O’Neill, Yankees Are Left Feeling Good

Paul O’Neill sounded like a loser instead of a winner after the New York Yankees’ 10-8 victory in 11 innings over the Mariners Saturday at Seattle.

“I was almost in shock out there,” he said. “I didn’t realize you could have that bad of a day in one day.”

After stranding nine runners with four strikeouts in his first five at-bats, O’Neill hit a game-deciding two-run double in the 11th inning.

“I left runners on all day,” O’Neill said. “That’s a bad day. But that’s the funny thing about baseball. You can still end up on a good note.”

Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 41st home run and ninth of the month to tie Mark McGwire for the major league lead. Roberto Kelly’s home run tied the game in the ninth.

New York, which stranded 17 runners, won for only the fourth time in its last 20 games at the Kingdome, including the 1995 AL playoffs.

“I think you can dispel any jinx stuff,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “They’ve snatched a few away from us. So it was gratifying to keep going out there and keep coming back.”

Tino Martinez increased his major league-leading RBI total to 121 with a two-run double off Norm Charlton in a three-run seventh that put New York ahead 8-7.

Baltimore 5, Minnesota 4--Geronimo Berroa hit a two-run, eighth-inning home run for the streaking Orioles at Baltimore.

Baltimore’s eighth victory in nine games put the Orioles 38 games over .500 (82-44) for the first time since 1980. They are 9-1 against the Twins this season, outscoring them 49-23.

B.J. Surhoff hit a home run and Cal Ripken had two RBIs for Baltimore, which maintained its six-game lead in the AL East over the Yankees.

Baltimore pitchers recorded 16 strikeouts, one short of the team record.

Mike Mussina struck out 11 in five innings, giving up two runs, seven hits and a walk. He left after throwing 99 pitches.

Milwaukee 5, Detroit 2--Scott Karl won his career-high seventh straight decision and Jeromy Burnitz had a home run and a triple for the Brewers at Milwaukee.

Karl (9-10), who improved to 7-0 since the All-Star break, got out of jams in the fourth and sixth innings. He gave up two runs on 10 hits over 7 2/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts.

Doug Jones worked a perfect ninth for his 28th save.

Toronto 6, Kansas City 5--Marty Janzen won for the first time in more than a year and Shawn Green drove in the go-ahead run with a fifth-inning single as the Blue Jays rallied at Kansas City.

Janzen (1-0) relieved starter Luis Andujar with the Blue Jays trailing, 5-2, after two innings. Janzen, recalled from triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 1, struck out four in four shutout innings and gave up two hits. He had not won since defeating the New York Yankees on June 12, 1996.

In seven innings combined, Janzen, Tim Crabtree and Paul Quantrill allowed five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. They did not allow a runner past first.

Texas 13, Chicago 8--Rusty Greer drove in six runs for the second night in a row, and the Rangers beat the White Sox at Arlington, Texas, in a game that featured five blown leads.

Greer hit two-run homers in the third and sixth innings, then delivered a two-run single in the Rangers’ five-run eighth.

Ivan Rodriguez hit a three-run homer for Texas, which won, 17-8, Friday, and Fernando Tatis had a solo homer.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

Player: Ken Griffey Jr.

Team: Seattle

Performance: Hit 41st home run

Team’s Result: Loss

*

Player: Rusty Greer

Team: Texas

Performance: Two 2-run home runs, 6 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: G. Berroa

Team: Baltimore

Performance: 2-run home run

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Jim Thome

Team: Cleveland

Performance: Two home runs, 3 RBIs

Team’s Result: Win

*

PITCHING

Player: Mike Mussina

Team: Baltimore

Performance: 5 innings, 11 strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win

*

Player: Orel Hershiser

Team: Cleveland

Performance: 6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, two runs, six strikeouts

Team’s Result: Win