MINNEAPOLIS, 16 August 2003 — Rookie Travis Hafner became the first Cleveland Indian to hit for the cycle in 25 years, spearheading the Tribe’s 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the American League on Thursday.

Hafner is the first Indian to accomplish the feat since Andre Thornton on April 22, 1978 and the first player to do it at the Metrodome since Minnesota’s Paul Molitor on May 15, 1991. No other AL team had gone longer without a cycle.

The designated hitter, who went into the game batting .239, completed the cycle with a typical Metrodome hit — a hard grounder in the top of the eighth inning that rolled to the wall in right-center field for an RBI triple.Hafner overshadowed the performance of Brian Anderson (9-9), who came within two outs of his first shutout of the season. Anderson allowed one run and six hits in 8 1/3 innings with two walks and a season-high eight strikeouts.

He left after giving up a solo homer to Matt LeCroy that ended Cleveland’s scoreless innings streak at 22. The Indians blanked the Twins 5-0 in 14 innings Wednesday. David Cortes allowed two runs in his major league debut, although one of them came after a two-out throwing error.

The Indians have won six of eight games at the Metrodome this season, including three of four in this series.

The seventh Indian to hit for the cycle, Hafner struck a solo homer in his first at-bat, then doubled and reached on an infield single. The Twins finally got him out in the ninth when he lined to second baseman Chris Gomez. Brad Radke (8-10) took the loss, surrendering five runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings.

The Indians broke open a close game with four runs in the seventh, taking a 6-0 lead on Casey Blake’s two-run homer.

Yankees 8 Orioles 5

In Baltimore, Bernie Williams went 3-for-3, including a game-tying, two-run single in the top of the seventh inning, as the New York Yankees rallied for an 8-5 victory over the Orioles.

Rangers 6 Tigers 3

In Arlington, John Thomson pitched seven effective innings as the Texas Rangers defeated the Detroit Tigers 6-3.

Shane Spencer homered and Laynce Nix drove in two runs for the Rangers, who improved to 9-4 in August and have the American League’s best winning percentage in the month.

Red Sox 4 Athletics 2 (10 innings)

In Oakland, Bill Mueller’s sacrifice fly snapped a 10th-inning tie as the Boston Red Sox rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Athletics and a split of the four-game series.

Angels 5 White Sox 1

In Anaheim, Scot Shields carried a shutout into the eighth inning and Scott Spiezio drove in two runs as the Angels won a series for the first time since the All-Star break with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Blue Jays 5 Mariners 2

In Seattle, Kelvim Escobar posted his fourth straight decision with seven-plus superb innings and Carlos Delgado homered and scored twice as the Toronto Blue Jays overcame the Mariners 5-2.

Pujols Takes Hitting Streak to 28 Games for Cards

In Pittsburgh, Albert Pujols wasted little time extending his hitting streak, helping the St. Louis Cardinals to build an early held on the way to a 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National League on Thursday.

Pujols lined a single into right field with two outs in the first inning to take his streak to 28 games, the longest by a member of the Cards since Ken Boyer hit in 29 straight contests in 1959. Jim Edmonds followed with a walk and Scott Rolen delivered an RBI single to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead.

Pujols struck out in his next two at-bats and grounded out in the seventh, marking the first time in five games he did not produce a homer. The All-Star left fielder is .378 (42-for-111) during his streak.

Phillies 4 Brewers 3

In Philadelphia, Randy Wolf pitched seven strong innings and Placido Polanco homered as the Phillies edged the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in the rubber contest of a three-game series.The victory moved the Phillies 1/2 game ahead of the Florida Marlins in the wild card race.

Dodgers 6 Marlins 4

In Miami, Kevin Brown pitched seven strong innings against his former team while Adrian Beltre and Jeromy Burnitz thumped two-run homers to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-4 victory over the Florida Marlins.

Reds 3 Diamondbacks 2

In Cincinnati, newly acquired Aaron Harang and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and Reggie Taylor had two hits and drove in a run as the Reds snapped a 16-game losing streak against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a 3-2 triumph.

Harang (2-0), signed from Oakland on July 30, made his second start for Cincinnati a special one. He allowed a single, two doubles and four walks.

Cubs 7 Astros 1

In Chicago, Alex Gonzalez homered and drove in three runs while Matt Clement pitched effectively into the sixth inning as the Cubs breezed past the Houston Astros 7-1. Gonzalez, who entered the game with only five hits in his last 64 at-bats, delivered an RBI double in the fourth and added a two-run homer in the eighth off reliever Brad Lidge.

Braves 7 Padres 4

In Atlanta, Russ Ortiz become the first 17-game winner in the major leagues as the Braves posted a 7-4 victory over the San Diego Padres. Javy Lopez struck two solo homers while Chipper Jones and Gary Sheffield added a solo shot apiece.

In New York, the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Mets at Shea Stadium was postponed due to the power outage which hit the north east of the US and Canada.