Blue Jays Set in Motion, 5-2 : AL Game 2: White starts aggressive tone, scores three times in victory over Twins. Series is tied, 1-1.

Although the Toronto Blue Jays lost their American League playoff opener to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, they never lost their faith. Their late surge fell short, but it planted the seed of victory in defeat.

“We put some fear in their hearts when we came back,” Devon White said. “I don’t think they expected that.”

The Twins’ fears were realized Wednesday, when White ran rampant, scoring all three times he reached base. He set a tone of boldness, an assurance unshaken by the Twins or the 54,816 fans who created another blizzard of souvenir Homer Hankies in the Metrodome stands.

“That’s my objective. To get out there and stir up their pitchers and get some runs on the board,” said White, who singled in the first inning, doubled in the third and walked in the seventh to spark the Blue Jays to a 5-2 victory that tied the best-of-seven series at one game each.

“I think it was very important for us to win today and very important to get on top to show them we owed them a little,” said White, who had scored the only time he reached base Tuesday night in Toronto’s 5-4 loss. “By coming back (Tuesday), we put a scare into them. I don’t think they expected that, and it carried over to today. We knew we had to take at least one here and that we had to play hard.”

They played well in ending Minnesota’s seven-game home postseason winning streak. Joe Carter and Kelly Gruber each drove in two runs in support of right-hander Juan Guzman, who overcame early control problems to become the first rookie to win a playoff game since Philadelphia’s Charles Hudson defeated the Dodgers on Oct. 7, 1983, in Game 3 of the National League playoffs.

When Guzman faltered in the sixth inning, allowing a run and putting runners on first and third on a walk and a single, Tom Henke followed with 1 1/3 hitless relief innings. Duane Ward applied the final flourish by striking out four in two innings to earn the Blue Jays’ first save in 14 postseason games.

“We got one of the best relievers in the league in Henke, so all I got to do is keep the game close,” said Guzman, the first Dominican-born pitcher to start an AL playoff game. “I wasn’t nervous. I know what I can do.”

The Blue Jays knew they had to assert themselves immediately, and they succeeded. White singled to center field off Kevin Tapani, stole second, moved to third on Roberto Alomar’s sacrifice up the third base line and scored on Carter’s single.

“It was textbook,” Minnesota Manager Tom Kelly said. “That’s what we talked about for a week, that you have to keep Devon and Roberto off the bases. Obviously, we didn’t do a good job.”

Guzman did a good job of defusing a Minnesota threat in the bottom of the first inning. He issued two walks, drawing pitching coach Galen Cisco to the mound for the first of several lengthy chats, but Guzman got Kent Hrbek to pop up behind third and struck out Chili Davis.

“We had a young pitcher out there, and we needed to get his head right,” said White, one of the few Blue Jays who did not visit Guzman on the mound.

Guzman said he did not really need the company. “I was missing some pitches, but I was fine,” he said. “You’re not a machine. You’re going to miss some pitches.”

The Blue Jays didn’t miss many scoring chances. They left runners at first and second in the second inning but scored twice in the third, with White again acting as the catalyst. The former Angel set the inning in motion with a ground-rule double to left, and he took third when Alomar beat out a high chopper to third with a headfirst slide into first base. Alomar stole second on catcher Brian Harper, who threw out only 22 of 121 base stealers during the season. Alomar scored behind White on Gruber’s broken-bat single to right.

The Twins got to Guzman for a run in the third inning on Chuck Knoblauch’s single, a wild pitch and Kirby Puckett’s single to center, and they cut Toronto’s lead to 3-2 in the sixth. Knoblauch drew a leadoff walk, took second on a groundout, and after Guzman walked Davis on four pitches, Knoblauch scored on Harper’s single to center. Henke came in and retired Shane Mack on one pitch, inducing Mack to tap back to the mound for an easy play to first.

“The pressure was on them today. If they didn’t get it done today, they’d have been in trouble,” said Knoblauch, a leading candidate for rookie of the year. “You have to give them credit.”

White, traded by the Angels to Toronto last December, helped give the Blue Jays another run in the seventh. Manuel Lee and White drew successive walks, and Alomar followed with a single to right. When the ball was misplayed by right fielder Mack, Lee scored and White took third. Carter sent White home with a sacrifice fly to left.

“We weren’t intimidated by coming in here, with the noise and the crowd,” Carter said. “All the things we’ve been through in the last couple of weeks, the playoffs have to be easier than that.”

After the tribulations White endured with the Angels, who demoted him to triple-A Edmonton for a month last season, he has found the Blue Jays’ success gratifying.

“Being on a winning team that’s playing in front of 4 million fans--you can’t beat that,” White said. “You know at least 2 million love you.”

Make that 2 million and one, at least.

“Devo’s done a great job for us all season. The game he played today, he’s been that kind of player for us,” Toronto Manager Cito Gaston said. “If I’d had Devon last year, just for his defense, we would have won the division.”

Winning Game 3 at the SkyDome Friday is uppermost in their minds. “To have come out of here 0-2 would have been tough for us,” Ward said. “It would have been tough to win three in a row. It’s real nice coming out of this place with a split.”

SIGN OF RELIEF: Tom Henke gives the Blue Jays a lift by pitching them out of trouble in the sixth. Duane Ward closes the door in the last two innings. C6