Welch Wavers, but A’s Help Him Win 27th

Bob Welch became the first major league pitcher to win 27 games since Steve Carlton in 1972, relying on Rickey Henderson’s speed and Jose Canseco’s power to spark a seventh-inning rally that gave the Oakland Athletics a 6-4 victory over the Angels Tuesday at the Oakland Coliseum.

“We needed to win one or two of these games to keep us on the right track for what we want to do,” said Rickey Henderson, who stole two bases to move within two of tying Lou Brock’s record of 938.

However, Henderson stole no closer to AL batting leader George Brett, who did not play Tuesday. Henderson is hitting .325, three points behind Brett, entering today’s season finale.

“Brett’s never going to play,” Henderson said after going one for four. “That’s one thing I don’t like about him.”

Henderson started the two-out uprising with a liner that Angel reliver Willie Fraser (5-4) knocked down but couldn’t play. He stole second against catcher John Orton and went to third on Dave Henderson’s infield hit. Both scored on Canseco’s double off the wall in right center, which gave Canseco 101 runs batted in. He surpassed 100 for the fourth time, an Oakland record.

“That’s one of those magic marks for hitters,” Oakland Manager Tony LaRussa said. “He was on his way to a monster year before (he hurt his back). To end up with 100 has a lot of meaning.”

Orton, who lives about 100 miles from Oakland in Soquel, Calif., always admired Henderson. “I’d always pretend when I was practicing, ‘OK, Rickey Henderson’s on first. What should I do?’ I always threw him out in practice.”

But not in Oakland. Henderson also stole second in the sixth, took third on Jim Abbott’s balk and scored on a single by Dave Henderson.

“He had me on that first one, but he was a little uptight,” Rickey Henderson said. “I didn’t get a good jump.”

He needs three steals to jump past Brock. “The day he does it, whether it’s (today) or next year will be a great day because he will have done it in the name of playing the game right,” LaRussa said.

Welch (27-6) became the first AL pitcher to win 27 games since Denny McLain won 31 for the Detroit Tigers in 1968. After giving up four runs in the first, two on Lee Stevens’ seventh home run of the season, Welch settled down and scattered four hits in the next six innings.

“I wasn’t out there looking for a (playoff) tuneup,” Welch said. “I was looking to win a baseball game. Everything we talked about all year come together today. As a pitcher, you appreciate a victory like this.”

Angel Notes

Angel broadcaster Reggie Jackson, a member of the A’s World Series champion teams, said the current A’s might eclipse the feats of his era. “Their ballclub is very similar to ours,” he said. “The biggest difference is they have Rickey Henderson. Nobody has ever had a Rickey Henderson. . . . The biggest thing they have to worry about is falling asleep. They have to guard against having somebody ambush them.”

As expected, relief pitcher Greg Minton of the Angels officially announced his retirement.