American League Roundup : Henderson Has Five Hits in Yankees’ 10-0 Win

After watching Rickey Henderson reach base in five previous plate appearances, Orioles Manager Manager Earl Weaver had seen enough. So when Henderson approached the plate in the ninth, Weaver yelled from the Baltimore dugout: “Don’t you ever make an out?”

Henderson responded with another hit, leaving the question unanswered while completing a 5-for-5 performance that paced New York’s 17-hit attack as the Yankees trounced the Orioles, 10-0, Monday night in Baltimore.

Pitcher Ron Guidry (7-3) matched Henderson’s efforts, throwing a five-hitter for his sixth straight victory and snapping the Orioles’ four-game winning streak in the process. It was Baltimore’s first defeat since Weaver ended 2 1/2 years of retirement to rejoin the club.

The first five-hit game of Henderson’s career also gave him the American League batting lead with a .332 average. He also stole his 22nd base in 23 attempts, scored three times and drove in a run.

“Certain guys hit well against certain teams,” said Henderson, whose .351 average is the highest against the Orioles among active players with at least 100 at-bats. “It’s just one of those things.”

“We ought to wave him down to first and try to pick him off,” said a frustrated Weaver. “Why waste all those pitches?”

Henderson, who also walked, and Don Mattingly, who had two doubles, a single and three walks, combined to reach base all 12 times they came to the plate as the first two batters in the New York lineup.

New York catcher Butch Wynegar left the game in the third inning after being struck on the helmet by a foul ball as he stood in the on-deck circle. Wynegar was taken to Union Memorial Hospital for precautionary X-rays. He was expected to remain in the hospital overnight for observation.

Boston 3, Detroit 2--Dwight Evans, who has been struggling at the plate, belted a two-run homer off Detroit relief ace Willie Hernandez in the ninth inning to lift the sizzling Red Sox past the Tigers at Detroit.

The victory was Boston’s sixth straight and 17th in the last 19 games. The surge has pushed them into second place in the East, 2 1/2 games behind the front-running Toronto Blue Jays.

“It was a great ballgame,” said Evans. “Both teams played hard. It was a big, big win for us--especially in this ballpark and against this team and that pitcher.”

Evans, who has been dropped to sixth in the batting order because his average has floundered around .200, nonetheless leads the Red Sox in game-winning RBIs with seven.

Hernandez (4-3), bothered by a sore neck, failed in a save situation for only the third time in 48 chances.

Lou Whitaker gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a home run off the right-field roof. It was his ninth home run of the season and marked the 13th time in his career that Whitaker has led off a game with a homer.

Milwaukee 2, Toronto 1--The Blue Jays, in cruise control a week ago, dropped their fifth straight game as Moose Haas (6-3) fired a three-hitter at Milwaukee, which also ended the Brewers’ five-game skid.

In one stretch, Haas retired 16 Blue Jays in a row. The Brewers scored a run in the third and then got some insurance in the sixth when Jim Gantner homered off loser Dave Stieb (6-5).

Last Tuesday morning, the Blue Jays led the East by 5 1/2 games. This morning, the margin is 2 1/2.

Kansas City 10, Minnesota 3--Steve Balboni hit two home runs, his 11th and 12th of the season, to power the Royals past the Twins at Kansas City.

Balboni hit his 11th homer leading off the third, then unloaded a three-run shot off Frank Viola in the sixth. Viola (7-6) had a 3-1 lead with two outs in the sixth when George Brett, Darryl Motley and Frank White ripped consecutive singles.

Brett scored and Motley went to third on White’s single. Shortstop Greg Gagne then failed to come up with a grounder by Hal McRae as Motley scored and White took second. Balboni followed with his homer.

Last season, Balboni had just one hit in 14 at-bats against Viola and struck out six times.