Hartford Courant from Hartford, Connecticut • 96

El 0 THE HARTFORD COURANT: Sundoy, October 16, 1988 elievers hold A's at bay, give Gibson his one shot -v wV it' I I i 3 A t. Grand slams Grand slams hit in World Series history, with player, team, date and inning: Elmer Smith, Cleveland (AL), Oct. 10, 1920, 1st Tony Lazzeri, New York (AL), Oct. 2, 1936, 3rd Gil McDougald, New York (AL), Oct. 9, Mickey Mantle, New York (AL), Oct.

4, 1953, 3rd Yogi Berra, New York (AL), Oct. 5, Bill Skowron, New York (AL), Oct. 19, Bobby Richardson, New York (AL), Oct. 8, 1960, 1st Chuck Hilier, San Francisco, Oct. Ken Boyer, St.

Louis, Oct. 11, 1964, 6th Joe Pepitone, New York (AL), Oct. 14, 1964, 8th Jim Northrup, Detroit, Oct. 9, 1968, 3rd Dave McNally, Baltimore, Oct. 13, 1970, 6th Dan Gladden, Minnesota, Oct.

17, Kent Hrbek, Minnesota, Oct. 24, 1987, 6th Jose Canseco, Oakland, Oct. 15, 1988, 2nd By STEVE BUCKLEY Courant Staff Writer LOS ANGELES Brian Holton had done his work for the evening, so he was in a television room, in his undershirt, when Kirk Gibson woke up a city Saturday night. "The guy can barely walk," Holton said. "And there he is, facing Dennis Eckersley, one of the best relief pitchers in baseball.

"When I saw him on the screen swing at that 3-2 pitch," Holton said, and then he paused, and then he smiled. Gibson, bum leg and all, had done his job, pinch-mashing a two-run, game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth off Eckersley in the Dodgers' 5-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics in Game 1 of the World Series. And because Gibson had done his job, it suddenly became apparent that Holton had done his. Holton had contained the Athletics. Tim Leary had contained the Athletics.

Alejandro Pena had contained the Athletics. It was the story behind the glory: On a night when Dodgers starter Tim Belcher was wild and his presence was limited to two innings and a grand slam by Jose Canseco in the second inning it was the Dodger bullpen that made it possible for Gibson to limp to the plate in the ninth inning and find an Eckersley slider he could kiss. "But if it's not for our bullpen, then Gibson's home run is kind of meaningless," said Dodgers reliever Ricky Horton, who on this night was a spectator in the Dodgers' heroic pen. "But if you look at it, you'll see that a guy like Brian Holton's been doing this all season, whenever they've needed him. That's why when this game was over, the guy I wanted to see was Holton." The Dodgers were trailing 4-2 in the second inning when Manager Tommy Lasorda sent Danny Heep to hit for Belcher, which meant the bullpen would be going to work.

So it was Leary in the third inning, and he gave the Dodgers three shutout innings. This was not mow-'em-down stuff he gave up three hits and walked a batter but he also struck out three Athletics, wrapping his stint up by striking out A's pitcher Dave Stewart. I i i lilSSpii Lasorda had Tracy Woodson bat for Leary in the fifth. Now it was Holton's turn. Two shutout innings.

No hits. No runs. Check the stats. This is not new. Holton gave the Dodgers a 7-3 record during the regular season, and a 1.70 ERA.

Against the Mets in the National League Championship Series, he had a 2.25 ERA in three appearances. "That," said Holton from the midst of the thunder that was the Dodgers' clubhouse, "is what my role is here. I like what I'm doing." Said Horton, "He pitches like that when it's 10-0, and he's saving the stopper from having to pitch. When you win one of these games, you realize how important middle relief' is." In the seventh inning, Lasorda had Jose Gonzalez bat for Holton. Now it was Pena on the mound, the Associated Press I wasn't what the Dodgers' Tim Belcher had in mind as he pitched against his former team.

i Watching Jose Canseco of the Athletics round the bases after a grand slam in the second inning LA wins in 9th on Gibson HR Ei i. ii.li, iiiuuiun ii.iii mil i. ii ii jf mmu ill puiimnimiiii i i j. i. Probable 1988 Team Last 3 Starts Team Pitchers (H) Time W-L ERA Rec W-L IP ERA Oakland Davis (R) 16-7 3.60 23-11 0-2 18 5.00 Los Angeles Hershiser(R) 24-8 2.16 25-11 1-0 24 Va 1.11.

