AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Winfield Increases RBI Total to 103, an Over-40 Record

Dave Winfield drove in four runs with a home run and a two-run double Thursday night to become the oldest player to drive in 100 runs as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Orioles, 8-2, at Baltimore.

The victory enabled East-leading Toronto to stay 3 1/2 games ahead of Milwaukee and open a six-game lead over third-place Baltimore. The Blue Jays’ magic number is six--four to eliminate the Orioles, who have lost 11 of 17.

Winfield, 40, has 103 RBIs. The previous high by a player in his 40s was 99, by Detroit’s Darrell Evans in 1987.

Winfield’s 26th homer, with Devon White on third base, gave the Blue Jays a 2-0 lead in the first inning. He then capped a five-run second with a double into the left-field corner to make it 7-0.

“That homer kind of set the tone of the game,” Winfield said. “We needed this one. I’m glad to do it with a home run, in a pennant race and when everyone’s excited.”

With 1,705 RBIs, he moved past Reggie Jackson into 15th place on the all-time list. It was also Winfield’s 2,700th game, tying Graig Nettles for 18th.

Jimmy Key gave up two runs and four hits in six innings for his fourth consecutive victory. Ben McDonald lost his sixth decision in a row after being charged with seven runs in only 1 2/3 innings.

Oakland 4, Chicago 1--The Athletics reduced their magic number in the West to two with the victory at Chicago as Bob Welch won his 199th game and Dennis Eckersley recorded his 51st save.

Eckersley got his 11th consecutive save despite giving up a ninth-inning homer to Dan Pasqua. Eckersley entered in the eighth with runners on first and second and retired Frank Thomas on a pop up before striking out George Bell.

Welch (11-6) won for the eighth time in 10 decisions.

Kansas City 2, Seattle 0--George Brett went two for four at Kansas City to move within seven hits of 3,000 for his career, and pitcher Dennis Rasmussen won his third in a row.

Brett needs seven hits in the Royals’ final 10 games for 3,000.

Rasmussen, who played in the Baltimore and Chicago Cub organizations this year before signing a minor league contract with Kansas City, retired 12 of the first 13 batters, issuing only a one-out walk in the first inning to Rich Amaral. Jay Buhner ended the string with a one-out single in the fifth.

Boston 6, Cleveland 4--The Red Sox took advantage of Scott Scudder’s wildness to score three runs in the first inning at Boston.

Scudder walked the first three batters and left the game with a strained right triceps after throwing only one strike. Billy Hatcher and Scott Cooper walked on four pitches each, and Scudder threw two balls to Wade Boggs before finally getting a strike. He threw one more pitch, nearly hitting Boggs, then walked off the mound.

New York 10, Detroit 1--Scott Kamieniecki threw a six-hitter over eight innings and Don Mattingly drove in three runs at New York.

Kamieniecki (6-12) walked five and struck out five before being replaced by Curt Young to start the ninth. Mattingly doubled in two runs in the first inning off Frank Tanana (13-10) and added an RBI groundout in the third.