American League Roundup : Tigers Blast Guidry for Five Homers in 9-1 Win

Ron Guidry had never pitched to Darrell Evans. He had no excuse for the way he pitched to the rest of the Detroit Tigers.

Evans hit two home runs and the Tigers added three more off Guidry Tuesday night at Detroit to send the New York Yankees to their fifth straight defeat, 9-1.

Despite the setback, the Yankees remained five games behind in the East when Toronto lost at Boston. The Blue Jays’ magic number for clinching the division is 14.

“That’s probably what hurts worst, to know that Toronto lost and we lost,” Guidry told the Associated Press.

“That’s the first time I’d pitched against Evans since he’s been over here (in the American League). He hit my best pitches. I didn’t really know what to pitch to him. It was one of those games where you could probably have told them what was coming and done better.”

The five home runs were the most ever allowed in a single game by Guidry (19-6). His previous high was four homers against the Minnesota Twins on May 28, 1982.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were getting four-hit pitching from Dan Petry and Willie Hernandez.

Petry (15-11), who missed his two previous starts because of a sore right elbow, scattered four hits in the seven innings he worked. Petry’s only mistake was a homer to Don Mattingly, his 29th, leading off the fourth.

“I really wanted to beat Guidry because he beat me, 4-0, earlier in the season,” Petry said. “It’s always fun when you go out and get great pitchers like that.”

Evans’ 33 homers is the most for a left-handed Detroit batter since Norm Cash hit 39 in 1962.

He moved him within range of AL home run leader Carlton Fisk of the Chicago White Sox, who has 35.

“It would mean an awful lot to me to win the title,” Evans said. “(Manager Sparky Anderson) is giving me a chance to get my bats.

“In 1973, when I was young, it probably wouldn’t have meant as much. Now, it would mean everything to me.”

Evans, 38, hit 41 homers for the Atlanta Braves in 1973.

Kirk Gibson hit his 26th homer with two out in the first. With two out in the second, Evans walked and rode home on a home run by rookie Nelson Simmons--his third in two nights and 10th of the season.

Lou Whitaker hit his 20th leading off the third. That tied him with Charlie Gehringer (1938) and Dick McAuliffe (1967) for the most home runs in a season by a Tiger second basemen.

Evans led off the Detroit fourth with his 32nd homer of the year. Tom Brookens singled, went to second on Whitaker’s grounder and scored on a single by Alan Trammell to give Detroit a 6-1 lead, and Evans led off the sixth with his second homer of the game.

In the eighth inning, Brookens singled in a run and Whitaker brought another home with a groundout.

Seattle 7, Kansas City 0--Phil Bradley drove in four runs with his 20th homer and a single, and Matt Young pitched a seven-hitter at Kansas City, as the Mariners beat the Royals for the seventh time in eight games this season.

Despite the defeat, the Royals’ maintained a two-game lead in the West over the Angels, who lost at Chicago.

Young (12-15) won for the fifth time in six starts. He didn’t walk a batter, had one strikeout and was supported by four double plays.

The Mariners jumped on Kansas City’s Steve Farr (2-1) in the first inning when Jack Perconte opened the game by walking on a 3-and-2 pitch and Bradley followed with a two-run homer.

Bradley added a two-run single in the fifth, and Seattle scored three more in the sixth.

Minnesota 7, Texas 2--Frank Viola threw a four-hitter, and Tom Brunansky and Roy Smalley drove in two runs each as the Twins defeated the Rangers at Minneapolis.

Viola (15-14) struck out six and walked one in his sixth complete game. He retired the last 11 batters he faced.

Dave Schmidt (5-5) was knocked out in the fifth inning and took the loss.

Brunansky hit his 26th homer in the third and doubled in a run in the sixth. Smalley doubled in two runs in the fifth.

Boston 6, Toronto 5--Tony Armas hit a tie-breaking three-run homer in the fifth, and the Red Sox held off the Blue Jays at Boston.

The Red Sox trailed, 3-2, in the fifth, but tied the score when Dwight Evans coaxed a walk out of Stieb (13-11) and came around to score on singles by Wade Boggs and Rich Gedman. Armas followed with his 22nd homer to chase Stieb.

Toronto rallied when Jesse Barfield added his 24th homer in the seventh and Al Oliver singled home a run in the eighth. Steve Crawford relieved Dennis (Oil Can) Boyd and got the last five outs for his 10th save.

Cleveland 15, Oakland 8--Andre Thornton drove in five runs and Joe Carter hit two homers as the Indians trounced the A’s at Cleveland.

Curt Wardle (8-7) got the victory despite allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings. Bryan Clark pitched four innings for his second save. Tim Birtsas (10-6) was the loser.

Baltimore 6, Milwaukee 0--Ken Dixon pitched his first major league shutout, and Gary Roenicke’s two-run homer capped a five-run eighth inning that carried the Orioles past the Brewers at Baltimore.

Dixon (8-3) scattered four hits and retired 19 consecutive batters in one stretch to outpitch rookie Ted Higuera (13-7), who had his six-game winning streak snapped.

A.L. EAST RACE AT A GLANCE

W L Pct. GB Toronto 91 53 .632 -- New York 86 58 .597 5

REMAINING GAMES

TORONTO (17)--Home (10): Sept. 20, 21, 22, 23, Milwaukee; 24, 25, 26, Boston; Oct. 4, 5, 6, New York. Away (7): Sept. 18, Boston; 27, 28, 29, Milwaukee; Oct. 1, 2, 3, Detroit.

NEW YORK (18)--Home (10): Sept. 24, 25, 26, Detroit; 27, 28, 29, 30, Baltimore; Oct. 1, 2, 3, Milwaukee. Away (8): Sept. 18, 19, Detroit; 20, 21, 22, Baltimore; Oct. 4, 5, 6, Toronto.