Win Positions Yankees for Home-Field Edge

The New York Yankees moved a step closer to home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs.

Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez and Darryl Strawberry homered in a five-run fourth inning Friday night as the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 11-7, at St. Petersburg, Fla., to tie the Cleveland Indians for best record in the American League.

The Yankees, who clinched the American League East title Thursday night, matched the Indians at 97-63 with two games remaining. If they finish tied, New York would have home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs because of a better head-to-head record this year.

“We’re in control of our own destiny,” Yankee outfielder Shane Spencer said. “We just have to win our own games. You can’t worry about them.”

Fred McGriff hit a three-run homer for Tampa Bay. It was the 390th of his career, tying him with Graig Nettles for 34th place on the all-time list.

Toronto 8, Cleveland 6--Willis Otanez hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning at Cleveland.

Otanez hit his sixth homer of the season, against Steve Karsay (10-2), to break a 6-6 tie. Vernon Wells added an RBI double for the Blue Jays later in the inning.

Manny Ramirez hit his 44th homer, a 445-foot shot to center, to give the Indians a 5-2 lead in the fourth. Ramirez has 165 RBIs this season, tying Hall of Famers Al Simmons (1930) and Lou Gehrig (1934) for 12th on the all-time list.

Chicago 9, Minnesota 8--Rookie Carlos Lee hit his second grand slam of the season in the White Sox’s victory at Chicago.

Oakland 5, Seattle 1--Kevin Appier gave up three hits and struck out nine in six innings at Oakland.

Kansas City 9, Detroit 5--Jermaine Dye drove in three runs and the Royals overcame Tony Clark’s two homers at Kansas City.

Boston 6, Baltimore 2--Jason Varitek and Jose Offerman homered at Baltimore as the Red Sox assured the Orioles their second consecutive losing season.

Around the League

Mike Port, vice president for baseball operations with the Boston Red Sox and former general manager of the Angels, has interviewed for the Seattle Mariners’ general manager job. . . . Catcher Mike Macfarlane of the Oakland Athletics said that he is retiring at the end of the season. . . . Carlos Delgado and Shawn Green, both eligible for free agency after the 2000 season, were offered long-term contracts by the Toronto Blue Jays. . . . With a deadline for the sale of the Minnesota Twins about to pass, negotiators kept up talks. Carl Pohlad, owner of the Twins, and St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman agreed last summer to find a buyer by Oct. 1 in hopes new ownership would make a St. Paul stadium proposal more attractive to voters. But the deadline wasn’t firm.