Wednesday, August 26, 1998

BY SCOTT MacGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sammy Sosa reacts after being picked off first in the first inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

For Gabe White, the adrenaline was pumping as hard as if he were in a pennant race.

Facing Sammy Sosa with a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. You don't get too many one-on-one confrontations in that kind of pressure cooker this late in the season with a guy who's chasing the home run record.

"It was awesome," White said. "The intensity out there when he steps into the box, especially in a one-run game, is awesome."

This would have been a perfect time for another dramatic Sosa homer, one that could have tied the game. But as it was, White got the free-swinging slugger on a swinging strikeout, helping preserve a 10-9 Reds victory.

Reggie Sanders beats the throw for a single in the first inning. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

"I decided to stay hard the whole time, that he was going to have to beat me with my best stuff," said White, who pitched two scoreless innings for his third save. "The pitch I struck him out on was a little in, a little above the belt. Over the course of the season, he's failed seven out of 10 times, so the odds are against him he's going to hit a home run."

That was something Sosa didn't do in five at bats on the evening, though his bat was hot early.

Sosa, whose 51 homers have him in a tight race with Mark McGwire in pursuit for a record 62, went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs with a single and double that gave the Cubs an early advantage.

"I know I'm not going to hit a home run every time," Sosa said.

Barry Larkin reaches for a pitch and hits and RBI single in the second. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

Reds manager Jack McKeon said keeping Sosa in the yard was a success, "but it would have been a bigger success if we had kept him off the bases."

McKeon was impressed with the way Sosa has changed, going from a hacker to more of a professional hitter.

"He's got everything under control," McKeon said. "I like the way he handled himself. He said, "I'm not trying to hit home runs, I'm trying to win a game.' He showed that tonight."

White, though, thought he could get Sosa swinging at a couple bad pitches.

"The Sammy of old would swing at a lot of fastballs out of the zone," White said. "Tonight he did. I'm thankful he couldn't catch up with it."

Said Sosa: "I was just looking for a good pitch to hit."

Aaron Boone steals third in the third inning. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

Sosa almost lined another double that crossed third base just foul against White, but White then came back to strike him out.

"I'm thankful this is a game of inches," White said.

McKeon thinks White's handling of the final two innings shows how much confidence he has gained.

Aaron Boone was the hitting star of the game for the Reds, tying a career-high with four RBI, including a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double that gave them a 5-3 lead in the third. In the fourth, he lined an RBI single, and he later walked and scored.

"It was a long day, but this was a fun game to play in," Boone said. "The added hype with Sammy, with them being in a pennant race, it gives you a little extra to play for."