American League Roundup : Seaver, Winner Over Royals, Is Just What Red Sox Ordered

Tom Seaver survived a rocky start Wednesday night at Kansas City to pitch the shaky Boston Red Sox to a 5-2 victory over the Royals and prove that at 41, he can still be a stopper.

The Red Sox, with Jim Rice driving in one run and scoring another, presented Seaver (6-10) with a 4-0 lead in the first inning. But, in the bottom of the inning, Seaver gave up singles to the first two batters he faced and yielded a double to Jorge Orta to see his lead cut in half.

From then, until Calvin Schiraldi took over with two out in the eighth, Seaver gave up no more runs and picked up his 310th career victory. It was his second win in a row and enabled the faltering Red Sox to remain 3 1/2 games in front in the American League East.

Schiraldi, who has become the Red Sox’s bullpen ace, earned his fourth save, giving up only a walk.

The Red Sox, with everyone but baseball’s leading hitter, Wade Boggs, contributing, had 11 hits, five of them off Charlie Leibrandt in the first inning.

Being the stopper is nothing new for Seaver. He played that role for years for the New York Mets and later he did the same for the Cincinnati Reds. However, many people figured the Red Sox made a deal with the Chicago White Sox to get the veteran right-hander just to keep him away from the New York Yankees.

Little did they realize that when Roger Clemens, the hottest pitcher in the majors for the first half, started to slow down, Seaver would fill the gap.

“From the first I remember him, Tom has always been a pitcher who gets tougher as the game progresses,” Red Sox Manager John McNamara said. “All I know is that when we get him runs, he wins.”

New York 4, Cleveland 0--It’s all a matter of opinion. Tommy John said he held the Indians to six hits in 7 innings and improved his record to 5-1 with a baffling sinker.

In the visitors’ clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, Manager Pat Corrales of the Indians had a different word for the pitch. Holding up a ball with several cuts in it that he said was taken from the game, Corrales snorted: “Look at that ball and then tell me about a sinker. Don Sutton does it all the time, too, and they both get away with it. There’ll be a new pitch next season at North Carolina.”

Although he has pitched two impressive victories since recovering from an Achilles’ tendon injury, John has given his word that he will coach the Tar Heels’ baseball team next year.

Texas 5, Milwaukee 4--After blowing a two-run lead in the ninth inning at Arlington, Tex., the Rangers pushed over a run in the 12th to win. With two out and Don Slaught on third, rookie Ruben Sierra singled to end the game.

In the ninth, Paul Molitor singled and Robin Yount doubled off the right-field wall. When Pete Incaviglia misplayed the drive, Molitor scored and Yount reached third. Cecil Cooper singled to send the game into extra innings.

Slaught doubled to open the 12th but was on third with two out when Sierra came up.

Detroit 5, Chicago 2--Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson urged Chet Lemon to move a little farther away from the plate.

In doing so in the last two games at Detroit, Lemon has hammered home runs in each of them to pace the Tigers to two victories.

Until his sudden power display, Lemon had not hit a home run since May 14. Dwight Lowry followed Lemon’s homer with his third of the season and they provided Randy O’Neal (2-7) with the runs he needed.

O’Neal took a six-hit shutout into the ninth, but he needed help from Willie Hernandez to nail down the victory.

Baltimore 7, Toronto 6--Larry Sheets, who had struck out in his two previous at-bats, hit his 15th home run with one out in the 13th inningat Baltimore.

Jesse Barfield hit his major league-leading 30th home run to help the Blue Jays build a 6-4 lead going into the ninth. But Lee Lacy walked with one out, and Fred Lynn hit his 20th home run to send the game into extra innings.

Don Aase, in his longest stint of the season, pitched three innings to get his fifth win. The Blue Jays are 6-13 in overtime games.

Barfield’s home run tied the Blue Jays’ club record set by John Mayberry in 1980.

Oakland 4, Seattle 1--Former Dodger Dave Stewart (5-1) struck out nine and gave up just four hits in seven innings at Oakland and was a winner with help from Bruce Bochte and Mike Davis, who hit home runs.

Jay Howell pitched two hitless innings and struck out three more to earn his 10th save.

One of the A’s runs came in on a squeeze bunt single by slugger Dave Kingman.