Irabu Is Strong Out of the Gate

Hideki Irabu looked like a different pitcher to the Cleveland Indians, and he was.

Encouraged before the game to throw hard from the outset, Irabu pitched seven strong innings, and Paul O’Neill and pinch-hitter Chili Davis each had two runs batted in Thursday night, leading the New York Yankees to a 9-5 victory over the Cleveland Indians at Cleveland.

“I told him to give us his best shot from the first pitch and we got that tonight,” Yankee Manager Joe Torre said of Irabu.

Irabu (11-6) gave up five hits, walked two and struck out eight. The right-hander won for the first time since Aug. 20 and improved to 4-1 in five lifetime starts against the Indians.

“He looked pretty good,” Cleveland shortstop Omar Vizquel said. “He had a live fastball and he looked skinnier than he did before. He looked like he was in pretty good shape.”

Irabu lasted only two innings in his last start, equaling the shortest outing of his career and giving the Yankees second thoughts about putting him on their postseason roster.

Torre pulled Irabu into his office before facing the Indians, and told the pitcher to stop pacing himself and to let it loose.

“I’ve been pretty bad the last three weeks so I felt I had to do something,” Irabu said. “I went out and threw as hard as I could and didn’t worry if I lasted half the game. I figured whatever happens, happens.”

Seattle 5, Tampa Bay 3--Alex Rodriguez hit his third grand slam of the season in the eighth inning at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Rodriguez broke out of a three-for-33 slump with the sixth grand slam of his career, a shot to center field against reliever Esteban Yan (3-4).

His 38th homer put Seattle ahead, 4-2, and gave him 103 RBIs. It’s the third time he has topped 100 RBIs.

Around the League

Alameda County and Oakland city officials, trying to rescue the proposed $122.4-million sale of the Oakland Athletics, planned to ask the team owners to extend Monday’s deadline for closing the deal. . . . Rebuffed by major league owners and delayed by Hurricane Floyd, Miles Prentice remains optimistic he soon will own the Kansas City Royals. “Our hope would be that we would have it done by Thanksgiving,” Prentice said in an interview from his home in New York City.