Baseball: Henderson joins Jays

THE Toronto Blue Jays strengthened their chances of reaching their second consecutive World Series by signing Rickey Henderson, the game's premier lead-off hitter who holds the major league record for stolen bases, from Oakland on transfer deadline day, writes Richard Weekes.

The temperamental Henderson, 34, a scourge of the Blue Jays in the 1989 American League play-offs, has been hitting over .400 since the All-Star break. In return, the A's received the right-handed pitching prospect Steve Karsay and a player to be named later.

The Chicago White Sox, AL West leaders, also improved their squad by obtaining Tim Belcher, 31, the Cincinnati Reds' right-handed starter. The move surprised Belcher, stuck in 'one of the worst stretches of my career'. However, the White Sox liked his late-season history. 'He's a veteran who has been to the play-offs and the World Series,' Chicago's general manager, Ron Schueler, said.

Elsewhere Kansas City, second behind the White Sox, picked up Stan Belinda, a right-handed reliever, from the Pittsburgh Pirates in a three-way trade. But a deal that would have taken the left-hander Randy Johnson from Seattle to either the New York Yankees or Philadelphia fell through at the last minute.

At Seattle, reporters were preparing to learn the particulars of the Johnson deal when the Mariners president, Chuck Armstrong, entered the press box, drew a finger across his throat and announced, 'Close, but no cigar.'