Pettitte Overcomes Awe, Defeats Clemens

Andy Pettitte didn’t allow the thrill of pitching against a childhood hero slow him down.

Pettitte pitched a six-hitter to win his third consecutive start and the New York Yankees scored nine runs against Roger Clemens to defeat Toronto, 9-1, Wednesday night and complete a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays at Toronto.

Scott Brosius tied a career-high with five runs batted in for the Yankees, who have won 11 of 12.

Pettitte (3-2) walked one and struck out six in his first complete game this season. He improved to 5-0 at the SkyDome, giving up one unearned run while getting his first complete game this year.

“Right from the start he was looking composed and relaxed,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “The ball was jumping out of his hand and he was pumped up pitching against Roger.”

Pettitte, who dropped his first two starts, was excited about facing Clemens.

“It’s always special when I go up against Roger,” Pettitte said. “I grew up watching him and he’s a great pitcher. It’s an honor not to beat him but just to go out and be on the same mound as him.”

Clemens (2-2), pitching for the second time since being forced to miss a start because of a groin injury, gave up nine runs, six earned, and seven hits with four walks in 6 2/3 innings.

“The first two runs were key because they didn’t allow me to do what I wanted to do,” Clemens said. “I was never able to expand my strike zone and I was forced to make some very good pitches.”

Brosius entered the game one for 14 against Clemens and four for 29 on the trip.

“[Yankee hitting coach] Chris Chambliss was working with Brosius before the game,” Torre said. “Evidently they hit on something.”

Brosius went three for five and opened the scoring in the second with a two-out, two-run single.

“That first base hit relaxed us a little bit,” Torre said.

Brosius put the Yankees up, 5-0, in the sixth when he doubled with the bases loaded to score three unearned runs. Shortstop Alex Gonzalez made two errors in the inning, including a two-base error.

The Yankees added four runs in the seventh. Tino Martinez had an RBI single, Tim Raines hit a two-run double and Chad Curtis had a run-scoring single.

The Blue Jays scored their only run on a throwing error by third baseman Brosius in the seventh.

Minnesota 4, Oakland 2--Todd Walker’s two-run double capped a three-run eighth as the Twins broke a six-game losing streak by rallying to defeat the Athletics at Oakland.

Trailing, 2-1, the Twins tied it on a two-base throwing error by reliever T.J. Mathews and a RBI single by Alex Ochoa. With two outs and Billy Taylor on the mound, Walker hit a liner into the gap in right-center.

Eddie Guardado (2-1) pitched 1 2/3 innings for the win. He came in with two on in the seventh and got Jason Giambi to hit into a double play to end that threat.

Rick Aguilera pitched the ninth for his third save. He had blown three of his previous four save chances.

Mathews (1-3) gave up three unearned runs in two-thirds of an inning. The error came when Ron Coomer hit a tapper to the mound and Mathews threw the ball wildly past first baseman Giambi.

Boston 8, Detroit 5--Midre Cummings hit a two-run homer at Detroit in the ninth inning as the Red Sox overcame Pedro Martinez’s shortest outing since last July 24.

Martinez gave up four runs and six hits in 5 1/3 innings, lifting his ERA from 0.84 to 1.68. He had not allowed more than two runs in his previous four starts with the Red Sox.

Martinez struck out seven. It was only the second time this year he failed to reach double digits. The outing was his shortest in 17 starts since he gave up five earned runs in six innings against Houston.

Boston, which won in its last at-bat for the seventh time this season, trailed, 4-1, before tying the score in the eighth, then fell behind, 5-4, in the bottom half.

The Red Sox are 17-4 at Tiger Stadium during the last three seasons.

Jim Corsi (1-0) won despite giving up an RBI double to Bill Ripken in the eighth, and Tom Gordon pitched the ninth for his fifth save in six chances.

With the Tigers ahead 4-1 in the eighth, Jim Leyritz had an RBI single off Doug Brocail, Mo Vaughn scored on Sean Runyan’s wild pitch and Jason Varitek hit a run-scoring single off Todd Jones (0-1), who blew a save chance for only the second time in his last 27 chances.

Chicago 14, Cleveland 7--The White Sox scored nine runs in a bizarre fifth inning driven by grounders, choppers and rollers between first base and the pitcher’s mound at Cleveland.

Frank Thomas hit his fourth homer in the first after Ray Durham reached on an error for the first of three times, tying a major league record. Then former Indians slugger Albert Belle contributed a two-run, grounds-rule double.

The damage report: nine runs, three earned, two near collisions at first base. Charles Nagy’s pitching line tells it all: 4 2/3 innings, nine hits, 12 runs, four earned.

The misadventures had Indian Manager Mike Hargrove stomping around on the dugout steps. The Indians made five errors, three in the first two innings.

Seattle 11, Kansas City 5--Rob Ducey went four for five with a career-high four RBIs, Joey Cora went four for four and Dan Wilson hit a three-run homer to lead the Mariner rout at Seattle.