Loss Doesn’t Keep Texas From Title

The Texas Rangers clinched their second American League West championship in three years Friday night despite a 15-4 drubbing by the Seattle Mariners at Seattle, winning the division when the second-place Angels lost to the Oakland Athletics, 7-2.

Ranger players shook hands and exchanged hugs when they came off the field at the end of the eighth inning, right after the Angels’ result at Oakland became final.

Later in the clubhouse, Ranger players sprayed each other with champagne, soaking their red championship T-shirts.

“It’s nice,” Ranger closer John Wetteland said. “It’s really an accomplishment. It’s what we wanted last year, but things just didn’t work out.”

Said first baseman Will Clark: “We had our backs to the wall a lot of times this year, but we finally took care of business. These guys are enjoying this moment and I’m enjoying it too.”

It mattered little to the Rangers that Ken Griffey Jr. matched his career-high home run total of 56--set last season--and drove in five runs for the Mariners. Griffey leads the American League in homers.

Joe Oliver and Ryan Radmanovich also homered for the Mariners. Lee Stevens hit two home runs for the Rangers.

Paul Abbott (3-1) gave up six hits, walked three and struck out seven in eight innings.

Todd Zeile, acquired in a trade from Florida July 31, set a Ranger record by reaching base safely in 11 consecutive plate appearances when he walked and singled.

New York 6, Tampa Bay 1--With a typical dominating performance at New York, the Yankees shoved the ’54 Indians out of the record book.

Derek Jeter became the first Yankee shortstop in nearly a half-century to get 200 hits as the Yankees set an American League record with their 112th victory.

The Yankees (112-48) increased their winning percentage to .700. They need victories over the Devil Rays in their final two games to become the first major league team since the ’54 Cleveland Indians (111-43) to play .700-ball over an entire season.

Only the 1906 Chicago Cubs, who went 116-36, had more victories.

Jeter went two for four, giving him 201 hits. He is the first Yankee to reach 200 since Steve Sax had 205 in 1989 and the first Yankee shortstop to accomplish the feat since Phil Rizzuto had 200 in 1950.

Boston 8, Baltimore 3--Mo Vaughn, one of only two Boston regulars in the lineup the day after the Red Sox clinched a wild-card berth, hit his 39th home run and raised his batting average to .336 at Boston.

Vaughn went two for four with an eighth-inning double. Bernie Williams of the Yankees increased his AL-leading average to .337 by going two for two Friday.

Boston won for the fifth time in six games as Tim Wakefield (17-8) set career highs in victories, games (36) and starts (33). He gave up two runs and six hits and left with a 7-2 lead after six innings.

Chicago 3, Kansas City 0--Mike Sirotka gave up four hits in 8 1/3 innings in leading the White Sox at Kansas City.

Sirotka (14-15), who has pitched two four-hitters in his career, struck out six and walked two in a bid for the first shutout of his career. He was relieved by Bobby Howry with one out in the ninth after Carlos Beltran singled.

Minnesota 5, Cleveland 4--Rookie Doug Mientkiewicz continued the Indians’ final-week slide when he walked with the bases loaded in the ninth inning to give the Twins the victory at Minneapolis.

Mientkiewicz’s second career RBI handed the Indians their fifth consecutive loss.

Detroit 7, Toronto 5--Juan Encarnacion and Frank Catalanotto hit consecutive homers and Tony Clark also connected in the third inning for the Tigers at Toronto.

The Tigers have won four in a row for the first time this season.

After Encarnacion and Catalanotto homered, Blue Jay starter Woody Williams (10-9) walked Bobby Higginson before Clark hit his 34th home run to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead.