Rangers Don’t Stand a Chance Against the Yankees’ 21 Runs

When it comes to playing division leaders, the New York Yankees’ magic number is 21.

Joe Girardi had seven runs batted in and Scott Brosius drove in six--both career highs--as the Yankees broke out of a batting slump and routed the Texas Rangers, 21-3, Monday night.

“It was one of those games when everything falls and everything steamrolls,” Brosius said. “You’ve got to enjoy it because you’re not going to do it again tomorrow. A game like that just happens every once in a while.”

The Yankees defeated Cleveland, the AL Central leader, 21-1 at Yankee Stadium on July 24, but had been slumping at the plate lately, scoring only 29 runs in nine games.

They snapped out of it with 23 hits against the first-place team in the AL West, the most for the Yankees since a 14-1 victory over Seattle on Aug. 25, 1984.

Before this year, the Yankees hadn’t scored 20 runs since a 21-7 rout at Kansas City on Aug. 19, 1962. It was the most runs scored against the Rangers, topping a 20-4 loss to the Angels on June 9, 1995.

One bright spot for Texas was the continued dominance by Rafael Palmeiro at the plate. He hit his eighth homer in an eight-game span, a Rangers’ record, connecting in the second for his 38th.

Palmeiro, who also hit an RBI grounder in the eighth, has 13 homers in August, a team record.

Baltimore 4, Kansas City 2--Scott Erickson won for the eighth time in 10 decisions and Delino DeShields had two hits and scored two runs as the Orioles defeated the Royals at Kansas City.

Erickson (10-10) gave up eight hits, including four infield singles, in eight innings to improve to 11-6 against the Royals. Mike Timlin pitched the ninth for his 16th save in 24 chances.

Royal starter Dan Reichert (2-2) left in the fifth when he was hit in the arm by a one-out liner off the bat of Albert Belle. The Royals said Reichert bruised his right elbow and probably will not miss his next start.

Boston 4, Minnesota 1--Trot Nixon and Troy O’Leary hit two-run homers as the Red Sox halted their four-game losing streak and pulled into a tie with Oakland for the AL wild-card lead with a victory over the Twins at Minnesota.

Pat Rapp (5-5) gave up one run, eight hits and three walks in six innings. He escaped several jams by stranding 11 runners, including eight in scoring position, working his way out of bases-loaded jams in the first and third.

Chicago 10, Tampa Bay 2--James Baldwin maintained his dome dominance and Paul Konerko tied a career-high with four RBIs as the White Sox defeated the Devil Rays at St. Petersburg.

Baldwin (8-11), who didn’t give up a hit until John Flaherty’s two-out double in the fourth inning, improved to 11-1 in his career indoors. He gave up two runs and six hits in seven-plus innings.

Seattle 4, Cleveland 1--Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez hit consecutive homers in the first inning as the Mariners avoided a four-game sweep at Seattle.

Griffey’s two-run shot off Charles Nagy (13-9) was his AL-leading 39th homer. Rodriguez followed with his 33rd homer.