American League Roundup : Royals Finally Win at New York

The way George Brett is hitting, facing even a knuckleball pitcher didn’t bother him.

“I was tired of making outs and tired of making excuses that I can’t hit the knuckleball,” Brett said after going 3 for 4 with two RBIs off Phil Niekro Monday night to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 5-2 victory over the Yankees at New York.

“With a knuckleball, he doesn’t know where it’s going, the catcher doesn’t know where it’s going, nobody knows.

“My concentration is good. Right now I’m seeing the ball, and I’m just trying to hit the thing. I’m not trying to over-analyze or out-think myself.”

Brett, who has 17 hits in his last 30 at-bats, felt good enough to issue a mild challenge to the Yankees’ Rickey Henderson.

“It’s too early to think of a batting title on July 8,” Brett said, “but I will think about it later on. I’d like Rickey Henderson to know he’s in a battle for the batting title.”

Lonnie Smith homered and scored three times to help the Royals snap a nine-game Yankee Stadium losing streak dating back to the completion of the “Pine Tar” game Aug. 18, 1983. It also broke New York’s four-game winning streak.

Despite going nine innings, Niekro was very shaky and was hit hard in the early innings because his knuckler was flat.

“I finished this game,” Niekro said. “I was strong in the ninth. Only two innings got me in trouble. I tried to concentrate, but I didn’t concentrate enough. My knuckleball wasn’t going well at the start.

Bret Saberhagen (9-4) went the distance for the fourth time this season, limiting the Yankees to five hits. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out seven and walked none. He retired the last 11 batters he faced.

Niekro (7-8) dropped his fifth straight decision in search of career victory No. 292. Niekro struck out five to move ahead of Bob Gibson into eighth place on the all-time strikeout list.

Chicago 9, Detroit 4--Carlton Fisk slammed a pair of home runs, including his fourth career grand slam, and drove in five runs as the White Sox swept aside the Tigers at Detroit.

Fisk, who entered the game with 19 homers, two behind American League leader Dave Kingman, belted his first of the night and 250th of his career with two out in the second inning to give the White Sox a 1-0 lead against Dan Petry (10-7). Then, he capped a six-run sixth-inning rally with a bases-loaded shot off reliever Aurelio Lopez as Chicago took a commanding 8-3 lead.

Chicago starter Gene Nelson (5-3) got the win, surrendering nine hits before needing relief in the seventh.

Cleveland 4, Texas 0--Neal Heaton fired a six-hitter for his first shutout in more than a year and Carmen Castillo hit a solo home run to help the Indians shut out the Rangers at Cleveland.

Heaton (5-10) snapped a six-game losing streak, striking out five and walking two for his second complete game of the year. His last shutout was June 21, 1984, against Minnesota.

Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Pat Tabler’s single after the Indians loaded the bases against Mike Mason (5-8) on singles by Julio Franco and Brook Jacoby and a walk to Andre Thornton.

Tabler, who had three hits, is 4 for 4 in bases-loaded situations this season and 20 for 32 in that situation since joining the Indians in 1983.

Minnesota 7, Baltimore 4--Mark Salas singled home the lead run in the 10th inning with his third hit and the Twins went on to snap a four-game losing streak by defeating the Orioles at Baltimore.

The winner in a game that had three rain delays totaling 76 minutes was Ron Davis (2-5), the third Minnesota pitcher, who hurled the final two innings.

Reliever Don Aase (5-4) took the loss.

Toronto 4, Seattle 0--Dave Stieb and Jim Acker combined on a seven-hitter, leading the Blue Jays over the Mariners at Seattle.

Stieb (9-5) struck out five and walked one while allowing five hits over seven innings as he lowered his league-leading ERA to 1.84. In his past 11 starts, in which he has won six-of-eight decisions, he has compiled a 1.04 ERA. Mike Moore (7-5) took the loss.

Boston 2, Oakland 1--Bruce Hurst, who brought a 5.56 earned-run average into the game, scattered seven hits in 7 shutout innings and right fielder Dwight Evans threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the game as the Red Sox edged the A’s at Oakland.

Hurst (5-7) walked one and struck out six before Steve Crawford came on and earned his second save thanks to Evans’ throw.

Boston got its first run in the fifth inning when Glenn Hoffman singled, went to third on a errant pickoff attempt by A’s starter Chris Codiroli (8-5) and scored on Evans’ infield out.

Codiroli’s wild pickoff throw snapped a 90-inning errorless streak by the A’s, a team record.

The loss, combined with the Angels’ win, left the A’s five games behind the division leaders.