It’s No Joke: Rangers 26, Orioles 7

The Texas Rangers scored 16 runs in the eighth inning--one short of the modern major league record--and scored the most runs by an American League team in 41 years Friday night, routing the Baltimore Orioles, 26-7, at Arlington, Texas.

Kevin Elster’s grand slam off backup infielder Manny Alexander highlighted the biggest eighth inning in baseball history.

Juan Gonzalez homered and drove in six runs, Dean Palmer homered twice and Will Clark also connected in the highest-scoring game by an American League team since Chicago beat Kansas City, 29-6, on April 23, 1955. The Rangers combined eight hits and eight walks in the eighth against Armando Benitez, Jesse Orosco and Alexander, the first position player to pitch for the Orioles since catcher Jeff Tackett in 1993. Alexander walked four, three with the bases loaded, and gave up Elster’s slam.

Texas posted its biggest inning ever, breaking the mark of 12 in the 15th inning against Oakland on July 3, 1983.

The Chicago Cubs scored 26 runs last season in Colorado. The White Sox, in 1955, and Boston in 1950 hold the modern record of 29 runs in a game. The Red Sox set the modern record of 17 runs in an inning on June 18, 1953.

A crowd of 41,184, largest of the season at The Ballpark in Arlington, saw Clark hit a solo homer in the fifth inning that put Texas ahead for good at 7-6. The Rangers have won nine of 10 home games.

The game lasted 4 hours, 15 minutes, one minute short of the AL record for a nine-inning game and three minutes shy of the major league mark.

Minnesota 7, New York 1--Dwight Gooden’s comeback took another step back as he failed to get out of the fourth inning at Minneapolis in his worst outing of the season.

Gooden (0-3), who returned to the majors this season after a 1 1/2-year suspension for violating his drug aftercare program, has lost all three of his starts and has an 11.48 earned-run average.

In three-plus innings, he was tagged for six runs on six hits and four walks. The Yankees had said Gooden’s status would be re-evaluated in the near future. In 13 1/3 innings, Gooden has given up 17 runs on 20 hits and 11 walks.

Milwaukee 8, Kansas City 2-- Greg Vaughn homered into the left-field fountains and John Jaha followed with a home run at Kansas City for the Brewers’ fifth consecutive victory.

Vaughn had three hits, including a two-run single in the ninth inning. He has driven in at least one run in six consecutive games.

Ben McDonald, Milwaukee’s most significant off-season acquisition, pitched seven strong innings.

Cleveland 9, Boston 4--Albert Belle hit his 200th career home run as the Indians extended their dominance of the Red Sox at Cleveland. The Indians swept three games from Boston in the opening round of the playoffs last October and have won all five meetings this year.

Boston got home runs from Mo Vaughn and Mike Stanley but dropped to 3-13 for only the third time in franchise history.

Dennis Martinez won his third consecutive game.

Toronto 10, Seattle 4--Joe Carter hit two home runs at Seattle and the Blue Jays ended the Mariners’ team record-tying eight-game winning streak.

Carter drove in all of the Blue Jays’ runs against Bob Wolcott.

Pat Hentgen pitched six innings for his 50th career victory.

Chicago 4, Oakland 3--Frank Thomas hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning into scaffolding at the still-incomplete Oakland Coliseum, and the White Sox overcame the loss of starter Wilson Alvarez to beat the Athletics in a home opener delayed by renovations.

Alvarez left with one out in the sixth inning because of soreness in his left elbow.