Bottom team is home team. All pitching data reflects the pitcher's past performance as a starter, less Pitcher's 1988 record as starter. Taam Rac Team's record in games started by today's pitcher. Last 3 stru Pitcher's performance over last three starts. WL Wonlost record as a starter.

IP Innings 4 pitched, era Earned run average. Dodgers still trailing, now only by a run. Pena: two innings, nothing across. No walks. Three strikeouts.

"I've been commenting on those guys all year," Lasorda said. "You need someone to come in and contain them until you can score some runs. It used to be, a couple of years ago, I'd be driving to the park and I'd ask myself who I'd bring in if we have a one-run lead in the eighth inning. I didn't know then. Now I know, and I know what the bullpen is set up to do.

They have not received the due credit they desevre for what they have accomplished this season." Until Saturday night. As for Belcher, the Dodgers' starter, it should be pointed out that in New York Wednesday, after he had pitched the Dodgers to a 7-4 victory in Game 5 of the NLCS (six strikeouts, one walk), he said, "Thirteen or 14 months ago seems like 13 or 14 years ago," when he spoke about his ascension from minor-league wild-man to major-league strikeout artist. But those four days ago must have seemed, to Belcher, like four years ago. Gone was the poise, the control, and live fastball that humbled the Mets. Gone was the rhythm of strike after strike after strike.

And gone, after only two innings, was Belcher. The scoring summary might suggest that Belcher made only one bad pitch in his two-innings of labor Canseco's grand slam on a 1-0 pitch in the second inning but the pitch-by-pitch reality here is that Belcher simply couldn't throw strikes. Game 1 of the 1988 World Series was a blast from Tim Belcher's minor-league past say, 1987 with Triple-A Tacoma, when his 133 walks led the Pacific Coast League. Belcher walked four batters in two innings, hit another batter, and spent 71 pitches in the process. "He couldn't find his location," said Lasorda.

"And his point of release was different. He kept the ball up the whole time." He did, which is why the Dodgers trailed. But then came Leary, and then Holton, and then Pena. And then Gibson to face Eckersley, the relief pitcher who has been getting all the ink. home runs.

Hatcher, who has come to characterize the underdog men- Russa said he's seen Eckersley throw all season. Then came the fall. Sudden, absolutely uncharacteristic from beginning to end. After getting two outs in about five seconds, Eckersley committed a major sin in baseball. He walked pinch hitter Mike Davis, "geez, of all people," said a disgusted Eckersley, referring to Davis' .196 season average.

Obviously that was a major gaffe, personally, professionally. Guys like Eckersley pride themselves for not walking batters, no matter what they are hitting. In 72 innings during the regular season he walked only 11. Two of those guys were walked intentionally. Only a half-dozen were walked in his 45 converted saves.

That's only 1.4 walks every nine innings. Nice ratio. But again, that's all well and good for that other season. Now, in this Series, the ratio will read one walk in two-thirds of an inning. For Eckersley never got an- Dodgers 5, Athletics 4 BATTING SUMMARY LOS ANGELES OAKLAND at 2b 31) hr bi po a 2b 3b Ir bi po i Sax 2b 3110000 310 Lansford 3b 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 220 Stubbs 1b 4000000 700 Henderson cf 5021000 400 Hatcher If .3110012 100 Canseco rf 4110014300 Marshall rt 4110000200 Parker If 2000000100 Shelby cf 4010000300 c-Javierlf 1010000 000 Scioscia 40 1 0001 900 McGwire 1b 3000000 600 Hamilton 3b 4000000 11 0 Steinbach 4010000 500 Griffin ss 2010000 140 Hassey 00000 0 0 100 e-MDavis 0100000 000 Hubbard 2b 4120000 200 Belcher 0000000 000 Weiss ss 4000000230 a-Heep 1000000 000 Stewart 3 100000 000 Leary 0000000 010 Eckersley 0000000 000 b-Woodson 1000000 000 Totals 34 4 1 0 1 4 26 0 Holton 0000000010 d-Gonzalez 1000000 000 Pena 0000000 000 f-Gibson 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 TeUb 37 5 7 0 0 2 5 27 SO Associated Press The Dodgers' Kirk Gibson, facing camera, gets a hero's reception at home plate after his dramatic home run in the ninth inning Saturday night.

