Reardon Comes In With Best Pitch, Gets Worst of It : Pitchers: Atlanta relief ace threw fastball to Sprague, who hit it out faster.

Once, Jeff Reardon’s fastball was his out pitch, a fearsome weapon that enabled him to pile up 357 saves over 13 seasons and become baseball’s all-time save leader.

On Sunday, Atlanta Brave catcher Damon Berryhill called Reardon’s fastball “a safe pitch,” one he was reasonably sure would baffle Toronto pinch-hitter Ed Sprague with one out and a man on first in the ninth inning, but by no means a pitch he was sure would produce the desired result.

“He’s used all his pitches,” Berryhill said of Reardon. “You can’t say he’s a breaking ball pitcher. And he got the first out of the inning on a fastball. It was just location. . . . We were trying to go for a fastball down and away and get ahead and get a ground-ball double play. But (Sprague) got his arms extended and drove it.”

It was an out pitch only in the sense that Sprague hit it out of the ballpark, giving the Blue Jays a 5-4 victory and tying the World Series at one game each.

“The all-time save record, that doesn’t mean anything right now,” said Reardon, whom the Braves acquired from the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 30 for Nate Minchey and Sean Ross. “I’m trying to help this team win the World Series, and I didn’t do that tonight.

“We had them right there,” added Reardon, who pitched three scoreless innings and saved one game in Atlanta’s NL playoff victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“Then I walk the second guy (Derek Bell) and threw the wrong pitch to Sprague. I thought I threw some good pitches to (Bell) but you’ve got to be careful. I haven’t faced him that much. That’s probably what won the game right there, walking him, because I had to come right after the next guy (Sprague).

“I can’t second-guess myself. I’d throw that same pitch again. It was down and I was trying to get it up, trying to get him to pop it up. You’ve got to give him credit.”

Reardon’s walk to Bell was reminiscent of Dennis Eckersley of the Oakland Athletics walking Mike Davis with two out before Kirk Gibson hit a two-run homer in the ninth inning to give the Dodgers a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.

Sunday was an adventurous night for both closers, although Toronto’s Tom Henke fared better than Reardon and earned the save in relief of Duane Ward after hitting Lonnie Smith with a pitch and walking Deion Sanders.

Henke, who saved three of the Blue Jays’ four victories in their six-game AL playoff series against Oakland, was Toronto’s bullpen in the left-field corner when he saw Sprague’s home run sail over the leff-field fence. He allowed himself a moment to celebrate, then focused on what lay ahead for him.

“I was down there getting loose and I just thought, ‘We’re ahead,’ and that I had a job to do,” said Henke, who recorded 34 saves this season and has had at least 20 in each of his last seven seasons.

“I started concentrating on the three hitters I was going to face and (bullpen coach John Sullivan) started reading the scouting reports to me. I’d faced Terry Pendleton in spring training, but I didn’t know much about the other guys.”

Those other guys were Mark Lemke, who flied to left, and Lonnie Smith batted for Reardon, and Henke hit him in the back.

“I usually hit one a year and I hadn’t hit anybody yet, so I guess he was it,” Henke said. “I just didn’t like putting a guy on base.”

Ron Gant ran for Smith and after Otis Nixon flied to center field. That brought up Deion Sanders, who had gotten a hit and two steals and generally created havoc on the basepaths. Despite Sanders’ success, Henke remained unruffled, even when Gant stole second.

“It surprised me how relaxed and calm I felt, even with the tying run on second,” Henke said. “(The Brave war chant), it relaxed me. I hum it before I go to sleep.”

Sanders kept him awake Sunday long enough to draw a walk.

“He battled me,” Henke said. “I give him a lot of credit. Deion had a tremendous at- bat.”

He was determined that Pendleton wouldn’t do the same thing.

“Terry’s a good clutch hitter and I wanted to make sure I got the ball up and in so I could get him to pop up,” Henke said. “He’s more of a guess hitter than anything, and if you make a mistake and hang a forkball, it will cost you.”

The only real mistake made by the two premier closers was by Reardon, and Henke understood only too well the depth of Reardon’s frustration Sunday.

“I’ve been on that end of the stick more than a few times,” Henke said. “It’s a tough way to lose, but I’m glad we won.”

Though he was successful in his job and saved the Blue Jays’ first World Series victory, Henke had one small unfulfilled wish Sunday.

“I tell you what, I’d give anything to have hit the home run that won the World Series,” Henke said. “Strikeouts are nice, but boy, I’m happy for Eddie Sprague. What a thrill that must be. Of course, this is nice, too.”