AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Erickson’s One-Hitter Is Vintage ’91

Although he was a 20-game winner in 1991, Scott Erickson hurt his elbow last June and struggled for more than a year.

Erickson only recently regained strength in his arm and started pitching the way he did early last season when he won 12 in a row.

Erickson pitched his best game in more than a year when he held the Red Sox to one hit in the Minnesota Twins’ 5-0 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Friday at Boston.

Erickson (7-7) outpitched Roger Clemens (10-7), and Tom Brunansky singled to lead off the third inning for the only Red Sox hit.

Brunansky singled home Phil Plantier with the winning run in the ninth inning of the nightcap and the Red Sox earned a split, 5-4.

Randy Bush provided all the offense Erickson needed. He reached Clemens for a run-scoring double and a home run.

It was the second consecutive pitching battle for Erickson and Clemens. Last Saturday, Clemens pitched a two-hitter and beat Erickson, 1-0, on a run driven in by Wade Boggs in the first inning.

Erickson struck out three and his sinkerball forced the Red Sox to hit 17 ground outs.

Although this was only his second victory in his last five starts, Erickson has been pitching well. In the last 39 innings, he has given up 26 hits and only six runs.

“I feel fine now,” Erickson said. “I don’t want to talk about last year. That’s in the past. I just want to do my part in the stretch drive.”

Boston Manager Butch Hobson left between games for the hospital, where his wife was giving birth.

Kirby Puckett, who was rested for most of the first game, had two hits in the nightcap to raise his league-leading average to .334.

Oakland 6, Toronto 5--Mike Bordick lined a two-run double off Tom Henke in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Athletics to victory.

Dennis Eckersley (3-0), who gave up a homer to Candy Maldonado in the top of the ninth, was the winner. Henke (3-2) gave up hits to three of the four batters he faced in the ninth.

Mark McGwire, who leads the majors in home runs, hit his 29th of the season.

Baltimore 9, Texas 2--Bill Ripken and Brady Anderson hit run-scoring doubles in a five-run sixth inning at Baltimore that carried the Orioles to victory in a rain-shortened game.

The game was called with the Orioles batting in the eighth after a 43-minute rain delay.

Rookie Arthur Rhodes (2-0) pitched a six-hitter for his first complete game and ended the Orioles’ three-game losing streak.

Every Oriole had at least one hit in the 14-hit assault.

It was Rhodes’ 11th major league start. In three starts this season, he has a 2.49 earned-run average.

Milwaukee 3, Chicago 2--When Terry Leach tried to throw a pitchout in the eighth inning at Milwaukee, Scott Fletcher foiled the plan and won the game. Fletcher reached out and stroked a double to drive in what proved to be the winning run.

Pinch-hitter B.J. Surhoff was on first after a single when the pitchout was called. He was running with the pitch and scored easily.

New York 8, Seattle 7--Charlie Hayes homered in the ninth inning at Seattle to send the Mariners to their seventh loss in a row.

Hayes’ 11th homer came with two outs off Dennis Powell (2-2), the fourth Seattle pitcher, and atoned for an error that led to three Seattle runs.

Steve Farr (1-1), the fifth Yankee pitcher, earned the victory after blowing a save opportunity in the eighth inning when he gave up a bases-loaded walk after entering the game.

Kansas City 8, Cleveland 3--Brian McRae ended an 0-for-19 slump with three hits at Cleveland and the Royals ended a power slump.

McRae’s hits included a two-run triple and he had a hand in the first four runs.

George Brett had four hits and has 2,928, No. 24 on the all-time list. With 66 games left, Brett has a chance to reach 3,000 this season.