Mariners Put End to Clemens' Streak

L.A. Times Archives

June 12, 1997 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

Jeff Fassero, Ken Griffey Jr. and the rest of the Seattle Mariners had one big reason for being extra ready Wednesday: Roger Clemens.

The Mariners became the first team to defeat Clemens this season, notching a 5-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Seattle . Fassero pitched five-hit ball for 8 1/3 innings and Griffey hit a two-run double.

Clemens (11-1) fell one victory shy of setting a team record for consecutive wins. He gave up four earned runs in seven-plus innings, struck out five and left with a 1.94 earned-run average, still tops in the AL.

“When you see a guy throw like [Fassero] you just want to match him,” Clemens said. “We had plenty of chances to stay close, but the bottom line was Jeff Fassero.”

Fassero (6-2) gave up one run, struck out seven and walked two. He held the top four batters in the Blue Jays lineup to a combined 0 for 16 with five strikeouts and five popouts.

“Maybe I concentrated a bit more because of the pitcher I was throwing against,” Fassero said. “But it sure was nice to get the opportunity to pitch against a guy who’s played 14 years and played so well.”

Griffey’s two-run double made it 4-0 in the seventh inning. Griffey, who hit two home runs off Clemens earlier this season at SkyDome, is 22 for 53 (.415) lifetime against the three-time Cy Young winner.

“You know Roger’s going to give everything he has on the mound,” Griffey said. “You know you can’t get behind because he’s going to put you out of your misery if you do.”

Cleveland 4, Milwaukee 3--Pinch-runner Pat Borders scored on Omar Vizquel’s one-out squeeze bunt in the 11th inning, giving the Indians the victory at Milwaukee.

Sandy Alomar, who doubled and scored the tying run in the seventh, led off the 11th with a double down the left-field line off Doug Jones. With Borders pinch-running for Alomar, Tony Fernandez punched a bunt toward third and beat it out for a single.

Fernandez went to second on defensive indifference, and Jones struck out Marquis Grissom on three pitches. Then Borders broke from third as Vizquel squared and placed his bunt perfectly down the third-base line for a run-scoring single.

Paul Assenmacher (2-0), Cleveland’s fourth reliever, got one out in the top of the 11th for the victory.

Texas 9, Minnesota 6--Juan Gonzalez broke out of a terrible slump with two home runs and a double as the Rangers stopped its season-high losing streak at four games with the victory at Minneapolis.

Ivan Rodriguez and Rusty Greer also homered for the Rangers, who matched a season high with 18 hits to tune up for Thursday’s interleague game against the San Francisco Giants.

Texas came into the game hitting just .196 in its last five games. Gonzalez, who had 47 homers and 144 runs batted in on his way to the 1996 AL MVP award, had been even worse, going only three for 32 (.094) in his last eight games.

He stopped that slide with a solo homer leading off the Rangers’ three-run fourth, and he added a two-run drive in the middle of a five-run fifth.

New York 7, Chicago 5--Joe Girardi hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and the Yankees rallied from a five-run deficit at Chicago.

The Yankees trailed, 5-0, before scoring four times in the sixth inning, capped by Cecil Fielder’s two-run homer.

New York won it with three runs in the eighth. Chuck McElroy (0-1) gave up a run-scoring double to Mark Whiten that made it 5-5, and Roberto Hernandez intentionally walked Pat Kelly to load the bases.

Girardi singled home the go-ahead run and Hernandez then walked Charlie Hayes to force in another run.

Mike Stanton (1-0) retired two batters in the eighth. Mariano Rivera pitched the ninth for his 20th save.

Boston 10, Baltimore 1--Tom Gordon, rebounding from two bad starts in three games, pitched a four-hitter and the Red Sox defeated the Orioles at Baltimore.

Gordon (4-6) blanked Baltimore on two singles for eight innings. His bid for his second shutout of the season ended in the ninth when Roberto Alomar doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Dave Dellucci, his first major league hit.

Gordon struck out seven and walked one. He has pitched both of Boston’s complete games this year.

The Red Sox, whose 25-37 record is the second worst in the American League, won for only the third time in 12 games.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Juan Gonzalez

Team: Texas

Performance: 3 for 5, 3 RBIs, double, 2 homers

Team’s Result: Win

Player: Roberto Alomar

Team: Baltimore

Performance: 2 for 4, 2 doubles, hitting streak at 13