AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Boggs Is Bronx Bomber Again in Yankee Win

To Wade Boggs, it doesn’t matter whether the baseball is livelier this year.

“I don’t care if it’s juiced, you still have to hit it,” Boggs said after his first-inning home run started the New York Yankees on a rout of the Chicago White Sox, 10-1, Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

Boggs has hit six home runs this season, three times as many as last season.

Boggs also had an RBI single and Gerald Williams homered as New York ended a two-game losing streak. The Yankees, with the best record in the majors, have not lost three in a row since the second week of the season.

Paul O’Neill was hitless in five at-bats for the Yankees and has now gone hitless in consecutive games for the first time this season, dropping his major league-leading average from .459 to .428.

Oakland 7, Toronto 2--Ron Darling (4-6) struck out eight in Toronto as the A’s won their fourth in a row over the Blue Jays, who fell to 10 games behind the East-leading Yankees. It was only the 15th victory for the A’s, who have baseball’s worst record.

Texas 7, Milwaukee 4--Oddibe McDowell drove in three runs and Roger Pavlik earned his first victory with seven strong innings in Milwaukee as the Rangers won for the fourth time in five games.

McDowell and Rusty Greer each had two-run singles off Jaime Navarro (2-5) in the first inning, and the struggling pitcher never recovered.

Kansas City 9, Boston 7--Mike Macfarlane made up for an error and getting thrown out at home by hitting a grand slam for the Royals in Boston. Brian McRae was the other offensive star for the Royals with the first five-hit game of his career: four singles and an RBI double.

With Boston ahead 2-1, McRae led off the fourth with a single. Walks to Dave Henderson and Felix Jose loaded the bases before Macfarlane hit his seventh homer.

Detroit 7, Baltimore 6--Cecil Fielder, Kirk Gibson and Junior Felix homered in a five-run fifth inning that lifted the Tigers past the slumping Orioles in Baltimore.

Leo Gomez, Harold Baines and Mark McLemore homered for the Orioles, who have lost four of five.

Detroit snapped a 2-2 tie in the fifth against rookie Mike Oquist (1-1). Travis Fryman hit a two-out double and Fielder broke a 14-game homerless drought with his 12th. Gibson followed with his 10th homer. After Mickey Tettleton walked, Felix drove a pitch into the center field seats.

That finished Oquist, making his first major league start. He is best known so far for hitting five batters in 17 2/3 innings, one Tuesday.

Minnesota 6, Seattle 2--Scott Erickson made a successful return from the disabled list, limiting Seattle to four hits in six innings for the Twins in Minneapolis.

Kirby Puckett drove in three runs with a bases-loaded single and a walk for the Twins as they handed the Mariners their sixth loss in eight games. Puckett recorded his ninth assist, most among AL outfielders.