European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday september 17,1986 toe stars and stripes Page 25 Mattingly Boggs in Chase for Bat title by Murray chass new York not neither Wade Boggs Nordon Mattingly says he concentrates on trying to win the american league baiting championship. If yen worry about it it s nol going to happen Boggs said "1 just go out and do my Job Day after  happens "1 try to hit the Ball hard every Tine up Mattingl said " fat the end of the season you have the highest baiting average you win the batting  for the last three seasons either Boggs or Mattingl has won the batting title. Boggs in 1983 .361 and 19bs .368mattingly in 1984 .343. One of them will very Likely win the title this season too. With Katby fucked of Minnesota the Only other contender Boggs and Mattingly emerged from the weekend series Between their learns Only 4 Point apart Boggs at ,351 and Mattingly at ,347. Matingly had two hits in three at bats monday night As the Yan Kees Defeated Baltimore 5-3 to raise his average one Point while Boston and Bogris were Idle their numbers Are impressive but their abilities Are even More impressive. They Are the dominant hitters in baseball today Boggs in the words of teammate Dwight Evans the perfect Lead off Hitler and Hal tingly the perfect third  both left handed hitters they share certain critical batting traits and they have marked differences. Their presence in the lineups of teams that Are such fierce rivals recalls a pair of dominant hitters from an earlier Era Ted Williams of the red sox and Joe Dimaggio of the Yankees. Baseball people and fans of that Day always wondered what those players would have accomplished Offen sively beyond their impressive achievements if the Ito handed Hilting Williams had played at Yankee stadium with its close right Field stands and the right handed hitting Dimaggio had played at Fenway Par with its High but near left held Wall today those Parks help determine the types of hitlers Boggs and mailing Lyre. He s playing in Boston where it s a pretty Good shotto right and right Center so he s not trying to nit Home runs haltingly the Yankee first baseman said of Boggs the red sox third baseman. When i go there i m basically trying to hit the Ball to left Field. But when i m at Yankee stadium i try to pull the Ball pretty much. You have to adapt to the  addressing baseball s version of the territorial imperative bongs said he s playing at Yankee stadium the balls he pulls go for Home runs. 1 Don t know if he would do that Here re be a fool if i tried to pull the Ball in this Park. I go the other Way and utilize the  i played for the Yankees and hit the other Way to death Valley i guess an adjustment would have to remade. But 1 Don t like to adjust when i play at Yankee stadium now. If you change for a couple games i might throw you off for a week or 10 Days and mess you up when you get Back to  the Parks to some extent then help determine the biggest difference Between a hitters. Mattingly has More Power and hits More Home Nini than Boggs an drives in More run. Beginning with 1984, his first Lull season in the majors Mattingly has hit 83 Home runs and driven in 350 runs while Boggs has hit 22 Home runs and knocked in 19s runs. Boggs though u hitting 348 626 ails in 1,799 times a bal and matting 337 626-1,85s. Ron Gui ,. Niu so and walks a lot he has a peat Eye he Proba Bly is a tougher hitter to pitch to. Donny will swing at More bad fells. On the other hand Donna is a More feared hitter because of his Power he foots you. Hatnot big but he s got tremendous Bat Speed and he s such a. Good hitter. I remember one game where he  new York s Don wittingly. The perfect third hitter went up to Bat one Lime and said fit s in this spot i going to put it in the upper deck and the son Vagun did it. Boggs can t do that. Don Baylor who was Mattingly s learn at an now is Boer agreed that Mailin Gly has an effect on pitchers. When the game ii on the line Mailin Gly will make you change the Way you do things he said. You re not going to come right Al him because he can beat you. He has the Knack of being at the plate when the game is on the  Mattingly Baylor added is the Lype of hitter who can win the triple Crown Balling average Home runs and runs balled input As Long As bongs is around it s going to be  in 1984, Mattingly won the batting title Hilling .343while Boggs batted .325. In the first half of the sea son Boggs explained "1 hit the Ball As Well As or better than i be Ever hit ii but i it line dives that were caught. 1 had no Luck. To Hil for an extremely High average you have to have  he acknowledged that people have suggested he try Hilling More Home runs. Line drive hitlers Don t hit Home runs he said. The Ball can go Only so far. Louiry to Hil Home runs and you Start popping the Ball  year Boggs hit Only two infield popups one fair one foul. Thus season be has matched that total popping up Only in the past couple of weeks. The Guy does stuff with the Bat that amazes you said Tom Seaver who has pitched to both and now plays with Boggs. Hell hit holes in the infield and the outfit added Roger Clemens Boston s 22-ame Winner Wade s a machine. Anytime you Don t think he can get better he does. His Bat is like a magic  on june 6, Boggs was hitting .404, his High Mark of the season. He was not Able to maintain that level but someday he May make a More serious threat at hitting Mattingly does t figure to hit .400 for a season but since june 18, when he was hitting Only .310, be has batted .377, they have a lot of similarities said Walt Huniak the red sox batting coach. They get Back in their Bead Down Huniak is a Follower of the Charley Lau theory of Boston s wide bags. The perfect Lead off Hilter hitting which gained widespread credibility with the development of George Brett. Boggi and Mattingly also believe in Lau s weight shift ideas. You get your weight Over your Back leg and Transfer that weight tothe front leg at the Point of Contact Mattingly explained. I always Hil like that said Bop but 1 did t Call it weight shift. Charley Lau defined it As weight shift. 1read his Book in 1981. I be always hit with thai theory and never realized that s what it  Mailin Gly did not always hit that Way. "1 was pretty much a straight up and Down Hitler he said. I thought 1 leaned Way Back but 1 did t. I was More of an inside out hitter and it made me  i Learned the weight shift it has t Given me More Power but it s enabled me to hit the Ball Fanner. I be always had the Power but 1 never used  Yankee manager Lou Piniella was the Man who showed Mattingly the weight shift style. It takes some time to feel it to feel right at it Mattingly said. In i a lot of trial and  Mattingly has eliminated most of the errors. He has struck out Only 32 times this season an average of once every 18.8 limes Al Bat the Best ratio of his Ca reer Boggs has struck out 41 times an average of once every 1277 times at Bat which is still a Good Ralio. Boggs on the other hand walks More often Ihui mat singly and in fact leads the league with 98. Wade is More disciplined than i am Mattingl acknowledged. He knows what he wants to do every Lime Al Bat. He gels Good pitches to Hil because he does t swing at bad pitches. I m not As  Mattingly disclosed another difference. He stands in the same place in the Box All the time Mattingly said. He looks the same to me Alt the time i see him. His stance does t change. His hands Don t change nothing changes. I make changes All the  but he added sometimes it All ends up the  for Boggs and Mattingly their seasons always end up lie same with Good numbers. The Yankees and the red sox end this season against each other at Fen Way Park and even though the final series does t figure to have an Impact on the division race the Bat Ting championship could be decided in those last four  Ryou. Nirce l us a a us nov. 49ers optimistic after Montana surgery. J _  i in Lam