest opening day crowd since 1981. Five losses on the homestand dropped the Wings to 3-9, with a minuscule crowd of 260, the lowest in 16 years, witnessing one of the defeats on a frigid 31-degree April night.

Despite the positive turnout for the opener, the early-season attendance woes continued with the Orioles’ exhibition game on April 28. Only 4,514 turned out, the third smallest crowd in series history, to see the parent club lose 7-4. Meanwhile the Wings’ rookie manager waited for his squad to start hitting.

Already his roster had undergone some shuffling. Paris was out with a dislocated shoulder, and Snell and Swaggerty had been called up. Their replacements were pitcher Mike Kinnunen from Charlotte, outfielder Nelson Simmons (released by the Detroit organization) and 34-year-old pitcher Eric Rasmussen from Class A Miami, where he had been serving as pitching coach and interim manager. Hart continued to tinker with his lineup while the defense kept the squad competitive. Through its first 16 games, the team turned 24 double plays and was fielding at a league-leading .990 percentage. Hudler helped anchor the infield and outfielder Hart was attracting notice with his diving catches in center field.

Rochester captured 11 of 15 games in mid-May, taking the club over the .500 mark. The team’s ERA dropped almost two full runs a game and the batting average climbing from .216 to .267 during the span. The lineup solidified behind the unusual choice of leadoff man — Mike Hart — who, despite his reputation as an RBI man, had been hitting in the first slot since the eighth game of the season. He was getting on base and O’Malley (.331) and Gerhart (eight homers) were driving him home. Simmons, installed in right field, also helped prime the offense. A switch hitter with power, he pitched in with hits in 10 consecutive games.

Hudler was called up to Baltimore, but the move fortunately coincided with the return of Paris. Toward the end of May the Wings received pitchers Tippy and Dennis Martinez from Baltimore, both on injury rehabilitation. The Orioles usually used nearby Class-A Hagerstown for its players to recuperate, but this season Rochester was the choice. The two Martinezes, Jackie Gutierrez and Floyd Rayford (making what seemed like an annual appearance in a Red Wing uniform) all saw early-season rehab time in Rochester.

A 1-6 road trip sunk the Wings back below .500 and 10 games off the pace of Pawtucket. Rochester snapped the slump with three wins in four games at home versus Maine. The second game, a 3-2 win, was notable due to incident involving the Guides’ Cory Snyder. He hurled his bat in disgust after a fly out and the lumber sailed into the box seats along the third base line. Two women were struck: a 61-year-old women suffered a broken dental plate and cuts to her mouth that required 19 stitches, and her 26-year-old grand-daughter had her nose broken. Both were treated at a local hospital. The next morning Snyder was taken into city court, where amid much media attention, he was finger-printed and charged with two counts of third-degree assault. He pleaded not guilty, saying the incident was unintentional. He maintained the bat stuck to his hands while tossing it back toward his dugout, causing him to lose control of its direction. Snyder, who was later called up to Cleveland, would make two more court appearances in Rochester before the criminal charges were dismissed in December.

The stay of Tippy Martinez was short and John Stefero came down when the hurler was returned to Baltimore. When the quiet but steady O’Malley went up to Baltimore in early June, Hart countered by putting Paris at third, and Gutierrez at shortstop. His selection as manager originally subject to some mild second-guessing by Red Wing brass, Hart was winning the fans over for his ability to quickly turn his club around after losing skids. He successfully defined roles on the club, and was a masterful motivator in keeping confidence up in struggling players. His patience — literally displayed by the fact that his pitching staff, last in the IL in ERA, led the league in complete games — kept the team on an even keel. The success of the squad at home helped push attendance up 21 percent, and induced Goughan to wonder, “Dare I say it? We’re in a pennant race, and just one or two players away from winning it.”

