Yankees’ Williams Hits Two Homers

Bernie Williams is quickly making up for lost time.

Williams homered twice and drove in four runs to lead the New York Yankees to a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins Sunday at New York.

Williams returned Friday from his second stint on the disabled list because of a strained left hamstring. He hit an RBI double that night, homered Saturday and hit two more Sunday.

“I just wanted to go out there and have good at-bats and feel comfortable playing the outfield and running the bases. That was my main concern,” Williams said.

Williams led off the fourth with a home run. He hit a three-run shot, his 13th, in the fifth to finish LaTroy Hawkins (3-7).

Hawkins got ahead 0-2 on Williams both times, but wound up giving up two home runs.

“He made me pay for my mistakes,” Hawkins said.

Williams is batting .314 with 59 RBIs in 78 games.

“I think what helped was that he got a couple of hits the first day and that kind of relaxes you,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said.

Dwight Gooden (5-3) allowed Greg Myers’ fourth homer of the season, a solo shot in the second.

Williams led off the Yankee fourth with an opposite-field homer over the left-field wall and homered for the the third time in four at-bats in the fifth.

Kansas City 5, Boston 2--Mike Macfarlane, who began the day batting only .188 with five home runs, hit two of the Royals’ four home runs in this victory over the Red Sox at Kansas City.

“I’m getting healthy,” said Macfarlane, who has been on the disabled list twice this year. “I have been working on some things offensively.”

Yamil Benitez and Jay Bell also homered for the Royals.

Reggie Jefferson homered twice for the Red Sox, only 1-7 against the Royals this season.

The Royals, who hit five homers Saturday, set a team record with nine home runs in two games. The previous best was seven, accomplished three times.

Macfarlane hit a solo homer to center in the third inning and a two-run homer in the seventh for a 4-2 lead.

Baltimore 7, Oakland 5--B.J. Surhoff drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a sacrifice fly and double and Cal Ripken Jr. and Harold Baines homered as the Orioles won at Oakland.

The Orioles’ eighth win in nine games lifted them a season-high 30 games above .500 at 69-39. Oakland, squandering a three-run lead for the second day in a row, lost for the eighth time in nine games.

The Orioles used a three-run fifth to tie the score at 4-4, and had another three-run outburst in the seventh against reliever T.J. Mathews (1-1), who was acquired last Thursday in the trade that sent Mark McGwire to St. Louis.

Mathews, who got the win in his American League debut against Baltimore on Friday, issued a one-out walk to Geronimo Berroa before Surhoff lashed a run-scoring double to right, taking third on the throw home. Ripken struck out but Baines, obtained last week from the Chicago White Sox, then homered to center, his 13th.

Detroit 5, Toronto 2--Willie Blair added another chapter to one of baseball’s better comeback stories of the year, winning his seventh consecutive decision as the Tigers handed the visiting Blue Jays their eighth loss in nine games.

Blair, whose jaw was broken by Julio Franco’s liner May 4 at Cleveland, is 7-2 since returning from the injury on June 3. He has not lost since June 22 at Boston.

Blair (11-4) allowed two runs, one of them earned, and eight hits in six-plus innings.

“He’s been about as good as you can be,” Tiger Manager Buddy Bell said. “He didn’t have his best stuff today, but because of his experience, he has the ability to find what he needs. His command is good, his ball has tremendous life to it and he changes speeds.”

Detroit won three of four games from Toronto and, with 51 wins, the Tigers need only three more victories to top last season’s total.

Texas 8, Cleveland 7--Jim Leyritz, acquired from the Angels last Tuesday, delivered a pinch single in a three-run ninth as the Rangers broke a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Indians at Arlington, Texas.

Leyritz’s hit came after Mike Jackson (2-3) hit pinch-hitter Domingo Cedeno with a pitch to open the ninth. Tom Goodwin followed with a bunt single to load the bases.

Mark McLemore hit a two-run double down the left-field line to tie the score at 7-7. After Jackson intentionally walked Rusty Greer to reload the bases and Juan Gonzalez popped to short, Will Clark lifted a sacrifice fly to shallow center field that scored Goodwin.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

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Player Team Performance Team’s Result Tom Goodwin Texas 4 for 5, double, 3 runs Win Bernie Williams New York 2 for 3, 2 homers, 4 RBIs Win Mike Macfarlane Kansas City 2 for 2, 2 homers, 3 RBIs Win

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PITCHING

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Player Team Performance Result Chuck Finley Angels 8 innings, 5 hits, 1 run Win Ricky Bones Kansas City 8 innings, 6 hits, Win 2 runs, 6 strikeouts Willie Blair Detroit 6 innings, 8 hits, Win 2 runs, 7 wins in a row

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