The Oakland Athletics learned a few things about the White Sox this weekend, according to Rickey Henderson.
And Henderson feels pretty certain the Sox learned a few things about how the world champion A`s can win without injured superstar Jose Canseco.
For example, Henderson called the Sox ”a very competitive, scrappy, hungry young club” after the A`s rallied in the final two innings Sunday to win 5-2, winning the series three games to one.
For another example, the A`s star left-fielder said his team won the series and extended its lead in the American League West to four games because (1) ”we don`t give anything away; (2) we don`t get discouraged and (3)
we`re not a one-dimensional club.”
Finally, Henderson reminded West Division rivals that the A`s ”are not comfortable with a four-game lead, because I look at California starting to win and other teams getting on track too.”
The A`s caught and passed the Sox with two runs in the eighth inning when, as manager Tony LaRussa said, ”We did a lot of things right.” The victory gave the A`s a 7-3 record since Canseco went out with a back injury and offered a glimmer of hope to the rest of the West.
”If one goes down, we do not fold,” Henderson said. ”Our job is to battle 100 percent until he`s well and back with us.”
The White Sox stonewalled the A`s offense Sunday with two double plays that might have discouraged a lesser team.
First, reliever Donn Pall came in with men on first and second and nobody out in the fifth and got Carney Lansford to ground into a double play on his first pitch of the day. Then, in the seventh, left-fielder Dave Gallagher, who entered the game as a defensive replacement, made a diving catch of Willie Randolph`s sinking drive and doubled Walt Weiss off first.
”Give them credit. They made great plays,” said Henderson. ”But plays like that don`t get us down. We don`t get discouraged. And we don`t give anything away. We make a team beat us.”
Pall retired six A`s on grounders on the first seven pitches he threw. The Sox led 2-1 with one out in the eighth when Mark McGwire tied the game 2-2 by slugging a first-pitch home run to left field.
”My best chance to hit is a fastball, and I got one,” McGwire said.
”Obviously, it wasn`t where he wanted.”
The A`s, LaRussa noted, ”had trouble moving runners along, and some of that was due to Chicago`s pitching.” After McGwire`s homer, the A`s corrected this deficiency.
Terry Steinbach singled to third. Doug Jennings singled off Barry Jones, sending pinch-runner Lance Blankenship to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run play. Then pinch-hitter Felix Jose singled off Scott Radinsky, driving home Blankenship with the go-ahead run.
”We did a lot of things right in the eighth,” LaRussa said. ”The hit-and-run, getting runners to first and third, the great piece of pinch-hitting by Felix. We got hits off relief pitchers from one of the best bullpens in baseball.
”The White Sox are legitimate,” said LaRussa. ”Think of how the game is played. They pitch it and catch it well.”
But LaRussa`s champions, as the Sox found out this weekend, also can pitch it, catch it and hit it.
”Starting with the left-fielder (Henderson),” LaRussa said. ”He can play the game.”
