BASEBALL PLAYOFFS DAILY REPORT : AMERICAN LEAGUE : La Russa Says Blue Jays Are Out of Line

Tony La Russa, Oakland Athletics’ manager, criticized the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday for saying they were motivated to win Sunday by seeing Dennis Eckersley pumping his fist and staring imperiously at their bench as he left the field after the eighth inning.

“He hasn’t had to be humbled by this game because he’s a real humble guy,” La Russa said. “The only thing that bothered him was all the chirping later on about how all that fist stuff turned them on. There was a big picture in the paper today of (Roberto) Alomar with his arms up after his home run, and I saw Kelly Gruber do the same thing in Toronto. So are they saying, ‘It’s OK if we do it, but not if they do it?’

“I’ve seen (Tom) Henke throw his arms in the air after he saves a game. I think to single Eck out is not fair. What happens this time of year, when there’s a lot more pressure and tension, is there’s more emotion, and guys do stuff like that. When Eck does it, don’t be saying it isn’t right. I saw Jack Morris talking about what Eck did being Little League stuff, but I’ve seen him express emotion. Alomar had his hands up. He was excited. I don’t hold it against him.”

What offended the Blue Jays, however, was Eckersley’s stare, not his customary fist-pumping. They felt the stare made the insult personal.

“It was a challenge to us,” Alomar said. “He’s a competitor. All you can do is beat him and he will not do it again.”

The Blue Jays have tied an AL playoff record by committing eight errors in the series, including seven in the last three games. The two teams have combined for 14 errors, one short of the AL playoff record set in 1986 by the Angels and Boston Red Sox. During the season, the Blue Jays ranked fourth in the AL in fielding with a .985 percentage and the A’s were 10th at .979.

Some players cited the Oakland Coliseum field for the problem. The field was re-sodded after it was torn up during a Guns N’ Roses concert. “It’s like they just laid it on top of the dirt,” Gruber said of the new sod.

“The field’s not in good shape,” Dave Winfield said. “But we can’t make excuses. I’m sure we’ll play better at home.”

Alomar set an AL playoff record for most hits in two consecutive playoff series when he singled during the third inning. That gave him 17 hits in 10 AL playoff games and extended his playoff hitting streak to 10 games.