Yankees Go With Polonia Over Canseco in This Series

The upset of the day was Yankee Manager Joe Torre taking Jose Canseco, a potential Hall of Famer who has hit 446 home runs, off the championship series roster and leaving Luis Polonia, an outfielder with no power, limited defensive skills and little speed, on.

Torre is going with Chuck Knoblauch as designated hitter and said Canseco, obtained in a controversial August waiver claim, was not suited to a reserve role. Polonia brings a little more versatility, so Torre kept him and dropped Canseco to make room for reliever Jason Grimsley.

“It’s not like a jaw-dropper, like I was playing every day and now I’m not on the roster,” said Canseco, who did not play in the division series. “It’s not a major change from what I was doing. I figured this could happen. I’ll just be ready when I’m called.”

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Some in the New York press corps seemed astonished that Seattle’s Game 2 starter, left-hander John Halama, grew up in Brooklyn as a New York Met fan but attended only one game in Shea Stadium.

“I’m not really a big baseball fan,” Halama said. “I’ve played it. I love playing the game. I don’t watch baseball at all. I don’t read the sports sections. I don’t watch ESPN. It’s not me.”

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Seattle third baseman David Bell was playing catch with outfielder Jay Buhner before Game 1 Tuesday when one of his tosses went over Buhner’s head and hit Mariner President Chuck Armstrong in the collarbone. When Bell apologized, Armstrong responded:

“What did I do, leave you off the playoff roster? I hope you throw better than that in the game.”

THE SERIES

Game 1: Seattle 2, New York 0

Today: Seattle (Halama 14-9) at New York (Hernandez 12-13), 1 p.m.

Friday: New York (Pettitte 19-9) at Seattle (Sele 17-10), 5 p.m.

Saturday: New York (Clemens 13-8) at Seattle (Abbott 9-7), 4:30 p.m.

Sunday: New York at Seattle, 1 p.m.*

Tuesday, Oct. 17: Seattle at New York, 5 p.m.*

Wednesday, Oct. 18: Seattle at New York, 5 p.m.*

TV--Ch. 4; *--if necessary