Varitek’s Three Homers Lead Way

Jason Varitek loves hitting against the Kansas City Royals.

Varitek hit three home runs and drove in seven runs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 10-3 victory over the Royals on Sunday at Kansas City. Mo.

“Kansas City has been tough for us all last year and this year,” Varitek said after the final meeting of the teams this season. “For us to come away winning this series and winning today is just big for us, period.”

The Red Sox won two of three at Kansas City and split the six-game season series with the Royals.

Varitek went four for four. He hit a solo shot in the second against Brian Meadows (1-5), a three-run homer in the fourth and a two-run drive in the eighth against Mac Suzuki.

Varitek, who has hit four of his five homers this season against Kansas City, is a career .372 hitter against the Royals. He became the first Boston player with three in a game since Trot Nixon at Detroit on July 24, 1999.

Varitek had gone 108 at-bats without a home run before an 11th-inning, game-winning homer May 13 against Oakland.

“Any time you don’t have one and you have the capability of hitting one, you know it,” Varitek said. “I made some adjustments in my swing. I’m able to see the ball better.”

It was the third multihomer game for Varitek, his first this season. He said his last three home-run game was when he played for Georgia Tech.

Manny Ramirez hit his 15th homer and went two for three, raising his average to a league-leading .406. He has 27 homers against Kansas City, his most against any team.

Carl Everett homered in the ninth against Suzuki.

Frank Castillo (5-2) gave up one unearned run and six hits in six innings. Castillo, 5-1 in his last seven starts, is 3-0 with a 1.13 earned-run average against Kansas City.

Castillo has not given up an earned run in his last two starts, covering 12 innings.

Seattle 6, New York 2--Bret Boone doubled home three runs in the first at Seattle after Roger Clemens (4-1) walked the bases loaded as the Mariners avoided a three-game sweep.

Aaron Sele (6-0) matched the best start of his career. He also opened 6-0 as a rookie as Clemens’ teammate with Boston in 1993. Sele gave up two runs and eight hits in 7 2/3 innings.

Clemens (4-1) gave up six runs--five earned--and six hits in seven innings, struck out nine and walked a season-high five.

Oakland 6, Chicago 2--Frank Menechino hit a three-run double against Keith Foulke during a six-run eighth as the Athletics rallied from a 2-0 deficit at Oakland to win their sixth consecutive game.

Tim Hudson (4-3) gave up two runs and four hits in eight innings, and Jeff Tam pitched a one-hit ninth, sending the White Sox to their sixth consecutive loss.

White Sox starter Mark Buehrle retired the first 16 batters before Adam Piatt’s double to shallow right in the sixth.

Baltimore 3, Minnesota 2--Brady Anderson scored the winning run in the ninth at Baltimore on Fernando Lunar’s sacrifice fly to second baseman Luis Rivas, easily beating the off-balance throw from the outfield grass.

“If the guy has to go back, even a little bit, it takes a half-second to stop, plant and throw,” Anderson said. “It probably took longer than that. I didn’t see what he did I just put my head down and ran.”

The Twins, 8-1 in one-run games, were trying to win a seventh consecutive series for the first time since 1992.

Tampa Bay 10, Detroit 2--Greg Vaughn homered twice and Fred McGriff went three for five and drove in three runs at St. Petersburg, Fla., as the Devil Rays ended a five-game losing streak.

Vaughn has three homers in two games and 11 this season. McGriff had two singles and a two-run homer against Dave Mlicki (3-4), giving him six consecutive hits in two days.

Paul Wilson (2-5) gave up two runs and five hits in six innings for his first victory since April 25.

Texas 3, Toronto 2--Pat Mahomes (3-2) won as a starter for the first time in 17 appearances since Aug. 6, 1994, giving up two runs and six hits in five innings at Arlington, Texas.