American League Roundup : Mattingly’s Home Run Beats Twins

Don Mattingly hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning Wednesday night at New York to give the Yankees a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

It was the first home run of the season for Mattingly, who hit 35 last season, and gave the Yankees their eighth win in the last 11 games. The Yankees have defeated the Twins nine times in a row at Yankee Stadium.

The smash beat Bert Blyleven and enabled Joe Niekro, who went six innings, to improve his record to 2-0.

The Yankees have known all along that their first baseman would start hitting soon. He has a career .323 average, but when he stepped up to face Blyleven with two on in the fifth, he was batting only .264.

Mattingly hit a 1-and-1 pitch for his home run and ran his runs batted in total to 20 in 19 games.

The Twins took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when Kirby Puckett hit his eighth home run of the season. In his two previous seasons with the Twins, Puckett hit only four home runs in 1,248 at-bats. Suddenly, he leads the majors in home runs. The homers have not been flukes, either. This one went over the 411-foot sign in left-center on a 3-and-2 pitch.

“All I did tonight wasn’t good enough,” said Puckett, who went 4 for 5 to improve his average to .396.

Although Mattingly’s homer was his first of the season, it put him ahead of last season, when he didn’t hit No.1 until May 5.

“It was a curveball over the plate somewhere,” Mattingly said. “I was thinking about not having hit a home run, but it wasn’t a major distraction. I was glad to get it in a situation that helped us win a ballgame. I didn’t even hit one in spring training.”

The Yankees, leading the East by 2 1/2 games, have a 14-6 record. That is the most victories they have ever had in April.

“The most wins ever in April is 14?” Yankee Manager Lou Piniella asked. “That’s my number.”

Brian Fisher pitched three shutout innings in relief of Niekro to earn his third save.

Chicago 8, Baltimore 6--Ron Kittle’s 100th home run was a two-run blast that triggered a six-run third inning at Chicago that carried the White Sox to victory.

“This ball goes to my dad, and it has nothing to do with birth,” Kittle said. “He has meant a lot to my baseball career. He keeps my head at an even keel and my personality, too.”

Kittle’s last four hits have been home runs and he has six this season.

“I’m not trying to hit home runs,” he said. “I’m trying to remain calm but be real aggressive. I just want to hit the ball hard.”

Kansas City 7, Detroit 3--Dan Petry was three outs away from a 3-2 victory at Detroit when he walked Darryl Motley to open the ninth.

Before the Tigers could get the Royals out, they had scored five times, and Charlie Leibrandt, instead of losing his first, is now 3-0.

Willie Wilson’s single through a drawn-in infield was the big blow of the inning, breaking a 3-3 tie. George Brett followed with another run-scoring single.

Milwaukee 5, Oakland 1--Teddy Higuera pitched a five-hitter, and Mike Felder drove in three runs with a single and a triple at Milwaukee.

Higuera improved his record to 3-1 in a pitching battle with Jose Rijo, who gave up only four hits in seven innings and struck out eight.

The Brewers broke open the game with a three-run seventh in which Felder tripled home two runs.

Boston 9, Seattle 4--When shortstop Glenn Hoffman had to leave because of blurred vision in this game at Boston, it turned out to be a break for the Red Sox.

His replacement, veteran utility man Ed Romero, delivered a two-run double in the seventh inning that carried the Red Sox to victory.

Cleveland 6, Texas 4--Pat Tabler hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning that helped the Indians beat the Rangers at Arlington, Tex., in a game delayed 2 hours 4 minutes by rain.