American League Roundup : It’s Roger Clemens’ Birthday, but White Sox Receive 1-0 Victory as Gift

It was Roger Clemens’ 24th birthday, but the Chicago White Sox got the big gift Monday night, a throwing error by Clemens, in a 1-0 victory over the Red Sox at Boston.

“It was my birthday and I guess I’m supposed to get the presents, but it didn’t work out that way,” Clemens, the Boston strikeout king, said after his error in the eighth inning set up the game’s only run.

“This is kind of frustrating,” added Clemens, the coolest person in the gloomy Boston clubhouse. “It’s the type of game I like to be involved in. But I hate to give things away like that.”

Clemens joined in the giveaway as Boston’s American League East lead was trimmed to 3 1/2 games over Baltimore.

Clemens (17-4) finished with a four-hitter. Jose DeLeon and two Chicago relievers combined on a three-hitter, with DeLeon allowing two hits over seven innings.

The White Sox scored without benefit of a hit in the eighth. Carlton Fisk led off with a grounder that third baseman Wade Boggs bobbled for an error.

Ozzie Guillen followed with a sacrifice bunt that Clemens fielded cleanly but lobbed over the head of second baseman Marty Barrett, who was covering first, putting runners at second and third.

Julio Cruz then hit an 0-and-2 pitch to center, Fisk scoring on the sacrifice fly with the run that handed DeLeon his second victory over Clemens in six days.

“I just threw the ball away,” Clemens said of his error. “I came up with the ball and it sailed on me when I threw it. It was one of those things that happen. DeLeon did pitch a great game, though.”

Said DeLeon: “If it weren’t for the errors, we’d still be playing.”

The Red Sox are tied with Cleveland for the most errors (101) in the American League this season.

DeLeon, who won his first AL game last Wednesday against Clemens, shut down Boston for the first seven innings. Bob James relieved to start the eighth and retired four straight batters but left after apparently hurting his arm while pitching to Don Baylor.

Dave Schmidt took over and yielded a two-out single to Dwight Evans before getting his seventh save.

DeLeon, acquired last month in a trade with Pittsburgh, struck out six and walked two. Clemens, pitching his eighth complete game, struck out six and walked none.

Baltimore 12, Toronto 2--Mike Boddicker, who seems to bring out the best in the Oriole hitters, pitched a five-hitter over eight innings at Toronto and was supported by five home runs as the surging Orioles took three of four from the defending AL East champions.

“I haven’t pitched better than all of our other pitchers, in fact I haven’t even pitched as well as some,” said Boddicker, who raised his record to 14-7 and trails only Clemens in American League victories.

“For some reason they always score a tremendous number of runs for me. I wish we could spread some of them among Flanny (Mike Flanagan) and (Storm) Davis. Then we’d all have 14 wins.”

Jim Dwyer belted a three-run homer, Larry Sheets and Jim Traber clubbed two-run homers and John Shelby and Fred Lynn hit solo shots as the Orioles had 16 hits and tied the 1986 high for most homers in one game by an American League team.

Boddicker struck out two and walked one en route to his fourth victory in his last five decisions. Nate Snell pitched the ninth for Baltimore.

The loss was the third in the last four games and seventh in the last 11 for the Blue Jays, who are showing few signs of threatening to repeat as champions in the AL East.

Milwaukee 5, New York 4--Teddy Higuera (14-7) won his fourth straight game, thanks to Jim Gantner, whose eighth inning home run sparked an uprising at New York.

Higuera, who has a 4-1 career record against the Yankees, scattered 10 hits, struck out 4 and walked 2 in defeating rookie right-hander Doug Drabek (2-5).

Gantner snapped a 2-2 tie by opening the eighth with his sixth home run of the season, chasing Drabek. The Brewers made it 5-2 later in the inning against relievers Rod Scurry and Brian Fisher on an error by shortstop Wayne Tolleson and Rick Manning’s RBI single. The Yankees then scored twice in the ninth.

Seattle 9, Oakland 8--Danny Tartabull, who had homered twice in the game, hit an RBI single that capped a three-run rally in the eighth inning that gave the Mariners the win at Seattle.

Tartabull went 4 for 5 with four runs batted in.