American League Roundup : John Helps Mattingly Get Into Record Book Again as Yankees Win

The “slow low fastball” that carried Tommy John to most of his 272 career victories couldn’t be found Monday night at Minneapolis, so the 44-year-old left-hander went to his “do-fer” pitch. Either way, the result was the same.

As usual, John had batters hitting the ball on the ground while pitching the New York Yankees to a 7-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins in the battle between the division leaders.

There were so many ground balls that first baseman Don Mattingly tied a major league record held by three others by making 22 putouts. The last to do it was Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs in 1963. It hadn’t been done in the American League since 1906.

John (9-3) gave the Yankees a 15-3 record in his 18 starts this year, although, in his 700th career appearance, this was John’s first complete-game win since July 8, 1984, and his first complete game, period, of the season. Career victory No. 273 tied him with Red Ruffing for 24th on the all-time list.

“It was a do-fer, a pitch that’ll do ‘til you get something else working,” said John, who threw a seven-hitter, walked one and struck out one.

Catcher Mark Salas, who along with Mike Pagliarulo homered for the Yankees, said the do-fer “was a forkball or something, it was just dropping right off the plate.”

The Hall of Fame has asked Mattingly to donate the bat he used Saturday to tie Dale Long’s record for most consecutive games with a home run. Now they want his glove, too, from this game.

“After the second out in the ninth, I looked up at the scoreboard and saw them flash it,” Mattingly said. “I thought to myself, ‘Just what I need, another record.’ That totally surprised me. Give the credit to Tommy and the other infielders.”

The news wasn’t all good for Mattingly, though--he went 0 for 4 to snap a string of an extra-base hit in a game at 10, an AL mark but four shy of Paul Waner’s 60-year-old major league record standard. Mattingly also aggravated an injury to his right wrist and “may have to miss a few games,” Yankee Manager Lou Piniella said.

Cleveland 9, Kansas City 5--Bret Saberhagen made his earliest exit of the season as the Indians hit him for 6 runs and 10 hits in 3 innings at Kansas City, dropping the Royals to the .500 mark at 46-46 with their 11th loss in 12 games.

Brook Jacoby’s 4-for-4 performance supported Phil Niekro’s first win since June 20, and career victory No. 318. Doug Jones pitched one-hit relief over the final four innings for his first save. Niekro (7-9) also became only the third pitcher to allow 5,000 hits in a career, joining Cy Young and Pud Galvin.

Rick Dempsey drove in three runs, and Mel Hall and Cory Snyder each homered for the Indians. Saberhagen (15-4) was chased after allowing four runs in the fourth inning.

Toronto 5, Texas 3--Garth Iorg, without a home run since last Aug. 27, hit two solo homers and added a double in four at-bats at Arlington, Tex., as the Blue Jays beat the Rangers for the ninth time in 10 games this season. He was also the fifth time this season a Toronto player has hit two home runs in a game against Texas.

John Cerutti (6-2) pitched 6 innings for the win, allowing five hits and three runs. Tom Henke worked two innings for his 19th save.

Charlie Hough (10-6) lasted 6 innings, surrendering eight hits and five runs, with two wild pitches and a balk.

Detroit 5, Oakland 4--Pinch-runner Jim Walewander scored from first base with two out in the eighth inning when A’s right fielder Mike Davis dropped Darrell Evans’ flyball after brushing center fielder Luis Polonia, giving the Tigers the win at Detroit.

Mike Henneman (6-0) pitched the last two innings for the Tigers and gave up just one hit. Rookie Jeff Robinson started for Detroit and took a perfect game into the sixth, only to be tagged for four runs and six hits before giving way to Mark Thurmond, who pitched one inning.

Baltimore 4, Chicago 1--Ken Gerhart’s bases-loaded single highlighted a four-run fifth inning to lead the Orioles to their sixth consecutive victory in a game at Chicago halted in the sixth inning because of rain. Umpires waited 1 hour 17 minutes before calling it.