American League Roundup : Bell Finally Hits First Home Run at Toronto as Blue Jays Defeat Tigers

Last season, on his way to hitting 47 home runs and becoming the American League’s Most Valuable Player, George Bell hit 19 home runs at Toronto’s Exhibition Stadium, more than any other hitter.

In this season of turmoil, the 28-year-old outfielder finally hit his first home run at home Friday night--a two-run smash that helped the Blue Jays beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-3.

It was the 36th home game for the Blue Jays. The victory over the leaders of the East brought them to the .500 mark and put them eight games back of the Tigers.

With their ace left-hander Jimmy Key due to return soon, the Blue Jays figure they aren’t out of the race. Especially if Bell starts to hit.

Bell, who drove in a league-leading 134 runs last season, hit three home runs in the opening game of the season, but his first-inning smash was only his sixth since the opener. He has driven in five runs in the last five games.

Bell had gone 44 games--170 at-bats--at home without a home run.

Todd Stottlemyre (3-7), given five runs in the first three innings, lasted 6 innings. Duane Ward and Tom Henke then shut down the Tigers.

Bell’s problems began in spring training when management decided to take him out of left field and make him the designated hitter. He was unhappy about it and, even though he returned to the outfield, he has had an off year.

“If George starts hitting, we can make a run at them,” Manager Jimy Williams said. “We are playing much better than we were early in the season.”

Baltimore 6, Boston 2--Roger Clemens is another player who hasn’t fared too well at home.

The powerful right-hander couldn’t even make it through the third inning against the lowly Orioles.

Clemens was pounded for 6 runs and 7 hits in just 2 innings to lose his fourth in a row at Boston. Clemens is 8-0 on the road and 10-5 overall.

On May 14 at Fenway Park, he shut out Seattle. In his other five starts at Fenway since early April, he has pitched 41 innings and given up 47 hits and 32 runs. By contrast, he has given up only 9 runs in 61 innings on the road.

Mike Greenwell continues to provide the punch for the Red Sox. Greenwell hit a disputed two-run home run, his fifth home run in five games, in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 15 games. Greenwell’s long fly ball to right field appeared to pop out of right fielder Jim Traber’s glove and onto the field. But Traber fell into the seats and it was ruled a home run.

Minnesota 11, Oakland 5--The Twins exploded for six runs in the ninth inning at Oakland to cut the Athletics’ lead in the West to five games.

Gary Gaetti hit two home runs and drove in four runs, but it was Dan Gladden’s bases-loaded double off Rick Honeycutt that broke the 5-5 ninth-inning tie.

The Athletics jumped to a 5-0 lead, but relief pitchers Mark Portugal and Keith Atherton (5-2) held them without a base hit through the last five innings.

Randy Bush hit his seventh homer of the season to tie the score in the eighth.

The A’s Jose Canseco has a bruised knee and did not play.

Cleveland 7, New York 5--At New York, Doug Jones celebrated his 31st birthday by breaking a major league record for relief pitchers.

Jones registered his 14th consecutive save, breaking the record set by Steve Bedrosian of Philadelphia last season.

During his streak, Jones has given up just 1 run in 22 innings. He retired the last seven Yankee batters Friday night.

The veteran right-hander has kicked around the minors for most of the last decade, but has now become the Indians’ bullpen ace.

The Yankees scored four times in the first before Tom Candiotti could retire a batter, but Ron Kittle helped the Indians bounce back. He hit a home run and drove in four runs.

Brad Havens, dropped by the Dodgers early in the season and recently brought up from the Pacific Coast League, held the Yankees to one run in five innings to get the victory.

Texas 5, Chicago 2--Curtis Wilkerson tripled home the tiebreaking run in the seventh inning at Arlington, Tex., and Charlie Hough (7-7) staggered to his sixth complete game.

Hough, in trouble constantly, gave up five hits, walked seven and hit a batter. But he helped his own cause by picking off two of the 13 baserunners.

Harold Baines hit a two-run home run in the first for the only runs off Hough.

Seattle 7, Kansas City 0--In a recent nine-game losing streak, the Mariners scored only 12 runs, so this was an avalanche at Seattle.

Mickey Brantley hit a three-run home run, and Mike Moore (4-8) pitched a four-hitter for his first shutout since 1986.