1. Minnesota 5, Toronto 4
2. Toronto 5, Minnesota 2
3. Friday, Oct. 11th
Minnesota at Toronto, 7:35 pm
4. Saturday, Oct. 12th
Minnesota at Toronto, 7:25 pm
5. Sunday, Oct 13th
Minnesota at Toronto, 3:10 pm
6. Tuesday, Oct. 15th *
Toronto at Minnesota, 7:35 pm
7. Wednesday, Oct. 16th *
Toronto at Minnesota, 7:35 pm
National League Playoffs
* if necessary
All times CDT
Network: CBS
American League Playoffs
1. Atlanta at Pittsburgh, late
2. Tonight
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 7:35 pm
3. Saturday, Oct. 12th
Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 2 pm
4. Sunday, Oct. 13th
Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 7:40 pm
5. Monday, Oct. 14th *
Pittsburgh at Atlanta, 2:05 pm
6. Wednesday, Oct. 16th *
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 2:05 pm or 7:35 pm
7. Thursday, Oct. 17th *
Atlanta at Pittsburgh, 7:35 pm
Scott Maurar/DN
Reliever skills to decide playoff winner
PITTSBURGH (AP)—Sure, both
Atlanta and Pittsburgh boast big hit
ters. And, yes, both bring good start
ing pitchers.
But this is the postseason. And the
bullpens become more important.
If last year and most every other
year serves as any indication, then the
relievers, more than anything else,
will decide which team wins the
National League playoffs.
That could be bad news for the
Pirates. They had the best record in
baseball, but not because of their
bullpen. It’s their one weak spot, which
was especially bad against the Braves.
Pittsburgh’s two supposed closers —
Bill Landrum and Stan Belinda —
each had ERA’S over 10.00 against
Atlanta.
Pirates relievers blew 15 of 66
save opportunities this season, enough
of a concern that manager Jim Ley land
decided to put 11 pitchers on his 25
man roster. Atlanta, like many other
teams in the past, kept 10.
The Braves might need someone
extra, too. Unfortunately for them,
the guy they need is hurt.
Juan Berenguer was brilliant for
the Braves, converting 17 of 18 save
opportunities, allowing only one of
27 inherited runners to score and
shutting out the Pirates for 7 2/3 in
nings. That was before an injury side
lined him in mid-August.
Berenguer has since been activated,
but has riot pitched and was not put on
Atlanta’s playoff roster. Under base
ball rules, the Braves could activate
him for the World Series and drop
someone else, if they get that far.
In Berenguer’s place, Alejandro
Pena has been Atlanta’s saver, and
savior.
Pena, acquired from the New York
Mets on Aug. 29, has been near-per
fect for the Braves.
Pena, though, has thrown a lot,
both in games and in the bullpen. As
much as Atlanta would like to use
him, it’s doubtful whether Pena could
pitch on consecutive days for any
length of time.
That would leave the closer role to
Mike Stanton. He’s a lefty, which
would help against Pittsburgh’s middle
of the lineup, but has had some rough
outings. And another rookie, setup
man Mark Wohlers, can be wild.
Toronto beats Twins
to halt winning streak
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Rookie
Juan Guzman pitched 5 2/3 strong
innings as the Toronto Blue Jays beat
the Minnesota Twins 5-2 Wednesday
to even the best-of-7 series at one
game apiece.
The loss broke the Twins’ seven
game postseason winning streak in
their high-decibel dome.
After a day off, the series shifts to
Toronto for Game 3 on Friday night.
Scott Erickson (20-8) is scheduled to
pitch for the Twins against left-han
der Jimmy Key (16-12).
“I hope we don’t have to come
back here,” Toronto manager Cito
Gaston said. “This is a tough place to
win.”
Coming into Game 1 of the play
offs, the Blue Jays had won 10 of 12
games in the Metrodome and 12 of 18
overall against the Twins. Minnesota
was trying to tie the record for con
secutive postseason victories at home,
set by the New York Yankees (1927
36).
“Guzman pitched a fabulous game,”
Twins manager Tom Kelly said. “He’s
pitched well for quite a few months
now. They pitched well today and
deserved the win.”
Guzman is 10-3 since his recall
from Triple-A Syracuse on June 4.
Devon White had two hits and
scored three runs. Roberto Alomar
had two hits and scored a run. Each
also stole a base.
Guzman walked two batters in the
first inning, but the right-hander qui
eted the crowd by getting Kent Hrbck
on a popup and striking out Chili
Davis.
“I used to be concerned about Juan
in a situation like that but not now,”
Gaston said. “You have to be patient
with him.”
Toronto scored a run in the first
when White led off with a single,
stole second, took third on Alomar’s
sacrifice and came around on Joe
Carter’s single.
