Baseball Roundup : Guidry Keeps Yanks Alive; Now, They Must Sweep Blue Jays Just to Tie

The pennant-race math is simple for the New York Yankees.

Sweep a three-game series starting tonight at Toronto against the first-place Blue Jays, and the American League East is all even. Lose any one of the games, and the second-place Yankees are eliminated.

“We’ve got a chance now,” said Rickey Henderson, whose first-inning home run Thursday night sent the Yankees to a 3-0 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at New York.

The victory pulled New York within three games of Toronto, which lost to Detroit. The Blue Jays were swept in their three-game series with the Tigers and lost three straight for the first time since the All-Star break.

Both New York and Toronto have one makeup game to be played Monday if necessary to break a tie. The Blue Jays would be host to Baltimore, and Detroit would be in New York.

Ron Guidry, the leading winner in the league, made Henderson’s leadoff homer stand up until Don Mattingly singled in two more runs in the eighth.

“When I had to make a big pitch, I made it,” said Guidry (22-6), who gave up six hits in seven innings.

“It was great pitching by Guidry,” New York Manager Billy Martin said. “He ran out of gas.”

Brian Fisher relieved Guidry and finished up with two perfect innings for his 14th save.

Detroit 2, Toronto 0--The Blue Jays were primed to celebrate their first American League East championship, but the party was sidetracked when the Tigers completed their sweep at Detroit.

“It was just six cases of cheap stuff--you know, the stuff you pour around,” said Ken Carson, the Blue Jay traveling secretary, of the champagne the team had on ice.

Tom Brookens tripled home two runs to back the six-hit pitching of Walt Terrell.

Somebody suggested that perhaps the young Blue Jays are straining under the pressure of the pennant chase.

“I think the guys are all busting their butts,” Toronto infielder Garth Iorg said. “I think they’re all going up there, giving it their best shot. Maybe they’re trying too hard.

“You’ve got to remember, we ran up against a great team. The Tigers have had a disappointing season, but they still have great personnel.”

Terrell (15-10) posted his fifth complete game, striking out six and walking three. Toronto’s Jim Clancy (9-6) gave up two runs and three hits in 4 innings.

Boston 6-8, Baltimore 2-9--Eddie Murray doubled home the tying and go-ahead runs as the Orioles scored five times in the eighth inning in the second game and earned a split with the Red Sox at Baltimore.

The Red Sox won the opener after scoring five runs in the first three innings, two on a home run by Tony Armas. The victory in the nightcap snapped a six-game losing streak for the Orioles.

Boston’s Wade Boggs, 0 for 5 in the first game, had a pair of singles in the second and has now hit safely in 133 games this season, tying the American League record set by Al Simmons in 1925. Boggs’ RBI single in the seventh of the second game was his 184th single, tying an AL record set by Willie Wilson of Kansas City in 1980. Boggs is hitting .369.

Seattle 5, Chicago White Sox 4--Mariner shortstop Spike Owen, the No. 9 hitter, went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs, two with his sixth homer of the season, to lead the victory at Chicago.

Philadelphia 8, Montreal 7--In a National League game at Montreal, Mike Schmidt’s three-run homer in an eight-run third inning helped give the Phillies only their second victory in the last 13 games.

Houston 7, San Francisco 2--Alan Ashby had three hits, including a solo home run, in the Astros’ win at San Francisco.

San Diego 9, Cincinnati 4--Tony Gwynn hit a two-run homer, and Carmelo Martinez knocked in four runs as the Padres won at San Diego behind Andy Hawkins’ eight-hitter.

Chicago Cubs 13, Pittsburgh 5--Gary Matthews hit a three-run homer in an eight-run sixth inning, and Ron Cey added a three-run blast in the seventh as the Cubs won at Chicago.