AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tigers Get Lift From Terrell, 8-2

Cecil Fielder and Walt Terrell are two big reasons why the Detroit Tigers are still in the race in the American League East.

Fielder hit his 40th home run, and Terrell pitched a six-hitter in an 8-2 victory over the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night at Detroit.

The victory moved the Tigers to within five games of the Toronto Blue Jays and within a game of the second-place Red Sox. It also ended Boston’s seven-game winning streak.

Fielder, who came back from a year in Japan to lead the major leagues in home runs (51) and runs batted in (132) last year, became the first player in 11 years to hit 40 home runs in consecutive seasons. Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies did it in 1978-79.

Fielder, who drove in two runs to help Terrell (12-10) improve his record to 8-1 since the All-Star break, is leading the majors in home runs and runs batted in (121).

Not since 1969-70 has anyone in the American League had back-to-back 40 home run seasons. Both Harmon Killebrew and Frank Howard did it those years.

If Fielder leads the majors in home runs and RBIs for the second season in a row, he will join Babe Ruth and Jimmie Foxx as the only players to do so.

At the All-Star break Terrell, who has pitched for five teams in a 10-year career, was 4-9. He was pitching poorly and still was in the starting rotation because Manager Sparky Anderson did not have anyone else.

Before Terrell started turning his season around with a victory over Kansas City on July 13, the Tigers were eight games behind Toronto.

The 33-year-old right--hander has made 11 starts since the All-Star game. In eight of those he has been outstanding.

Seattle 7, Toronto 3--In their two-game sweep at Toronto, the Mariners showed little respect for the leaders of the East.

Pete O’Brien hit a two-run home run to lead a 13-hit attack and Erik Hanson pitched eight strong innings.

Tuesday night, the Mariners battled back from a 4-0 deficit to pull out a 5-4 victory.

Although they lead the East, Toronto plays only teams from the West the rest of the season. The Mariners arrived in Toronto with the worst record in the division.

Hanson (8-7) gave up six hits in eight innings.

By the third, the Mariners had knocked out Jimmy Key (15-10) and given Hanson a 6-0 lead.

Kansas City 4, Minnesota 1--Mark Davis gave up four hits and a run in five innings at Kansas City to win his fifth in a row.

Kevin Tapani (14-8), who had won nine in a row, lost for the first time since June 24.

With the White Sox losing, the Twins still lead the West by nine with 22 games remaining.

Oakland 6, Chicago 5--Although Jose Canseco already had his 38th home run and a single, the White Sox elected to walk Rickey Henderson and tried to get out of a jam by coaxing Canseco to hit into a double play.

It didn’t work. Canseco hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning at Oakland to give the Athletics the victory.

The game marked the debut of 19-year-old Todd Van Poppel, the A’s touted rookie. For three innings, the youngster was sensational. He struck out five in a row and led, 1-0.

But he gave up five runs in the fourth. Van Poppel gave up a two-run triple by Dan Pasqua and a two-run home run by Carlton Fisk. Fisk’s home run was his 369th.

The sacrifice fly gave Canseco 101 runs batted in.

Dennis Eckersley (4-3), who failed to save the victory Tuesday night, was the winner in this one.

Baltimore 4, New York 2--Joe Orsulak and Sam Horn hit two-run homers at Baltimore and the Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Yankees for the first time in nine years.