Henderson Thrown Out, Sidelined With Leg Cramp

Rickey Henderson’s attempt to tie Lou Brock’s record for stolen bases was foiled by the flawless execution of the Minnesota Twins’ battery Thursday and may be further delayed by a cramp in his left calf.

Henderson, thrown out while trying to steal second base in the third inning of the Oakland Athletics’ 3-0 victory, suffered the cramp as he ran out a grounder in the seventh and was removed from the game.

“It cramped as I left the (batter’s) box; I don’t think it’s too serious,” Henderson said as he hurriedly dressed and limped out of the clubhouse after the game.

Alluding to a three-game series against Seattle that opens tonight, A’s Manager Tony La Russa said Henderson “will probably play only two of the three, and I’ll wait until (Friday) to decide which two make the most sense.”

Needing one steal to tie and two to break Brock’s record of 938, Henderson went to the plate four times and reached base only on his infield single in the third.

His steal attempt was thwarted when catcher Junior Ortiz stepped up to take an outside fastball from Scott Erickson, who had made three throws to first base, and easily gunned down Henderson.

“I told Rickey later that no one could have stolen under those conditions,” La Russa said. “You had a pitcher unloading the ball in 1.1 seconds and the catcher making a great throw off a great pitch on which to throw.”

Said Ortiz: “I’ve been thinking about this since we got to Oakland. I told Erickson, ‘Give me a good pitch and I’ll throw him out.’ I knew I had him as soon as I threw.”

Brock, who spent Wednesday and Thursday in Oakland after being invited by Henderson, said he has to tend to business and will not attend the weekend series.

While Henderson’s status became clouded, the A’s received a significant lift Thursday from rookie Joe Slusarski, who made his major league debut against the Twins and scattered five hits in pitching seven shutout innings.

Slusarski, 24, a second-round pick in the June 1988 draft and a member of the ’88 Olympic team, did not learn until Thursday morning that he was starting after being recalled from Tacoma when Eric Show was put on the disabled list because of an infected thumb.