A road trip through the league’s Ohio cities (Columbus, Toledo) brought the Wings six wins in eight games, in the midst of an overall run of 13-4. Despite the club’s fourth place standing, its status as legitimate contenders was slowly taking shape. There were several factors, among them the solid and versatile defense, and the Wings’ habit of winning with big innings. Ten victories in the streak included innings in which Rochester scored three runs or more — putting up “crooked numbers,” in baseball parlance. Pardo was doing a fine job behind the plate handling the pitchers and was showing signs of being a legitimate power hitter. Swaggerty led by example on the field and kept the clubhouse loose and focused as the team’s “Kangaroo Court” judge.

Traber had a hot last half of June, adding to his team-leading marks of .310 and 42 RBI and sparking Rochester to a five-game win streak. The team played through some personnel changes, as Paris and Pardo went up, while Floyd Rayford came officially down (the fifth year he would see some time in Rochester). Gutierrez was assigned to the Wings after his 20-day rehab assignmentended.

Hart’s squad was 37-33 at the season’s mid-point, the best half-season record of the decade for a Rochester team. The Red Wings solidified their hold on fourth, while keeping third place Richmond and second place Pawtucket in sight. Rayford’s stint in Rochester was short as he and Odell Jones were recalled on July 5. Paris returned, and left-handed pitcher Eric Bell (9-6, 3.05) came up from Charlotte. Before leaving, Rayford compared the Wings to the struggling O’s: “These guys are a lot looser than the big club.... But what I like the most is they’re one of the hardest working bunches I’ve ever been around.”

First place Tidewater seemed too distant to consider, but when the Wings swept a four-game set against the Tides at Silver, they found themselves in third place, only 2 1/2 games from the top. It had been 10 long, lean years, but the spirit of ’76 (1976 that is, the last pennant season) finally seemed back at the ballpark. Attendance was well up — the front office was talking 300,000 — there were lines at the ticket office again, and even the trendy “wave” was seen rippling through the stands. The team was 44-28 since April 24 and Baltimore GM Hank Peters was hoping aloud that he could leave the Wings intact for the rest of the season.

The Wings were leading the league in fielding, double plays, complete games, home runs and doubles. But it was the relief pitchers that had played the most crucial roles. Hart employed a bullpen-by-committee and with a nine-man staff, all four relievers had be able to go long or short stints. Rasmussen, Kinnunen, Arnold (team-leading 1.70 ERA through mid-June) and DeLeon provided that versatility. When Rochester took seven of eight games versus Richmond and Tidewater, the bullpen accounted for three victories and six saves.

Rochester had a chance to move into first place on July 17, but dropped a game to Pawtucket. After the contest, Traber, who was leading the team in four offensive categories, packed for Baltimore. Torve, primarily the DH versus righties, was moved back to first base. The team cooled slightly, but remained within striking distance. But in the last week of July, Baltimore, desperate to shake up its club, voided the hands-off stance and pulled the trigger on a six-player move. As one source said, “The Orioles have backed up the truck to the door.” Gutierrez and Stefero went up, while Pardo, Rayford, outfielder Mike Young and second baseman Alan Wiggins came down. The promotions brought to 11 the number of Wings promoted to Baltimore.

(Despite the number of contributors supplied by the Wings, Baltimore skipper Earl Weaver had complaints about how Hart was using his players in Rochester. In early August he wondered aloud why Hart wasn’t following the organization’s directives about where players were supposed to be playing. Weaver’s boss Peters refused to magnify Weaver’s comments, merely stating that Hart “has a considerable amount of latitude about how he does things.” That same week farm director Giordano was in town and unequivocally stated that Hart was no question the league’s best manager. It seemed as if Weaver was alone in his beliefs.)

The housecleaning by the Orioles — dubbed “The Great Purge” — did not leave the Red Wings without talent. Young, who had played parts of four seasons with the Wings, and Rayford, who had to consent to the demotion, were proven Triple-A hitters. Wiggins had 21 steals. It was questioned what effect the moves would have on team chemistry, although Hudler stated, “I don’t want to hear any negatives from the big leaguers coming down. We won’t stand for that. We’re in a pennant race. We know we’re in the minors. They have to adjust to our rules.”

