American League Roundup : A’s Canseco, Eckersley Make Up for Lost Time

All Jose Canseco needed was to face major league pitching again.

Canseco, who was only 4 for 23 during his rehabilitation in the minors, hit a home run and a single, scored twice and drove in three runs to lead the Oakland Athletics to an 11-7 victory over the Blue Jays Thursday night at Toronto.

Canseco, the American League’s most valuable player last season after hitting 42 home runs and driving in 124 runs, had missed the first 86 games of the season.

Another boost to the Athletics, contenders in the West despite crippling injuries, was the return of bullpen ace Dennis Eckersley.

Eckersley suffered a shoulder injury after posting 14 saves in 15 opportunities. He missed six weeks, and the A’s lost at least half a dozen games that Eckersley might have saved. Eckersley retired the Blue Jays in order in the ninth.

The return of Canseco seemed to spark the Athletics’ power hitters. Mark McGwire and Dave Parker each hit three-run home runs. McGwire hit his 18th homer of the season in the first inning as the Athletics took a 4-0 lead.

Canseco hit his homer to the opposite field. He looked surprised when it went out and acknowledged later that he had been.

“I’m a bit surprised after the problems I had in the minors,” he said.

“But I convinced myself before the game I would do well. I’m only about 80% right now, but my attitude is to go up there and see the ball well.”

In their first appearance at the SkyDome, the Athletics were surprised that the ball carried so well.

“We heard the ball didn’t carry here,” said McGwire, who has driven in 13 runs in the last six games.

“I guess tonight it was the first night it carried.”

Said Manager Tony La Russa of the return of Canseco and Eckersley: “Sometimes maybe we forget how important these two guys are.”

New York 6, Kansas City 0--Andy Hawkins, Steve Sax and Don Mattingly are leading the Yankees’ charge to overtake the Baltimore Orioles.

Hawkins retired the first 20 Royals in New York before George Brett singled to right field, but Hawkins pitched a three-hitter for his sixth victory in his last seven decisions.

With the Orioles losing, the Yankees are only 4 1/2 games out of first place in the East.

Sax, proving to be an outstanding leadoff man, had three more hits, while Mattingly hit his 12th home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth inning off Mark Gubicza (8-7).

Bo Jackson, most valuable player of the All-Star game, was 0 for 3 against Hawkins (11-8).

And Hawkins had the last laugh on Brett. With the bases loaded in the ninth, Hawkins induced Brett to bounce into a game-ending double play, preserving his second shutout in a row.

Boston 3, Minnesota 1--Frank Viola of the Twins and Roger Clemens faced off at Minneapolis.

Clemens (10-6) held the Twins to two hits in eight innings to get the victory.

Viola (7-10) gave up only three hits but had only himself to blame for the loss. With the score 1-1, Viola walked the first two Red Sox in the eighth. He then made a wild throw on a pickoff attempt, one run scoring and the other runner reaching third. Wade Boggs then singled in the last run.

Texas 9, Cleveland 3--Cecil Espey had two of his five hits to highlight a six-run 11th inning at Cleveland that carried the Rangers to victory.

Espey opened the rally with a single and scored the tiebreaking run. He capped the inning with a bases-loaded single that drove in two more runs.

Neither team scored from the sixth inning until the 11th, when the Rangers sent 11 batters to the plate.

Seattle 5, Detroit 4--Edgar Martinez’s two-out RBI single in the 12th inning at Detroit extended the Tigers’ losing streak to eight games.

The Tigers rallied to tie in the bottom of the ninth when Lou Whitaker’s one-out single scored Gary Pettis from second base.

Chicago 5, Milwaukee 4--All-Star pitcher Dan Plesac walked Ivan Calderon with the basesloaded and one out at Chicago to give the White Sox the victory.

Plesac, who relieved Tony Fossas after the Brewers’ league-leading 92nd error helped theWhite Sox load the bases, walked Calderon on a 3-and-1 count.