Gibson is being hugged by his manager, Tommy Lasorda. PITCHING SUMMARY OAKLAND LOS ANGELES ip er bb so ip er bb so Stewart 8 6 3 3 2 5 Belcher 2 3 4 4 4 3 Eckersley 0-1 1 2 2 1 1 Leary 3 3 0 0 1 3 Totals Vh 7 5 3 6 Holton 2 0 0 0 1 0 Pena 1-0 2 1 0 0 0 3 Totals 9 7 4 4 6 9 SCORE BY INNINGS Oakland 040 OOO OOO 4 Los Angeles 200 OOt 002 World series game-stoppers World Series games that have ended on home runs: Oct. 1949, Game 1, Tommy Henrieh, New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn, 9th inning, 1-0. Sept.

29, 1954, Game 1, Dusty Rhodes, New York Giants vs. Cleveland, 10th inning, 5-2. Oct. 6, 1957, Game 4, Eddie Mathews, Milwaukee vs. New York Yankees, 10th inning, 7-5.

Oct. 13, 1960, Game 7, Bill Mazeroski, Pittsburgh vs. New York Yankees, 9th inning, 10-9. Oct. 10, 1964, Game 3, Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees vs.

St. Louis, 9th inning, 2-1. Oct. 21, 1975, Game 6, Carlton Fisk, Boston vs. Cincinnati, 12th inning, 7-6.

Oct. 15, 1988, Game 1, Kirk Gibson, Los Angeles vs. Oakland, 9th inning, 5-4. First at-bat homers Players who have homered in their first World Series at-bat: Joe Harris, Senators, 1925 George Watkins, Cardinals, 1930 Mel Ott, N.Y. Giants, 1933 George Selkirk, Yankees, 1936 Dusty Rhodes, N.Y.

Giants, 1954 Eiston Howard, Yankees, 1955 Roger Maris, Yankees, 1960 Don Mincher, Twins, 1965 Brooks Robinson, Orioles, 1966 Jose Santiago, Red Sox, 1967 Mickey Lolich, Tigers, 1968 Don Buford, Orioles, 1969 Gene Tenace, A'S, 1972 Jim Mason, Yankees, 1976 Doug DeCinces, Orioles, 1979 Amos Otis, Royals, 1980 Bob Watson, Yankees, 1981 Jim Dwyer, Orioles, 1983 Mickey Hatcher, Dodgers, 1988 tality that has marked the Dodgers, sprinted around the bases with his arms raised, stopping for rest only when he reached the dugout drinking fountain. Canseco hit the ball, broke into a grin, flipped away his bat and watched the ball hit near a flag pole just left of dead center field. His trot was a jog of conquest that ended with a forearm bashing ritual that has become the A's trademark. The A's are pros at this. The Dodgers, it continues to be said, are a weak team driven by emotion.

Even though they had the third-best record in baseball this season, even though they continue to win in the most dramatic, spectacular, ways. "We're going to have to deal with a great team," La Russa said. "Not just a bunch of big hearts." other out. Gibson saw to that. On a 3-2 breaking ball that Eckersley wishes he had on a string.

A ball he wishes he could extract from the right-field bleachers and this time get it right. This time throw it on by, right into Hassey's glove. Then it would be perfect, just like it was, before the final season began. "I have no excuses," he said. I just didn't do what I wanted.

I wanted to throw it up and in. It went down the middle. If I could have thrown it again I would have thrown a fastball. Right down the middle, and he hooked it." But, as his teammate, Jose Canseco said, Eckersley is not a robot. He's not perfect.

But the Athletics will take him, every single time. "I hope with all my heart and soul it comes down to Eck having to get three outs in the bottom of the ninth again," A's Manager Tony La Russa said. "I'll take my chances every time." Continued from Page El Dodger Stadium, a peaceful place much of the night, exploded as Gibson struggled around the bases. "I didn't think about it," Gibson-said when asked how much pain he was in. "I was concentrating on good visualization.

When he got to second I knew that a base hit would get him in. I stayed back and was very fortunate to get a pitch I could handle." The A's probably would not have been in that situation had they not left eight runners on base in the first four innings; Gibson's home run suddenly magnified several plays that would have been lost to history. Belcher, who threw 71 pitches in the first two innings, got out of the first when catcher Terry Steinbach flied out to center on a 2-0 pitch immediately after Belcher had walked Mark McGwire to load the bases. Steinbach and Glenn Hubbard greeted reliever Tim Leary with consecutive singles in the third, and the A's failed to score. Dave Henderson (two hits) led off the fourth with a ground-rule double, but he became hung up between second and third on a ground ball that Canseco hit directly in front of him.

