AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : A’s Put a Stop to Red Sox Streak at 10, 9-5

When the Oakland Athletics face a team threatening to usurp their championship laurels, it seems to bring out the best in them.

And Rickey Henderson is usually leading the way.

The left fielder made another pitch for most-valuable-player honors Monday night at Boston. The Red Sox built an imposing lead in the American League East by winning 10 in a row, and Henderson was ready for them.

He singled to left to open the game and trigger a five-run rally, later hit his first home run at Fenway Park and led the Athletics to a 9-5 victory.

The blow that killed the Red Sox’s winning streak and finished Dana Kiecker, was a three-run home run by Terry Steinbach with two out that made it 5-0.

Steinbach and Kiecker are Minnesota neighbors during the off-season and often work out together.

On the pitch before he hit his 12th home run, Steinbach fouled a pitch off his knee. After circling the bases, he limped off the field and was removed from the game.

Kiecker had a string of scoreless innings ended at 15 when Mark McGwire singled with the bases loaded for the first two runs.

For a right-handed hitter, Fenway Park is probably the easiest in the majors to hit home runs. But it was not until he hit the 162nd of his career in the seventh inning that Henderson hit his first one there.

The home run took the steam out of a Red Sox comeback. A two-run home run by former Dodger Mike Marshall cut the lead to 5-3, but they seemed to sink when Henderson hit his 24th home run.

Each team lead its division by 6 1/2 games, and the series is being billed as a championship preview. Tonight, the Red Sox hope to even it with Roger Clemens going for his ninth victory in a row, facing 17-game winner Dave Stewart.

Chicago 4, Kansas City 2--Bobby Thigpen blanked the Royals in the ninth inning at Chicago for a record 47th save.

Thigpen, who has a good shot to get 50 or more, broke the record of 46 set by Dave Righetti of the New York Yankees in 1986.

Carlton Fisk hit a tiebreaking home run in the sixth inning to keep the White Sox 6 1/2 games back of Oakland. The blast into the upper deck extended Fisk’s record for a catcher to 330.

Detroit 5, Toronto 0--Joining the Tigers has given the careers of Cecil Fielder and Walt Terrell a big lift.

They put a crimp in the Blue Jays’ bid for the championship in the East in this game at Detroit.

Fielder, who joined the Tigers after playing last season in Japan, hit his major league-leading 43rd home run, and it was his 113th run batted in, also best in the majors.

Terrell, making an amazing comeback with the Tigers, gave up only four hits in seven innings, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five. It was his fourth win in his last five starts.

Terrell, released by Pittsburgh before catching on with the Tigers, is 38-13 at Tiger Stadium during his career.

The Blue Jays, who had won four in a row, the last Dave Stieb’s no-hitter Sunday, missed a chance to gain on Boston. They trail by 6 1/2 games with 27 left.

Texas 6, Cleveland 2--The Indians were ripe for consecutive no-hitters at Arlington, Tex., but avoided that with two hits in eight innings off Nolan Ryan.

Stieb of Toronto held the Indians hitless Sunday. Ryan has six no-hitters.

But Candy Maldonado tripled in the fourth inning and Ryan (13-7) had to settle for his 302nd victory.

Minnesota 6-9, Milwaukee 0-5--For two weeks the Brewers played brilliantly, winning 10 of 13 games.

Then, the lowly Twins came to Milwaukee and swept a pair.

Mark Guthrie pitched a four-hitter for his first major league shutout in the opener, and Shane Mack’s three-run double in a five-run ninth won the second game.

Guthrie (6-7) struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

In the second game Rick Aguilera (5-3) gave up the tying run in the eighth, but won on Mack’s hit.

Seattle 6, Baltimore 2--There seems no end in sight to the Orioles’ slump. Matt Young (7-14) pitched a strong seven innings at Baltimore to hand the Orioles their ninth defeat in 10 games and 20th in 27 games.