Rogers Arouses Perfect Suspicions

Kenny Rogers was a little too perfect to suit the Cleveland Indians.

Rogers flirted with perfection again, retiring the first 21 hitters, and Rafael Palmeiro homered in the ninth inning to give the Texas Rangers a 3-2 victory over the suspicious Indians on Friday night at Cleveland.

“I know he was scuffing the ball,” insisted Milton Bradley, who got the first hit off Rogers in the eighth inning. “There were five or six balls that all were scuffed in the same spot. He had a sharp fingernail or something.”

The game was delayed when Cleveland Manager Joel Skinner asked plate umpire Andy Fletcher to check Rogers for anything illegal.

Rogers (12-6), who threw one of baseball’s 14 modern-era perfect games in 1994 against the Angels, was bidding to become the first pitcher with two. But he was adamant he was not cheating.

“Check me all you want, go ahead,” the left-hander said. “They kicked my tail quite a few times over the years and never said a word then.”

When told the Indians collected 15 scuffed baseballs that went out of play, Rogers replied: “I saw some that were scuffed too. A lot of things scuff the ball. The dirt, the wall. I used those balls too. I’m not stupid. But I didn’t do anything.”

Rogers was six outs from history before walking Jim Thome on a 3-2 count to open the eighth. Bradley followed with a double to left, ruining the left-hander’s bid for the sixth no-hitter in Ranger history.

One out later, the shutout was gone too, as Ricky Gutierrez lined a two-run double off the left-field wall, tying it 2-2.

Rogers gave up two runs and two hits over eight innings, striking out four in his 144th career victory and 100th in a Ranger uniform.

Oakland 3, New York 2--Mark Ellis hit a broken-bat RBI single with two out in the 16th inning and the Athletics, saved by two more defensive gems from center fielder Terrence Long, beat the Yankees at New York in the longest game in Oakland history.

Long started a perfectly executed relay in the eighth inning to prevent pinch-runner Enrique Wilson from scoring the go-ahead run, and the A’s eventually won in a game that took exactly six hours.

Since moving from Kansas City to Oakland after the 1967 season, the A’s have played two games that lasted 5 hours 31 minutes, the last coming on April 8, 1982, against the Angels.

Minnesota 5, Boston 4--Doug Mientkiewicz and Corey Koskie drove in two runs each at Boston as the Twins ended a season-high four-game losing streak. Cristian Guzman went three for four and scored a run for the Twins.

Nomar Garciaparra went three for four with a solo homer and two RBIs. Boston has lost three of its first four games on a six-game home stand.

Chicago 10, Seattle 2--Paul Konerko hit a three-run homer and Magglio Ordonez drove in three runs with a solo shot and a double to lead the White Sox at Chicago.

Mark Buehrle (15-8) had a shutout bid until Jeff Cirillo’s RBI double in the eighth and gave up one run and six hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Kansas City 5, Tampa Bay 4--Michael Tucker drove in Joe Randa with a 12th-inning double, leading the Royals at Kansas City, Mo.

Detroit 3, Baltimore 0--Rookie Mike Maroth (4-4) gave up six hits in 8 1/3 innings for the victory at Detroit.