AMERICAN LEAGUE : McGwire: Three Homers in a Row

Mark McGwire brought even the fans at Fenway Park to their feet.

McGwire hit three home runs in consecutive at-bats Sunday, and also tied a major league record with five homers in two consecutive games, leading the Oakland Athletics over the Boston Red Sox, 8-1.

McGwire, who leads the majors with 17 homers, connected against Zane Smith for solo shots in his first three at-bats. All three cleared the Green Monster, including a 463-foot shot and another drive that hit the light tower in left field.

“I saw the ball, I put three good swings on the ball and they left the park. That’s all that matters to me,” McGwire said. “That, and the fact that we won.”

McGwire drew a standing ovation after his third homer. Given a chance to tie the major league record for home runs in a game, he struck out swinging at a full-count pitch from Mike Maddux in the eighth inning and walked on four pitches from rookie Jeff Hudson in the ninth.

McGwire said the last time he saw an opposing player get a standing ovation was when Nolan Ryan pitched a no-hitter in Oakland.

“It feels great,” he said.

McGwire, who homered twice Saturday, became the 15th player in modern history to hit five home runs over consecutive games. He is the only American League player to accomplish the feat twice. Ralph Kiner did it twice in the National League.

On June 27, 1987, at Cleveland, McGwire had his other three-homer game. He hit two home runs the next day against the Indians. McGwire hit 49 homers that year, his rookie season.

“Being older now, I’m more aware of the feat and it feels better,” he said. “I feel the best I’ve ever felt in my career. My foot injuries are a thing of the past.”

Texas 3, Chicago 2--Juan Gonzalez homered for the second game in a row to give the Rangers a victory at Arlington, Tex., enabling them to maintain their one-game lead over the Angels in the American League West.

Gonzalez’s two-run shot, which scored Will Clark, was only his second homer of the season. He missed 35 games because of back problems.

Chicago starter Jim Abbott, who left after walking Jack Voigt to lead off the eighth, allowed seven hits and two runs. Jose DeLeon (2-2) gave up the homer to Gonzalez.

Texas starter Kenny Rogers was rocked by a 440-foot solo home run in the first inning by Frank Thomas.

Kansas City 3, Toronto 2--Jon Nunnally singled off the glove of leaping first baseman Ed Sprague with two outs in the 10th inning to score pinch-runner Les Norman and give the Royals a victory at Kansas City.

Hipolito Pichardo (3-1), who retired only one of seven batters in his previous outing, pitched 1 1/3 innings of two-hit relief for the victory.

Blue Jay starter David Cone, the 1994 Cy Young winner with Kansas City, pitched nine innings and struck out eight. He gave up seven hits and four walks, and threw a season-high 131 pitches.

Cone started against his longtime friend, Mark Gubicza, who gave up two runs on six hits in eight innings.

New York 10, Seattle 7--Catcher Jim Leyritz, who had four hits, singled with the bases loaded to highlight a five-run rally in the eighth inning at New York as the Yankees won for only the fifth time in 25 games.

They beat Seattle for the first time in six games this season, and prevented the Mariners from completing their first three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium.

Cleveland 11, Milwaukee 5--Albert Belle, doubling three times, had four of the Indians’ 19 hits and drove in three runs at Milwaukee.

Jim Thome and Carlos Baerga homered for the Indians, and Kenny Lofton had three hits, including a first-inning triple.

Detroit 8, Minnesota 2--John Flaherty homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the Tigers at Minneapolis.

Todd Steverson and Flaherty hit back-to-back home runs in the ninth, and Juan Samuel hit a two-run homer later in the inning off Twin reliever Dave Stevens.