TORONTO, 30 August 2004 — Tony Clark whacked three consecutive home runs as the New York Yankees reeled off six homers and nine ninth-inning runs to bulldoze their way past the Toronto Blue Jays 18-6 in the American League Saturday.
Ruben Sierra picked up his 300th homer, a grand slam in the ninth, as the Yankees clinched their third straight victory in the series. Gary Sheffield and Alex Rodriguez also homered for New York, which had 19 hits off six Toronto pitchers.
Clark, Rodriguez, Sheffield and Jorge Posada all had three hits for the Yankees but Sheffield left the game after hurting his leg sliding to third base in the ninth.
In Anaheim, Johan Santana allowed four hits over seven innings to lead the Minnesota Twins to a 7-1 rout of the Angels. Santana (15-6) gave up one run and struck out six batters to improve to 8-0 since the All-Star break.
In Seattle, Bucky Jacobsen homered and drove in three runs as the Mariners beat the Kansas City Royals 9-7 in the first game of a doubleheader.
In Game Two, Winn cracked a two-run homer in the bottom of the 12th inning to power the Mariners to the sweep with a 5-3 decision.
In Arlington, Rod Barajas homered and drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly to hand the Texas Rangers a 4-3 triumph over the Baltimore Orioles. David Dellucci also homered as Texas inflicted the 12th straight loss on Baltimore.
In Oakland, Eric Chavez homered for the third consecutive game as the Athletics squeezed past the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 5-4. Eric Byrnes added a two-run homer for the A’s, who lead the AL West by two games over Anaheim.
In Boston, Pedro Martinez tossed seven strong innings as the Red Sox won their fifth straight game, 5-1 over the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox have won 11 out of 12 to take a 1 1/2 game lead on Anaheim in the AL.
In Cleveland, Paul Konerko’s three-run homer pushed the Chicago White Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Indians.
Five-Hit Beltre Leads Dodgers
to Win Over Mets
Adrian Beltre pounded out five hits, including his major league-leading 42nd home run of the season, to guide the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 4-2 win over the host New York Mets in the National League Saturday.
The West Division-pacesetting Dodgers have now opened up a five-game advantage over the San Francisco Giants.
Eric Gagne set a major league record for most saves over a three-season period, pitching a perfect ninth inning for his 36th save in 38 opportunities and his first since Aug. 15.
In Pittsburgh, Reggie Sanders clubbed a three-run homer to push the St Louis Cardinals to a 6-4 triumph over the Pirates.
In Chicago, Roger Clemens clinched his 324th major league win as the Houston Astros edged the Cubs 7-6. Clemens (14-4) allowed five runs on eight hits to tie.
In Miami, Juan Encarnacion drove in all four runs to nudge the Florida Marlins to a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies. Encarnacion grabbed a two-run homer in the eighth and a two-run single in the first.
In Montreal, Phil Nevin homered and drove in three runs as the San Diego Padres overcame the Expos 5-2. Ramon Hernandez also homered for the Padres.
In Cincinnati, Casey Fossum pitched six strong innings to carry the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 6-3 triumph over the Reds. Fossum (4-12) gave up two runs on three hits while striking out eight batters and walking four.
In Philadelphia, Placido Polanco homered in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Phillies defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3. Tim Worrell (4-5) tossed a shutout inning of relief for the win.
