Irabu Has Tigers’ Number

Hideki Irabu pitched his best game of the season, once again dominating the Detroit Tigers with a three-hitter Thursday night and giving the Yankees a 6-0 win at New York.

Irabu (5-3) won his fourth consecutive decision overall, pitching his second shutout in 48 starts. He improved to 5-0 with a 1.35 earned-run average against the Tigers.

“That was not just winning a game, that was total dominance,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said. “He was great.”

Irabu made just one mistake in his second career shutout. Prompted by a playful Orlando Hernandez, Irabu bounded out of the dugout to pitch the fifth inning and took a couple of steps onto the field before realizing the Yankees were still batting with only two outs.

Cleveland 7, Minnesota 5--Bartolo Colon, winless in his previous seven starts, allowed a season-high 10 hits and four runs in six innings, but still won at Cleveland.

Colon improved to 7-3 as the Indians rallied from a 4-1 deficit with a six-run sixth inning.

Tampa Bay 12, Boston 3--Mike DiFelice drove in a career-high five runs and the Devil Rays got 16 hits at Boston.

DiFelice and Paul Sorrento, who broke out of a one-for-18 slump, each went three for four.

Tampa Bay won its fifth consecutive road game, tying the record for the two-year-old team.

Chicago 6 Kansas City 2--Craig Wilson doubled off reliever Bill Pisciotta to break a 2-2 tie and Chris Singleton greeted Jeff Montgomery with a three-run double in the seventh inning at Kansas City, Mo.

Royal relievers allowed 10 runs, 14 hits and four walks in nine innings in the series against the White Sox, who won two of three games.

Toronto 8, Baltimore 6--Willie Greene hit a go-ahead, two-run single in the eighth inning as the Blue Jays overcame a six-run, sixth inning deficit at Toronto.

After winning 11 of 12, Baltimore has lost eight in a row.

Greene went four for five, matching his career high for hits.

Oakland 5, Seattle 4--The Mariners scored three runs in the eighth inning to tie the score at Oakland, but Tony Phillips’ RBI single in the bottom of the ninth won it for the Athletics.

Around the League

Reggie Jackson, who helped the Athletics win three consecutive World Series, has joined a group trying to buy the team. The Hall of Famer joined a group headed by former A’s marketing director Andy Dolich after another former big leaguer, Joe Morgan, dropped out. . . . An MRI on the injured knee of Ranger catcher Ivan Rodriguez showed no damage, and the team said he could be in the lineup tonight. Rodriguez apparently hyperextended the knee while running the bases during Texas’ 18-4 victory over the Angels on Wednesday night.