Lance Johnson

TORONTO -- And last night the American League playoffs got weird.Not to mention good.The White Sox's pole-thin Lance Johnson hit a home run -- his first in 411 days, and only the fifth of his major-league career spanning more than 2,600 at-bats.The Blue Jays' Tony Fernandez completed a stand-up steal of second while Sox pitcher Jason Bere was standing on the mound with the ball, then had to return to first when the batter hit a foul ball.The Sox's Tim Raines slid safely into second with a double, then was called out for stepping off the base while Fernandez continued to apply a tag.That kind of weird.

* BLUE JAYS: Toronto's five errors in its 7-1 loss last night to the Rangers were a season high, and one shy of the club record, set on May 13, 1982, against Texas at Arlington Stadium.* BREWERS: Shortstop Pat Listach left yesterday's game in the eighth inning with a contusion on his right shoulder, an injury suffered after he dove for a Lance Johnson single in the eighth. . . . Outfielder Darryl Hamilton will consult another specialist for his jammed thumb today. . . . Kevin Reimer had his 12-game hitting streak stopped yesterday.

The door to Scott Thomson's professional baseball career was opened by former Old Dominion University teammate Ty Hawkins.After a string of injuries left the Erie (Pa.) Sailors -- a Class A independent cooperative team in the New York Penn League -- short of outfielders midway through the season, Manager Barry Moss asked Hawkins if he knew of any power-hitting outfielders who could fill the void immediately.His answer was Thomson. So after a phone call, a quick tryout anda minor problem getting his contract faxed to the league commissioner's office, the 22-year-old Westminster grad found himself the Sailors' starting center fielder in late July.