OAKLAND, 8 July 2003 — Erubiel Durazo hit a sacrifice fly to score the winning run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to hand the Oakland Athletics a 6-5 victory over the Anaheim Angels in the American League on Sunday.
The A’s blew a 5-1 lead but bounced back to avoid being swept in the three-game series by the Angels, who had beaten their AL West rivals five successive times.
Eric Byrnes led off the ninth with a double and was sacrificed to third by Scott Hatteberg. Miguel Tejada then reached on an infield error before Durazo delivered his fly ball off reliever Francisco Rodriguez.
Keith Foulke (6-1) blew the save but picked up the win, allowing two runs on three hits in one inning. Ramon Hernandez homered and had three hits and two RBI for the A’s while Mark Ellis also drove in two runs. Bengie Molina hit a two-run homer in the eighth and Scott Spiezio followed with another two-run shot in the ninth to rally the Angels from a 5-1 deficit.
Yankees 7 Red Sox 1
In New York, Andy Pettitte struck out 10 batters to steer the Yankees to a 7-1 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Pettitte (10-6) allowed one run and four hits in eight innings for his fifth straight win. Curtis Pride hit a solo home run in the sixth and Alfonso Soriano belted three hits, including a two-run triple in the seventh.
White Sox 11 Devil Rays 3
In Tampa Bay, Joe Crede hit a two-run homer in the second inning and added an RBI double in the fifth to pace the Chicago White Sox to an 11-3 drubbing of the Devil Rays.
Royals 5 Tigers 3
In Kansas City, Jose Lima won his fourth start in a row after pitching seven strong innings to lead the Royals to a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Lima (4-0) gave up two runs and two hits while striking out five batters and walking five before Mike MacDougal worked a perfect ninth for his 24th save of the season.
Blue Jays 5 Orioles 3 (10 innings)
In Baltimore, Eric Hinske clubbed two solo home runs and added an RBI double in the 10th inning to power the Toronto Blue Jays to a 5-3 triumph over the Orioles.
Juan Acevedo (1-3) pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief for the win after Hinske and Greg Myers homered to tie the game in the ninth.
Indians 5 Twins 3 (10 innings)
In Minneapolis, Shane Spencer blasted a two-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Cleveland Indians to a 5-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.
Rangers 5 Mariners 1
In Arlington, Rafael Palmeiro and Michael Young homered to lead the Texas Rangers past the Seattle Mariners 5-1.
Ismael Valdes (7-5) went six innings, allowing one run on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk for the win.
Cardinals Go Two Games
Clear in NL Central
In Chicago, Eduardo Perez thumped a three-run homer and Woody Williams won his 11th game of the season to guide the St. Louis Cardinals to a 4-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in the National League on Sunday. The Cardinals top the NL Central by two games over the Cubs and the Houston Astros after winning the weekend series with Chicago 2-1. The Cubs have lost nine of their last 12 games to give up the division lead.
Williams (11-3) won for the third time in four starts by holding the Cubs to one run on six hits over 7 2/3 innings while striking out six and walking none. A .256 hitter, the Cardinals pitcher also helped himself by doubling and scoring a run.
Braves 7 Expos 5
In Atlanta, Chipper Jones homered twice and drove in four runs to give the Braves a 7-5 triumph over the Montreal Expos.
Jones had a two-run homer in the third inning and a solo shot in the eighth after driving in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth. Starting pitcher Mike Hampton also homered for the Braves.
Mets 7 Reds 5
In Cincinnati, Tony Clark hit a game-winning home run in the top of the ninth inning to pace the New York Mets to a 7-5 victory over the Reds. Timo Perez and Jeromy Burnitz also homered for the Mets and Ty Wigginton hit a two-run double in the fifth. Reliever Jaime Cerda (1-1) claimed his first major league win after pitching a scoreless eighth and Armando Benitez closed the game with his 21st save of the season.
Marlins 6 Phillies 3
In Philadelphia, Juan Encarnacion homered and drove in three runs to help the Florida Marlins defeat the Phillies 6-3.
Mark Redman (7-3) pitched his second straight complete game, giving up three runs and seven hits while striking out six batters and walking one.
Pirates 8 Astros 3
In Pittsburgh, Aramis Ramirez drove in four runs, including three with a sixth-inning homer, to power the Pirates to an 8-3 victory over the Houston Astros.
Brian Giles and Craig Wilson blasted solo homers in the third to hand the Pirates a sweep of the three-game series. Jeff D’Amico (6-8) worked his first complete game of the season, holding the Astros to three runs, one unearned, and four hits.
Brewers 3 Rockies 1
In Milwaukee, Richie Sexson smacked a two-run, tie-breaking double off the right field wall in the seventh inning as the Brewers edged the Colorado Rockies 3-1.
Ben Sheets (7-6) allowed one run and four hits while striking out six batters in seven innings and Danny Kolb and Mike DeJean both worked a scoreless inning of relief.
Giants 3 Padres 2
In San Diego, JT Snow’s ninth-inning single drove in the winning run to give the San Francisco Giants a 3-2 win over the Padres.
Rich Aurilia homered for the Giants while Felix Rodriguez (5-0) obtained one out for the victory. Tim Worrell tossed a scoreless ninth for his 20th save of the season.
Diamondbacks 2 Dodgers 1
In Los Angeles, Andy Good tossed six solid innings to help the Arizona Diamondbacks edge the Dodgers 2-1.
Good (3-2) allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and two walks while Mike Mantei pitched a scoreless ninth for his ninth save of the season. Shea Hillenbrand had three hits for Arizona.
