AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Seattle Catches Angels on Their Way Down

L.A. Times Archives

Sept. 21, 1995 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

The Seattle Mariners, 13 games behind the Angels on Aug. 4, tied them for first place in the AL West with a 11-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night at Seattle.

Ken Griffey Jr. hit a home run and made a sensational catch in center field, leaping high in the sixth inning to rob Juan Gonzalez of a homer. Luis Sojo, who homered and drove in six runs, had four of Seattle’s season-high 20 hits.

It is the first time in the Mariners’ 19-year history that they have been in first place in any month after May. The Angels lost their seventh game in a row, 9-6, in Oakland on Wednesday afternoon.

A crowd of 26,524 cheered the Mariners on a day when votes were still being counted to determine whether a measure will be passed to help build a new ballpark for the team. The Mariners have said they will likely move without a new stadium.

With the score 10-1 in the sixth, the fans began waving brooms and chanting “Sweep, Sweep, Sweep.” Seattle took all three games, and has won seven of eight overall.

The Mariners, who were most recently tied for the division lead on May 17, beat Texas for the eighth time in nine games this season. Seattle and the Angels lead the wild-card race by one game over the New York Yankees. Kansas City is 3 1/2 back and Texas is four behind.

Seattle, the Yankees and the Angels all have nine games left. Seattle plays host to the Angels for two games next week.

Andy Benes (6-1) won his fourth consecutive decision. Bob Tewksbury (8-7) re-injured his left hamstring in the second inning and left with Texas trailing, 5-0.

The Mariners took a 4-0 lead in the first on a two-run homer by Griffey, his 14th, and a two-run single by Sojo.

Tewksbury hurt himself while running to cover first on Joey Cora’s grounder. He pulled his hamstring in the second inning in his last game in Toronto on Sept. 12.

Griffey had a run-scoring single when Seattle took a 6-0 lead in the second.

Sojo hit a two-run homer, his seventh, off Dennis Cook in the third and had another run-scoring single in the fourth to make the score 9-0. He drove in his sixth run with a single in the eighth.

Otis Nixon doubled in a run in the fifth and Rusty Greer hit his 12th homer in the seventh.

New York 2, Toronto 1--Sterling Hitchcock pitched a six-hitter at Yankee Stadium in his final scheduled start of the season, keeping the Yankees near the top of the wild-card standings.

It was New York’s third victory in a row, its seventh consecutive at home and its eighth in a row over the Blue Jays. The Yankees, winners of 18 of their last 24 games, moved to within one game of Seattle and the Angels in the wild-card race.

After giving up a run in the first inning on a walk and two singles, Hitchcock (9-10) allowed only four more baserunners. The Yankees scored both their runs in the first off Pat Hentgen (10-12) on a groundout by Dion James and a single by Don Mattingly.

Minnesota 5, Kansas City 4--Rich Becker singled home the go-ahead run in the 12th inning and the Twins further derailed the Royals’ wild-card hopes at Kansas City, Mo.

About 500 fans from the announced crowd of 12,372 were left in the stands when Wally Joyner struck out with a runner on first base to end the game. Kansas City fell 3 1/2 behind the Angels and Seattle in the wild-card standings.

Becker’s single drove in pinch-runner Denny Hocking after Jeff Reboulet and Matt Walbeck each singled with two outs off reliever Rusty Meachem (4-3). Dave Stevens (5-3) pitched three innings for the victory.

“It’s the old, ‘I think I can, I think I can,’ ” said left fielder Tom Goodwin, whose throw was too late to catch Hocking with the go-ahead run. “But now we’re going to need some help.”

Chicago 4, Cleveland 3--Chris Snopek had three hits, including his first major league home run, to lead the White Sox at Chicago. Albert Belle grounded out to end the game, making him hitless in four at-bats with a walk. He had tied the major league record with five home runs in his previous two games.

Baltimore 6, Detroit 3--Rafael Palmeiro tied a career high with his 37th home run, and Scott Erickson pitched his sixth complete game of the season at Detroit.

Brady Anderson and Harold Baines also homered for the Orioles. Erickson (12-10) gave up eight hits, struck out six and walked none.

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Wild-Card Races

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Division Leaders

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Team Division W L Cleveland* Central 93 42 Boston* East 81 53 Angels West 72 63 Seattle West 72 63

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Wild Card

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Team W L Pct. GB New York 71 64 .526 1 Kansas City 68 66 .507 3 1/2 Texas 68 67 .504 4 Oakland 67 68 .496 5

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