Baseball Roundup : Niekro Fools Toronto With His Fastball and Gets 303rd Win, 6-4

Mel Hall went 4 for 4 with a triple, a run-scoring double, two singles and a walk Monday at Toronto to help Phil Niekro to his 303rd career victory as the Cleveland Indians upended the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-4.

Niekro (3-3) allowed four runs on 10 hits over eight innings to enable the Indians to break a five-game losing streak. The veteran knuckleballer struck out four and walked three before allowing a leadoff double to Tony Fernandez in the ninth. Scott Bailes came on to gain his third save.

“I had an easier time than last time,” Niekro said, referring to the pressure he felt last year before the Blue Jays for his 300th victory. “But it’s no different than any other win.”

Toronto Manager Jimy Williams said his club may have been looking too much for Niekro’s knuckler and been caught off guard by his fastball.

“The guy’s won 300 games, but he hasn’t won them all with the knuckler,” Williams said. “He’s used other pitches, and his fastball was very effective.”

Dave Stieb (0-6) worked seven innings and allowed five runs on 10 hits. He walked five and struck out six. Stieb, the American League’s earned-run average leader last season, had his ERA soar to 6.33. He last won a regular-season game on Sept. 27, 1985.

“He’s not as sharp as he usually is, that was evident by the way we swung the bat against him,” Cleveland Manager Pat Corrales said. “We’d heard that his location hasn’t been as good as it was in the past.”

While Stieb admitted to not doing his job, he preferred to assign most of the blame for the loss to the Toronto defense and home plate umpire Rich Garcia.

“I don’t know what kind of defense we’re playing against these teams, but it sure as hell wasn’t working,” Stieb said. “If you pitch a guy outside and they play (him) to pull--I don’t know what they’re doing, they can see the signs.”

As for Garcia, Stieb observed: “I’m not getting the calls. I don’t want to be given anything. I just want what’s there. I wasn’t that wild. I pitched five or six innings and didn’t complain. I’m not trying to show him up, but I can only take so much.”

Boston 8, Minnesota 7--Twin relief pitcher Ron Davis walked home the tying run with two outs in the ninth inning and then hit Marc Sullivan with a pitch to force home the winning run at Boston.

With two out, Marty Barrett drew a walk off Davis (1-4) and Wade Boggs followed with a double off the left-field wall. Bill Buckner was walked intentionally to load the bases, and Davis walked Jim Rice on a 3-and-2 pitch to force home the tying run. Rice fouled off five pitches before drawing the walk. Davis hit Sullivan with an 0-and-1 pitch to force home Boggs.

Former Houston relief ace Joe Sambito (1-0) pitched one inning in relief to pick up the victory.

“I can’t even remember what team I beat for my last win,” Sambito said. “But, I’ll tell you, it’s a great feeling.”

Kansas City 6, Texas 4--George Brett had two hits and knocked in two runs and Mark Gubicza won his second straight game as the Royals won a fight-interrupted game at Arlington, Tex.

Gubicza (2-4), who started the season with four consecutive losses, struck out eight over six innings. He also walked three and had three wild pitches before Steve Farr pitched the final three innings to pick up his third save.