Monday, June 17, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
The disappointment was clearly etched on Jerry Royster's face after the Las Vegas Stars were eliminated from contention for the first-half title in the Pacific Coast League Southern Division.
But after the Stars manager had time to collect his thoughts, his dour expression gave way to a beaming smile.
"I'm pretty proud of this team," Royster said, gesturing to the visitors' clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium. "That was a hell of a half."
Although the Stars finished the first half with a 31-37 record and tied for third place, the fact that Las Vegas went into the four-game weekend series against the Phoenix Firebirds with a chance to win the first-half title was no small miracle. Consider:
* On May 17, the Stars lost their leadoff hitter and starting second baseman, Homer Bush, for the season with a broken leg. Bush, the spark plug of the Stars offense, was hitting .362 at the time of his injury.
* One week later, on May 26, team leader and starting third baseman Mike Sharperson died in an automobile accident just hours after learning he was being promoted to the parent San Diego Padres. Sharperson was hitting .304 with 21 RBIs at the time and his passing had a sever emotional impact on his teammates.
* With less than two weeks remaining in the first half, the Stars lost their most effective relief pitcher when the Padres summoned left-handed set-up man Ron Villone to the major leagues.
* A week after losing their top clutch hitter in Sharperson, the Stars suffered another blow when their leading hitter, first baseman Jason Thompson, was called up by the Padres. Thompson was hitting .330 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs at the time of his promotion.
Despite losing four vital players in the span of three weeks, the Stars remained in the Southern Division race until the final two games of the half. Las Vegas concluded the first half on Sunday with a 4-1 loss at Phoenix.
"We went through all kids of stuff this half and I'm really proud of this team," Royster reiterated. "We lost our one, three and four hitters and our number-one left-hander. I think we did a hell of a job. I said all along that I just wanted to be in a position to win it and these guys made it.
"We were patching things together (but) this team busted their butts and tried to win a championship. Even the guys who weren't getting a chance to play, they were busting their butts working out and trying to stay ready."
To a team that struggled offensively the entire first half -- the Stars hit .260 and averaged only four runs a game -- losing Sharperson, Bush and Thompson proved too much to overcome. Add the sub-par offensive performances by perennial .300 hitters Riccardo Ingram (.242) and Ira Smith (.241) and it's a wonder the Stars were able to contend for anything but the division cellar.
While the offense sputtered through the first 68 games, the Stars pitching staff, for the most part, was sensational.
"We rode our pitching pretty much the entire time," Royster said. "We did it with pitching and defense. A lot of good things happened -- even with our offense -- but our pitching was solid. Mike Oquist, Dustin Hermanson, Pete Smith, Russ Swan ... these guys did a heck of a job."
In an attempt to bolster their lineup after losing Sharperson and Thompson, the Padres acquired infielder/outfielder Jim Tatum from the Boston Red Sox organization and signed free-agent infielder Gary Scott. Royster said he likes the makeup of his team, which begins the second half tonight in Albuquerque, and its chances of making a run at the second-half title.
"Our goal as a team is to try to win the second half and I think our chances are really good," Royster said. "I think it's going to be a lot easier than the first half."
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