Henderson Can’t Steal This One : Baseball: Oakland star falls short of Brett in batting race. Angels beat A’s in finale, 11-6.

George Brett turned the American League batting race into a game of hide and seek when he chose to hide from Rickey Henderson and seek his third title by sitting on his lead and starting only two of the Royals’ last six games.

Henderson lost that contest, but he focused on the bigger prizes at stake for him and the Oakland Athletics in the playoffs once the formality of their regular-season-ending 11-6 loss to the Angels was behind them.

Brett had a single in his only official at-bat to raise his average to .329, forcing Henderson to go three for three or better to win. Henderson struck out in the first inning, singled in the second and grounded into a force play in the fourth before being removed from the lineup with a .325 average.

Had he triumphed, the A’s would have had both league batting champions, since Willie McGee won the National League title by seven points over Dave Magadan of the New York Mets. McGee hit .335 for St. Louis before he was traded Aug. 29 to Oakland.

“I wouldn’t have done it the way (Brett) did it,” said Henderson, who is two steals short of Lou Brock’s record of 938. “He’s a great player, but I would have played through. . . . It’s not really a disappointment. I didn’t win the title but I feel I had an MVP kind of year.”

Mike Moore (13-15), scheduled to start the A’s third playoff game, ended an inconsistent year by being raked for seven runs in 3 1/3 innings by an Angel lineup that featured few regulars. The Angels finished with 80 victories, well short of their 91-71 record in 1989.

Angel Notes

The Angels will hold a news conference today in Anaheim, possibly concerning Brian Downing’s re-signing or retirement. However, the 39-year-old designated hitter said Wednesday he hadn’t yet decided his future.

Cliff Young pitched 3 1/3 innings to earn his first major league victory. . . . At 80-82, the Angels finished below .500 for the 19th time in 30 seasons. . . . Dave Winfield finished with a team-high 78 runs batted in and a .267 average. “It’s been good. It’ll be better next time,” said Winfield, who turned 39 Wednesday.

After pressure from A’s General Manager Sandy Alderson, official scorer John Hickey gave Carney Lansford an error on Luis Polonia’s first-inning grounder Tuesday instead of a hit and an error. The change made the Angels’ four runs unearned and lowered Bob Welch’s ERA from 3.06 to 2.95. Alderson claimed the first call “cost Welch the Cy Young” because it raised his ERA above 3.00. The change cost Polonia a hit but he didn’t protest. “I don’t care. I still got my .337,” he said.

Chili Davis (back), Wally Joyner (knee), Bert Blyleven (shoulder surgery) and Kirk McCaskill (elbow surgery) will follow off-season rehabilitation programs under the supervision of physical therapist Roger Williams.

Pitcher Joe Grahe is the only player with major league experience committed to playing in the Instructional League this winter. Joyner and Dante Bichette said they might play.

Pitcher Jeff Richardson, one of the Angels’ September callups, was admitted to San Francisco Children’s Hospital because of gastrointestinal bleeding. Tests will be performed on Richardson, who appeared in only one game after being promoted.

Pitcher Bob McClure, who is eligible for free agency, hopes to return to the Angels next season. “They said they were interested before I pitched my last three or four games,” he said. . . . Max Venable, also a free agent after the season, would also like to return in 1991. “I felt comfortable in the role they put me in,” said Venable, who hit .259 and was invaluable as a pinch-hitter and substitute at all three outfield positions.