AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Mariners Sail Into First Place, 1-0

Except for the first few days in a couple of seasons, the Seattle Mariners had never been in first place in their 14 seasons in the American League.

But when Randy Johnson and Bill Swift shut out the Yankees, 1-0, Friday night at New York and Oakland lost, the Mariners moved into first place in the West.

Pete O’Brien singled home Ken Griffey Sr. with the only run of the game in the second inning and the Mariners won their fifth in a row and their 10th in the last 11.

The Mariners, who have never finished higher than fourth or within five games of .500, have been sensational since opening the season by losing their first six games. Since then they are 21-8.

Johnson, a 6-10 left-hander, held the Yankees to three hits and struck out 10 in seven innings. But the big guy left because of stiffness in his back, and Swift gave up one more hit in the last two innings to get his fifth save.

It hasn’t been all that easy for the Mariners to reach the top. They have been without bullpen ace Mike Schooler since spring training. He had 63 saves in the last two seasons. Two starters, Scott Bankhead and Erik Hanson, have arm problems and now Johnson may have an ailing back.

“There’s no problem with me,” Johnson said. “It just stiffened a little. It’s exciting to be in first place for a day, but it’s only May. We have four months to go.”

After O’Brien’s single drove in the only run, Tim Leary (2-3) retired 17 batters in a row before walking O’Brien in the eighth.

“In a sense, I’m relieved,” Leary said. “I got my mechanics together. I haven’t been pitching well. I had a mechanical flaw.”

Leary gave up only three hits in 8 2/3 innings.

The only other time the Mariners were ever seven games over .500 was on July 8, 1982. But they faded soon after.

Cleveland 11, Oakland 6--Until the Athletics arrived, it wasn’t much of a home sweet home for the Indians. They went into this game with a 2-11 record at Cleveland.

But the Indians, who humiliated the Athletics last week at Oakland, scoring 35 runs in two games, picked up where they left off.

Brook Jacoby, recently off the disabled list, hit a home run and drove in four runs as the Indians chased Mike Moore (5-2) and had all their runs in four innings. Jacoby’s home run climaxed a six-run fourth inning that gave Tom Candiotti an 11-2 lead.

Candiotti (5-1) kept his earned-run average just above 1.00 by giving up a run in eight innings.

“We don’t own anything over anybody,” Cleveland Manager John McNamara said. “We’ve just been successful against them to date. Tomorrow is another date.”

Minnesota 8, Detroit 1--Scott Erickson pitched pretty well in his first two starts for the Twins this season. But the Twins didn’t score a run in either game and the big, young right-hander opened the season 0-2.

The Twins’ hitters have been making it up to Erickson recently. This was the second time in a row they scored nine runs for him.

In winning his sixth in a row, Erickson wasn’t particularly effective at Detroit. He walked five and gave up six hits before leaving with one out in the seventh.

Greg Gagne singled in the tie-breaking run in the fifth and triggered a three-run rally.

Chicago 5, Toronto 3--Utility man Craig Grebeck came into the game at Chicago as a pinch runner in the seventh inning and became a hitting star in the eighth.

After Frank Thomas singled in a run in the seventh to tie the game, Grebeck came in as a runner because Thomas has a sore leg.

Grebeck came up with the bases loaded in the eighth and the game still 2-2. He lined a double into the left-field corner to score two runs and give the White Sox the victory.

Donn Pall won it in relief and Bobby Thigpen, though giving up a run in the ninth, picked up his seventh save.

Milwaukee 7, Kansas City 5--Dale Sveum hit a two-run triple in the 10th inning at Kansas City to give the Brewers a wild comeback victory.

The Brewers, pretty well handled by Tom Gordon, wiped out a 5-1 deficit in the ninth inning. The tying run scored on a close play at second on a grounder by Greg Vaughn. Runner Gary Sheffield was ruled safe at second. The TV replay indicated Sheffield was out.

Given the life, the Brewers broke it open in the 10th.

Texas 6, Boston 4--Kevin Reimer had three hits and drove in two runs at Arlington, Tex., and the Rangers extended their winning streak to five games.

Although he gave up nine hits and four runs in six innings, Kevin Brown evened his record at 3-3.

Greg Harris (1-5) struck out the side in the first, but the Rangers jumped on him for six hits and five runs in the next two innings.