White Sox Win Marathon Against Angels

There are privileges that go with being a major league player, benefits that aren’t available to others.

Rarely do you have to pay for a round of golf. Never do you have to buy your own tennis shoes. And you can earn a few thousand dollars by attending a baseball card show.

Chicago White Sox right fielder Darrin Jackson plans to utilize his status for a different purpose.

He seeks justice.

“The pain is still there,” Jackson said Saturday before the marathon Angel-White Sox game, which Chicago won in 10 innings, 16-10, after midnight. “And I’m not about to let it go.”

Jackson’s nephew, Jaime Apolonia Moreno, was murdered June 12 in Los Angeles at his sister-in-law’s home. Jackson, who doubled and scored the winning run on Saturday, said the family knows who committed the stabbing. There were witnesses, he said.

Yet, the investigation has only recently commenced and no charges have been filed. Yvonne Brathwaite Burke of the Board of Supervisors of the Second District said she has been apprised of the case, and the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office and homicide detectives are investigating.

“I don’t want this case to be treated as just another minority killing in South Central,” said Jackson, born and raised in Los Angeles. “That’s why I’m keeping on them. I don’t want this case to just die.

“This was a beautiful man we’re talking about, and I’m not going to just sit here and let the D.A.’s office dismiss this thing. And I’m afraid that if our family wasn’t constantly keeping on them, it would be.

“I’m telling you if there’s a strike, you’ll be seeing me and (his wife) Darlene on the courthouse steps, demanding some action. We’re not going away.”

On the field, Jackson continues to use his clout in the White Sox’s bid for a second consecutive division championship.

On Saturday, the Angels hit five home runs in the first seven innings--two apiece by J.T. Snow and Tim Salmon, and one by Chili Davis--before 35,589 at Anaheim Stadium. While the White Sox’s pitching was miserable, the Angels showed they can be just as bad, surrendering 17 hits and a team-record tying 13 walks.

The White Sox were one out away from winning in the ninth, leading, 10-9. But Bo Jackson’s grounder was thrown away by Robin Ventura, and pinch-runner Harold Reynolds scored from second when Greg Myers followed with a single to center.

In the 10th, Darrin Jackson led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout by Lance Johnson and scored on Joey Cora’s single.

Ozzie Guillen tripled to left off Mark Leiter (4-6), scoring Cora. Mike LaValliere followed with a single to right to score Guillen.

Angel reliever Jeff Schwarz typified the pitching problems, walking two batters with the bases loaded without throwing a strike in the fifth inning. He wound up throwing 22 pitches, 18 balls, and walked four batters in two-thirds of an inning.

But he was nearly upstaged by White Sox reliever Scott Sanderson in the seventh. He threw only 10 pitches, but still managed to yield back-to-back home runs by Davis and Salmon.

It hardly was amusing to the White Sox, who need all of the help they can get to stay atop the American League Central until the Aug. 12 strike date. They lead the Cleveland Indians by a half game, and the Kansas City Royals by two games.

“These are the most important games of the whole season,” said pitcher Wilson Alvarez. “There’s a lot of pressure on us, there’s a lot of pressure on everybody.”

Then again. . . .

“There’s no pressure on us,” said Snow, who snapped his zero-for-21 skid against the White Sox. “We get to the play the role of spoilers.

“It’s not the same as being in it, but it’s the next-best thing.”