ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, September 29, 1996 TAG: 9609300149
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: BASEBALL PLAYOFF RACES
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
Roberto Alomar turned around a miserable day and silenced the hostile fans who once cheered him with one swing of the bat in Toronto.
Alomar, the center of an ugly pregame incident involving an umpire, put Baltimore into the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, hitting a 10th-inning homer Saturday for a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
``I just had the chance to be in a situation where I could get the winning hit and I did,'' Alomar said. ``It was a big hit and I feel happy about it.''
The victory clinched the American League wild-card berth for the Orioles, who will face Cleveland in the first round of the best-of-five playoffs starting Tuesday night at Camden Yards. The Indians were 7-5 against Baltimore this season.
Baltimore, in the postseason for the first time since winning the 1983 World Series, eliminated the Seattle Mariners and Chicago White Sox from wild-card contention.
Alomar was 0-for-4 before hitting his 22nd home run of the season off Paul Spoljaric (2-2) with two outs in the 10th. The solo homer, against the team he left in the off-season, occurred one day after he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck after being ejected for arguing a third-strike call.
Baltimore starter Mike Mussina allowed four hits in eight innings, leaving with a 2-1 lead and in position to become a 20-game winner for the first time in his career. But Sprague hit his 36th home run of the season off reliever Armando Benitez with one out in the ninth to force extra innings.
In another game:
Padres 4, Dodgers 2: San Diego sent the National League West race down to the final day and clinched its first playoff spot in 12 years.
Tony Gwynn's two-out, bases-loaded single broke a tie in the eighth inning, giving the Padres a win over the Dodgers in Los Angeles and leaving the teams tied.
Today's winner will play NL Central champion St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs. The loser becomes the wild card and faces the World Series champion Atlanta Braves.
San Diego's win eliminated Montreal from the wild-card race.
Tim Worrell (9-7) pitched two scoreless innings as he won for the second time in as many days. He pitched one perfect inning in a 5-2, 10-inning win over Los Angeles on Friday.
Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 41st save.
LENGTH: Medium: 51 linesby CNB