TONY Fernandez has nothing on Tom Lawless as an unlikely and dramatic postseason-baseball power source. Winter Baseball managers
were big hits in SeriesExactly 10 years ago today, Lawless was a bit player in The Show. Ten years ago next Tuesday, he became an instant World Series hero. Now, the former infielder is the manager of the West Oahu CaneFires of the Hawaii Winter Baseball league.
As a utility man for the Cardinals in 1987, he hit .080 during the season, batting just 25 times. But Lawless found himself starting at third base against left-handers in the World Series against Minnesota because switch-hitter Terry Pendleton was having a hard time batting right-handed because of an injury.
On the night of Oct. 21, Lawless became the toast of St. Louis and shocked the baseball world with one of the most unexpected home runs ever hit in the Series. His three-run, fourth-inning blast off Frank Viola keyed the Cards' 7-2 victory that evened the Series at two games each.
Although the Twins went on to win it in seven, the homer was definitely the biggest hit in Lawless' eight-season big league career. In all honesty, there weren't that many to choose from -- he batted .207 with only two regular-season home runs.
"You'd have to say that was the highlight," Lawless said from Maui, where the CaneFires were playing the Stingrays.
But what a highlight it is. Lawless achieved what many Hall of Famers never did -- he was the hero in a World Series game.
MAUI manager Joe Ferguson also hit a game-winning Fall Classic homer. His came in 1974, for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Oakland A's. Ferguson's two-run shot off Vida Blue provided the winning margin in the Dodgers' only victory.
(Honolulu Sharks manager Dave Anderson also played in a World Series game as a Dodger, in 1988.)
"To that point, that certainly was the biggest hit of my career," Ferguson says. "It was just a great honor and opportunity to play in the World Series."
He hit 122 homers in 13 seasons, batting .240 in 1,013 games. Despite a solid, relatively high-profile big league career, Ferguson says he doesn't think most of the Sharks are aware of his postseason play.
"I really doubt it, they're so young," he says. "Most of them weren't even born in 1974."
Lawless says some of his CaneFire players brought up his Series' heroics when they met him.
"I'm a bit younger than Joe, and a lot of these kids watched a lot of TV 10 years ago," Lawless says.
Lawless and Ferguson both predict the Marlins will win the World Series, with pitchers' duels beginning tomorrow in Game 1, as Cleveland's Orel Hershiser meets Florida's Livan Hernandez.
"Certainly, pitching was dominant in the playoffs," Ferguson says. "It's the old adage, good pitching beats good hitting. That was never more visible than in these playoffs."
SOME batters said the pitches themselves weren't visible enough, because many innings were played as the sun set.
"That's the way postseason's been since the '50s and '60s," says Ferguson. "TV controls when the games are played, and that's when they can get the largest audience."
Since Ferguson is affiliated with the Orioles now ("but a big part of my heart is still with the Dodgers"), he was hoping for Baltimore to go to the Series.
"The way Mike Mussina was pitching, it's a shame they didn't advance," he says. "I've been wrong all the way through, but I'd have to say Florida has the edge going in. They're a good ballclub offensively and defensively, and Kevin Brown is going to be awfully tough to beat."
Lawless also picks the Marlins.
"I'm a National League guy, and I know Jim Leyland," he says. "I look at them as having a bit more pitching than Cleveland does. And that can be a key in a short series."
But, as Tom Lawless knows very well, a slugger-for-a-day can steal a big game.
Dave Reardon is a magazine editor and freelance
writer who has covered Hawaii sports since 1977.
He can be reached via the Star-Bulletin or
by email at dreardon@hmsa.com.
