Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 53

iimj i iiin ly-f' mlim 111 mi mr- ijii mr "imuit ir lif -f -n -y y- -hi- i -i n. irniniiriniiiim mmin "mm" mnmM i Mnimifr nnn wr w'ir --ly-Mi- -g--iiiift'n-ninrui if mm mmvm mm. DETROIT FREE PRESS SPECIAL SECTION s'' BLAYORFS TOL- IW Tli ii 111 li minwi nri.m ,11 1.11 i. 1 rrn T1 TTT Tl "WT7 TITI 0 11 wins foil Ooyle9 Willliie Familiar nightmare: Hernandez on mound MINNEAPOLIS And then, the nightmare walked out of the bullpen. The score was tied, 5-5, the bases full of Minnesota Twins, the Metrodome simply insane, gone, roaring with so much noise it bounced off the bubble roof and back onto the heads of 53,269 screaming fans.

Intimidating? A man of wood might have been rattled. And Willie Hernandez, flesh and blood, hasn't needed any help getting rattled lately. As he walked to the mound with one out in the eighth Wednesday night, you could almost hear the squeals of delight way y' A i among the sellout crowd here. Perhaps the fans knew that Hernandez in crucial situations lately has been about effective for the Tigers as pulling down their pants. And sad to report, he did not dis p.w.ivimu.i.

Mitch Albosn appoint. First he surren 11 i 1 1 dered a single to pinch hitter Don Baylor, a sharp drive to left that scored a run. Twins 6, Tigers 5. Then, pitching to Tom Brunansky, he fell behind in the count, 3-1. And then, goodby.

A line drive to left center that scooted all the -way to the wall. The Twins were circling the bases, the game was being lost, and no doubt TV sets all over the Detroit area were being abused in ways unfair even to major appliances. "Thanks, Willie," the Tigers fans said. Well. Maybe they didn't use those words.

DAYMON i. HARTLEYDetrwi Free Presi Willie Hernandez, having given up run-scoring hits to the only two batters he faced, takes refuge behind a towel. Next to him is Dave Bergman. Tigers' rally is wasted wins take Round 1. They caught and Tom Brunansky gave Jeff Reardon plenty of the Tigers in the one area in which they are truly soft: relief Wjiy llj I' feiilfliiairlilli fin ti AP AL playoffs Twins lead, 1-0 GAME RESULT Game 1 Twins 8, Tigers 5 GAME SCHEDULE Today at Minnesota, 8:35 Saturday at Detroit, 1:07 Sunday at Detroit.

8:25 IF NECESSARY Monday at Detroit, 3:07 Tuesday at Minnesota, 3:07 By JOHN LOWE Free Press Sports Writer MINNEAPOLIS In a new development, Doyle Alexander didn't get it done Wednesday night. In a not-so-new development, the Tigers' bullpen didn't get it done, either. This combination was too much even for the resilient and high-scoring Tigers, who could produce one three-run comeback, but not two. Minnesota scored four runs off Alexander and the bullpen in the bottom of the eighth inning for an 8-5 victory in the first game of the best-of-seven American League playoffs. The Tigers need to win tonight Jack Morris against Minnesota's Bert Blyleven to avoid being down 2-0 when they go home for Games 3 through 5.

The Tigers trailed, 4-1, after five innings Wednesday. They scored one in the sixth (Kirk Gibson's homer), one in the seventh (could have had more) and two in the eighth (Alan Trammell, emcee) for a 5-4 lead. In the Twins' eighth, Kirby Puckett doubled in the tying run with one out, knocking out Alexander. Pinch hitter Don Baylor singled in the winning run, ninth-inning room with a two-run double. WILLIE HERNANDEZ allowed the hits to Baylor and Brunansky that turned 5-5 into 8-5.

Those were the only two hitters Hernandez faced in his return to critical relief. With Hernandez in a deepening slump, manager Sparky Anderson had turned to rookie Mike Henneman as his only late-game reliever in the final week of the season. In his final two appearances, Henneman threw five shutout innings against Toronto, allowing a total of one hit. But Anderson summoned Hernandez to replace Henneman in the eighth, even though Henneman had really pitched to only one batter, and even though the switch to the left-handed Hernandez meant that veteran right-handed hitter Baylor would bat for left-handed Randy Bush. Reason: Because the score was tied and the bases were loaded with one out, Anderson wanted the double-play ball to end the inning.

