BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : White Sox Tap a Rare Power Source : American League: Johnson homers, drives in four runs as Chicago beats Blue Jays, 7-4, to even series.

He is the forgotten man in Chicago. Ignored by the fans, snubbed by reporters, center fielder Lance Johnson is barely recognizable outside his own household.

It’s a wonder anyone has ever heard of the guy. Why, in a clubhouse with Bo Jackson, Jack McDowell, Ozzie Guillen and George Bell, why bother talking to a shy, skinny kid from Ohio.

Well, by the end of Saturday night, every Canadian household was wondering how in the world Kenneth Lance Johnson could beat the Toronto Blue Jays with his power .

Johnson, who can count the homers he hits in batting practice, let alone games, carried the Chicago White Sox to a 7-4 victory over the Blue Jays with, yes, his bat.

Johnson hit his first home run in 14 months, drove in a career-high four runs, and found himself trying to explain the phenomenon in front a mob of reporters.

“It’s simple,” Johnson said. “I try to hit triples. If I was to go out and try to hit home runs, I’d hit seven or eight and be out of the game in two years.”

Still, Johnson conceded, it has been somewhat embarrassing going the entire season without a homer. Even pipsqueaks like Guillen and Joey Cora combined for six homers this year.

Yet, there he was in the second inning, digging his cleats in the batter’s box against Todd Stottlemyre, and hitting a 365-foot homer that carried over the right-field fence.

It was the shot heard all around the SkyDome, silencing the crowd of 51,889 while his own teammates sat stunned in disbelief.

“When it finally hit us what happened,” White Sox left fielder Tim Raines said, “we figured it might be time to come up with a new nickname.

“I think we’ll start calling him, ‘the Skinny Hurt.’ ”

Who could blame them? The last time Johnson homered was Aug. 24, 1992, a whopping 689 at-bats ago. Why, teammate Frank Thomas had hit 52 homers in the time between Johnson’s homers.

“It felt nice going around the bases,” Johnson said. “I do a lot of running, so it’s nice to jog a little bit. That way I don’t lose a lot of weight.”

Said Guillen: “We didn’t even know he knew how to do a home run trot. It was strange to seem him not running. But right there, we knew the game was over.”

Come on, in the second inning?

“Hey, when you seem something as crazy as that,” Guillen said, “you’ve got to say to yourself, ‘It’s fate.’ Come on, a homer by Lance Johnson? Man, now we’ve seen everything.”

Even if there is no logical explanation for Johnson’s power, one element of this series is clear: The American League playoffs are tied at two games apiece, marking the first time this has occurred since 1982, and the first time the home team has lost the first four games.

“When we left Chicago down 2-0,” Guillen said, “a lot of people thought we would be swept. I think a lot of Blue Jays thought about it, too.

“I don’t hear too much talking about it. This place got quiet in a hurry, didn’t it.”

Well, it wasn’t quite that easy. The White Sox’s 2-0 lead evaporated in the third inning when rookie starter Jason Bere wilted under pressure.

The Blue Jays teed off for three runs off Bere--a run-scoring single by Roberto Alomar and two-run single by Joe Carter--and by the time Manager Gene Lamont got to the mound, the bases were loaded with one out and a 1-0 count on Tony Fernandez.

Lamont, knowing that one hit and the game might be over, called upon former Dodger Tim Belcher. He was dropped from the starting rotation for the playoffs, but what Lamont thought of his ability became obvious Saturday night.

“I was surprised as anyone to be brought in with the bases loaded and one out,” Belcher said. “I am an obviously inexperienced relief pitcher.”

Belcher fell behind 3 and 1 to Fernandez, but struck him out on a high fastball. Ed Sprague was next, and hit a hard grounder to third baseman Robin Ventura for the final out.

The White Sox still were in the game, and in the sixth inning, they put the game away. Thomas, the guy who’s supposed to be hitting homers, sent one into the second deck for his first extra-base hit of the series. Stottlemyre induced a grounder from Robin Ventura for the second out, but then walked Ellis Burks and Jackson.

Next up, Johnson, who swung at the first pitch, and sent it 400 feet over the head of center fielder Devon White for a two-run triple, this time having to run all of the way. The White Sox had a 5-3 lead, but in the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Jays threatened one more time.

Alomar hit a two-out double into the right-field corner, cutting the lead to 5-4 and bringing up Carter. Carter promptly hit a sharp single to left, and Alomar didn’t hesitate, turning third and racing for home.

Raines, whose arm is considered one of the worst in the game, picked up the ball on once bounce and fired home. Much to the astonishment of Alomar, the ball was in catcher Ron Karkovice’s mitt when he arrived, and he was easily out.

“It was a chance of a lifetime,” Raines said. “The last time they ran on me in Chicago, I threw it in the stands. I was surprised as anyone where it landed.

“Man, I’m sure they’re still trying to get over it. First, Lance hit a home run and then I throw someone out.

“It was some kind of crazy night.”