Raines’ Three Homers Lead Way

As Tim Raines trotted to the dugout following his third homer of the game, Frank Thomas vowed he’d hit a homer just to make sure Raines didn’t get too cocky.

“I told him I’ve got to hit a homer the last time up or else he would talk all day,” said Thomas, who backed up his promise two batters later as the Chicago White Sox routed the Boston Red Sox, 12-1, Monday at Boston.

Raines hit solo homers leading off the first and third innings and a two-run drive in the eighth. He also walked, singled and reached on an error in the ninth. Raines scored five runs and drove in four.

It was the first three-homer game of Raines’ career. All three were hit to right field, helped by a 12 m.p.h. wind.

“I don’t consider myself a home run hitter. But on a day like today, you just try to get one up in the air in the direction the wind is blowing,” Raines said. “Out of the three I hit, I thought maybe one would have cleared the fence.”

Raines has 10 of his 11 hits this season against Boston, including all five of his homers. He hit a pair of home runs against the Red Sox on April 8 at Chicago.

The power display by the White Sox, who also got a three-run triple from Joey Cora, overshadowed Wilson Alvarez taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and winning his 11th consecutive decision.

Alvarez (3-0) hasn’t lost since last Aug. 11. He won his final seven decisions last season, defeated Toronto in the playoffs and has allowed just five earned runs in three starts this season.

Alvarez had a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings, when Andre Dawson singled high off the left-field wall. Mo Vaughn followed with Boston’s second hit, a liner to left that Raines trapped.

Alvarez, who walked four and struck out four, lost his shutout in the seventh when John Valentin doubled off the left-field wall and Rich Rowland hit a run-scoring single off the wall to knock out Alvarez.

Chicago hit eight homers in the three-game series in Fenway Park and has 14 in six games against the Red Sox this season. Thomas, who now has six home runs this year, homered in all three games of the series.

“It was a good old butt whipping. I’m glad to see Chicago leave here,” Boston Manager Butch Hobson said. “Those guys can swing the bats.”

Cora tripled after Danny Darwin (2-1) walked the bases loaded in the fourth. Chicago added three runs in the seventh and four in the eighth on the homers by Raines and Thomas.

The traditional Patriots’ Day game started at 11:07 a.m., an hour before the start of the Boston Marathon. The lead runners passed Fenway Park, a mile from the end of the race, in the ninth inning.