Jimmy Key

Toronto left-hander Jimmy Key, who has lost seven consecutive decisions, has swelling around his rotator cuff and was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 4.

The 11-year-old knows what he wants to do when he grows up. "One day I would like to write a play about my life," says Jimmy. There would be quite a story to tell, knows the pensive little boy who has lived for the last two years at Hollygrove children's home in Hollywood, one of the recipients this year of support from the Holiday Campaign of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund.

Jimmy Key underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff Wednesday, and the New York Yankees' team doctor said it was too early to tell how long the left-hander's recovery would take. "There were no surprises. It was what we thought it was going to be. The process went well," Stuart Hershon said. "We have to wait and see now how rehab goes. We're confident because we know what a hard worker Jimmy Key is."

Baltimore's Jimmy Key will undergo an examination of his left shoulder today to determine why he's been experiencing stiffness. "We have no idea how serious his injury is," Baltimore spokesman Bill Stetka said. "We won't know until after we have the exam." Key, 36, was scheduled to pitch Monday, but was put on the 15-day disabled list after Sunday's game in Oakland and sent back to Baltimore. He is 4-3 with 4.06 earned run average in 10 starts.

Jimmy Key had just allowed another hit to another Seattle Mariner in what was about the only off-Key game of his splendid season, and his peppy wife/agent Cindy was fretting. "Oh no," she blurted nervously, as their lively 3-year-old girl Jordan popped around the Yankee Stadium players wives' section. Meanwhile, Jimmy Key, as usual, was showing no emotion. He has almost no weaknesses, and he never shows any weakness. Cindy summed up her husband in one fitting, made-up word: "Uncrush-able."

Scott Erickson pitched eight innings of three-hit ball, out-dueling Tom Gordon, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox, 2-0, on Friday night. Erickson (3-1) learned late Thursday that he would replace scheduled starter Jimmy Key, who had a stiff neck. The right-hander walked one, struck out two and gave up only two runners past second base.

Jimmy Key became the season's first eight-game winner Saturday night when Baltimore's bullpen survived a shaky ninth inning to preserve a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Key (8-0) gave up one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings--equaling his shortest appearance this year. A Kingdome sellout crowd of 57,304 watched Key leave with a 3-1 lead after giving up a single to Mike Blowers and walking Dan Wilson with two outs in the sixth.

Baltimore's Jimmy Key will undergo an examination of his left shoulder today to determine why he's been experiencing stiffness. "We have no idea how serious his injury is," Baltimore spokesman Bill Stetka said. "We won't know until after we have the exam." Key, 36, was scheduled to pitch Monday, but was put on the 15-day disabled list after Sunday's game in Oakland and sent back to Baltimore. He is 4-3 with 4.06 earned run average in 10 starts.

The New York Yankees put pitcher Jimmy Key on the 15-day disabled list because of inflammation of the rotator cuff tendon in his left shoulder. Key, 1-2 with a 5.64 earned-run average, has pitched 30 1/3 innings in his five starts this season since returning from shoulder surgery last October. "It's like a dull pain in my shoulder that won't go away," Key said. "It's just a constant ache at my release point, I have a pain that goes down my arm to my biceps.

Jimmy Key gave up six hits in 7 2/3 innings to become the first seven-game winner in the major leagues as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Oakland Athletics, 5-1, Monday night. Key (7-0) retired the first 10 batters before giving up consecutive doubles by Rafael Bournigal and Jose Canseco in the fourth inning. He gave up one other double and three singles. Key, who improved his AL-best earned-run average to 1.82, did not walk or strike out a batter.

Mike Mussina is expected to rejoin Baltimore's rotation Sunday. Jimmy Key says that alone won't be enough to turn things around for the Orioles. "We've got to pick it up," Key said after leading Baltimore over the Chicago White Sox, 4-1, Thursday and stopping a four-game losing streak. "Whether Mike comes back or Scott [Kamieniecki] comes back or Brady [Anderson] comes back," Key said, "there's no guarantee that because they're coming back we're going to play well. We've got to play well."

He won World Series rings with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees. Now, with a chance to win a third ring with a third team, he had been removed from the Baltimore Orioles rotation. "A bitter pill to swallow," Jimmy Key said Monday night, when the taste turned a little sweeter but Key remained a little bitter. The Orioles defeated the Cleveland Indians, 4-2, to stay alive in the American League's championship series.

The Baltimore Orioles may have a lock on the American League East title, but they still need a Key, and they are concerned about that. Jimmy Key is 4-8 since starting the season 11-1 and has been drubbed by his former team, the New York Yankees, in each of his last two starts, giving up 10 runs and 14 hits in 10 1/3 innings. In the 46 innings of his last eight starts, the 36-year-old left-hander has given up 49 hits and 30 runs.

Jimmy Key never thought about his three-game losing streak or the sore left hamstring that cut his last start short. Instead, Key pitched eight effective innings for his first win since June 13 as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Detroit Tigers, 10-1, at Detroit for their fourth consecutive victory. Key (12-4) limited the Tigers to five hits, striking out three and walking two. His shutout bid was spoiled in the eighth when Raul Casanova homered.

Jimmy Key became the season's first eight-game winner Saturday night when Baltimore's bullpen survived a shaky ninth inning to preserve a 4-3 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Key (8-0) gave up one run and six hits in 5 2/3 innings--equaling his shortest appearance this year. A Kingdome sellout crowd of 57,304 watched Key leave with a 3-1 lead after giving up a single to Mike Blowers and walking Dan Wilson with two outs in the sixth.

Jimmy Key gave up six hits in 7 2/3 innings to become the first seven-game winner in the major leagues as the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Oakland Athletics, 5-1, Monday night. Key (7-0) retired the first 10 batters before giving up consecutive doubles by Rafael Bournigal and Jose Canseco in the fourth inning. He gave up one other double and three singles. Key, who improved his AL-best earned-run average to 1.82, did not walk or strike out a batter.

Jimmy Key improved to 5-0 for the first time, giving up four hits in eight innings as the Baltimore Orioles stretched their winning streak to four by defeating the Oakland Athletics, 7-1, on Friday night. Mike Bordick hit two doubles and drove in three runs, and Eric Davis and Roberto Alomar homered to help Baltimore to its sixth victory in seven games. The Orioles' 18-7 record is the best in the AL.

Mike Mussina is expected to rejoin Baltimore's rotation Sunday. Jimmy Key says that alone won't be enough to turn things around for the Orioles. "We've got to pick it up," Key said after leading Baltimore over the Chicago White Sox, 4-1, Thursday and stopping a four-game losing streak. "Whether Mike comes back or Scott [Kamieniecki] comes back or Brady [Anderson] comes back," Key said, "there's no guarantee that because they're coming back we're going to play well. We've got to play well."

Jimmy Key improved to 5-0 for the first time, giving up four hits in eight innings as the Baltimore Orioles stretched their winning streak to four by defeating the Oakland Athletics, 7-1, on Friday night. Mike Bordick hit two doubles and drove in three runs, and Eric Davis and Roberto Alomar homered to help Baltimore to its sixth victory in seven games. The Orioles' 18-7 record is the best in the AL.

Scott Erickson pitched eight innings of three-hit ball, out-dueling Tom Gordon, and the Baltimore Orioles defeated the Boston Red Sox, 2-0, on Friday night. Erickson (3-1) learned late Thursday that he would replace scheduled starter Jimmy Key, who had a stiff neck. The right-hander walked one, struck out two and gave up only two runners past second base.