‘Rickey Runs’ Support Stewart, Make A’s the Best in West Again

Rickey Henderson went three for three and scored twice, and Dave Stewart pitched a five-hitter as the Oakland Athletics clinched their third consecutive American League West title with a 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals Tuesday night.

“He makes the runs. We call them Rickey runs,” Manager Tony La Russa said of Henderson. “He’s been doing it all year. I’m just glad people had a chance to see it tonight.”

The A’s title is anything but old hat to La Russa.

“Every time it gets better,” he said. “You think of all the combinations, of all the ways it can go. The Twins always play hard. They did their part (Minnesota beat the Chicago White Sox, 4-3) and we did our part.

“At some point, you have to admit you’ve got yourself in position where it’s going to happen. It’s just like having a lead in a game with a great bullpen. You know you’re going to win.”

The A’s have a nine-game lead over Chicago with eight to play. The White Sox were eliminated on Gary Gaetti’s three-run homer and Shane Mack’s tiebreaking single in the fifth inning for Minnesota.

Oakland became the first team since 1978 to win three consecutive division titles. The New York Yankees, Royals and Philadelphia Phillies all won consecutive titles from 1976-78.

Stewart won a career-high 22nd game and has four consecutive seasons of 21 or more victories. He won clinching games in the AL playoffs and the World Series last season and was on the mound when the Athletics clinched the 1988 division title.

“This is just a first step,” he said. “We can’t be too happy. We’ve got to come out (today) and play hard. I have always felt that if I had the opportunity to go out every fourth or fifth day, I’d give our team a chance to win.

“We’ve been hunted all year. Guys have been looking to bump us off, beat us, trying to take it from us. We’ve had guys in and out, but we toughed it out--and here we are.”

A longstanding baseball tradition was broken when champagne was banned from the clubhouse by league President Bobby Brown. In response, the A’s quickly left the main part of the clubhouse and secreted themselves in a closed area to celebrate.

“I don’t like it (champagne),” Mark McGwire said. “You can shake that stuff, spray it around and it’s cold . . . I don’t think too much of that stuff is drunk.”

Stewart struck out six and walked two in pitching his 10th complete game and fourth shutout. He tied Detroit’s Jack Morris for the league lead in complete games.