AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Clemens Wins, Makes Boston’s Day

Red Sox Manager Butch Hobson celebrated a one-year contract extension with one of his favorite activities--watching Roger Clemens blow the ball past an opponent.

“When he pitches, I just sit back and relax,” said Hobson, whose team defeated the Mariners, 5-3, Friday night at Boston for its 16th victory in 21 games.

Clemens struck out six and held Seattle to four hits in six innings in his return from a groin injury. The Red Sox went 15-5 while Clemens was on the disabled list.

“I was a little sharper than I expected to be,” said Clemens (8-6), who made his first appearance since June 18. “It was an exciting day. We got good news about 10 minutes before we took the field about Butch. You have to feel good about that.”

Bob Zupcic and Mike Greenwell had two-run doubles and Andre Dawson doubled in another run as the Red Sox had 10 hits--five of them doubles. Boston scored two runs in the third inning and three in the fourth. All their runs came with two out.

Clemens worked out of two jams. He struck out Rich Amaral with the bases loaded to end the second, and gave up only one run after Seattle loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Amaral drove in the run with a groundout.

“I’ve never seen Roger Clemens throw better,” said Seattle Manager Lou Piniella. “We came back, but we just fell a little short.”

Kansas City 7, Toronto 3--Royal Manager Hal MacRae was happy with the Chris Haney he saw in a victory over the Blue Jays at Toronto.

“Oh man, that was like night and day,” McRae said. “He was aggressive tonight. At times this season, I’ve felt he was tentative, and you can’t win that way.”

Wally Joyner homered, scored four runs and drove in two. Haney (6-2) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before the Blue Jays got to him for three consecutive singles. The left-hander gave up six hits, struck out six and walked three in 7 2/3 innings.

Chicago 4, Milwaukee 3--Lance Johnson tripled and scored the winning run on Ron Karkovice’s suicide bunt single in the ninth inning at Milwaukee.

Johnson tripled to center off Cal Eldred (10-9) before Karkovice dropped down the bunt on a 1-0 pitch. The bunt got by third baseman B.J. Surhoff, who retrieved the ball too late to get Karkovice as Johnson scored easily.

The victory went to Scott Radinsky (3-0), the second White Sox reliever. He pitched two-thirds of an inning, and Roberto Hernandez got his 18th save with a perfect ninth.

In the eighth inning, the benches emptied after White Sox first base coach Doug Mansolino started walking angrily toward the Brewers’ dugout, where Milwaukee Manager Phil Garner came out to greet him. Mansolino had to be restrained and was ejected.

New York 10, Oakland 3--Jimmy Key tied a career high by winning his eighth consecutive decision, and Danny Tartabull and Paul O’Neill homered at New York.

Key (12-2) gave up only five hits in seven innings, but two of them were solo homers. Rickey Henderson hit his 13th in the third and Dave Henderson his 11th in the sixth.

The victory was only the third in 12 games for New York, ended a three-game losing streak and moved the Yankees within a game of first-place Toronto in the American League East.

Baltimore 9, Minnesota 7--Mike Devereaux, Harold Baines and David Segui homered in a four-run fifth inning that carried the Orioles past the reeling Twins at Baltimore.

Devereaux went four for four with three runs batted in as the Orioles moved a season-high eight games over .500 and pulled within a half-game of league-leading Toronto in the American League East. Baltimore has won six of eight.

Kent Hrbek homered and drove in four runs for the Twins, who have lost seven of eight.

Texas 9, Detroit 6--Juan Gonzalez hit a pair of two-run homers at Arlington to become the 11th-youngest player to reach 100 home runs, and the Rangers extended their winning streak to six games.

Gonzalez hit a two-run shot in the first inning and added his major league-leading 25th homer of the season in the third, giving the Rangers a 6-2 lead. He reached 100 homers at 23 years 9 months, tying him with Joe DiMaggio for No. 11 on the major league list.

At 22 years 4 months 10 days, Mel Ott was the youngest to reach the milestone.