AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : One Gets Away From Red Sox

Boston’s clubhouse was quiet, and the players seemed stunned. Games such as this are the ones that are remembered when a team falls just short in October.

Randy Velarde’s sacrifice fly in the ninth inning gave the Yankees a 6-5 victory Saturday at New York after the Red Sox had rallied to take a 5-4 lead.

That came in the eighth inning on Mo Vaughn’s two-run, 457-foot homer into the upper deck against Paul Gibson. Reliever Jeff Russell, sidelined since April 28 because of back spasms, came on to close the game out.

Instead, the Yankees reopened it. A walk to Luis Polonia, singles by Wade Boggs and Don Mattingly and Velarde’s sacrifice fly gave New York the victory.

“Sometimes, you’re going to get beat whether you’re on or off,” said Russell (0-2), who blew a save for the third time in 11 chances.

Boston lost its second in a row to the Yankees after arriving in New York with a seven-game winning streak and the best record in the major leagues. The Red Sox haven’t lost three in a row this season. The Yankees are 8-1 at home this season.

Russell’s problems began when he walked Polonia, who then stole second.

Boggs singled Polonia to third and Mattingly’s single tied the score. Danny Tartabull’s fly to right advanced pinch-runner Gerald Williams to third and Paul O’Neill was intentionally walked.

Velarde then flied to short left, with Williams easily beating Lee Tinsley’s throw.

Chicago 4, Kansas City 2--Jack McDowell won for the first time in nearly a month, giving up seven hits in 6 1/3 innings, and Frank Thomas hit his 10th homer at Chicago.

McDowell (2-4), the Cy Young Award winner last season, had lost three consecutive decisions and not made it past the fifth inning in his two previous starts. He won for the first time since April 9.

Detroit 10, Seattle 4--Chris Gomez hit the first two homers of his career and the Tigers won at Detroit in a game shortened to six innings because of rain.

Gomez, who had not homered in 158 at-bats, homered to left-center field in the third inning, then went to right field in the sixth. He also singled in the fourth inning and drove in four runs.

Toronto 3, Milwaukee 2--Pat Borders jarred the ball loose from catcher Dave Nilsson to score the tying run with two out in the ninth inning, and Paul Molitor followed with an RBI single for the winning run at Toronto.

The Blue Jays trailed, 3-2, when Borders singled and moved to second on a groundout. Devon White, the potential winning run, was intentionally walked and Domingo Cedeno singled to right field.

Turner Ward’s throw home beat Borders, but he knocked the ball from Nilsson’s glove. Molitor’s single off third baseman Kevin Seitzer’s glove brought home the winning run and ended the Blue Jays’ three-game losing streak.

Minnesota 9, Texas 7--Shane Mack homered and drove in two runs, and David McCarty had three hits to lead the Twins at Arlington, Tex.

Pat Mahomes (2-1) had his best outing of the season, giving up two runs and five hits in six innings, and the Twins got eight hits--six for extra bases--against Kenny Rogers (2-4) in 6 1/3 innings.