American League Roundup : Puckett Hits 10th; Twins Roll, 10-1

It figured that there would be some kind of an explosion when the pitcher who has been throwing the most home run balls faced the batter who has been hitting the most home runs.

The first pitch Jack Morris threw Friday night at Detroit, hot-hitting Kirby Puckett hit for his 10th home run of the season, and the Twins were on their way to a 10-1 rout of the Tigers.

Steve Lombardozzi opened the second inning with his second home run, and it was the 12th off Morris this season. Morris (3-3) didn’t get through the second inning. The Twins made it easy for Mike Smithson to improve his record to 3-2.

Puckett also had a single and a run-scoring double to raise his already-fat average to .396. The average is enough to lift some eyebrows, it is the home runs that are mind-bending.

There never was any indication that the squat (5-8) right-handed hitter would ever hit for distance. He had four home runs in 691 at-bats last season. In four seasons as a professional, counting two in the minors, he had 17 home runs in 2,141 times at-bat.

This season, the 25-year-old center fielder is hitting home runs at a pace that would do justice to Babe Ruth.

In spring training, the Twins set out to utilize Puckett’s ability to get on base. They brought in the most famous base-stealer of them all, Lou Brock. The way he’s hitting home runs and other extra base hits, he isn’t getting many chances to steal.

“It looks like a softball right now,” Puckett said. “I’m really seeing it well. I just hope I keep hitting like this. It seems like a dream so far. I don’t even want to think about what the rest of the season holds.”

Oakland 4, Boston 1--His first appearance at Fenway Park was just another game for Joaquin Andujar. He gave up five hits, improved his record to 3-1 and pitched his first complete game in the American League.

“I didn’t pay any attention to the small park,” he said. “I just wanted to pitch the way I did in the National League.”

It was the A’s, moving within a game of the Angels in the West, who provided the power. Jose Canseco hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning, his seventh homer of the season. Dave Kingman and Bruce Bochte had consecutive home runs in the sixth for the other Oakland runs.

Kingman’s home run ended a 1-for-25 skid. It was a towering drive that went far over the high screen in left field. In just 15 games at Fenway, Kingman has 10 home runs.

Kansas City 5, Baltimore 0--The box score will show that Bret Saberhagen, after losing two in a row, pitched a 10-hit shutout at Kansas City.

It will also show that all 10 hits were singles. What it won’t show is that six of those hits came after two were out.

George Brett and Frank White hit consecutive home runs to give Saberhagen the support he needed. In his two previous starts, he failed to get through the fifth inning.

“I’m throwing the ball well,” he said, “but in the ninth inning, I got kind of tired. It didn’t help me missing all that work in the spring. My breaking ball was good, and my changeup was the best it’s ever been.”

Texas 7, New York 0--Ed Correa is the youngest player in the major leagues, but he wasn’t awed by either the Big Apple or the Yankees.

The right-hander, who was 20 on Tuesday, held the Eastern Division leaders to three hits, pitching his first major league shutout in only his sixth start.

While Correa was striking out nine and walking five, the Rangers were going for walk after walk. Starter Bob Shirley walked nine in 5 innings, giving up six runs.

Tommy John, signed by the Yankees just before the game, pitched 2 innings in his first appearance of the season. He walked three and gave up a run.

Cleveland 7, Chicago 5--The Indians have gotten a good feeling about winning, and they seem to be having fun. In this game at Chicago, they scored three runs in the ninth to go ahead, gave up the tying run in the bottom of the inning and came back to score two in the 10th to win.

Tony Bernazard and Chris Bando delivered run-scoring singles in the extra inning.

In the ninth, the White Sox had a 4-2 lead, and the Indians had two runners on and two out. Joe Carter boomed a double that scored two runs to tie the score. When shortstop Ozzie Guillen’s relay throw bounced away from catcher Joel Skinner, Carter kept right on running and scored the go-ahead run.

Ernie Camacho gave up the tying run on pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston’s single in the bottom of the ninth but wound up the winner.

Seattle 3, Toronto 2--Al Cowens bounced a single off pitcher Don Gordon’s chest with the bases loaded and two out in the 11th at Toronto to enable the Mariners to break a six-game losing streak.

Danny Tartabull, who homered earlier, singled to start the winning rally.