AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Yankees Let a Big Lead Get Away and Lose, 10-9

Don Mattingly had ended his batting slump with two doubles and the New York Yankees appeared to be on the way to their fifth victory in a row Friday night at New York.

Charlie Hayes, Danny Tartabull and Kevin Maas had hit home runs and the Yankees built a 9-3 lead.

But they lost a five-run lead in the eighth and lost, 10-9, when Greg Vaughn hit a home run off Rich Monteleone, the sixth Yankee pitcher.

Vaughn’s homer, his eighth of the season, hit the left-field foul pole.

With a seemingly safe 9-4 lead, the Yankees gave Melido Perez, who had given up eight hits and struck out eight in seven innings, the rest of the night off.

In the eighth inning, Shawn Hillegas and Steve Howe let the game get away. Hillegas didn’t retire any of the three batters he faced. Howe came in with the bases loaded and nobody out.

Dave Nilsson, who had homered earlier, singled in two runs and Dante Bichette, the runner on first, went to third. Scott Fletcher hit a sacrifice fly. Then came one of the most unusual plays this season. The Yankees, claiming Bichette left third too soon, set up for the appeal play.

After assuming the pitching position on the mound, Howe made a leisurely throw to third. The ball sailed into the stands, Nilsson being awarded third from where he scored on Howe’s wild pitch. A single and Kevin Seitzer’s double produced the tying run.

It was the third extra inning game in a row for the Yankees.

Toronto 6, Chicago 2--It was a meeting of the league’s two hottest pitchers at Chicago and the Blue Jays’ Juan Guzman was more effective than Jack McDowell.

While Guzman (6-0) gave up five hits and struck out seven in eight innings, the Blue Jays hit four homers off McDowell (7-2).

It was the second poor outing in a row for McDowell after he won his first seven starts. He gave up nine hits and six runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Devon White hit a two-run home run in the third to get Guzman off to a fast start. Kelly Gruber, Manuel Lee and Roberto Alomar also hit home runs.

Guzman, who lost his first two starts when he joined the Blue Jays last June, is 16-1 since then.

Oakland 5, Boston 3--Dave Stewart might well have pitched a no-hitter if Wade Boggs hadn’t turned into a slugger at Boston.

As it was, with the help of stopper Dennis Eckersley, Stewart beat the Red Sox for the 12th consecutive time.

Boggs, who had not hit a home run all season, hit two--both over the Green Monster in left--doubled and scored all three Boston runs.

Stewart (3-4) departed in the eighth when Boggs was due up for the fourth time with a runner on base. Rick Honeycutt retired Boggs on a liner to center.

Oakland Manager Tony LaRussa didn’t hesitate to bring in Eckersley to get the last four outs for his major league-leading 17th save.

Jose Canseco hit his ninth home run, but it was Rickey Henderson who was most responsible for ending Frank Viola’s five-game winning streak. Henderson singled his first three times up, driving in two runs and scoring another.

Texas 10, Kansas City 7--The Rangers’ shaky bullpen, which blew a game for Nolan Ryan Thursday night at Arlington, Tex., almost did it again for Bobby Witt.

The relief pitchers gave up six runs in the last two innings in Thursday’s 7-5 loss, to give the Rangers a home record of 5-13.

Witt (4-4) departed with a 10-3 lead after striking out seven and walking only one.

Jeff Robinson came in to pitch the ninth. Before he finally retired the Royals, he gave up four runs and the Royals had the potential tying run at the plate.

The Rangers battered Mark Gubicza (4-3) for seven runs and 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings. Gubicza had won four in a row, three of them complete games.

Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run single with two out in the fifth when the Rangers scored four runs to take a 7-2 lead.

Detroit 6, Minnesota 3--Cecil Fielder hit a home run for the first time in a month and Rob Deer hit two at Detroit as the Tigers knocked off the Twins.

Fielder hit a three-run shot off John Smiley in the third inning. He had gone 65 at-bats without hitting a home run.

Deer was hitless in his last 17 at-bats before his two-run homer in the second inning. He hit No. 13 in the sixth inning.

Seattle 2, Cleveland 1--Randy Johnson was another pitcher flirting with a no-hitter. He didn’t give up a hit for 5 1/3 innings but settled for the victory at Seattle.

An error by shortstop Mark Lewis set up the winning rally for the Mariners, who had lost three in a row. Tino Martinez singled home two runs after the error.

The first hit off Johnson was a bunt single by Kenny Lofton, who stole second and scored on Carlos Baerga’s single.