All three reported within the 72 hours they had to report (Wiggins was actually early) and as he had all season, the low-key Hart found playing time for all. In a lineup that had two or three possibilities at each position, there was, however, one constant when the Rochester manager filled out his lineup card: Gerhart, LF. The soft-spoken 25-year-old Southerner had played in all but nine games so far, quietly putting up first-year numbers that compared favorably with past Red Wings that had gone on to major league fame, most recently Cal Ripken Jr. A strong candidate for Rookie of the Year, Gerhart led the team in home runs (18) and was close enough in the other Triple Crown categories to inspire talk that he would be only the eighth rookie since 1954 to lead the Wings in the three main offensive categories.

Hart refused to allow the shake-up to affect his club. On Aug. 2, a Skinner two-hit (no-hitter into the eighth) 1-0 win at Toledo vaulted the Wings into first place, a position they had not occupied since June of 1983. Wearing t-shirts emblazoned with the “We’re on a Mission” slogan coined by Mike Hart, the Red Wings entered into a three-way duel with Tidewater and Richmond. Even injuries to Paris and Hart and the recall of Arnold (eight saves, league-leading 1.87 ERA) couldn’t slow the club. Seven straight triumphs in August’s second week put the Wings 1 1/2 games up on the Braves. Win number five in the sequence was a 4-2 win over Tidewater in which Young launched a mammoth three-run blast to right center in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. Estimated at traveling over 500 feet, legend held that the ball was found dented. The Rochester outfielder was urged out for a rare curtain call by a Silver Stadium crowd that had already pushed attendance past the 1985 level.

Five days later Young had an eighth-inning grand slam to wrap up a 6-3 win in Tidewater. It was the team’s 110th home run, topping the league by a healthy margin. Earlier in the week Huffman notched his 10th win, joining Skinner and Habyan in reaching double figures in wins.

The Tides slowly dropped back, but Richmond remained on the heels of the Wings. The Braves subsequently moved past the Wings and held a half-game lead when the two teams faced off in Richmond. A pair of rainouts meant back-to-back doubleheaders. After a split, Richmond swept the second pair, taking the night cap in eight innings to push its lead to 2 1/2 games.

But the Wings were not yet to be counted out. They would play eight of the remaining 10 games at Silver, which the players had dubbed the “Temple of Doom.” The team was 39-21 on Norton St., including wins in 21 of its last 26 games. The schedule included a three-game set with the Braves. Rochester gained back a full game by the time Richmond came in to town.

The series was unfortunately anti-climactic. The usually faithful and solid pitching failed, starters and relievers alike. The Braves clinched the pennant in Rochester, sweeping the three games by scores of 12-2, 8-3 and 2-1. The Wings ended up 6-14 versus Richmond for the year. But the team recovered to clinch second place (75-63), its first playoff berth since 1982.

Pawtucket was the first-round opponent and the Red Sox had been gutted by call-ups by parent Boston. Conversely, Orioles’ GM Peters promised that any further promotions (Rayford had gone up in late August, Young after the Braves had clinched) would wait until after the playoffs. The series began in Pawtucket, where the Wings had dropped seven of 10 during the year. The bullpen lost leads of 2-0 and 3-2, while the offense had the bases loaded with none out in the ninth inning of a tie game and couldn’t score. The Sox pushed across the winning run in the 10th to capture the opener 4-3.

The Red Wings roared back in the second game behind Swaggerty, routing the PawSox 10-1. Returning home to Silver, Rochester swept the next two games, 6-3 and 5-1, to advance to the Governors’ Cup finals. Awaiting was nemesis Richmond.

The finals opened in Rochester. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the ninth, a potential game-tying home run off the bat of Simmons curled to the wrong side of the foul pole. The following double play killed the Wings’ hopes and gave the Braves a one game advantage.

The players wore their stirrups low to change their luck for Game Two. It looked as if the fashion change would be to no avail when the Braves rolled to a 4-0 lead after two innings, chasing Swaggerty after only eight batters. But the Wings answered with a vengeance, smacking four home runs and scoring 12 unanswered runs in a 13-6 rout in front of a disappointing crowd of 3,666.

