In virtual Anaheim, Game 4 influenced by Oaklanders
Several old A’s were the story in Game 4 of the “Golden Greats: I5 Series,” and Rickey Henderson did a huge favor for his good friend Dave Stewart.
Mark McGwire hit a pair of tworun homers off Stewart to give Southern California a 63 lead, but Henderson spirited a comeback for the Northern Californians, who pulled out a 76 victory at Angel Stadium.
Henderson, Stewart and McGwire played on Oakland’s 1989 World Series championship team, as did Dennis Eckersley, who struck out Ted Williams to end Game 4 of the bestofseven I5 Series, which the North leads three games to one.
If the South wins the Petco Parkhosted Game 5 of this computerized APBA simulation event featuring legends who grew up in California, the Series shifts to the Bay Area for Game 6 at the Coliseum and, if necessary, the finale at Oracle Park.
Henderson’s tworun triple in the seventh tied the game 66, and he scored on Joe DiMaggio’s
sacrifice fly. Henderson also hit a tworun homer in the fifth.
No one was more thrilled than Stewart. In his A’s days, Stewart was a fourtime 20game winner but had a habit of allowing firstinning runs, and that was the case when McGwire homered to give the South a 20 lead.
Barry Bonds, who homered four times in the first two games but went hitless in Game 3, homered off Stephen Strasburg to cut the Southern California lead to 21. But after Stewart pitched around McGwire and walked him in the third, Eddie Mathews homered to make it 41.
Henderson’s oppositefield homer made it a onerun game, but McGwire’s second homer off Stewart put the South on top 63. Before the McGwire homer, Stewart walked Williams. It was the righthander’s final inning.
“I would’ve thought that if Stewart was pitching to Mark McGwire at any time, he would have the upper hand,” said Northern California manager Bruce Jenkins, The Chronicle columnist who hatched the I5 Series idea.
“I just think Stewart was the better man. McGwire’s no slouch, but Dave Stewart was sort of a different caliber. Well, McGwire lit him up twice. My obsession with Dave Stewart hardly worked out.”
Bonds opened the sixth with a triple and scored on Frank Robinson’s sacrifice fly. In the home half, Southern California manager Houston Mitchell of the Los Angeles Times summoned Gerrit Cole, who got shelled in Game 1.
Willie McGee and Jimmy
Rollins, the prides of the East Bay, opened with singles, and both scored on the gametying triple by Henderson, another East Bay marvel. DiMaggio’s sacrifice fly was the difference.
The South threatened in the seventh, an inning in which Jenkins was secondguessed not only by the opposing manager but himself.
Mike Norris, pitching his second inning, faced the heart of the South’s lineup and permitted a leadoff double to George Brett. Norris got Williams to ground out, and Jenkins chose to have the sizzling McGwire walked intentionally, ending any chance for a threehomer day.
“Robs the fans out of seeing something historic in an attempt to win a simulated game,” Mitchell said. “How sad is that, everybody?”
Norris retired Mathews on a force out, and Jenkins left Norris in the game to face pinchhitter Nomar Garciaparra — “I could take a lot of heat for this, but I’m going to let Mike Norris finish the inning” — and Garciaparra whiffed.
As it turned out, the moves to walk McGwire and stick with Norris paid off handsomely, and Eckersley’s strikeout of Williams was an epic ending to the afternoon.
“To think that Eckersley would strike out Ted Williams, not just get him out but strike him out to end the game, I’m just feeling our team is a little bit overwhelming for them,” Jenkins said.
Williams undoubtedly will seek payback when Game 5 is played in his hometown, San Diego. The starters will be Randy Johnson for the North and Walter Johnson for the South.