Bo Comes Up Short for Chicago : AL Game 5: Hitless Jackson misses his pitch in the ninth, strikes out for the sixth time as the Blue Jays ward off White Sox rally to win, 5-3.

TORONTO —  Bo Jackson slammed the bat into his left hand, spun around, and jumped into the air Sunday, screaming obscenities into the night.

It was the pitch of a lifetime, the pitch that not only could have made Jackson filthy rich in further endorsements, but put the Chicago White Sox a step closer to their first World Series appearance since 1959.

This time, there was no dramatic homer. Only another forgettable strikeout. It enabled the Toronto Blue Jays to escape with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox at SkyDome and move to within one victory of the World Series.

The Blue Jays, who once again left White Sox starter Jack McDowell feeling as if he’s Anthony Young in a black cap, lead the White Sox, 3-2, in the American League playoffs, with the series returning Tuesday to Chicago.

And, if the White Sox didn’t already have enough problems, the man they will face is Dave Stewart, who is 7-0 in nine career American League playoff starts, the best in playoff history.

Manager Cito Gaston was asked if there was a pitcher he would rather have in such a critical game.

“Yeah,” he said, “maybe Cy Young.”

Jackson said the White Sox hardly are frightened, much less worried about facing Stewart.

“I met Dave Stewart’s mother last week at a restaurant in Chicago,” Jackson said, “and I told her, ‘The next time we face your son, we’re going to (beat him). Now, I can’t lie to his mother.”

It was Jackson who could have eased the White Sox’s burden. He had the chance to help in the seventh inning, but struck out with two runners on base against starter Juan Guzman--who yielded only three hits and one run in seven innings.

This time, in the ninth, Jackson faced stopper Duane Ward, who suddenly looked vulnerable. Ward had given up a two-run home run to Robin Ventura in the ninth, and hit Ellis Burks with a two-out pitch.

Jackson swaggered to the plate, and the crowd of 51,375 rose to its feet. These folks not only knew about Jackson’s feats, but many were witnesses to his batting practice exhibition, when he launched several balls against the stadium restaurant’s glass windows 500 feet away.

Ward, who was all too familiar with Jackson, threw a first-pitch ball. Jackson fouled the next pitch back. Then, Jackson knew Ward was coming in with a slider.

“I saw it leave his hands, I saw it coming every foot of the way, and it was there,” Jackson said. “Right there. I mean, one-half of an inch and it’s a homer . . . “

Instead, it was fouled back to the screen, and Jackson yelled in anguish. He tried to regain his composure, stepping away from the batter’s box, but there would be no more chances. Ward struck him out on the next pitch, leaving George Bell the latest to wonder if the White Sox are one man short. Jackson is hitless in 10 playoff at-bats with six strikeouts.

“I’ve never been more frustrated in my life because I knew what he was going to throw, and missed it,” Jackson said. “Just missed it. I almost turned around and broke the bat over my knee, but I had one more cut.

“Something like that makes you want to commit suicide.”

Jackson, who Sunday claimed that he simply was repeating a question when he uttered the words that they were “one man short” with Dan Pasqua in the lineup, has upstaged McDowell’s misery.

McDowell, who won 22 games during the regular season and is expected to win the Cy Young award in November, once again was hit hard by the Blue Jays. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings, giving up five hits, three walks and three runs when Manager Gene Lamont replaced him.

McDowell has a 10.00 ERA with 18 hits and five walks in nine playoff innings.

“I didn’t think it would be this easy against him,” said second baseman Roberto Alomar, who had three hits in three at-bats and stole three bases. “I think Jack is just putting too much pressure on himself. He knows the Jays always beat him.

“When I see Jack pitch against other teams, he looks more relaxed. I think in this series, he’s just trying to do too much.”

Said Jackson: “If you ask me, he could be tired. He’s just not pitching like he was earlier in the season.”

McDowell, who saw eight of the 15 batters he faced reach base, has no explanation. He claims to be pitching as he has all season, with the exception of his changeup, which is not as sharp.

“If I knew what was wrong, I would have changed it by now,” said McDowell, who is 0-4 with a 7.48 ERA against Toronto this season. “I feel bad for the guys in this clubhouse because they look to me for leadership, and I haven’t done anything. Not to be able to contribute is pretty disappointing.”