The series shifted to Richmond, where rookie Ballard pitched his teammates to within one triumph of championship hardware with a 5-2 win. Hoping for another bit of luck, the Wings wore batting-practice tops of their namesake color in Game Four, but played a sloppy game, falling behind 8-3. A four-run outburst in the last frame made the Braves nervous, but fell short and the series would go the limit.

The rubber game was a pitchers’ duel, as each team could only manage five hits. Bell twirled a strong game for the Wings, but the Braves chipped away with single run in the fifth and sixth, and pushed the game out of reach with a pair in the seventh. The Wings generated little offense and dropped the game 4-0. After the game Gerhart, Wiggins, Kinnunen, Arnold and Bell were all called to Baltimore.

“The thing I’ll remember most of this season,” stated Hart, who was named IL Manager of the Year, “is that we had a team that played to win. It goes back to the character of the team. Nobody ever gave up.” It was not a statistically impressive squad. No player made the all-star team, although Ken Gerhart led the league in home runs with 28 and topped the squad in the Triple Crown statistics: batting average (.274), home runs and RBI (72). Mike Hart chipped in with 13 home runs, helping the Wings comfortably lead the league with 129 four-baggers. On the pitching side, four hurlers reached double figures in wins (Mike Skinner and Phil Huffman 10, Bill Swaggerty and John Habyan 12), although none had an ERA lower than 4.18. Luis DeLeon led the league with 13 saves.

Attendance went over the 300,000 mark (323,463) for the first time in four years, with the eighth-highest attendance in the 58 years the franchise had been playing on Norton St. It was Rochester’s first dose of pennant fever in 10 seasons and something positive on which to build — or in this case, rebuild. The day after the Red Wings and Braves left Rochester to continue the finals in Richmond, workers moved into Silver Stadium and started erecting scaffolding. Once in place, workers began ripping out the stadium’s seats and the concrete slabs underneath in order to gain access to the supporting steel structure, which would be replaced. By the end of September all the seats were out and on sale at a Silver Stadium Garage Sale. Three hundred people turned out and made the red wooden reserved seats the best sellers, followed by the green plastic box seats. The six turnstiles went for $50 apiece and seven International League banners went for $25 each. Several hundred seats were sold and the entire sale raised $3,300.

Plans called for the 240 tons of new steel to be in place by mid-November and new seats installed by February. Concession booths would be leveled to make way for new food stands and a commissary. As a final touch the roof of the stadium would be painted silver and the support columns red.

Plaudits came in during the off-season. General Manager Bob Goughan was named Executive of the Year in the International League and Triple-A Executive of the Year by The Sporting News. Earnings were up by about $450,000, and in December RCB claimed a profit of $74,600. Later that month Fred Strauss was re-elected president. A strong case could be made, stated one observer, that Strauss was the most successful president since Morrie Silver. He brought a “new dignity and definition” to the office of president and had the renovation on schedule and within budget.

Pitcher Phil Huffman remained behind in Rochester and got a job on the demolition crew that had taken Silver down to its foundations. That task took seven weeks and by then Huffman had talked general contractor Raymond LeChase Inc. into giving him a job on the construction crew. The 28-year-old Texan spent most of his time working with the carpenters, helping build forms for concrete footers.

The excitement about the stadium work, the past season, and the coming season (Baltimore had already signed a slew of free agents for the Wings, including Mike Hart), could not mask the severe financial risk taken by Rochester Community Baseball Inc. The deal with Lawyers Cooperative Publishing Company had unraveled when changes in tax laws made the deal unprofitable for the company. The Wings were forced to borrow the $3 million on their own from five local banks. The bond repayment schedule called for payments of $320,000 in the first year, $400,000 for the next eight years and $250,000 in the tenth and final year. Even if RCB repeated its financial success of 1986, it would have had to dip into reserves to make those payments. But with the help of talented Baltimore prospects, Strauss was confident the club could meet their obligations.

Copyright © 1997 Brian A. Bennett. All rights reserved. No part of this material may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system - except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper - without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, please contact Triphammer Publishing, P.O. Box 45, Scottsville, NY 14546-0045.