Disaster To Dynasty? Soviet Baseball Is Born -- Players See Bright Future After Losing Five Straight

TACOMA - Someday, perhaps 100 years from now, the stories and statistics from this week will be part of the revered historical anthology on Soviet baseball.

The Goodwill Games marked the beginning of international play for the Soviets. Yesterday may have been the culmination of their three-year experiment as they enjoyed the euphoria of leading a ballgame, 2-1 in the second inning against Mexico. They lost, 14-4.

The Soviet Union finished the tournament with an 0-5 record, losing to the United States 17-0, Japan 14-0, Puerto Rico 13-0, and Mexico twice, 9-1, and 14-4. They were out-scored 67-5 and outhit, 71-24.

They did push one game, yesterday's, past the seventh inning before the Mexicans scored a run in the eighth to win on the 10-run rule.

The Soviet team had the worst batting average at.175, compared to .462 for the Cubans. The hitting star was first baseman Nugzar Popkhadze, who had three hits in seven at-bats (.428) with the only extra-base hit, a double against Mexico, and a two-hit game against Puerto Rico.

Three other players had three hits: third baseman Andrei Kuzich (3 for 8 with two runs batted in), DH Yevgeni Puchkov (3 for 12) and shortstop Ilya Bogatyrev (3 for 18 with two RBI).

Bogatyrev, son of Manager Vladimir Bogatyrev, had six of the Soviets' 20 errors.

Dmitri Shlyapnikov scored the Soviets' first run in international competition, in the ninth inning Friday against Mexico.

Shlyapnikov walked. Alexander Krupenchenkov moved him to third with a single, and he scored on an infield groundout by Sergei Zhigalov.

Krupenchenkov had a rather unsual tournament. He had two hits in 10 at-bats and seven of his eight outs were strikeouts.

Catcher Sergei Korolev, who fashions himself after his idol, San Francisco catcher Gary Carter, was hitless in his eight at-bats.

The crowds responded enthusiastically to anything the Soviets did right, such as drive home a run, hit the cutoff man or complete a double play, as they did against the United States.

``That's a great responsibility when other people are rooting for us,'' said Shlyapnikov, ``and it makes our play more important.''

Zhigalov there is ``much more warmer relations between the Soviets and the Americans right now. It is very pleasing, and an honor to have that kind of support.''

The Soviet pitching staff finished with a 12.34 earned-run average as two pitchers carried a 40.50 ERA.

``We are really hoping that the children in 10 years will have a good team,'' said Bogatyrev, the manager (they call him trainer), former national cyclingcoach.

``Our main effort now is to teach. Right now we are developing good trainers and good umpires. That will make our next generation of baseball players stronger.''