American League Roundup : Yanks Stay Alive as ‘Other’ Niekro Wins, 10-2

Joe Niekro got the butterflies out of his stomach and got his butterfly pitch working Wednesday night at New York as he helped keep the Yankees’ faint title hopes alive.

Niekro, hammered last week in his Yankee debut by the Detroit Tigers, held the Tigers to four hits in five innings as New York romped, 10-2, to cut Toronto’s lead in the East to six games.

Niekro, making up for older brother Phil’s failure to win No. 300 Tuesday night, was coasting with a 5-1 lead going into the sixth inning. But a line drive that hit him in the shin in the third inning was causing so much pain that he had to leave.

The bullpen took over, and it was a breeze. Don Mattingly had three hits, including his 31st home run, to lead the Yankee assault on Jack Morris. Mattingly drove in four runs to give him 135, easily tops in the majors.

Rickey Henderson also had three hits and scored four runs. He has scored 138 this season.

It was Niekro’s first win in the American League since 1972, when he was with the Tigers. In his first start for the Yankees last week, Niekro was shelled out in the second inning after giving up six runs and seven hits.

“When a club trades for you, and especially when the club’s in a pennant race, you get little butterflies,” Niekro, whose knuckleball is often referred to as a butterfly, told the Associated Press. “You want to pitch real good. I was a little more relaxed this time.

“I didn’t want to come out, but the ball hit me pretty good. There’s a bruise and it swelled up pretty good.”

One of Mattingly’s three hits was a double, his 47th, the most for a Yankee since Lou Gehrig hit 47 in 1928. The long season is wearing on Mattingly, last year’s batting champion.

“I’m getting a little tired,” he said. “It’s getting tougher and tougher to go out there each day. You feel like taking a day off every once in a while, but you can’t this time of the season.”

Boston 4, Toronto 2--Rookie Mike Greenwell’s first major league home run slowed the Blue Jays’ dash to the pennant in the East. It came with a man on base in the 13th inning at Toronto and left the Blue Jays’ magic number at six.

Jimmy Key, Toronto’s surprising 14-game winner, had to leave the game in the second inning with a groin strain. The Blue Jays said they didn’t think the injury was serious.

Jim Acker pitched five scoreless innings of relief, but Dwight Evans hit a two-run homer in the eighth to give Boston a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, Jeff Burroughs broke an 0-for-18 slump with a pinch home run to send the game into extra innings. It was Burroughs’ first home run since July 30.

With rookie John Cerutti on the mound in the 13th, Bill Buckner doubled, and Greenwell, hitless in four previous pinch-hitting attempts, hit an 0-and-1 pitch over the right-field fence to give the Red Sox the victory.

Steve Crawford pitched three shutout innings of relief to win the game, and Tim Lollar pitched a hitless 13th for his first save.

Kansas City 5, Seattle 4--Bret Saberhagen won his 19th game, and Lonnie Smith singled home two runs in the Royals’ three-run seventh inning at Seattle as Kansas City broke a 10-game losing streak against the Mariners.

The Royals remained a half-game behind the Angels in the West as they raised their record to 2-10 against Seattle this season.

Saberhagen (19-6) scattered nine hits in 8 innings, walked only two batters and struck out four. He gave up a three-run homer to pinch-hitter Ken Phelps in the ninth. It was Phelps’ ninth homer of the season. Steve Farr finished for his first save.

The Royals overcame a 1-0 deficit with two runs in the fifth inning. Jim Sundberg led off with a single, was sacrificed to second, and one out later Smith walked. George Brett smashed a line drive off Mariner starter Matt Young’s glove into center field, scoring Sundberg. After Hal McRae walked, Brett scored on Donnie Scott’s passed ball.

Young (12-17) took the loss.

In the seventh, Buddy Biancalana singled, and Willie Wilson sent him to third with a double. Smith drove in both with a double off the left-field wall. Ed Vande Berg came on for the Mariners and retired Brett. Roy Thomas relieved Vande Berg and gave up a hit by McRae that scored Smith.

The Mariners scored their first run in the fourth inning when Gorman Thomas singled and scored on Jim Presley’s double.

Minnesota 5, Texas 1--Bert Blyleven pitched a five-hitter at Arlington, Tex., for his major league-leading 22nd complete game, improving his record to 15-16.

Blyleven is 5-0 over the Rangers this season, and all were complete games. The only run he gave up was in the fifth inning, when Oddibe McDowell hit his 18th home run. McDowell leads American League rookies in home runs.

Cleveland 7, Oakland 2--Benny Ayala and Chris Bando each drove in two runs at Oakland as the Indians shelled Tommy John for six runs before he could get a man out in the second inning.

Cleveland starter Keith Creel, allowing seven hits and both A’s runs in 6 innings, posted his first win of the season after five losses.

Milwaukee 3, Baltimore 0--Randy Ready had two hits, scored twice and made a diving catch in the outfield at Milwaukee to help Jaime Cocanower earn his first career shutout.

Cocanower (5-7) scattered eight hits.