Athletics vs. White Sox

Extended Box  How They Scored  Game Story 
May 18, 1998

AL FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E - - - - - - - - - - - - OAKLAND 0 1 2 0 2 2 5 2 0 14 17 0 CHI WHITE SOX 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: OAK - JIMMY HAYNES AND MIKE MACFARLANE CHA - MIKE SIROTKA, JAMES BALDWIN (6TH), LARRY CASIAN (8TH) AND CHARLIE OBRIEN

WP - JIMMY HAYNES (3-1) LP - MIKE SIROTKA (5-4) SAVE - NONE

HOME RUNS: OAK - MIKE BLOWERS (2) OFF SIROTKA IN THE 2ND, 0 ON MIKE MACFARLANE (1) OFF SIROTKA IN THE 3RD, 0 ON SCOTT SPIEZIO (5) OFF BALDWIN IN THE 7TH, 3 ON CHA - NONE

TIME: 2:29 ATT: 14,387

PROBABLES: OAK - KENNY ROGERS (6-2, 3.90) ANA - CHUCK FINLEY (4-1, 2.74)

CHA - JASON BERE (1-4, 5.75) BOS - BRET SABERHAGEN (5-1, 4.37)


Extended Box

OAKLAND (14) AT CHI WHITE SOX (0) - FINAL

OAKLAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg Henderson cf 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 .272 a-Mcdonald ph-cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 1 .255 Voigt lf 5 1 1 0 1 1 2 .154 Grieve rf 5 3 3 1 0 0 0 .322 Blowers 3b-1b 5 3 4 4 0 0 1 .296 Giambi 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 1 .276 b-Bellhorn ph-3b 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 .333 K Abbott dh 5 2 2 0 0 2 2 .298 Spiezio 2b 5 1 2 4 0 1 1 .269 Macfarlane c 5 1 1 2 0 1 1 .245 Bournigal ss 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 .225

Totals 45 14 17 14 1 8 11

a-grounded to first for Henderson in the 7th; b-doubled for Giambi in the 8th.

BATTING: 2B - Spiezio (8, Sirotka); Grieve (17, Sirotka); Blowers (5, Sirotka); K Abbott (5, Sirotka); Henderson (6, Sirotka); Bellhorn (1, L Casian). 3B - Blowers (1, L Casian). HR - Blowers (2, 2nd inning off Sirotka 0 on, 0 out); Macfarlane (1, 3rd inning off Sirotka 0 on, 0 out); Spiezio (5, 7th inning off Baldwin 3 on, 0 out). RBI - Blowers 4 (19), Macfarlane 2 (4), Grieve (27), Henderson (15), Giambi (29), Spiezio 4 (23), Bellhorn (1). 2-out RBI - Blowers 2, Henderson. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - Blowers 1, Macfarlane 1, Giambi 1, Voigt 1, Spiezio 1. GIDP - K Abbott. Team LOB - 6.

BASERUNNING: SB - Henderson 2 (14, 2nd base off Sirotka/Obrien, 3rd base off Sirotka/Obrien); Voigt (2, 2nd base off Sirotka/Obrien); Bournigal (1, 2nd base off Sirotka/Obrien).

FIELDING: Outfield assists - Voigt (Ventura at home).

CHI WHITE SOX ab r h rbi bb so lob avg Durham 2b 4 0 0 0 0 1 2 .287 M Ordonez rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .248 F Thomas dh 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 .276 Belle lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .237 Ventura 3b 3 0 1 0 1 2 0 .276 Cordero 1b 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 .247 Cameron cf 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 .219 Obrien c 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 .280 M Caruso ss 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 .234

Totals 32 0 6 0 1 4 10

BATTING: 2B - Cordero (3, J Haynes). Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - M Caruso 1. Team LOB - 6.

FIELDING: E - Cordero (2, ground ball). DP: 1 (M Caruso-Durham-Cordero).

-------------------------------------------------- Oakland - 012 022 520 -- 14 Chi White Sox - 000 000 000 -- 0

--------------------------------------------------

OAKLAND ip h r er bb so hr era J Haynes (W, 3-1) 9 6 0 0 1 4 0 3.77

CHI WHITE SOX ip h r er bb so hr era Sirotka (L, 5-4) 5 2/3 10 7 7 1 4 2 4.98 Baldwin 1 1/3 4 5 4 0 0 1 9.14 L Casian 2 3 2 2 0 4 0 11.25

HBP - Bournigal (by L Casian). Pitches-strikes: Sirotka 98-63; Baldwin 34-23; L Casian 35-26; J Haynes 118-76. Ground balls-fly balls: Sirotka 10-3; Baldwin 1-3; L Casian 1-1; J Haynes 11-11. Batters faced: Sirotka 28; Baldwin 9; L Casian 10; J Haynes 33.

UMPIRES: HP--Chuck Meriwether. 1B--Jim Evans. 2B--Larry Mccoy. 3B--Marty Foster. T--2:29. Att--14,387. Weather: 86 degrees, clear. Wind: 15 mph, out to left.


How They Scored

OAKLAND (14) AT CHI WHITE SOX (0) - HOW THEY SCORED

OAKLAND 2ND: Blowers homered to center. Giambi singled to right. K Abbott grounded into double play, shortstop to second to first, Giambi out at second. Spiezio struck out looking. OAKLAND 1, CHI WHITE SOX 0.

