AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Blue Jays’ Henke, Nearly at Full Strength, Saves Game for Key, 2-0

The Toronto Blue Jays have many ways to beat you. They have power, speed and defense.

But, the strongest part of the club may be pitching. Veteran left-hander Jimmy Key gave a sparkling exhibition Wednesday night at Toronto before suffering a leg cramp in the ninth inning of a 2-0 victory over the New York Yankees.

Key, a 16-game winner last season, held the Yankees to three hits before giving way to Tom Henke for the last three outs.

“On the second pitch to (Don) Mattingly to open the ninth, I felt the cramp when I tried to push off the mound,” Key said. “I probably could have stayed around, but it didn’t make sense.”

Henke, told two days ago he would return to the role of bullpen closer, came in with a two-ball, one-strike count on Mattingly and Randy Velarde on second, after a double. Henke shut the Yankees down.

“I’m feeling between 98 and 99% of my best,” Henke said after his first save. “I still feel a bit of a twinge in the shoulder after I warm up, but hopefully I can put the injuries behind me.”

Pat Borders drove in one of the Toronto runs and scored the other.

Melido Perez (1-1) went seven innings for the Yankees in his second solid effort.

In the first inning Borders bounced a single off Mattingly’s glove to score a run. The second run was helped by Perez’s error. Borders singled, went to third on Perez’s two-base error on a throw that went into the stands and scored on a sacrifice fly.

Oakland 10, Kansas City 6--Jose Canseco had three singles and his fifth home run and Rickey Henderson hit his second home run and was on base five times at Kansas City.

After spotting the Royals a 5-1 lead, the Athletics came back to win with a three-run seventh inning, improving their record to 7-2.

Jeff Parrett, filling the job of middle reliever, again benefited from the heavy hitting to improve his record to 3-0, although he gave up a run in 2 2/3 innings.

Seattle 6, Chicago 0--Ken Griffey Jr. and Jeff Schaefer hit two-run home runs more than an hour apart at Chicago, although they were hit in successive innings.

Griffey hit his home run, his second in the fourth inning. Then came rain and play was delayed for one hour 20 minutes.

When play resumed in the fifth inning, Schaefer hit his first homer of the season, the second of his career.

Rookie Dave Fleming was the winner, giving up six hits in seven innings. Former Angel Kirk McCaskill suffered his first loss for the White Sox.

Detroit 8, Cleveland 1--The Tigers’ terrible start (1-7) was weighing heavily on veteran shortstop Alan Trammell. He decided to do something about it.

Trammell and Milt Cuyler each had two hits and drove in two runs to make it easy for Eric King.

King, after being pounded by the Yankees in his first start, scattered nine hits through seven innings for the victory.

Milwaukee 7, Minnesota 4--After the Twins scored three runs in the ninth inning, B.J. Surhoff singled in two runs in the 10th to trigger a three-run outburst. Rookie Jim Austin, who got the last out in the ninth, wound up with his first victory.

In an effort to pull out a victory Twin Manager Tom Kelly had Kirby Puckett playing second base and third in the 10th.

Boston 6, Baltimore 5--Jody Reed figured there was some luck in his bat when his bloop single in the eighth inning at Boston drove in two runs and gave the Red Sox the victory.

“I didn’t hit the ball, the ball hit the bat,” Reed said. “It was cold and the ball was tough to see in the sun. I just managed to ‘quail’ the ball over the infield.”

With two out and two on and Baltimore leading, 5-4, Wade Boggs was given an intentional walk. Reed made the decisive hit on a 1-and-2 count.