A Shy Sierra Emerges From Canseco’s Shadow

Harold and the Hendersons are watching Ruben Sierra and trying not to laugh. Poor Ruben is being sandwiched by a wedge of reporters. His predicament really amuses his fellow Oakland outfielders, Harold Baines and Rickey and Dave Henderson, because each of them understands that this is the last place poor Ruben wants to be.

“Uh, oh,” Baines says. “He doesn’t need that right there.”

Need what?

“Those mikes in his face.”

It is the price a shy guy pays for becoming a hero, for homering and driving in three runs in a 6-2 season-saver Monday over Toronto to keep Oakland in the American League playoffs.

The price Oakland paid for Ruben Sierra was Jose Canseco. The loquacious for the low-key. The Jaguar for the Jeep. Canseco occupied the California spotlights. Sierra obeyed the Texas stoplights.

Dave Henderson observes the mob scene in Oakland’s clubhouse with a whimsical smile and says:

“That’ll teach ol’ Ruben to leave Texas.”

Someone who knows something about being a playoff hero, Dave Henderson sympathizes with Sierra.

“It’s not like he’s socially backward,” he says. “It’s that English-Spanish barrier thing. Nobody wants to screw up in somebody else’s native language.”

Nevertheless, Sierra does the best he can, same as in the game.

He is talking about his family and friends back in Puerto Rico, and about the diamond “21” earring he wears in tribute to Roberto Clemente, and about the pressure of being in his first pennant race and about the Oakland fans who draped a “Sierra Club” banner along the upper deck to let him know that as long as Canseco was history, right field was his.

“They hang that big sign,” Sierra says. “Try to make me feel good.”

And does it?

“Oh, you know, sure.”

Some questions are stupid, in any language.

From across the room, Rickey Henderson can see that Sierra is surrounded.

“Hey, you guys! Give him a break!” Rickey yells. “He’s a little short in the English department!”

The other A’s laugh as reporters buzz around like bees.

“I think maybe he relished that role in Texas, being in the background,” Dave Henderson says.

But Baines says, “Actually, he keeps us loose. He jokes around a lot.”

They know what the big Aug. 31 swap with Texas did for Sierra and what it did to him--brought him to a contender, but brought him the burden of succeeding Canseco. The sight of him celebrating his homer near home plate with both arms in the air was a joy for Sierra’s new teammates to behold.

“Hey, it’s not just everybody in Puerto Rico back watching,” Baines reminds the single reporter at his locker. “It’s the whole world watching.”

One locker over, Dave Henderson says: “This is Ruben’s chance to prove himself in prime time. I always thought he was a good hitter, but what really impresses everyone here is the way he hustles.

“The home run was great, but Ruben’s not your basic boom-smash hitter. He’ll hit line drives on you and run your butt off on the bases.”

Sierra is batting .368 in the playoffs and leads everybody but Roberto Alomar in total bases. A switch-hitter with a wicked swing, Sierra has struck out only once in five games.

“But I worry, you know, about . . . I worry about . . . .”

Ruben is searching for the right way to phrase something.

” . . . about I try to do too much,” he says.

To please the fans?

“Yes. No. To please everybody,” Sierra says. “This is the first championship for me. I try to do something good.”

He took a first-inning inside fastball from David Cone and gave it a bang that sounded like a gunshot. It scored Jerry Browne ahead of him and put Oakland ahead to stay.

A fifth-inning single up the middle scored Browne again and bounced Cone right out of the game.

After a slow start in the series, Sierra says: “I have to admit to you. I was, you know, very, very nervous.”

Baines is eavesdropping nearby.

“The man is a human being--he’s going to be nervous,” says Baines, who bats behind Sierra in the order. “But think about this: Because I’ve been going pretty decent (.429), he hasn’t been getting many pitches to hit.”

That’s true, and . . . .

“Hey, Ruben!” Baines suddenly calls out.

Sierra, bald head gleaming in a TV camera’s light, interrupts what he is saying and looks over.

And Baines says: “I’m getting tired talking about you, man.”