Saberhagen Returns With Quite a Flourish

Bret Saberhagen’s first major league start in almost 22 months went so well he didn’t want it to end.

Saberhagen gave up three hits in six innings Friday night to lift the Boston Red Sox to a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox at Boston.

“I thought I was going to get one more [inning],” said Saberhagen, who was replaced after 75 pitches. “I was hoping. I wasn’t laboring.”

Saberhagen (1-0), whose fastball topped out at 93 mph, gave up a single to Jose Valentin in the first inning before retiring the next 14 batters. He struck out three, walked none and the only run he gave up came on Royce Clayton’s leadoff homer in the sixth.

“I couldn’t have scripted it any better,” he said. “It’s kind of like living in fairy-tale times.”

The former Cy Young Award winner was pitching against major league hitters for the first time since Oct. 17, 1999, in Game 4 of the 1999 American League championship series against the New York Yankees.

Saberhagen underwent right rotator cuff surgery a month later and had another operation on his right shoulder in March 2000, forcing him to miss that season.

With ace Pedro Martinez on the disabled list, the Red Sox are counting on Saberhagen to help keep them in the race with the Yankees in the AL East. The Red Sox are 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees.

Cleveland 7, Detroit 4--Bartolo Colon won his fourth consecutive start, and Jim Thome hit his league-leading 33rd homer to lead the Indians at Detroit.

The Tigers have lost six in a row and are 13-33 this season against AL Central opponents.

Colon (10-7) improved to 4-0 in July, giving up four runs and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out five.

Three relievers finished, with John Rocker working a perfect eighth and Bob Wickman pitching the ninth for his 18th save.

Seattle 11, Minnesota 4--Paul Abbott won his career-high ninth consecutive decision and the Mariners hit four home runs at Seattle.

Ichiro Suzuki, Bret Boone, John Olerud and Stan Javier all homered as Seattle defeated the Twins for the sixth consecutive time. Minnesota slipped out of first place in the AL Central, two percentage points behind Cleveland.

Abbott (10-3) has not lost since May 22.

Oakland 5, Kansas City 0--Mark Mulder (12-6) pitched a four-hitter for his third shutout in July, and Miguel Tejada had a three-run double at Oakland.

Jermaine Dye drove in the go-ahead run during Oakland’s four-run sixth inning. It was his first game against the Royals since they traded him to the Athletics.

New York 9, Toronto 1--Alfonso Soriano drove in four runs, and Paul O’Neill went four for five at Toronto as the Yankees won their sixth in a row.

Soriano’s three-run homer off Chris Carpenter (7-8) gave New York a 6-1 lead in the seventh. The Yankees have hit 15 homers in their last five games.

Mike Mussina (11-8) gave up one run and four hits in eight innings. Mussina has won six of his last seven decisions.

Texas 13, Tampa Bay 7--Alex Rodriguez went three for four with a two-run homer at Arlington, Texas, as the Rangers extended their season-best win streak to five games.