All is quiet on the Central front. The White Sox and Cleveland Indians, having engaged in eight games of inconclusive hand-to-hand combat, said so long Sunday night until October, if then, as they went on their separate ways-the White Sox departing for Kansas City, the Indians for Baltimore.
“No blood, nothing gained, nothing lost,” said Sox reliever Paul Assenmacher, who helped protect a 4-2 ninth-inning lead.
The Sox and Indians played two four-game series on successive weekends, the first four in Chicago and the last four here at Jacobs Field, the Indians’ beautiful new stadium which has helped revitalize what has been somewhat of a dormant city on the polluted shores of Lake Erie.
The most important matchups of a four-game set are the first and last games, and the Sox won both. In each series they lost the middle two games, which resulted in a 4-4 split.
“This was the big one,” insisted Sox shortstop Ozzie Guillen. “If we lost today, we would be tied for first place.”
Instead, the Sox are two games ahead. Assuming the season is not marred by a players’ strike, the Sox have 67 games to play, the Indians 65.
They could meet again in the pennant playoffs, but only if they finish 1-2 in their division and if one or the other qualifies for the new wild-card berth.
“These are two good teams,” observed Sox manager Gene Lamont. “I was hoping, of course, we would sweep all eight games or go 7-1. But the way it wound up was more realistic.
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“It would have been better (for the fans) if we had played in September. But I don’t suppose it makes that much difference. A club has to win so many games to win the division, but nobody says when.”
Whereas the series at Comiskey Park featured excellent pitching, the hitters dominated the four games here, mostly because Jacobs Field is a hitters’ park. The Indians outhomered the Sox here 11-6. There was only one home run Sunday, by the Sox’s Julio Franco, which came in the sixth inning after they had opened a 3-0 lead.
Sunday’s game, for the first time, was played without hostility. There were no pregame quotes by Dennis Martinez, the veteran Cleveland pitcher who previously had been busy accusing the Sox of instigating the Albert Belle corked-bat controversy.
Martinez has been off base in his remarks, which have been featured in the Cleveland papers without challenge. Martinez and his teammates have ignored the fact that Belle was guilty of using an illegal bat. Also, there has been little mention that it was someone with the Indians, certainly not the Sox, who stole Belle’s corked lumber from the umpires’ Comiskey Park dressing room.
In an effort to protect from a repeat occurrence, the Sox beefed up their clubhouse security here.
“They should have brought cork-sniffing dogs instead of extra police,” joked Cleveland reliever Eric Plunk.
Whatever, the league office has slapped Belle with a 10-day suspension. Belle filed a grievance and will remain in the lineup until his appeal is heard. John Hart, the Cleveland general manager, more or less admitted Belle’s guilt with the announcement that the club will pay his salary while he is serving his time.
Hart and Indians manager Mike Hargrove agreed that the White Sox have a “strong team.” Sox outfielder Tim Raines returned the compliment.
“They can beat you in a lot of ways,” he said of the Indians. “With their offense and defense, with home runs, speed and bunts.”
Raines also threw a posey at Kenny Lofton, the Indians’ star center-fielder who is hitting .364 and among the league leaders in eight offensive categories.
“Right now, Lofton is one of the top five players in the league,” Raines said.
According to Raines, the other four are Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Paul Molitor and Belle.
Phil Regan, the Indians’ pitching coach, described Lofton as a “force” and insisted he is the most underrated player in the big leagues.
“I went home (to Grand Rapids, Mich.) during the All-Star break and my barber said, `Who’s Ken Lofton? I’m just beginning to hear about him.’
“I told him he’s a Gold Glove center-fielder and that he’s led the league in stolen bases the last three seasons. And he’s going to hear a lot more about him because this year he might lead the league in hitting.”