In the third, White doubled and
moved to third on Alomar’s infield
hit to third. Alomar stole second, and
both runners scored on Kelly Gruber’s
single. Alomar made a head-first slide
to avoid catcher Brian Harper’s tag.
Minnesota scored in the third when
Chuck Knoblauch singled, moved to
second on a wild pitch and came
home on Kirby Puckett’s single.
Guzman then retired seven straight
before walking Knoblauch leading
off the sixth. Knoblauch.jnoved to
second on Puckett’s groundbut, and
Chili Davis drew a two-out walk.
Harper pulled the Twins to 3-2 with
an RBI single, chasing Guzman, who
gave up two runs and four hits, struck
out two and walked four.
Tom Henke relieved and got Shane
Mack on a comebacker to the mound.
Henke pitched 1 2/3 hilless innings
and Duane Ward got the final six outs
for the save.
Toronto came right back for two
runs in the seventh off starter Kevin
Tapani and Steve Bedrosian.
Manuel Lee walked, chasing Ta
pani, and Bedrosian walked White.
Alomar followed with a single, and
Lee scored when Mack hobbled the
ball in right, also allowing White to
take third. Carter followed with a
sacrifice fly.
Guzman is the first rookie to win a
playoff game since Baltimore’s Mike
Boddicker and Philadelphia’s Char
les Hudson, both in 198i.
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Look For The Pink Bus
Look in backyard
Huskers searching for foe
Nebraska’s football problems continue.
Violin music, please.
Last spring, Temple announced that it would
not fulfill its contract obligations and travel to
Lincoln on Sept. 12 next year to play the
Comhuskers.
Huskcr Coach Tom Osborne and Nebraska
Athletic Director Bob Dcvaney arc searching
feverishly for a replacement opponent for next
season, so Nebraska will have 11 games on its
alleged schedule.
Chuck
Green
It increases the chances of having a nine
win season, you know.
So far, the only reassuring offers have come
from Wyoming and Southwest Louisiana, and
both of those programs want the game played
on their respective home fields, if the game is
to materiali/.e.
As most economics majors will tell you,
playing in a stadium that seats 30,000 won’t
bring Nebraska’s program as much money as
playing in 73,650-seat Memorial Stadium. And
as any serious Huskcr fan knows, the Nebraska
athletic department never seems to have enough
money,
Osborne already is getting to the desperate
stage. At his weekly media luncheon Tuesday,
he even suggested playing a team of sportswrit
ers.
But that’s a bad idea. Such a team might be
even weaker than half of Nebraska’s schedule
this season.
It looks gloomy, but the problem is more
easily solvable than Osborne and Devanev
think.
The solution: Play a game, in Memorial
Stadium, against the University of Nebraska at
Omaha.
Sure, UNO is a Division II school. But the
Mavericks probably could hold their own against
any Division I-AA school the Huskers might
have to settle for. And UNO plays in one of the
toughest conferences in its division.
Nebraska-UNO would attract a lot of media
attention from all over— maybe even a story in
Osborne’s favorite magazine, Sports Illustrated
. . . just watch out for the cover jinx — and
Omaha .football fans would be torn between
their allegiances.
And of course, the game would be a monu
mental rout, so the Huskers would be able to
lop the NCAA charts in rushing, scoring and
total offense, and maybe even make a rare
appearance in some defensive category.
The Mavericks’ colors are red, and so arc
the Huskers’. And, without a doubt, UNO’s
athletic department would benefit greatly from
playing in front of 76,000 fans in Memorial
Stadium.
After all, if their athletic department can’t
use the money, the school’s academic budget
would take it. They’re so abused, what with not
gelling as much money as UNL, even though
they have 20,000 fewer students.
Yessir, the new Nebraska-UNO rivalry could
become one of the great ones.
Several years ago, a tiny East Coast college
called Slippery Rock played one of its football
games in mammoth Michigan Stadium, which
seats more than 100,000. Maybe this game
could reach that level, and be played on Thanks
giving Day in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,
Calif.
•
There would be a “Nebraska Classic Pa
rade,” in which combines and tractors and farm
animals would rumble through the streets of
Los Angeles to the cheers of millions. What a
country!
But Osborne and Devaney have to make the
first move. UNO’s athletic department would
never initiate such a deal for fear of being
laughed at by their counterparts in Lincoln. If
Husker officials planned it, they would be
viewed once again as the good guys of college
athletics, giving a smaller, financially needy
program a chance to put its books in the black.
Whoops! Wail a minute. UNO has a game
on the open date in question.
Never mind.
Anybody have the University of Nebraska
at Kearney’s number?
Green is a senior news-editorial major, the Daily Ne
braskan assistant sports editor and a columnist.