OAKLAND, 3 October 2004 — Bartolo Colon pitched seven shutout innings and Alfredo Amezaga hit a grand slam home run as the Anaheim Angels trounced the Oakland Athletics 10-0 in their American League West showdown series opener on Friday.
Anaheim scored four runs in the second inning and Amezaga provided more insurance with his sixth inning blast as the Angels coasted to the easy win. Colon (18-12) was in complete control, allowing just three singles and no walks while striking out six.
Jose Molina drove in two runs for Anaheim and David Eckstein and Darin Erstad both had two hits and drove in a run. Veteran Andres Galarraga hit a pinch-hit home run in the ninth for the Angels, the 399th of his career.
Mark Mulder (17-8) allowed four runs on six hits in just two innings to take the loss, and three relievers allowed another six runs on eight hits the rest of the way in the lopsided defeat.
In Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki broke the 84-year-old record for most hits in one season as the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 8-3. Ichiro went three-for-five, giving him 259 hits. George Sisler’s 257 hits stood as the most in one season since 1920.
Bret Boone had three hits and drove in a pair of runs for the Mariners, while Raul Ibanez and Randy Winn also had three hits each for Seattle. Ron Villone (8-6) allowed two runs on two hits over five innings for the win.
Rob Bell pitched a complete game four-hitter as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays avoided finishing in last place for the first time in team history with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Tigers.
Bell (8-8) struck out one and did not walk a batter, allowing an RBI double by Ivan Rodriguez in the ninth inning for his only run. Rocco Baldelli homered for Tampa Bay.
In Toronto, David Bush pitched a complete game two-hitter for his first career shutout as the Blue Jays blanked the New York Yankees 7-0. Bush (5-4) struck out 11 and walked three. Vernon Wells hit a two-run homer for Toronto, which finished last for the first time since 1981 despite the loss.
Corey Koskie homered and had a two-run single, leading the Minnesota Twins to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Indians. Jesse Crain (3-0) pitched a scoreless eighth for the win and Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 44th save.
In Baltimore, Johnny Damon and David Ortiz homered as the Boston Red Sox beat the Orioles 8-3. Tim Wakefeld (12-10) allowed two runs on six hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Damon had two hits, two runs scored and two RBI.
Jon Garland pitched six solid innings as the Chicago White Sox edged the Kansas City Royals 4-2. Garland (12-11) allowed two runs on five hits with three strikeouts and three walks. Shingo Takatsu pitched the ninth for his 19th save.
Rueter Sharp as Giants Stay in Division, Wild Card Hunt
Kirk Rueter allowed just three hits over seven innings and J.T. Snow homered as the San Francisco Giants scored a crucial 4-2 win over Los Angeles in National League play at Dodger Stadium on Friday.
The Giants stayed alive in the NL West race with the win, moving to within two games of the first place Dodgers with two games left in the weekend series.
San Francisco also remained tied with Houston in the NL wild card race, two games ahead of the fading Chicago Cubs. Rueter (9-12) allowed two runs on two solo home runs while striking out one and walking one.
Dustin Hermanson pitched the ninth for his 17th save.
Marquis Grissom had a two-run single for the Giants in the second inning and San Francisco never gave up the lead to stop the Dodgers from clinching the NL West title.
In Phoenix, Miguel Ojeda hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the San Diego Padres to a 3-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Xavier Nady also homered for the Padres. Jake Peavy (15-6) went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on four hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk before Trevor Hoffman finished for his 41st save.
In Houston, Jeff Bagwell hit a two-run homer to keep the Astros tied at the top of the NL wild card race with a 4-2 win over the Colorado Rockies. Mike Gallo (2-0) got an out to earn the win in relief and Brad Lidge pitched the ninth for his 28th save as the Astros won their 16th straight game at home.
Mike Hampton pitched six strong innings and hit a two-run homer to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 5-4 win over the Cubs, all but eliminating Chicago from the post-season.
Hampton (13-9) allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts and four walks and Kevin Gryboski got two outs for his second save.
In Philadelphia, Cory Lidle tossed six solid innings as the Phillies beat the Florida Marlins 6-2 to clinch second place in the NL East. Lidle (12-12) allowed two runs on nine hits to win his fifth straight decision. Jimmy Rollins and Placido Polanco both homered for the Phillies.
Paul Wilson pitched a complete game five-hitter to lead the Cincinnati Reds to a 5-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wilson (11-6) struck out seven and walked one. Adam Dunn, Barry Larkin and Juan Castro all homered for the Reds.
In New York, Terrmel Sledge and Brian Schneider both drove in two runs as the Montreal Expos beat the Mets 4-2. Jon Rauch (3-0) pitched one scoreless inning for the win. Chad Cordero got three outs for his 14th save.
Rick Ankiel pitched four strong innings of relief for his first win in 3 1/2 years as the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1. Ankiel (1-0) allowed one run on two hits and Jason Isringhausen pitched the ninth for his 47th save.
