No Hooray on Canada Day, 2-1 : Disputed Call Helps Oakland Spoil Party at Toronto in Win

It was Canada Day at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, but the Blue Jays didn’t do much celebrating.

The Oakland Athletics scored two runs in the seventh inning on a disputed hit batsman call and a groundball single to defeat the Toronto Blue Jays, 2-1, Friday.

With a crowd of 35,243 on hand, Oakland’s Dave Stewart and Toronto’s Dave Stieb each blanked the opposition on two hits through six innings. But Oakland’s Jose Canseco led off the seventh with a double, and Dave Henderson singled one out later.

The A’s loaded the bases and Stieb was then charged with hitting Carney Lansford, a call even the Oakland third baseman later disputed.

“It didn’t hit me, physically,” Lansford said. “It may have grazed my shirt, I don’t know. If I’d have been out there (pitching), I’d be upset, too.

“I was just trying to get out of the way,” Lansford added. “It was tough for an umpire to call.”

Stieb then faced first baseman Mark McGwire, mired in a 15-for-88 slump. McGwire grounded a hit up the middle and two runners scored.

“Stieb’s got one of the best sliders for a righthander,” said McGwire, who was happy not to see one. “He threw a fastball a little up and over the plate.”

Stieb thought about lunging for the grounder, but pulled back.

“I thought (shortstop) Tony (Fernandez) might be there, so I just pulled back on it,” said Stieb, 10-5, who lost his second straight decision after a nine-game winning streak.

Stewart (11-6) faced just 19 batters through six innings. Toronto scored a run in the seventh when Lloyd Moseby led off with a single, took second on a walk to Rance Mulliniks and scored on Kelly Gruber’s two-out double.

Stewart allowed five hits, struck out two and walked three before being relieved by Rick Honeycutt with one out in the eighth inning and a runner on first.

Honeycutt retired Fernandez and Moseby to end the inning. Dennis Eckersley worked the ninth and earned his major-league leading 24th save.

Stieb gave up six hits, walked one and struck out six for his third complete game and only the fifth complete gamefor Toronto pitchers this season.