OAKLAND 3RD: Macfarlane homered to left. Bournigal singled to center. Henderson grounded into fielder's choice to third, Bournigal out at second. Henderson stole second. Voigt walked. Henderson stole third, Voigt stole second. Grieve grounded out to second, Henderson scored, Voigt to third. Blowers flied out to right. OAKLAND 3, CHI WHITE SOX 0.

OAKLAND 5TH: Bournigal grounded out to shortstop. Henderson struck out looking. Voigt singled to center. Grieve doubled to right, Voigt to third. Blowers doubled to right center, Voigt and Grieve scored. Giambi struck out swinging. OAKLAND 5, CHI WHITE SOX 0.

OAKLAND 6TH: K Abbott doubled to left. Spiezio grounded out to second, K Abbott to third. Macfarlane grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, K Abbott scored. Bournigal grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Macfarlane out at second. Bournigal stole second. Henderson doubled to right, Bournigal scored. James Baldwin relieved Mike Sirotka. Voigt popped out to second. OAKLAND 7, CHI WHITE SOX 0.

OAKLAND 7TH: Grieve singled to center. Blowers singled to right, Grieve to third. Giambi safe at first on 1st baseman Cordero's fielding error, Grieve scored, Blowers to second. K Abbott singled to left, Blowers to third, Giambi to second. Spiezio homered to right, Blowers, Giambi and K Abbott scored. Macfarlane flied out to center. Bournigal lined out to left. Mcdonald hit for Henderson. Mcdonald grounded out to first. OAKLAND 12, CHI WHITE SOX 0.

OAKLAND 8TH: Larry Casian relieved James Baldwin. Voigt struck out looking. Grieve reached on infield single. Blowers tripled to right, Grieve scored. Bellhorn hit for Giambi. Bellhorn doubled to deep left, Blowers scored. K Abbott struck out looking. Spiezio grounded out to shortstop. OAKLAND 14, CHI WHITE SOX 0.


Game Story

Mike Blowers became the first Oakland Athletic in 12 years to hit for the cycle and Jimmy Haynes earned his first career shutout and the team's first since 1996 in a 14-0 destruction of the Chicago White Sox.

Blowers gave Haynes all the runs he needed by belting Mike Sirotka's 2-0 pitch just beyond the outstretched glove of Mike Cameron at the center-field fence, leading off the second inning. He doubled in the fifth, singled in the seventh and completed the cycle with the seventh triple of his 649-game career in the eighth.

"I didn't really think of the cycle until I started running and there was really no reason to stop," Blowers said of his triple down the right-field line. "I saw I had it easy."

In his first season with Oakland after signing a free-agent deal in December, Blowers became the first Athletic to hit for the cylce since Tony Phillips on May 16th, 1986 at Baltimore. His is the first cycle in the majors this season, the second in Oakland history, the 218th all-time and the 99th in the American League.

"I've been swinging the bat well the last couple of days so I expected to have a good one today," he added. "Obviously, I didn't expect to hit for the cycle."

Blowers, who scored three runs and drove in four, became the first AL player to hit for the cycle since Seattle's Alex Rodriguez did it against the Detroit Tigers on June 6th, 1997 and the first to do it at the new Comiskey Park, which opened in 1991.

"I've seen a few cycles in my time," Oakland manager Art Howe said. "I've also had a few cycles, a motorcycle."

Haynes (3-1), a right-hander who also threw his first complete game, is the first Oakland pitcher to throw a shutout since Dave Telgheder on September 10th, 1996. He scattered six hits, walked one, struck out four and threw 118 pitches. He retired the last nine batters he faced and 12 of the final 13.

"We considered taking him out, but he had a four-pitch eighth inning and he wanted the shutout," Howe admitted. "Early on, he struggled with his command but then he went right at people, throwing strikes. He's got the stuff to get people out at the major-league level."

"Confidence and health-wise, I've been feeling good," Haynes added. "My fastball was key for me today, moving it in and out. When I threw my curve, it seemed they were always looking for the heat."

Haynes got plenty of support from his offense. All nine starters had at least one hit and scored at least one run, including Scott Spiezio, who smacked his second grand slam this season in the seventh, giving the Athletics a 12-0 bulge.

Sirotka (5-4) had his worst outing of 1998, allowing seven runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings. He has a decision in all nine of his starts.

Mike MacFarlane touched Sirotka for another homer, his first of the season, leading off the third as the A's took a 2-0 lead. Rickey Henderson followed Rafael Bournigal's single with a fielder's choice and two stolen bases before scoring Oakland's third run on rookie Ben Grieve's groundout.

Grieve doubled, singled twice and scored three runs and Kurt Abbott collected two hits and scored twice for Oakland, which gave Haynes 17 hits of support and scored 44 runs in the three-game series. The A's swept the White Sox in a three-game set for the first time since July 1996 in Chicago.

Oakland, which has won three straight games for just the second time this season, got a two-run double from Blowers in the fifth.

MacFarlane and Henderson each drove in runs in the sixth before Grieve scored on an error in the seventh, two batters before Spiezio's second career grand slam, off James Baldwin.

Blowers' RBI triple in the eighth off Larry Casian put Oakland ahead 13-0 and pinch-hitter Mark Bellhorn's RBI double capped the scoring.

Wil Cordero had two hits for the White Sox, who have lost three in a row after winning four of their previous five.

"We're just not swinging the bats right now," Chicago's Frank Thomas said. "Evreybody has to step it up if we're going to start winning some games."

"We're in a storm right now," added White Sox manager Jerry Manuel. "Today was a team effort from top to bottom."