White Sox Put Forth a United Front : American League: Despite recent in-fighting, they come together for 6-1 victory over Blue Jays.

The music was blaring in the background. The room was filled with laughter, and grown men were giggling. Why, for a few moments, these people looked almost as if they liked one another.

Difficult as this may be to comprehend, the scene actually materialized in, of all places, the Chicago White Sox clubhouse.

The White Sox, whose bitter in-fighting and character assassinations these last few days had folks in these parts wondering if they would even sit in the same dugout, beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, and left them wondering how these guys ever cleared customs.

Relying on the savvy of a 23-year-old pitcher from Venezuela, the White Sox showed all of Canada that the American League playoffs could be crossing the border again, defeating the Blue Jays before a crowd of 51,783 at the SkyDome.

The White Sox’s sideshow act before the game was far more entertaining than their drubbing of the Blue Jays, but for the first time since this series commenced, the White Sox showed the world that they can play baseball besides ridicule their manager. They trail the best-of-seven series, 2-1, needing only one more victory to ensure a return home.

“I think Wilson Alvarez is responsible for everything that happened tonight,” White Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen said. “I think people thought we were going to panic, that we were going to be so uptight out there, but Wilson took care of that.

“He told us, ‘Don’t sweat it, guys. Don’t be nervous. I’m going to pitch like Sandy Koufax, or (Bob) Gibson.’ When a guy says something like that, especially after being in the big leagues just one year, that relaxes you.”

Alvarez lived up to his own billing. He pitched a seven-hit complete game, not allowing a base runner to reach second after the fourth inning.

“I can’t believe he was so relaxed out there,” Guillen said. “I mean, he was acting like we were back playing in the sandlots of Venezuela. The last four innings, we were joking around out there.

“We’ve got this joke in Venezuela that you say, ‘Hurry up, make it 1-2-3 so we can get a beer.’ He kept pitching 1-2-3 innings tonight, and finally he said, ‘Where’s the beer? Where’s the beer?’

“I told them you can’t drink beer during games here, but hurry up and I’ll get you some of that great Canadian beer as soon as this game’s over.”

If if it wasn’t heroic enough to shut down the Blue Jays’ powerful offense, Alvarez actually managed to temporarily squelch the turmoil that has turned the White Sox into “All My Children” of the American League.

Will George Bell ever play again for Manager Gene Lamont? Will Dan Pasqua say the White Sox are now “one man short” after watching Bo Jackson strike out three times Friday? Will Guillen ever patch up his differences with the White Sox fans? Will chairman Jerry Reinsdorf ever get over the loss of Michael Jordan?

“I’ve got to say it’s been awfully entertaining,” Blue Jay right fielder Joe Carter said. “The more things you have on your mind, the more it’s going to affect you.

“I say, ‘Let them keep fighting.’ We just want to win games.”

While no one was offering game balls to Bell for his derisive remarks--saying among other things that about a dozen players can’t stand Lamont--and no one was congratulating Jackson for being one of only two players who didn’t score or produce a hit, they did appear unified in one belief.

They play a whole lot better away from Comiskey Park, winning their 50th game of the year on the road.

“We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to do when we get back to Chicago,” Guillen said. “I think we should have (General Manager) Ron Schueler put us in a hotel and call for a 4:45 bus to the ballpark.”

The White Sox also found out it’s easier to be successful when you can hit in critical situations, scoring five runs in the third inning with two outs against Pat Hentgen.

Tim Raines, who became the first White Sox player to get four hits in a postseason game since 1906, started the rally with a two-out single to right field. Joey Cora followed with another single, advancing Raines to third and, more important, bringing Frank Thomas to the plate.

Thomas slapped a sharp grounder right to third baseman Pat Borders--under his legs and off his back foot--into left field. Raines scored, Cora went to second and the White Sox had their first big break of the playoffs.

Hentgen wasn’t the same after that. He walked Robin Ventura on four pitches, loading the bases for Ellis Burks.

Burks, who stranded 13 baserunners in his first innings, slammed a fastball into left field, scoring Cora and Thomas. Hentgen walked Jackson, loading the bases once again, and this time Lance Johnson took advantage with a bloop single to right, scoring two more runs for a 5-0 lead.

Just like that, the game was over, and the White Sox were acting as if, well, they were a team.