Baseball Roundup : Mattingly Sets Yankee Record--232 Hits

Don Mattingly set the New York Yankees’ single-season hit record with a double and a single Thursday night in a 6-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Boston.

Mattingly singled in the seventh inning for his 232nd hit, breaking the club record of 231 set by Hall of Famer Earle Combs in 1927.

During a four-run fifth inning, Mattingly hit his 52nd double of the year, tying the team mark set by Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig in 1927.

Mattingly, bidding to overtake Boston’s Wade Boggs for the American League batting championship, went 2 for 4 and kept his average at .350.

Boggs, hitting .357, sat out the game with a hamstring injury.

“I’ve won batting titles in the past, but the playoffs mean more to me than risking a major injury,” Boggs said. “I mean, I have a chance at the batting title every year, but the playoffs come around like Halley’s Comet.”

Mattingly: “If I was hurt, I wouldn’t play either.”

Said Boston Manager John McNamara: “People may think we’re protecting him (in the race for the batting title) but we’re not, it’s legitimate. We are not going to fool with people getting hurt at this time in the season. I asked Wade how he felt today. He said, ‘terrible,’ and that’s good enough for me.”

Doug Drabek (7-8) pitched a three-hitter for 8 innings. Drabek walked seven and struck out six.

Dave Righetti got the final out for his 44th save, one short of the major league record by Dan Quisenberry and Bruce Sutter, both in 1985.

AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING RACE

WADE BOGGS, Boston Thursday Season AB R H G AB R H Avg DID NOT PLAY 149 580 10 207 .357

DON MATTINGLY, N.Y. Yankees

Thursday Season AB R H G AB R H Avg 4 2 2 159 662 114 232 .350

N.Y. Mets 8, Montreal 2--Dwight Gooden reached another milestone as the Mets beat the Expos in Montreal to tie the National League record for most road wins in one season.

Gooden (17-6) became the first pitcher in major league history to strike out at least 200 batters in each of his first three seasons, recording seven against the Expos before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the ninth.

Gooden finished the night exactly at 200 strikeouts before Rick Anderson came on to pitch the ninth.

In his first two seasons, Gooden struck out a total of 544 batters. He struck out 276 in his rookie year in 1984 and added 268 strikeouts last seasons, tying Herb Score’s mark.

Tim Raines, the NL’s leading hitter with a .335 average, missed his second straight game because of a chest injury.

Loser Floyd Youmans (13-12) struck out 10 batters to raise his season’s total over the 200 mark, finishing the night with 202. He gave up eight hits and walking three.

With the victory, the Mets tied the National League record for most road wins (53) set twice by the Cincinnati Reds, in 1972 and 1976.

Gary Carter hit a three-run homer and drove in four runs. Carter has 102 RBIs for the season.

Pittsburgh 5, St. Louis 1--Jim Morrison drove in three runs with a homer and sacrifice fly, and Sid Bream added a two-run homer as the Pirates beat the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Vince Coleman of the Cardinals stole two bases, giving him 107 for the year, a total exceeded only four times in major league history.

Detroit 2, Milwaukee 1--Jack Morris pitched a five-hitter, and Alan Trammell homered as the Tigers beat the Brewers in Milwaukee.

Morris (21-8) won his sixth consecutive decision. The right-hander, who leads the major leagues with six shutouts, lost his bid for another when Ben Oglivie led off the ninth inning with his fifth home run of the season.

Chicago White Sox 8, Minnesota 4--John Cangelosi drew a base-loaded walk that forced home the go-ahead run, and Tim Hulett followed with a three-run double in the 10th inning to give the White Sox the win at Minneapolis.

Cincinnati 6, Atlanta 4-- Kal Daniels hit a two-run homer with two out in the 13th inning as the Reds edged the Braves in Atlanta.