American League Roundup : Blue Jays Give Clemens a Rude Greeting, 11-1

It was a typical first spring training outing for Roger Clemens. The American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner last season pitched three scoreless innings.

But Saturday at Boston, it wasn’t an exhibition. It was the real thing, and Clemens, facing major league hitters for the first time since the World Series, was shelled for four runs in the fourth as the Toronto Blue Jays hammered the Red Sox, 11-1.

Clemens, who lost only 4 games while winning 24 last season, had walked out of camp because of a salary dispute and just recently rejoined the club.

After giving up only two hits in three innings, he yielded a run-scoring infield hit to Jesse Barfield and a three-run home run to hot-hitting Willie Upshaw in the fourth before retiring.

“I had good stuff, I had bad stuff,” Clemens said. “I’m going to get my lumps here and there until I get fine-tuned. My fastball was live when it was up, but when it was down, I didn’t get good stuff on it.”

While the defending American League champions wait for their ace to get in shape, they may have trouble staying in the race in the East.

The Red Sox are 1-4 and holding down last place.

It was the third win in five games for the Blue Jays, the team many experts pick to win the division. Two of the victories have been by left-hander Jimmy Key.

Key pitched a strong 8 innings, giving up 5 hits and 1 run.

In addition to Upshaw’s third home run, Barfield also hit a three-run homer in a 15-hit attack.

New York 15, Kansas City 2--The Yankees waited patiently for Don Mattingly to emerge from an early-season slump. When he did, he triggered an explosion at Kansas City.

The Yankees were leading, 2-0, and had the bases loaded in the seventh inning when Mattingly, 1 for 19, stepped to the plate with one out.

Mattingly doubled home three runs, and before the 12-run inning was over, the first baseman, who has a .332 career average, had doubled in two more runs.

It was a complete turnabout in a little more than 12 hours for the Yankees. Friday night, Bret Saberhagen held them hitless until the eighth and they got only two hits. In the seventh inning Saturday, they got 11 hits. Ricky Henderson, Wayne Tolleson and Gary Ward each had two singles in the inning.

Until the outburst, Dennis Rasmussen was in a tight battle with Danny Jackson. But Rasmussen, with the big cushion, relaxed and lost his shutout.

Baltimore 7, Cleveland 3--Lee Lacy used his glove to ruin Cleveland’s home opener Friday night, then used his bat to beat them in this game.

In the eighth inning of the previous evening’s 12-11 slugfest, Lacy reached above the fence to grab Brook Jacoby’s bid for a grand slam.

In the eighth inning of this game, Lacy led off with a home run to snap a 3-3 tie and help give the Orioles their fourth win in five games.

Lacy was replaced in right field in the bottom of the eighth because of a pulled muscle in his leg. His substitute, John Shelby, hit a two-run home run off Steve Carlton in the ninth.

Milwaukee 8, Texas 6--Former Dodger Greg Brock hit a two-run home run to highlight an eight-run uprising in the fourth inning that enabled the unbeaten Brewers to win their fifth in a row.

The Brewers, whose lack of offense was a big part of why they finished sixth in the East last season, have scored 31 runs in the last three games.

Although he gave up five runs and 12 hits in seven innings in this game at Arlington, Tex., Teddy Higuera improved his record to 2-0.

In the two games between the Rangers and Brewers, there have been 33 runs and 54 hits.

Detroit 7, Chicago 1--Manager Sparky Anderson’s decision to pitch Jack Morris every fifth day appears to be paying off.

The 32-year-old right-hander, despite more than a one-hour delay because of rain in the fifth inning, pitched a complete-game five-hitter and struck out 10.

Although he is 1-1, Morris has turned in two well-pitched games. He lost the season opener, 2-1, to the New York Yankees in 10 innings.

Morris, who led the league in shutouts last season with six, lost this potential shutout in the ninth when he gave up a double to Ivan Calderon and a single to Darryl Boston.

Pat Sheridan ignited a four-run fifth for the Tigers with a triple. The Tigers batted around in the rally.

Seattle 6, Minnesota 5--Mike Kingery bounced a single off the glove of second baseman Steve Lombardozzi with one out in the ninth inning at Seattle to drive in Scott Bradley from third and end the Twins’ four-game winning streak.

The Twins, who had been the only unbeaten team in the West, tied the score in the top of the ninth on Dan Gladden’s sacrifice fly.