Royals Get Aggressive and Win

The Kansas City Royals were determined not to let the Toronto Blue Jays run away with the American League playoffs. So the Royals, just one game from elimination, came out scrambling Sunday.

They were aggressive on the basepaths, and their daring paid off with two early runs. That was enough for left-hander Danny Jackson, who battled to an eight-hit, 2-0 victory that trimmed the Blue Jays’ lead in the AL playoffs to 3-2.

“That’s the way we have to do it,” Kansas City Manager Dick Howser said. “We don’t kick teams. We have to scratch and scramble.”

The Royals still face a difficult task, having to win the final two games of the best-of-seven series in Toronto. This is the first year of the seven-game playoff format, but only four teams have ever overcome a 3-1 deficit in the World Series.

Game 6 is scheduled for Tuesday night, with Kansas City’s Mark Gubicza opposing Doyle Alexander, and Toronto still needing one more victory to bring the World Series to Canada for the first time.

Jackson, making his first start in 10 days and whose previous playoff work had consisted of one mop-up inning in Game 1, gave Kansas City the kind of pitching it needed to hold off the explosive Blue Jays. The 23-year-old Jackson was far from perfect, but walked only one while striking out six and got the job done when it mattered most.

“He shut them down,” Howser said. “That’s something we haven’t been able to do.”

In the fifth, Garth Iorg opened with a single and Ernie Whitt pulled a double into the right-field corner that sent Iorg to third. Jackson managed to squirm out of trouble by getting Tony Fernandez on a grounder, Damaso Garcia on a popup and Lloyd Moseby on a groundout to second.

The Blue Jays tried to rally again in the sixth after there were two outs. Singles by Jesse Barfield and Willie Upshaw and a walk to Iorg on a full-count pitch loaded the bases, prompting a visit to the mound by Kansas City pitching coach Gary Blaylock.

Jackson escaped that threat by getting Whitt on a weak grounder to second on the first pitch.

“I had been throwing him sliders out and away, and he seemed to have them timed,” Jackson said. “I came back with a hard fastball in on the hands that he hit.”

The Royals, who have watched the Blue Jays rally for two late-inning victories in the series, left no doubt as to what they planned to do in Game 5 Sunday.

They were aggressive from the start.

Lonnie Smith, only 1 for 14 in the previous four games, led off the Kansas City first with a double. Then, with Willie Wilson at the plate, Smith took off for third and made it with a head-first slide.

“Lonnie’s always got the green light,” Howser said.

Wilson struck out, which brought up George Brett. The Blue Jays had intentionally walked Brett twice in Game 4, but this time elected to have Jimmy Key pitch to the man with a .370 career playoff average.

Brett didn’t get a hit, but his grounder to shortstop drove home Smith. It was Brett’s 18th RBI in AL playoff competition, tying Reggie Jackson’s record.

“We don’t have the luxury to sit back and wait for something to happen,” Howser said.

In the second inning, Frank White opened with a single, only his third hit in 16 at-bats this series. Steve Balboni, 1 for 15, followed with a single. When left fielder George Bell had to wait for a high hop, White dashed into third ahead of the throw, and Balboni lumbered into second, also ahead of a relay.

Darryl Motley then hit a sacrifice fly deep to center that drove in what proved to be the game’s final run.

“That’s how they make their living, being aggressive,” Toronto Manager Bobby Cox said. “If you don’t get guys on, how are you going to do it? They didn’t get guys on base in earlier games.”

The Blue Jays, the aggressors so far in the series, tried to do the same in the fourth. Bell led off with a single and tried to take third when Cliff Johnson followed with a single. But Smith’s throw caught Bell at third in a close play.

Cox, who has seen several close calls go against his team in the series, argued the decision with third base umpire Dale Ford.

“From the replay I saw, he was safe,” Cox said. “That might’ve been the ballgame.

“Bell has been an aggressive baserunner all season, particularly in this series,” he said. “It took a good throw to get him out--or whatever happened.”

Key, who did not survive the fourth inning in Game 2, constantly pitched with runners on base through the first five innings.

Smith started the third with a single, and singled again in the fifth. Both times he tried to steal second, but both times the tactic backfired. In the third, Smith lost track of Wilson’s pop fly and failed to get back to first in time to beat a relay throw. In the fifth, Key made a pickoff throw to first that trapped Smith.

Balboni and Motley singled with two outs in the fourth, but Key got out of that jam when Jim Sundberg grounded out.