And he wanted Baylor to bat, because Baylor a slow runner See AL PLAYOFFS, Page 7D pitching. Let it be noted that it was not just Hernandez who blew this 8-5 game in the opener of the American League playoffs. Mike Henneman was the first to relieve Doyle Alexander in that eighth inning, and Henneman gave up See MITCH ALBOM, Page 6 The scene, 1A. a Charlie Vincent, 6D. Willie's woes, 6D.

a Twins' heroes, 7D. a Play-by-play, 7D. Who cheats? 8P. Sports on the air, 8D. Photostory, 16D.

at Minnesota, 8:35 Wed. TVRADIO: NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit); WJR 760-AM, WWJ 950-AM, CHYR 730-AM. THE LINE: Tigers even-6 over Minnesota in Game 2. What's a manager to do? Sparky Anderson glares out at the unhappy proceedings. fs Giants' turn to deal, 5-0 tv NL playoffs Series tied, 1-1 10 hits in eight innings, including a two-run home run by Will Clark and a solo home run by Jeffrey Leonard.

"The difference was when John made a mistake, they hit it out of the park," Cards catcher Tony Pena said. "We don't have guys right now who can hit mistakes out of the park." Without injured first baseman Jack Clark (sprained ankle) and his 35 homers in the lineup, the Cardinals have to string together singles and doubles to score runs. "I knew we were in trouble when we had runners on first and second with no one out in the fourth inning and didn't score," Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog said. "We're in a position now where we have to win one in San Francisco to make sure we get another crack at them back here." The next three games are in San Francisco; Games 6 and 7 if necessary will be in St. Louis.

THE BUSCH Stadium sellout crowd See NL PLAYOFFS, Page 2D RESULT GAME By GENE GUIDI Free Press Sports Writer ST. LOUIS When the season started, Dave Dravecky was in the San Diego Padres' bullpen about as far away from the playoffs as a ball player can get. But thanks to a mid-season trade to the Giants, Dravecky not only made it to the National League playoffs, he played a starring role in Wednesday's 5-0 win over the Cardinals. The best-of-seven pennant playoff is tied, 1-1; Game 3 is scheduled for 8:25 p.m. Friday in San Francisco.

"I don't think I've ever pitched a better game," Dravecky said. "The thing is, I usually pitch better at a park like Candlestick with its natural grass because I'm basically a ground-ball pitcher." But Dravecky made himself right at Miome Wednesday on Busch Stadium's artificial turf. The Giants' left-hander was in total command all afternoon, giving the Cards only two hits soft A Giant Clark, 2D. NL notebook, 2D. Composite box, 2D.

singles by Jim Lindeman in the second inning and Tommy Herr in the fourth. Dravecky also walked four batters all to start innings but the Cardinals couldn't move a runner past second base. DRAVECKY became the third pitcher in NL playoff history to pitch a two-hitter. Cincinnati's Ross Grims-ley, in 1972 against Pittsburgh, and New York's Jon Matlack, against the Reds in 1973, are the others. Oakland's Vida Blue, against Baltimore in 1974, pitched the only two-hitter in the American League playoffs.

"That was what you call a masterpiece," Giants manager Roger Craig said. "He sure hasn't pitched any better for us." Losing pitcher John Tudor allowed Game 1 Cardinals 5, Giants 3 Game 2 Giants 5, Cardinals 0 GAME SCHEDULE at San Francisco, 8:25 Friday 00111 Saturday at San Francisco, 8:25 Sunday at San Francisco, 4:35 IF NECESSARY Tuesday at St. Louis, 8:25 Wed. at St. Louis, 8:25 TVRADIO: NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit); WWJ 950-AM.

Candy Maldonado greets Will Clark at the plate in the second inning Wednesday after Clark's two-run homer. 1 ft.