Buhner Changes From Goat To Hero With Final Homer

CLEVELAND - Reputations are earned and squandered in the postseason. Secrets, good and bad, are revealed about players in the fervid heat of the playoffs.

Stunning stuff happens in these games. Mistakes are magnified out of all proportion. Mistakes can follow you the rest of your career.

Even the greatest ballplayers make mistakes in October. Bill Buckner let an innocent ground ball slip between his legs. Dennis Eckersley hung a home-run pitch to Kirk Gibson.

Stuff happens.

In last night's eighth inning, Mariner right fielder Jay Buhner backpedaled on an opposite-field fly ball hit by Cleveland's Alvaro Espinoza.

It was a ball Buhner had caught a million times in his sleep. A ball he probably never had misplayed in his life.

But last night Buhner committed the cardinal mistake. He backpedaled too soon. The ball was pushed by a gentle wind, suddenly blowing toward right field.

Drifting to his right, he got caught in no-man's land. The ball bounced off the back of his glove and landed at the base of the wall for a two-base error.

One batter later, Kenny Lofton lined a single into left, scoring pinch runner Wayne Kirby. After eight innings, this third game of the American League Championship Series was tied 2-2 and the blank look on Buhner's face couldn't mask his pain.

At the end of the inning he went back to the dugout, alone in front of 43,643 fans and 24 teammates. Nobody said a word to him. Nothing would have helped.

"I went into my backpedal way too soon," he said. "It was just a stupid mistake. Taboo No. 1.

"I take so much pride in my fielding and to let something, a stupid mistake like that happen, a really small play that turns into a huge play, I was very frustrated. Very PO'd at myself. For me to absolutely muff a ball like that, I mean, that just doesn't happen. I can't believe it happened still."

After the error, Buhner sneaked a look at starting pitcher Randy Johnson.

"He gave me that evil look he's got," Buhner said.

There is no place to hide. Buhner stood in right field and seethed. Then he sat in the dugout and wished for one swing that would sway this game. One mighty cut that would chase the demons from his head. One fastball he could drive into immortality.

In the 11th inning of this latest classic du jour, Buhner got it.

"When I went to the plate that time, the only thing that was really going through my mind was somehow, some way, I hope I can get a ball and juice it," Buhner said.

His wish came in the form of a fat fastball from Eric Plunk, thrown invitingly over the plate. Buhner whipped his bat in front of it in a blur and drove the ball into the dead silence of the right-center-field bleachers.

A 395-foot fantasy swat. A three-run home run. A 5-2 Mariner win. A 2-1 lead in the series.

At the very least, the Mariners are assured of returning to the Kingdome. At the very least, Randy Johnson will get another start.

"It ended up being a pretty good ride," said Buhner, who homered for the game's first run in the second. "I came out smelling like a rose. I'm very fortunate to have something like that happen.

"To have it end like that, I don't know if I can put it into words. This game's a very humbling game. You can go from a goat to a hero so fast. For something like this to happen so quick, to change for me so fast, gosh, I'm at a loss for words."

Baseball, probably more than any other sport, affords you the agony of time to reflect on your mistakes. It tortures you with minutes to beat yourself up about the last error, the last strikeout. The pace could drive a weaker man crazy.

You wait for another chance. In a game this important redemption is as precious as air.

In the 11th, Joey Cora singled. He stole second, opening up a base and setting up an intentional walk to Tino Martinez.

Two outs, two on. Buhner vs. Plunk. Three nights earlier, Plunk had struck out Buhner with high heat.

Remembering that, Buhner gave himself a little more room, taking a small step further off the plate. One small step for Buhner . . .

"When the game goes into extra innings, you have plenty of time to sit out there and reflect on what happened and what could happen," Buhner said. "I tried to stay as positive as I could. I thought about my home run in the second. It's tough, though. It really is.

"I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't thinking of some negative thoughts out there. I could have really lost the game for us, to be honest with you. To be able to turn around and hit a three-run home run and win the game for us . . ."

Fill in the blanks. Feel Buhner's clear concoction of emotions. Imagine the wild ride he took from goat to hero.

October is made for such trips.

Want to comment or pass on an idea? You can contact Steve Kelley by voice mail at 464-2176.