Sele Shuts Out Tigers on Three-Hitter, 4-0

As he walked to the mound, Aaron Sele thought this might be a good night. The new grass at Comerica Park was tall, thick and soft.

Sele, getting 14 outs on grounders, pitched a three-hitter for his fifth shutout and Raul Ibanez drove in two runs Wednesday evening as the Seattle Mariners defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-0, at Detroit in Comerica’s first night game.

“The key tonight was the grass,” Sele said. “It’s tall, and I got a lot of ground balls tonight. Having the infield turn two double plays helped too.”

Sele (1-0), who signed as a free agent in January after going 18-9 last season for the Texas Rangers, kept the Tigers off balance with a combination of good control and changing speeds.

“He makes you swing at his pitch,” said Detroit’s Brad Ausmus, who went hitless in three at-bats, two grounders and a routine flyball. “He was always on the corners and changes speeds real well.”

The Tigers, who ended a five-game losing streak by winning Comerica’s opener Tuesday, didn’t get a runner past first base. Sele, who pitched the 10th complete game of his career, had six 1-2-3 innings with the aid of the double plays.

Cleveland 5, Oakland 0--Jaret Wright pitched a five-hitter at Oakland for the second complete game of his career as the Indians completed a three-game sweep.

Jim Thome hit a two-run double and Manny Ramirez added two hits, including a double, as the Indians swept the A’s for the first time since July 21-23, 1995. Cleveland has won 15 of its last 17 games against Oakland.

Wright (2-0) struck out six and walked one, did not allow a runner past first and faced only 31 batters, four over the minimum.

New York 8, Texas 6--The Yankees opened the home portion of the 2000 season in familiar fashion, with Mel Stottlemyre in the dugout.

Tino Martinez’s two-run triple in the seventh inning carried the Yankees one day after their pitching coach began treatment for cancer.

The Yankees, who have swept Texas in the playoffs the last two seasons, rallied in the seventh inning after third baseman Wilson Delgado’s throwing error gave the Rangers a 6-5 lead.

The pomp of this year’s home opener, which included the raising of the Yankees’ record 25th World Series flag, was overshadowed by Stottlemyre’s announcement Sunday that he has bone marrow cancer. He began chemotherapy treatment two days later and was supposed to miss the opener, before Tuesday’s game was postponed.

Boston 7, Minnesota 3--Nomar Garciaparra drove in three runs and Carl Everett drove in two for the Red Sox at Boston.

Garciaparra, last year’s American League batting champion, was four for 22 with no runs batted in his first six games but is six for nine with six RBIs in the last two. Everett, who hit .189 in spring training after being obtained from the Houston Astros, is five for eight with two homers and five RBIs in the two games against the Twins. He’s hitting .464 and has hit in all eight games this season.

Kansas City 7, Baltimore 6--Rey Sanchez hit a three-run homer against Mike Trombley in the ninth inning at Kansas City, Mo., as the Royals again rallied in their last at-bat.

Cal Ripken of the Orioles singled in a run to move within four hits of 3,000.

Chicago 7, Tampa Bay 1--James Baldwin, nearly unbeatable indoors, struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings at St. Petersburg, Fla., then left after he was hit by a line drive.

Baldwin improved to 4-0 at Tropicana Field, where he has given up five earned runs in 27 innings. He is 13-1 overall indoors, but only 37-40 outside.

Baldwin (2-0) gave up one run and five hits. He was struck in the rib cage by Greg Vaughn’s line drive in the sixth, fell down and rolled onto his stomach. He walked off the field under his own power.