World Series Notes : Series Is Fun, but Only for 1

At 11:38 Saturday morning, Bret Saberhagen’s wife, Janeane, gave birth to the couple’s first child, 9-pound 3-ounce Drew William.

At 10:24 Saturday night, the new father learned officially that he will be back at work tonight, facing John Tudor in the climactic seventh game of the World Series.

It was at that moment Saturday night that Kansas City culminated a ninth-inning comeback against St. Louis, 2-1, tying the best-of-seven affair at three games apiece.

“It seems like I’m on cloud nine,” the 21-year-old Saberhagen said.

Three years removed from Reseda’s Cleveland High, Saberhagen was 20-6 during the regular season and pitched the Royals to a six-hit 6-1 victory in Game 3.

Tudor, 21-8 during the regular season and the winner of Games 1 and 4 of the Series, will be making a second straight start on three days’ rest.

It’s the first time 20-game winners have met in the seventh game since New York’s Ralph Terry beat San Francisco’s Jack Sanford, 1-0, in 1962.

Asked if he was having fun at the Series, in spite of the pressure, Tudor said he was not.

“Honestly, no,” he said. “I’m not an outgoing person, and I really just like to pitch my game and be with my teammates. But you don’t have a minute to yourself. As soon as you cross the lines, you have something to do . . . worrying about tickets and a million other things. Maybe when this is all over, I’ll look back and say this was a good time.”

Will he be nervous tonight?

“I think there’s always a disadvantage facing a team three straight times, but I can’t worry if they hit me or not. I’ve got to go out and throw strikes.

“I won’t be nervous. I’ve tried to treat each game I’ve pitched this year equally. To me, they’re all big games. I know I’ll be able to stay on an even keel.

“If I were to start envisioning it as the game that will decide everything, I know I probably would be nervous. But I think I have enough self-discipline to go out there and relax, to view it as just another game.”

In contrast to Tudor, Saberhagen could barely control his excitement over Saturday’s developments.

“I don’t see anybody on my team having a better time than I am,” he said. “This is outstanding. Now, I can get my priorities straight. Now, all I have to do is worry about the game. I guess I’m in trouble.”

Saberhagen winked when he said that, then added: “What a year it’s been. The 20 wins, a pennant, the birth of our first baby and now a chance to pitch Game 7. It’s great. How can there be any pressure?”

Janeane, a high school sweetheart, may have innocently put some on him.

Convinced that there would be a Game 7, she wished him well as he was leaving St. Lukes Hospital and said, “Me and Drew will be watching, so you better be good.”

Will the Minnesota Twins be interested in reacquiring free agent Rod Carew, who will not be retained by the Angels?

It’s not very likely.

“I don’t know that we have a great deal of interest,” personnel director Andy MacPhail told the Twins’ press corps Saturday. “It’s not something we’ve had a great deal of discussion about, so to say he’s a high priority would not be accurate.”

The shortage of hotel rooms in Kansas City--there’s a Future Farmers of America convention in town--made Lenexa, Kan., a suburb of 25,000, the media headquarters for the World Series.

On Saturday, Lenexa Mayor Richard Becker, who has had photos taken of anybody wearing a media pass, declared “Jay Horwitz Day,” in honor of the New York Mets’ publicist who is working the Series here.

Becker approached Horwitz while he was eating lunch and read him a proclamation in his honor. Horwitz was unclear on what he’d done to deserve a day, but no matter. “Next to my bar mitzvah, this is the biggest thrill of my life,” Horwitz said.

“The mayor told me he’d give me a ticker-tape parade on Monday, if I want to hang around. I told him, ‘You can come back to New York and run against Koch. Take a picture of every voter, and you’ll win.’ ”

Royal third baseman George Brett said he is playing the best defense of his career this season. Manager Dick Howser said reserve Greg Pryor deserves some credit.

“George said he didn’t concentrate enough,” Howser said, “and Pryor has helped him to concentrate a little more, and also helped him with things like playing the ball off the bat better.”