#35 05/17/89 – Anaheim Stadium - Abbott’s First Shutout

In June of ’88, the Angels drafted Jim Abbott, the one-handed pitcher out of Michigan with am impressive amateur resume. In college, he won the Golden Spikes Award and the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation's best amateur athlete. During the Pan American games, he became the first U.S. pitcher to beat Cuba on Cuban soil in 25 years. After the draft, Abbott led the U.S. to their first Olympic gold medal in baseball.

The following spring, Abbott made the Angels’ roster – becoming only the 15^th player to make his professional debut in the Major Leagues, rather than the minor leagues. After a poor start, analysts were wondering if Abbott should be sent down to the minors for more seasoning. Others wondered whether or not the Abbott experiment was just a publicity stunt.

On May 17, Jim faced two-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens. With the Angels tied with the A’s for first place in the West, the game took on added importance. The Angels got to the Red Sox ace early, loading the bases for Chili Davis in the first. Chili smoked a two-out double down the leftfield line to clear the bases. Lance Parrish then blasted a home run to deep left to push the lead to five. By the time Clemens escaped the inning, he’d given up five runs on five hits and a walk on 52 pitches. By the third inning, Roger was gone.

Abbott, meanwhile, got down to business, retiring Sox like a laundry room attendant. He scattered four hits over nine innings without giving up a single run. In fact only one player even made it to second base. When Ellis Burks grounded out weakly to third base for the third out in the ninth, Abbott had his shutout; and the Angels remained tied for the division lead.

The 5-0 victory over the defending Cy Young winner helped silence Abbott’s critics. Abbott proved that he belonged among the greatest players in the game. He finished the season with a respectable 12-12 record, a 3.92 ERA and four complete games (including a second shutout) to finish fifth in the Rookie of the Year balloting.