THE WORLD SERIES : MINNESOTA TWINS vs. ST. LOUIS CARDINALS : Is It Luck or Is It Herzog’s Memory That Gets Cox Big Starts?

Danny Cox believes it’s only luck, really, the way his turn in the pitching rotation keeps popping up on the most critical days of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1987 baseball schedule.

“I just happen to fall in there on those certain days,” Cox said. “When I go out there in those situations, I feel very fortunate. I just thank the Big Man above.”

Cox didn’t mention the little man in the Cardinal dugout, the guy with the flattop who draws up St. Louis’ daily lineup. Believe it or not, Danny, there’s a distinct reason why Whitey Herzog continues to send you to the mound when the stakes are high.

He sent you out there on the first day of October to clinch the National League East championship against the Montreal Expos.

He sent you out there a week ago to clinch the National League pennant against the San Francisco Giants.

And he sent you out there Thursday night to win Game 5 of the World Series against the Minnesota Twins.

He sends you out there, Danny, because you win those games.

It happened again here at Busch Stadium, with the World Series tied at 2-2 and destined to go back to Minnesota’s friendly neighborhood Metrodome for at least one more game. Sensing the significance of the moment--”It’s hard to sweep two games in the dome,” Cox said--the St. Louis right-hander went out and shut out the Twins for 7 innings en route to a 4-2 victory that gave the Cardinals a 3-2 Series advantage.

“I don’t think we wanted to be down a game going into that dome,” said Cox, who limited Minnesota to 5 singles. “I don’t know how the rest of the American League teams did there this year, but I don’t imagine too many swept two straight games at the dome.

“Now, we only have to win one.”

Herzog said much the same thing.

“I feel a lot better going there now than if we were down, 3-2,” Herzog said. “We know it’s going to be tough. But we’ve had three well-pitched games here and now we hope to get one more.”

With relief help from Ken Dayley and Todd Worrell, Cox enabled St. Louis to complete a sweep of the three games played in the National League park. From an 0-2 deficit to a 3-2 advantage--the Cardinals’ finest homestand of the season.

That St. Louis is still playing is largely a testament to Cox. As the crippled Cardinals were struggling to ward off the Expos and the New York Mets down the stretch, Cox rose to stop Montreal once and for all, 8-2, to give St. Louis a four-game lead with three to play.

In the playoffs, with a World Series trip hinging on the seventh game, Cox stymied the favored Giants on eight hits for a 6-0 Cardinal win.

And Thursday evening, Cox was attempting to become the first pitcher ever to record shutouts in both the playoffs and the World Series during the same season. His bid lasted into the eighth before center fielder Willie McGee lost his grip on Gary Gaetti’s deep line drive, enabling the Twins to score their only runs.

“We were outpitched and outplayed,” Minnesota Manager Tom Kelly said. “Cox pitched a great game. He shut us down.”

After such an effort, Cox might expect to be able to kick back and enjoy the rest of the World Series. He’s done his job; now it’s time to pull for the rest of the guys.

But potentially the biggest game of the Cardinals’ season lies ahead--Game 7, if the Twins make it necessary. And guess who Herzog is tentatively planning to start in Game 7?

On two days’ rest?

“I’ve never pitched on two days’ rest before, (but) that’s up to Whitey,” Cox said. “If he says in Game 7, ‘Danny, the ball’s yours,’ I’ll go out and do my best.

“We’re not looking at Game 7 right now. We’re looking at Game 6. John (Tudor) is going out there for us, and we’re all going to be behind him.”

Just in case, Herzog has his contingency plan. Wednesday, Herzog told reporters that if a seventh game were played, he would start Cox and ask him to go four innings before turning the game over to Dayley and Worrell.

After Game 5, Herzog refused to comment on that plan--”I’m not even thinking about Game 7”--but seemed to have it in mind when he removed Cox from a 4-0 shutout with one out and two runners on in the eighth inning.

Herzog summoned Dayley to pitch to Kent Hrbek and then called on Worrell to finish the game.

“I thought in the eighth we had to get Hrbek out,” Herzog said. “I didn’t want Hrbek hitting a double and making it a 4-1 game with (Gary) Gaetti and (Tom) Brunansky up next. Dayley had a better chance against him (both Hrbek and Dayley are left-handed) and he did his job.”

Cox is 1-1 against the Twins, displaying a complete reversal from his outing in Game 2 at the Metrodome. Then, the big-game pitcher was a big-inning pitcher, surrendering six runs in the bottom of the fourth. Cox lasted only 3 innings en route to an 8-4 defeat.

“They were fired up and swinging the hot sticks in the Metrodome,” Cox said. “These guys (the Twins) are major league ballplayers and they won the American League. I didn’t make good pitches then--and they showed me how they won it.

“Tonight, I made good pitches and showed them how we won it. It was kind of a case of ‘Turnabout is fair play.’ ”

And now, Cox is hoping he doesn’t have to turn around again and face the Metrodome Sunday.

“I really don’t think I’m going to have to worry about that anymore,” Cox said, thinking wishfully. “All I’m looking at right now is Game 6. I’m gonna root the best I can.”

If Danny Cox has his way, he has already pitched his final big game of 1987.