The Dodgers' bullpen this time Leary, Brian Holton and finally righthander Alejandro Pena, who got the win held the A's to four hits in the last seven scoreless innings. Even then it had appeared that the Dodgers were overmatched. Without Gibson, their starting lineup hit 55 homers this season as opposed to the A's 132. The distinction between the two Claire Smith Continued from Page El never pretended to be. And whenever a Kirk Gibson approaches the plate there always has to be a sense of foreboding for the team on the other side.

But Gibson was as hurt as Eckersley was hot. Gibson had not approached the plate until the ninth and when he did he appeared as a pinch hitter, on hobbled right knee and pulled left hamstring. Eckersley was waiting for him, classic confrontation muted by the fact that one participant was supposed to be less than 100 percent. And Eckersley seemed to be operating at more than full strength, if that were possible. Just as no Red Sox batter had laid a glove on him, no Dodger seemed capde of doing so.

For six innings in the ALCS he had been perfect, allowing one hit, walking two, striking out five Boston batters. The only concern was whether Eckersley was going to set land-ffpeed records for Two outs when winning run scored. a-grounded out for Belcher in 2nd; b-grounded into fielder's choice for Leary in 5th; c-ran for Parker in 7th; d-struck out for Holton in 7th; e-walked for Griffin in 9th; f-homered for Pena in 9th. Game Winning RBI Gibson (1 DP Oakland 1. LOB Oakland 10, Los Angeles 5.

SB Canseco (1), Sax (1), MDavis (1). HBP Canseco by Belcher, Sax by Stewart. Balk Stewart. WP Stewart. Umpires Home, Harvey (NL); First, Merrill (AL); Second, Froemming (NL); Third, Cousins (AL); Left, Crawford (NL); Right, McCoy (AL).

Official Scorers Jack Lang (New York Daily News), Dave Nightingale (The Sporting News), Vern Plagenhoef (Booth Newspapers). 3:04. A 55,983 How they scored Game 1 teams was drawn by the reactions of Hatcher and Canseco after their seconds needed to end ballgames. He was that confident, that in tune with his game that he seemed to never want to hold the ball more than a split second. He seemed to only want to throw and arrive as quickly as possible to the most logical conclusion, that he would triumph and with him, so would the A's.

Eckersley started down a similar path Saturday. He and his hand-picked catcher, Ron Hassey, sufficiently warmed, came on to face the Dodgers in the top of the ninth with a 4-3 lead. In his hands rested a victory for Dave Stewart. In his hands rested the ability to allow the A's an important jump away from home before the Dodgers could unveil their pitch-ing machine, Orel Hershiser, tonight. And it went his way at first.

Two up, two down, just like that. Mike Scioscia on an infield pop, Jeff Hamilton obliterated by Eckersley fast-balls, as good as Manager Tony La dodgers FIRST Sax hit by pitch. Stubbs flied out to center. On Stewart's balk, Sax to second. Hatcher homered to left, Sax and Hatcher scored.

Marshall struck out. Shelby grounded out to first. Dodgers 2, Athletics 0. athletics SECOND Hubbard singled to left. Weiss struck out.

Stewart walked, Hubbard to second. Lansford walked, Hubbard to third, Stewart to second. Henderson struck out. Canseco homered to center, Hubbard, Stewart, Lansford and Canseco scored. Parker walked.

McGwire grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Parker forced at second, shortstop to second. Athletics 4, Dodgers 2. DODGERS sixth Hatcher flied out to center. Marshall singled to right. Shelby singled to center, Marshall to second.

Scioscia singled to left, Marshall scored, Shelby to second. Hamilton grounded into double play, third unassisted to first. Athletics 4, Dodgers 3. DODGERS NINTH Eckersley pitching. Scioscia popped out to shortstop.

Hamilton struck out. M.Davis, pinch hitting for Griffin, walked. Gibson pinch hit for Pena. M.Davis stole second. Gibson homered to right, M.Davis and Gibson scored.

Dodgers Athletics 4. Strikeouts: Athletics-Lansford, Weiss, Henderson 2, Stewart 3, Steinbach, Canseco; Dodgers-Marshall, Shelby, Hamilton 2, Gonzalez, Hatcher..