American League Roundup : John Gives Yankees a First-Class Performance

George Brett and his Kansas City teammates weren’t any tougher for Tommy John than the hitters he has been facing in the Class A Florida State League.

John, in his first appearance for the New York Yankees in two months, held the Royals to five hits in 7 innings Friday night at New York and improved his record to 4-1 with a 2-0 victory.

The 43-year-old left-hander, who suffered a strained Achilles’ tendon June 8, gave a lift to the Yankee pitching staff that had been left in shambles by Cleveland and Milwaukee hitters the last two weeks.

When John, who will become coach of the University of North Carolina baseball team next season, recovered from his injury, he was sent to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for rehabilitation. In three starts, he was 2-0 and did not give up a run in 13 innings.

The Royals, the worst hitting team in the American League, were no problem for John, who picked up his 263rd career victory. He struck out five and walked only one before Dave Righetti replaced him in the eighth and got the last four outs.

“I don’t think you could have expected shutout ball,” John told the Associated Press. “I was expecting to go six or seven. I could have gone nine if we had had more runs.”

When Willie Wilson singled with two out in the eighth, Manager Lou Piniella brought in Righetti. The crowd booed the manager, but John thought it was the right move.

“Lou asked me how I felt,” John said. “I told him, ‘If I were you, I’d bring the other guy in.’ ”

Righetti struck out George Brett in the eighth and three more Royals in the ninth for his 25th save.

John and Righetti had to be good because Charlie Leibrandt was almost perfect after the first inning. With one out in the first, Willie Randolph hit his second home run of the season. Don Mattingly was hit by a pitch, went to third on Dave Winfield’s single and scored the game’s final run on an infield out. Leibrandt (9-9) gave up only two hits--both singles--the rest of the way.

Boston 6, Detroit 1--It was a good night for the over-40 group. Tom Seaver, 41, lost his shutout in the ninth inning at Detroit, but he pitched a five-hitter and struck out nine to end a three-game losing streak and improve his record to 5-10.

For the second game in a row, the new Red Sox batting order, with Wade Boggs leading off, produced runs. Boggs had three hits, including a leadoff home run in the fourth inning. Since being elevated to the top spot, Boggs is 5 for 7. He has raised his average to .350 and regained the league lead.

With Baltimore losing, the Red Sox increased their lead in the East to 5 games. A few days ago, it was 2 1/2 games.

The Red Sox scored more runs for Seaver in this game than they did in his previous five starts, when they averaged a run per game.

“He could have been 7-0 for us if we had backed him offensively,” Manager John McNamara said. “He keeps pitching well for us. Tonight, he did it against a hot team.”

Texas 9, Toronto 7--This was the best-pitched game the Rangers have had in their last three outings. In the two previous games, Texas pitchers gave up 11 runs and 8 runs, respectively.

As in those games, at Baltimore, the Rangers had to come from behind to win. Scott Fletcher singled with two out and the bases loaded in the eighth to drive in two runs and break a 7-7 tie at Arlington, Tex.

In the last three games--all victories--the Rangers have scored 31 runs and had 42 hits.

There were 25 hits in this one, including four home runs--one the 28th of the season by Toronto’s Jesse Barfield.

Cleveland 3, Baltimore 0--The Orioles had scored 19 runs in their two previous games and lost them both. In this game at Baltimore, they got good pitching from Mike Boddicker but couldn’t handle Tom Candiotti’s knuckleball.

Candiotti (11-8) gave up five hits in 8 innings, and Ernie Camacho came along to get the last two outs.

Boddicker matched Candiotti until the fifth, when hot-hitting Julio Franco hit a two-run home run. Although Franco has gone 12 for 28 in his last six games, the home run was his first since May 22. It came on an 0-and-2 pitch after Brett Butler opened the inning with a single.

Jim Traber had three of the Orioles’ five hits. Traber is batting .373.

Chicago 12, Milwaukee 6--The Brewers hit four home runs at Milwaukee, two of them two-run shots by Rob Deer, but the White Sox scored nine runs in the first three innings and were never headed.

The White Sox had three home runs, including a three-run homer by Daryl Boston, who was recently brought back from the minors.

Oakland 5, Minnesota 2--Jose Canseco hit his 26th home run of the season, a two-run shot, and Dave Kingman hit his 28th as the A’s won at Oakland. Canseco’s homer, driven deep into the left-center-field bleachers, raised his major league-leading RBI total to 94.

Canseco has hit three homers and driven in 11 runs in his last five games.