Brett Tops It All Off With a Night to Remember : He Has 4 Runs, 4 Hits (Including 2 Homers), 3 RBIs and Run-Saving Throw

Reggie Jackson got there first, so the title is his. But if Reggie is indeed Mr. October, what in the world are we going to call George Brett?

“Awesome,” suggested Toronto third baseman Rance Mulliniks.

“Fantastic,” offered Toronto Manager Bobby Cox.

Sorry, they don’t cut it.

This is no time for understatement.

If Brett continues his unconscionable, unyielding blitz on the month of October any longer, they’ll not only have to rewrite the record book, but the dictionary as well.

How does one go about describing the past 11 days in the life of George Brett?

First, there were the home runs down the stretch--five in six days, including three in three critical victories over the Angels and two more against Oakland to help clinch the American League West championship for the Kansas City Royals.

Then, there was the .375 batting average in the first two games of the league playoffs--a rare high note for Kansas City during two straight defeats in Toronto.

And finally, there was Friday night at Royals Stadium--Game 3, when a hard rain pelted Kansas City in the afternoon and a harder rain fell on the Blue Jays in the evening:

FIRST INNING--Brett puts the third pitch he sees from Toronto starting pitcher Doyle Alexander into the seats inside the right-field foul pole. Royals lead, 1-0.

THIRD INNING--With Toronto’s Damaso Garcia on third base, Lloyd Moseby drills a one-hopper just inside the bag, headed for extra-base territory. Brett, however, cuts it off at the pass--backhanding the ball as he falls into foul ground and then, in the same motion, throwing to catcher Jim Sundberg, who has to wait to make the tag on the onrushing Garcia. A run is saved, and a Blue Jay uprising is trashed. “That play. . . . You can’t do any better than that,” Royal Manager Dick Howser said.

FOURTH INNING--Brett smashes a ball off the right-field wall, less than two feet away from his second home run. He settles for a double and eventually scores on a sacrifice fly. Royals lead, 2-0.

SIXTH INNING--Toronto has rallied and leads, 5-3, as Brett readies for his third at-bat. With Willie Wilson on base, Brett punishes Alexander again--this time to the opposite field, in the left-center power alley. The ball is gone, and so is the Blue Jays’ lead. Tied game, 5-5.

EIGHTH INNING--Yes, there’s more. Brett leads off again with a Wee Willie Keeler special--a measly little bleeder hit precisely where the Blue Jays’ Garcia and Willie Upshaw ain’t. It’s good enough for a single to right and, a bunt and a ground-out later, for a Royal lead. Brett scores on a bloop single by Steve Balboni, and Kansas City goes on to win, 6-5.

The final totals on Brett: 4 at-bats, 4 hits (including 2 home runs), 4 runs, 3 runs batted in, 11 total bases--plus one masterful Brooks Robinson imitation at third base.

Take away one swing or one throw to home by Brett, and (a) the Royals do not win their first postseason game in 11 tries since 1980, and (b) Howser extends his perfect playoff record to 0-12.

Considering the circumstances and the impact of every one of his moves, Brett’s performance in Game 3 of the 1985 AL playoffs may go down as one of October’s finest . . . ever.

“If this isn’t the best game I’ve played, it’s the most important in a long time,” Brett said. He tried to recall any better ones.

“I hit three home runs off Catfish (Hunter) in 1978,” he remembered. “But Thurman Munson hit one into the monuments at Yankee Stadium off Doug Bird, and we lost that one.”

Brett also thought about the three-run home run he delivered against Goose Gossage that sent the Royals into their only World Series in 1980.

“The Goose game is probably the first,” Brett said. “This is No. 2.”

Then, again. . . .

“I’ve seen a lot of guy have great games, but you don’t know the circumstances,” Brett said. “Reggie had three home runs in one World Series game. But I don’t know if his team was down, two games to none. And I don’t if the manager hadn’t ever won a playoff game.”

This one saved the Royals, who are now down, 2-1, and finally spared Howser when the heat was getting intense.

“It’s a big burden off our backs,” said Brett, who had lambasted one reporter in Toronto for asking one too many questions about Howser’s postseason record.

To make this night complete, Brett was there for the final out--catching Moseby’s pop fly and presenting the ball to Howser as a memento. “A routine pop-up? It seemed like it went to the moon and back,” Brett said with a grin. “Finally, it came down; Dick had his win and the game ball.”

And Brett had his records. Several would fall this evening, including:

--Most American League Championship Series Home Runs: Eight. (Old record: Six, Reggie Jackson.)

--Most American League Championship Series Hits: 34. (Old record: 32, Jackson).

--Most League Championship Series Runs: 20. (Old record: 17, Pete Rose.)

--Most League Championship Series Total Bases: 71. (Old record: 63, Rose.)

So, don’t believe everything you read. Not all the Royals are wretched in October.