AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clemens 12th Win Gives Boston Sweep, 4-3

Boston’s Roger Clemens posted his 12th victory despite a pair of home runs by Toronto’s Fred McGriff and the Red Sox completed a four-game sweep of the Blue Jays, 4-3, at Boston Thursday night.

With their seventh consecutive victory, equaling their high for the season, the Red Sox stretched their American League East lead to 3 1/2 games over Toronto, which came to Fenway Park with a 15-game winning streak in Boston that began in 1987.

“Their streak is over and now we’ve got one going,” said Mike Greenwell, who drove in two runs with a fifth-inning single and then preserved a one-run lead by throwing out a runner at the plate. “Who knows, maybe we can beat them 15 in a row here.”

Clemens (12-3) gave up eight hits but struck out nine and walked one as he tied Oakland’s Bob Welch for the most victories in the majors. Jeff Reardon pitched a hitless ninth for his 13th save.

The Red Sox broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the fifth inning off Todd Stottlemyre (8-7).

McGriff, who had four singles Wednesday night, extended his streak to seven consecutive hits with his 14th and 15th homers and a single. In his final at-bat in the eighth, McGriff grounded out to first, ending a bid to tie the Toronto record of eight consecutive hits by Rance Mulliniks in 1984.

Wade Boggs gave Clemens a 1-0 lead by leading off the bottom of the first with his fifth home run. McGriff tied the score in the second with a homer into the bleachers beyond the Toronto bullpen in right field.

In the Boston fifth, Ellis Burks doubled and scored the tiebreaking run on Tony Pena’s double. Pena went to third on a single by Luis Rivera, who took second on the throw to the plate. Boggs was walked intentionally, filling the bases, and Jody Reed popped out, but Greenwell singled to score Pena and Rivera.

Toronto bounced back in the sixth. Kelly Gruber doubled and one out later McGriff ripped a low shot into the Boston bullpen for another homer.

John Olerud walked. Greg Myers forced Olerud at second and took second when Nelson Liriano was hit by a pitch. Mookie Wilson singled to left, but Greenwell threw a strike to catcher Pena to get Myers.

Stottlemyre went the route for Toronto, giving up eight hits.

New York 3, Milwaukee 2--Deion Sanders scored the winning run for the Yankees in New York as a pinch-runner, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from being demoted for the second time this season.

Sanders, who was batting .126, was sent to Columbus of the International League. In 40 games, he had one home run and five RBIs.

“Deion needs to go out, play and get his stroke back,” Yankee General Manager Harding Peterson said. “This is no knock at Sanders. We like him very much and still feel he’ll make a fine major league player.”

Bob Geren singled Sanders home with two out in the ninth inning, after Gary Sheffield’s leadoff home run tied the score for the Brewers in the top of the ninth.

Tim Leary, despite giving up only four hits and one run in seven innings, ended up with no decision. Dave Righetti (1-0) got the victory although he gave up Sheffield’s homer.

Texas 8, Minnesota 6--Jack Daugherty tripled, hit two of Texas’ team record-tying seven doubles and got four of the Rangers’ 15 hits as Texas split the four-game series in Minnesota and beat the Twins for the seventh time in 10 games.

Texas chased David West (3-6) with five runs on six hits in the second inning as John Russell and Mike Stanley doubled and Cecil Espy singled for his first RBI since Sept. 25. Daugherty doubled for the second time in two innings, and Julio Franco and Ruben Sierra added RBI singles for a 5-0 lead.

Bobby Witt (4-8) gave up one run on eight hits in seven innings, before the Twins got three runs in the eighth off Jamie Moyer.

Seattle 6, Kansas City 4--Scott Bradley hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning at Seattle, and the Mariners overcame two homers by Bo Jackson to beat the Royals.

Bradley, who entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh, homered off Jeff Montgomery with two out. Pete O’Brien was hit by a pitch, and Edgar Martinez drew a walk from Mark Davis (1-5) before Bradley hit his first home run of the season.

Mike Schooler, the fourth Seattle pitcher, worked the ninth for his 19th save. Keith Comstock (3-2) got the victory.

Jackson hit a solo home run in the fourth off Russ Swan, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead, and added another in the sixth. That gave him 12 homers for the season and six two-homer games in his career.