It is the ultimate tale of unrequited love-the longstanding affair between Americans and baseball.
Players come, players go, and in between, players strike. But no matter how much grousing baseball fans do, they always come back.
White Sox fans, a particularly trod-upon species over the last 35 pennant-free years, have had their patience tested time and again by their pinstriped heroes. But this unpredictable season may turn out to be the most trying of all.
On the day the players’ union set an Aug. 12 strike date, the Sox lost 5-3 to Kansas City to fall out of the AL Central lead for the first time since July 16.
Cleveland moved a game ahead by sweeping a double-header in Baltimore while the Royals were completing a sweep of the four-game series here. Kansas City has won six in a row.
Rookie Scott Ruffcorn (0-2) lasted only 2 1/3 innings in his second start, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits.
“I thought Scott threw a little harder tonight,” manager Gene Lamont said. “But in the big leagues, you have to win.”
Last Saturday, in his first outing after being called up from Triple-A Nashville, Ruffcorn was blasted for seven runs on nine hits in four innings. Lamont had said before the game Ruffcorn would miss his next scheduled start, regardless of how he performed.
“We were probably gonna do it anyway, because of (Monday’s) off-day, but especially now with only 13 days left,” Lamont said. “If we didn’t, I’m not sure who would get out there. You always like to have a good fifth starter, but the four guys we’ve got are the four we want to get out there.”
The Royals won it with a four-run second and the continued mastery of David Cone (15-4), who dealt the Sox their sixth loss in seven games.
“It’s huge for us,” Cone said. “This gives is a new sign of hope.”
Frank Thomas cranked a two-run double in the third to make it 4-2, but the Sox could never get closer.
Thomas appeared to be lunging at outside pitches lately, partly because his strike zone has been so inconsistent since the All-Star break.
“I think my strike zone is a little bigger the second half,” he said. “Almost definitely a little larger. But that’s something I’ve got to deal with. Those things start to add up, and you get a little frustrated.”
Though the remaining games before the strike date could take on added importance, Lamont doesn’t expect to change his game strategy much in the next two weeks.
“Sometime you might play the infield in earlier in the game,” Lamont said. “What you’re saying maybe is that we won’t hit this guy. But as far as bunting guys over, hey, you’re trying to win every game anyway.”
Of all the teams who don’t want to see the 1994 season end with a strike, the White Sox may be at the top of the list. Thomas is having one of the finest seasons of any Sox player in history, and Jack McDowell, Alex Fernandez, Wilson Alvarez and Jason Bere make up the most talented rotation Sox fans have seen in a generation.
Despite their slump, the Sox may have their best shot at winning a world championship since 1917, unless a strike wipes out the postseason.
“They’ve had World Series through World Wars,” Mike LaValliere said. “It’d be kind of a crying shame if all of a sudden, you look out and in North America there was not a World Series in October.”
