Davis Is a Hit in His Return to the Yankees

As unfair as it seems, the best team in baseball just got better.

Chili Davis, signed to improve the Yankees at designated hitter, is back.

“It gives us another weapon,” New York Manager Joe Torre said after Davis singled in a run during Monday night’s 7-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kansas City, Mo.

Davis, a .295 hitter in his career, had been sidelined since the opening week of the season.

“It’s hard to believe we could have been better than we’ve been,” Torre said. “But it just gives you an idea of the depth we’ve had.”

David Cone became the first 18-game winner in the major leagues, and Tino Martinez, Tim Raines and Bernie Williams homered for New York (91-30), on pace to break the 1906 Chicago Cubs’ record of 116 victories.

The switch-hitting Davis had an RBI single to make the score 2-0 in the fifth. Two batters later, Martinez hit a three-run homer for a six-run lead.

“It was very relieving to get out there,” said Davis, who has spent most of the year rehabilitating injuries to the tendons and ligaments in his right ankle. “When I got up this morning, I didn’t know if I was going to be here or go to [triple-A] Columbus. When they called and said take the flight to Kansas City, I might have had a smile on my face.”

New York is 9-0 against the Royals this year and has outscored them, 75-20. The Yankees, 61 over .500 for the first time since the 1939 club finished 106-45, has a 20-game lead, its largest since they were 20 1/2 games ahead on Aug. 9, 1941.

Cone (18-4) yielded one run and five hits in seven innings, walking four and striking out four.

“Chili is going to add a lot, I think,” Cone said. “That was really a big hit he had because it came with two outs and it kept the inning alive.”

Jose Rosado (6-9), who had won three of his previous four decisions, was tagged for six runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. Kansas City has lost eight of 11.

Baltimore 3, Minnesota 2--Scott Erickson yielded two runs in seven innings at Baltimore and matched his career high with 10 strikeouts as the Orioles continued their torrid pace.

Harold Baines drove in two runs for the Orioles, who moved within 6 1/2 games of Boston in the AL wild-card chase. Baltimore trailed by 15 1/2 games at the All-Star break, but its 28-8 record since that time is the best in the majors.

Erickson (13-9) gave up seven hits, walked one and hit a batter. The only other time he struck out 10 was in 1994, against the Orioles when he was with the Twins.

Jimmy Key pitched a perfect eighth and Armando Benitez got three outs for his 18th save.

Cleveland 4, Tampa Bay 3--Rookie Richie Sexson was three for four with his first major-league homer and had two RBIs to lift the Indians at Cleveland.

Sexson, a 6-foot-8 first baseman playing left field, hit a solo homer in the fourth off Wilson Alvarez (5-12), then had an RBI single in the sixth. Sexson first broke into the lineup when Alvarez broke All-Star first baseman Jim Thome’s right hand with a pitch Aug. 7 in Tampa Bay.

Cleveland is 4-5 without Thome and 18-20 since the All-Star break.

Cecil Fielder, signed last Thursday, made his first start for Cleveland and was hitless in four at-bats as the designated hitter. Manny Ramirez hit his 29th homer, a two-run shot that gave him 101 RBIs.

Toronto 4, Oakland 2--Jose Canseco broke a fifth-inning tie with his 33rd homer and Kelvim Escobar won as a starter for the first time, leading the Blue Jays at Oakland.

With the score 2-2, Canseco homered on a 1-and-2 pitch from Tom Candiotti (8-14). Shawn Green added his 23rd homer, a ninth-inning shot off Buddy Groom.

Escobar (2-1), making his third career start, walked the bases loaded in the first but settled down. He gave up both runs and four hits in 6 1/3 innings, walked six and struck out three.

Dan Plesac got the final out for his second save.

Candiotti gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings. Oakland lost for the seventh time in nine games and dropped a season-high 16 games under .500 at 54-70.

Texas at Boston--The game between the Rangers and Red Sox was postponed because of rain an will be rescheduled as part of a doubleheader today.