Jeffrey Leonard, the so-called Hac Man, insists the San Francisco Giants will return and be back in the National League playoffs next year, the year after and maybe the year after that.
”We learned something,” Leonard insisted. ”We learned you can dig down deeper and find more.”
It was the Cardinals, not the Giants, who were digging in the decisive seventh and final National League playoff game Wednesday night. The Cardinals broke it open early, the second inning, and won in a romp 6-0, qualifying to meet the Minnesota Twins in the World Series.
For the second night in a row, the Giants not only were shut out but also held to nothing but singles. Said manager Roger Craig: ”When you don`t score runs, you don`t win. They deserve the credit.”
Though he played on the losing team, left-fielder Leonard was easily the most fascinating performer in the best-of-seven playoff for the pennant-and maybe the best player. He won the Most Valuable Player award, fulfilling half his prophecy.
Leonard swaggered into the playoffs, predicting he would be the MVP, for which he earned a $50,000 incentive bonus. He also said the Giants, not the Cardinals, had the best team. Not so. The Cardinals were best. Down three games to two, they had to win the last two-and they did behind the shutout pitching of John Tudor and Danny Cox.
Even at the finish, while Craig and many of his Giants were lavishing praise on Tudor and Cox, Leonard refused to tag along.
”I won`t say it was great pitching,” he observed. ”It was good pitching.”
The key moment came in the second inning when Atlee Hammaker dished up a three-run home run to Jose Oquendo, the weakest stick in the Cardinal lineup. It was the only kind of pitch Oquendo could pull: on the inside half of the plate, slightly above the waist. Oquendo got his bat around, and the result was a line drive that cleared the left-field fence with plenty to spare.
Trailing 4-0, the Giants had to play it safe. They couldn`t steal or hit- and-run. By depriving them of this movement, the Cardinals were able to squelch budding San Francisco rallies with double plays in the third, fourth and fifth innings.
”It was nice, anyway,” said veteran pitcher Rick Reuschel, the Giants`
Big Daddy. ”But it could have been nicer.”
Not the way the Giants were hitting. They repeatedly failed in the clutch, with only 7 hits in 47 at-bats with runners in scoring position. Out- homered 9-2, the Cardinals hit .350 in pressure situations, demonstrating anew that the only meaningful statistic is not hits, not home runs and not total bases, but runs scored.
The Giants, forced to play catch-up ball, finished with a parade of seven pitchers, with only Hammaker working as much as two innings. Fortified by his big lead, Cox able to go the distance, although he was shaky at the finish.
Appropriately, Leonard was the last San Francisco base runner. He was safe on a fielder`s choice, the third time he had reached base. Leonard said later that while he stood on first with two outs and Chili Davis up, he thought about the possibility of stealing second.
”It was there; they were giving it to me,” he said. Of course they were giving it to him. His run meant absolutely nothing.
It was superb theatre for the capacity Busch Stadium crowd of 55,33l. The fans, throughout, taunted the Hac-Man, just as they had in Tuesday night`s sixth game. Initially, he was hissed mildly, but once the Cardinals were safely ahead, the hissing turned to boos and later to a sing song chant of
”Jeeffrey, Jeefrey.”
Unlike Tuesday, when he was showered with debris, the fans only threw two stuffed dolls.
”They were pretty good tonight,” Leonard said.
Craig, who seldom plants a negative thought, assembled his troops in midafternoon, soon after they had arrived at the ballpark. Craig thanked his players for a job well done and spoke to them individually.
”I told them,” Craig said, ”no matter what happens they can walk out out of this clubhouse with head high. Even if we don`t win, I`ll still be a very proud manager.”
That Craig did this was somewhat surprising, almost an admission of the possibility of defeat. Later, in the 10 minutes after the game when the clubhouse doors were closed, he, reiterated how proud he was, and that his players should remember they had won their division and had had a successful season.
After the reporters stormed in, Craig fielded all questions. Then he paused and asked for a break.
”I`m going to get a cold beer,” he said. ”I don`t like champagne, anyway.”
