Palmeiro Ties Record in Rangers’ 10-0 Win

Rafael Palmeiro hit his 47th homer to tie a team record and the Rangers trounced the Seattle Mariners, 10-0, at Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday night for their fifth consecutive victory.

The American League West champions won their 94th game, matching the club mark set in 1977. Texas trails New York by one game and Cleveland by two in the race for the best record in the league.

Jeff Fassero, Mike Morgan, Danny Patterson and Danny Kolb combined on a five-hitter. Morgan (13-8) threw three innings of three-hit relief.

Palmeiro hit a solo home run in the fourth, tying Juan Gonzalez’s total in 1996.

Rusty Greer reached 100 runs batted in, giving Texas four players with at last 100 for the first time in team history. Palmeiro, Gonzalez and Ivan Rodriguez also have hit the mark.

Texas chased John Halama (11-9) in the fifth while pushing its lead to 6-0.

New York 9, Baltimore 5--Tino Martinez homered and had four RBIs, and emergency replacement D’Angelo Jimenez singled in the go-ahead runs in the sixth inning in the Yankees’ victory at Baltimore.

The victory reduced the Yankees’ magic number for clinching their second consecutive AL East title to two.

Martinez has driven in 102 runs, giving the Yankees four players with at least 100 RBIs for the first time since 1939. Martinez joins Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter and Paul O’Neill.

Jimenez, a third-inning replacement after second baseman Chuck Knoblauch left because of soreness in his left thumb, had a two-out, two-run single off Sidney Ponson (12-12) in the sixth.

Ramiro Mendoza (8-9) pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings in relief of rookie Ed Yarnall.

Cleveland 2, Kansas City 1--Jaret Wright and three relievers combined on a three-hitter as the Indians won at Kansas City, Mo.

Wright was removed after pitching five innings as Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove worked on setting his rotation for the playoffs. Jim Brower (3-1) pitched two scoreless innings and was relieved by Steve Karsay, who pitched a hitless eighth.

Toronto 8, Tampa Bay 2--Shawn Green homered, doubled and tied a career high with five RBIs, leading David Wells and the Blue Jays to victory at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Wells (16-10) retired 14 of the final 15 batters he faced after giving up Fred McGriff’s one-out double in the third.

Detroit 7, Minnesota 4--Dean Palmer hit a three-run homer with two outs off Mike Trombley (2-8) to cap a five-run ninth inning as the Tigers rallied at Minneapolis.

Boston at Chicago--The game was postponed because of rain at Chicago. It will be made up as part of a doubleheader today.

Notes

Former Detroit outfielder Ron LeFlore, who was arrested Monday after Tiger Stadium’s closing ceremonies, avoided 45 days in jail on charges of failing to pay more than $50,000 in back child support to DeBorah Lewis of Detroit. LeFlore, 51, who lives in St. Petersburg, Fla., was ordered to pay $3,000 or go to jail. “He evidently paid it or made arrangements for payment,” a spokesman from the Wayne County Sheriffs Department said. Lewis said she tipped the sheriff’s department that LeFlore would be attending the ceremonies.