AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Red Sox Pull Into Tie for Lead; Fielder Hits 49th

The race for the American League East championship has been reduced from a marathon to a two-team, six-game sprint.

The Boston Red Sox withstood Cecil Fielder’s 49th home run of the season and pulled even with the idle Toronto Blue Jays atop the division by defeating the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, Thursday night in Detroit.

“This is what baseball is all about,” Boston’s Dwight Evans said. “This was a tremendous win for us. It wasn’t do or die, but it was mighty important.”

Tom Bolton held Detroit to an unearned run and four hits in seven innings, and Mike Greenwell hit a two-run double in Boston’s three-run fourth.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a victory under my belt,” Bolton said. “It turns out it was a big one. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bigger victory. I’m really happy.”

With six games remaining in the regular season, the Red Sox and Blue Jays have 84-72 records. They begin a three-game series in Boston tonight.

Bolton (10-5), who had lost his previous three starts, all on the road, struck out five and walked one. Dennis Lamp started the eighth for Boston and surrendered Fielder’s home run into the first row of the upper deck.

Fielder became the fourth major leaguer in the past 21 years to reach 49 homers. Cincinnati’s George Foster hit 52 in 1977, and Oakland’s Mark McGwire and Andre Dawson of the Chicago Cubs both hit 49 in 1987. The only Tiger to reach 50 was Hank Greenberg, who hit 58 in 1938.

Baltimore 5, Cleveland 3--Dave Johnson won on the road for the first time since July 28 and Gregg Olson set an Oriole record with his 35th save.

Johnson (13-8), Baltimore’s winningest pitcher, yielded two runs and eight hits over eight innings. He is 9-0 after Oriole losses. Olson gave up a run and three hits in the ninth and broke the mark of 34 saves set by Don Aase in 1986.

Texas 8, Oakland 6--Rookie Scott Chiamparino earned his first major league victory against the team that traded him as the Rangers denied Oakland its 100th victory.

In Arlington, Tex., Chiamparino (1-2), a Bay Area native who came to Texas from Oakland last month in the trade for Harold Baines, held the AL West champions to seven hits and four runs over seven innings. He struck out four and walked five.

The Rangers raked starter Scott Sanderson (17-11) for eight runs in three innings.

Chicago 6, Milwaukee 4--Bobby Thigpen extended his record to 55 saves with one perfect inning at Chicago, and the White Sox set a major league mark of 65 saves.