Sloppy A’s Ease the Way, 7-5 : AL Game 3: Oakland’s defense, three wild pitches are costly in Toronto’s victory.

Most of the Blue Jays had never played on a Toronto team that led a playoff series, so it was understandable that they were confused about where they stood Saturday after a 7-5 victory over the Oakland Athletics gave them a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.

“This was a very big win because it means we get to go home. We can’t be swept here, and we get to go back to SkyDome,” said reliever Tom Henke, who pitched 1 2/3 relief innings to earn his second consecutive save before 46,911. “This puts us in the driver’s seat.”

Or does it?

“I don’t think you can say we’re in the driver’s seat because we have to play two more here,” said catcher Pat Borders, who was one for four and withstood a home-plate collision with Oakland’s Mark McGwire during the fourth inning to keep the A’s from breaking a 2-2 tie.

“This was a big win for us, but I think this series is going to be tight all the way to the end.”

In a game that took an American League playoff-record 3 hours 40 minutes, the Blue Jays took their first playoff lead since they went ahead, 3-2, against the Kansas City Royals in 1985 in a series they lost in seven games. They never led against Oakland in 1989 and the best they could do against the Twins last season was 1-1 after two games at the Metrodome.

“This is a big moment for us, for everybody,” said Toronto starter Juan Guzman, who gave up two runs in six innings.

“But this is not over yet, I can tell you. No matter how a game is going, we have to keep going.”

Three errors by the usually sure-handed A’s, including two by second baseman Lance Blankenship; home runs by Roberto Alomar and Candy Maldonado and a two-run triple by Manny Lee gave the Blue Jays a 5-2 lead in the seventh inning.

“Normally, they’re the type of club that won’t make those type of mistakes, but that happens,” Toronto Manager Cito Gaston said of the Oakland errors.

“They wouldn’t be where they are if they made those kind of errors all year.”

Dave Winfield reached on Carney Lansford’s error in the second inning and scored on Maldonado’s single to center field; Blankenship bobbled a grounder by John Olerud to open the way for a two-run Toronto seventh and misplayed a grounder by Kelly Gruber in the eighth, when the Blue Jays scored their sixth run.

“We’re very happy those openings were there for us to cash in,” Winfield said.

Run-scoring singles by Harold Baines and Terry Steinbach had tied the score, 2-2, and Guzman was faltering when Bordick came up with the bases loaded and none out during the fourth inning. Bordick lofted a fly to right field, where Joe Carter lined the ball up, charged it and unleashed a high, hard throw home. Borders had to leap for it, but came down in plenty of time to block the plate and tag McGwire.

“I was very shocked he ran for the plate and glad he did,” Carter said.

“I got behind the ball and came in. He was out by three or four steps, and Borders went up to get it. That was really the difference in the ballgame. It was a 2-2 ballgame and two out after that.

“I wasn’t watching him go. I just focused on home plate because a lot of times guys will bluff.

“My job is to throw the ball to the catcher. It was a very big play in the ballgame.”

Guzman, who ended the inning by retiring Walt Weiss on a weak grounder to first, knew the throw saved his day.

“I was surprised (McGwire) went, and I was glad to see the throw,” Guzman said.

“It wasn’t really a line drive. It wasn’t far. I don’t know why they send him. They made a mistake.”

Said McGwire: “Shoot, it was a great opportunity for us to put a lot of runs up on the board. (Lachemann) is a hell of a third base coach, and he made the decision to send me and I went.”

Oakland Manager Tony La Russa had no qualms with Lachemann’s decision or McGwire’s execution.

“Our style is when in doubt, be aggressive,” he said. “I don’t look at that one play as the reason why we lost or won.”

Kelly Downs gave up the two runs in the seventh inning that extended the A’s deficit from 3-2 to 5-2. After Olerud reached on Blankenship’s error, Borders singled and Lee tripled over the glove of a lunging McGwire down the right-field line.

“I saw it off the bat and told myself to smother it, but I had it go right over me,” McGwire said.

“It was one of those plays you dive and think you’re going to get it, and it goes by you.”

The A’s scored twice in the seventh against Ward, who hadn’t pitched in a week. Rickey Henderson walked, stole second and took third after he kicked the ball out of shortstop Lee’s glove. Henderson scored on Ruben Sierra’s sacrifice fly.

Singles by Baines, McGwire and Terry Steinbach produced a run, but the Blue Jays scored in the eighth on a wild pitch by Jeff Russell--the third of the day by Oakland pitchers--and added a run in the ninth on a walk to Lee and singles by Carter and Winfield. The latter hit was a line drive off the left arm of Dennis Eckersley, who finally finished the inning by striking out Olerud.

Henke ended the game by getting McGwire, Steinbach and Willie Wilson in order.

As a historical reference, of the eight times the AL playoffs have been tied, 1-1, the team that won Game 3 has won the series six times.

“We’re happy, but we can’t be too comfortable,” said Gruber, whose superb stop of a drive during the seventh inning robbed Lansford of a double and the A’s of a potentially big inning.

“The main thing today was that there were so many heroes. We won as a team,” Gruber added. “It’s the way the A’s have always won, and the way we’ve done it all season.”

Said Carter: “This is not a two- or three-man team like it was last year. Now we’ve got a lot of weapons and a good pitching staff and a lot of confidence.”

MIKE DOWNEY: C10