AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clemens Gets Even, Then Earns 9th Win

Before concentrating on Sunday’s game with at Cleveland, Boston’s Roger Clemens had some unfinished business to attend to.

Clemens fired his second pitch at the midsection of leadoff hitter Stan Jefferson, clipping him just above the elbow in retaliation for a brushback pitch thrown by Cleveland’s Doug Jones the night before.

A bench-clearing brawl followed before Clemens settled down to strike out a season-high 11 hitters and become the first nine-game winner in the major leagues as the Red Sox beat the Indians, 8-2.

“I loved it. We got even, didn’t we?” Boston Manager Joe Morgan said. “We voted as a team 34-0 that it would be such. I think they figured after last night, this was inevitable.”

Jones threw a pitch past the head of Boston’s Tony Pena in the ninth inning Saturday night, after Pena tripled home a run off Jones on Friday. Pena and Cleveland’s Chris James were ejected during Sunday’s fight.

“Nobody on this team has to come up and tell a pitcher how to pitch,” Clemens said. “I’m going to try to pitch effectively and do what the situation calls for. I wouldn’t have nine wins if not for the guys in this dressing room. You can take that anyway you want. I’ve seen situations where guys got hit in the head, and you want to stay out of that.”

Caught in the middle of it all was Jefferson. He did not charge the mound when he was hit, but he did ask Clemens for an explanation.

“I thought the incident with Jonesy and Pena was harmless,” Jefferson said. “I didn’t think it would carry over to today. I guess it did. Clemens said he was sorry it was me, and he said if I was on his team, he’d do the same for me.”

X-rays of Jefferson’s arm were negative.

Two Boston batters were hit by pitches later in the game, but neither caused an incident.

Pena was not in the starting lineup Sunday.

Clemens (9-2), who pitched eight innings, gave up seven hits and walked one, improving to 12-2 against the Indians in his career. He is 5-0 with a 1.69 earned-run average in six starts since May 9.

Kansas City 8, Oakland 2--Mark Gubicza restricted the Athletics to four hits in eight innings and Jim Eisenreich and Kurt Stillwell each drove in two runs as the Royals beat Dave Stewart at Kansas City.

The Royals split the four-game series after losing the first two. The West-leading Athletics stayed 11 games ahead of the last-place Royals.

Gubicza (3-5) gave up a run-scoring double to Willie Randolph in the third inning before retiring 15 straight. He struck out eight and walked none. Jeff Montgomery struck out the side in the ninth.

Stewart (8-3), the winningest pitcher in the major leagues the past three seasons, gave up seven runs on seven hits and six walks in 5 1/3 innings. It’s only the second time in two years he has lost consecutive decisions.

Stewart’s league-leading ERA jumped from 1.79 to 2.45. He walked six batters in a game for the first time since Aug. 16, 1988.

Detroit 2, Seattle 0--One day after Randy Johnson pitched the first no-hitter in Mariner history, Frank Tanana gave up only three hits in 8 1/3 innings at Seattle.

Tanana (4-3) struck out four and walked two. He left after Harold Reynolds singled with one out in the ninth. Mike Henneman finished to get his 13th save.

Tanana’s performance came after Johnson’s 2-0 victory over the Tigers Saturday night. Johnson walked six and struck out eight in pitching the only no-hitter in the Mariners’ 14-year existence.

This time, the Tigers wasted no time in getting a hit. Lou Whitaker led off the game with a double and scored on Alan Trammell’s single off Erik Hanson (5-4).

Whitaker, who began the game batting .192, led off the fifth inning with his seventh homer of the season.

Baltimore 4, New York 3--Mickey Tettleton’s two-run homer broke an eighth-inning tie at Yankee Stadium as the Orioles handed the Yankees their seventh loss in eight games.

Mike Witt (0-4) walked Cal Ripken and Tettleton followed with his sixth homer to make it 4-2. It was Witt’s first decision since the Yankees got him from the Angels for Dave Winfield.

Bob Milacki (3-3) left after Steve Sax singled with one out in the eighth. Mark Williamson gave up Roberto Kelly’s single and Kevin Hickey yielded Don Mattingly’s RBI single.

Gregg Olson relieved and retired pinch-hitter Steve Balboni and Jesse Barfield on fly balls. Olson pitched the ninth for his 11th save.

Toronto 7, Milwaukee 4--Fred McGriff and Pat Borders each drove in two runs as the Blue Jays celebrated the one-year anniversary of the SkyDome by defeating the team that beat them in their first game there last June 5.

A crowd of 49,702, the largest regular-season crowd in team history, watched as the Blue Jays ended a three-game losing streak. The Blue Jays are 51-38 at home since the stadium opened.

Dave Stieb (7-2) gave up three runs and nine hits in six innings to become the first Toronto starter to win at home since he beat the Chicago White Sox on May 8.

Chicago 5, Minnesota 2--Jack McDowell won for the first time since April 25 and the White Sox salvaged a split of the four-game series at Chicago between two of the hottest teams in the league.

Chicago has won 10 of 14 games and is 20-8 at home, tops in the majors. The Twins lost for just the third time in their last 11 games.

McDowell (2-3), the former Stanford star, pitched 6 1/3 innings, yielded six hits, struck out seven and walked one as he snapped a winless streak of six starts (two losses and four no-decisions).

The White Sox scored four runs in the second to erase a 1-0 deficit. Carlton Fisk led off with an infield single and took second on Scott Fletcher’s single. Lance Johnson and Ozzie Guillen followed with RBI singles. Sammy Sosa capped the rally with a two-run single.