AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : McDowell Likes Finishing What He Starts

Jack McDowell became the major leagues’ winningest pitcher Sunday with a 3-1 complete-game victory against the Kansas City Royals at Chicago.

McDowell, who has won 17 games, gave up his first run in 17 innings when George Brett hit a home run to start the ninth. But the former Stanford right-hander finished off the Royals for his league-leading 11th complete game, his fourth in a row.

McDowell (17-7) gave up five hits, struck out four and walked four as the White Sox won for the 18th time in 25 games.

“This was one of those games when I was struggling for control of every pitch,” McDowell said. “I had to really focus on every pitch. I was struggling to throw the ball where I wanted to. Fortunately all the balls that were hit hard were hit up in the air.”

McDowell has won five of his last seven decisions and has a 1.96 earned-run average in five starts this month.

“(McDowell) had good stuff and he did a number on us,” Royal Manager Hal McRae said. “Each time we mounted a threat, he got a fly ball or a ground ball to get him out of the inning.”

The White Sox scored on Robin Ventura’s home run during the fifth inning and Dale Sveum’s two-run single during the seventh.

Rick Reed (2-5) gave up three hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Royals’ center fielder Brian McRae turned an unassisted double play in the eighth when he caught George Bell’s fly ball and jogged to second base to double up Frank Thomas. It was the first unassisted double play by an American League outfielder since Oakland’s Bill North did it on July 28, 1974.

Oakland 7, Baltimore 3--Dennis Eckersley became the first pitcher in history to record 40 saves in four different seasons in the Athletics’ victory at Baltimore.

Eckersley needed only two pitches to earn his 40th save for the third consecutive season.

“I’m not going to make light of it, but I kind of feel silly talking about it. I got lucky and got an out,” he said, sheepishly. “You take what you can get.”

Mike Moore (13-10) gave up five hits in 8 2/3 innings, Harold Baines homered and Jose Canseco drove in four runs for the A’s.

Oriole starter Ben McDonald (12-9) gave up six runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Texas 14, Cleveland 4--Juan Gonzalez set a Ranger record with his 33rd and 34th homers and drove in a career-high five runs at Cleveland.

The Rangers ended the Indians’ five-game winning streak by scoring 11 runs in the final two innings. Gonzalez and Dean Palmer homered against Steve Olin (6-4) during the Rangers’ five-run eighth inning, and Brian Downing hit a three-run homer during a six-run ninth.

Gonzalez hit a three-run homer against Jose Mesa in the third inning to eclipse Larry Parrish’s 1987 team record of 32 homers. Gonzalez, who hit two-run homer during the eighth, has hit seven home runs in his last 10 games.

Seattle 9, Boston 3--Kevin Mitchell had three hits, including a two-run homer, and drove in four runs at Boston to help end Roger Clemens’ five-game winning streak.

Clemens (15-8) lost for the first time since July 24, giving up six runs and eight hits in six innings. He had seven strikeouts to increase his total to 171, taking over the league lead from New York’s Melido Perez, who has 165.

Dennis Powell (3-2), who took over for starter Tim Leary during the fifth, worked two innings for the victory. Leary, acquired Saturday from the New York Yankees for minor-leaguer Sean Twitty, gave up three runs and five hits in four innings, struck out two and walked three.

Minnesota 2, Toronto 0--Scott Erickson gave up four hits at Minneapolis in his third shutout of the season.

Erickson (9-10) struck out four and walked two.

Jimmy Key (8-11) gave up four hits in seven innings for the Blue Jays.

Detroit 3, Milwaukee 2--Rob Deer hit his 25th homer and singled home the go-ahead run during the ninth at Milwaukee.

It was Deer’s first run-scoring single of the season.

Bill Gullickson gave up four hits in seven innings and Mike Henneman (1-5) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.