Thursday, October 03, 2002
Athletics 9, Twins 1
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Oakland Athletics finally won a playoff game at home. Now they'll have to repeat that success in one of the majors' most inhospitable stadiums.
Eric Chavez hit a three-run homer and David Justice added a three-run triple in a 9-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday as the A's evened the AL division series 1-1.
Each of the first seven batters in Oakland's lineup had an extra-base hit as the A's took a 9-0 lead after five innings. Justice extended his career postseason RBI record to 63 by clearing the bases during a five-run fourth.
Mark Mulder pitched six strong innings as the A's broke a five-game postseason losing streak in Oakland. The A's had lost nine of their previous 11 postseason games in the Coliseum, stretching back to the 1990 World Series.
Now they have to go to the Metrodome, where the Homer Hanky-waving fans are among the loudest in sports.
“Maybe I'll hand out earplugs for everyone,” A's manager Art Howe said
In Game 3 on Friday. Barry Zito, who led the AL with 23 wins this season, will pitch for the A's against Rick Reed. The Twins tied with Oakland and Anaheim for the best home record (54-27) in the AL this season.
“Our main goal was to come out of here with a split. Once we get to the Metrodome, we have the advantage because we've played there all season,” said Joe Mays, the Game 2 loser. “There's going to be a huge difference in the energy in the Metrodome. There's going to be a lot of electricity.
“There were only 30,000 to 35,000 here. Wait until there are 55,000 back home and it's all closed in. You can't imagine the intensity until you step between the lines.”
The A's, who won 103 games and the AL West to earn their third straight trip to the playoffs, showed they wouldn't let a Game 1 loss distract them from their plan to go deeper into October this year.
They had 14 hits Wednesday, many the timely hits that had eluded them a day earlier.
“With our offense, we just look for certain guys to check in from time to time,” Chavez said. “Everybody knows our team is built on pitching. We've just got to ride their coattails as far as they'll take us.”
For the second straight game, the A's took a three-run lead in the first. Chavez's homer deep into the right-field stands came off Mays, who lasted just 3 2-3 innings and allowed six runs.
But unlike Game 1, when Oakland wasted a 5-1 lead after two innings, Mulder silenced the Twins and the A's blew open the game in the fourth.
The Twins managed just seven hits, scoring their only run on Cristian Guzman's homer in the sixth.
“We belong. Today, it might not seem that we belong, but they came out with a whooping stick,” All-Star outfielder Torii Hunter said.
Playing in the postseason for the 10th time in the last 12 years, with his fourth different team, Justice had another great postseason game. But Justice, who has talked about retiring after this season, said he's not ready to be called the new Mr. October.
“Don't get Reggie (Jackson) riled up,” he said. “I've always assured him he'll always be Mr. October.”
Though they'll be more comfortable at home, the Twins must face another lefty Friday after managing to get only two runners past first base against Mulder.
The Twins hit just .252 against left-handers in the regular season.
By pulling Mulder after six innings and 90 pitches, A's manager Art Howe gave him a little extra rest before a potential Game 5 assignment on Sunday. The Oakland starter in Game 1, Tim Hudson, only threw 77 pitches Tuesday.
Howe decided to go with a three-man rotation in this playoff series.
Unlike Hudson, who angrily flipped the ball up in the air and caught it when Howe removed him in the sixth inning on Tuesday, Mulder said he was happy to come out in Game 2.
“We had a lot of long innings with our hitters out there. I was kind of losing my focus,” he said. “It seemed like I was sitting for 20 minutes every inning.”
Notes: Due to a University of Minnesota football game Thursday night at the Metrodome, the Twins and A's scheduled early workouts on their travel day after making the move to Minnesota. ... With his two hits Wednesday, Justice moved into sole possession of second place on the career postseason hits list with 88. He started the day tied for second with Pete Rose. ... A's catcher Ramon Hernandez went hitless in four at-bats and is in an 0-for-19 postseason slump that began last year. ... Three Twins got their first playoff hits: Matthew LeCroy, Dustan Mohr and Denny Hocking.
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Athletics 9, Twins 1