Advertisement

Rangers Come Back From 10-Run Deficit in 16-15 Win

Share via
From Associated Press

The Texas Rangers and the Detroit Tigers combined for 18 runs in the fifth inning -- one short of the major league record for an inning -- and Alfonso Soriano went six for six in the Rangers’ 16-15, 10-inning victory Saturday night in Arlington, Texas.

Michael Young hit an RBI single off Ugueth Urbina (1-1) in the 10th to win it for the Rangers, who won after trailing by 10 runs -- the first time in club history they accomplished that feat.

Each team used seven pitchers in the game, with Francisco Cordero (1-0) pitching a scoreless 10th. Eric Young walked leading off the bottom half, was sacrificed to second and scored on Young’s hit after an intentional walk to Brad Fullmer.

Advertisement

After Detroit took a 14-4 lead with eight runs in the top of the fifth, the Rangers tied it in the bottom half. Ivan Rodriguez put the Tigers back ahead with an RBI single in the sixth, but Hank Blalock tripled leading off the seventh and scored on a double by Soriano, who raised his average from .302 to .336.

There were 100 pitches in the fifth, which lasted 1 hour 8 minutes and became the highest-scoring fifth inning in major league history. The bottom half lasted 36 minutes.

Previously, the record for runs in a fifth inning was 16 on Aug. 3, 1986, by the New York Yankees (10) and the Cleveland Indians (6). The major league record for runs in any inning is 19, by Cleveland (13) and Boston (6) in the eighth inning on April 10, 1977.

Advertisement

*

Boston 9, Kansas City 1 -- Pokey Reese had an inside-the-park homer and one of the conventional variety to end a 172 at-bat homerless streak dating to April 4, 2003, and Curt Schilling (4-2) pitched his first American League complete game and 80th of his career, to lead the Red Sox at Fenway Park.

Since losing five in a row, the Red Sox have won four in a row. The Royals, who have lost 18 of their last 22, fell to 2-14 on the road.

Reese ended his homerless streak in the fifth when he lined an 0-2 pitch down the first-base line that bounced off the wall at an odd angle and got past right fielder Juan Gonzalez before rolling into the corner.

Advertisement

The relay from second baseman Desi Relaford was up the first-base line and Reese slid head-first, reaching out to get to the plate before the tag and break a 1-1 tie.

*

Baltimore 10, Cleveland 7 -- Jay Gibbons’ three-run double highlighted a four-run seventh inning for the Orioles, who overcame deficits of 4-0 and 7-4 at Baltimore to hand the Indians their fourth loss in a row.

Down 7-4 in the seventh, the Orioles batted around to take the lead. After Brian Roberts singled and took third on a double by Melvin Mora, Indian starter Jake Westbrook retired Miguel Tejada on a line drive before being replaced by Scott Stewart (0-2).

Stewart got Rafael Palmeiro on a liner for the second out, then issued an intentional walk to Javy Lopez. Gibbons followed with a drive into the right-field corner, and B.J. Surhoff blooped an opposite-field single to left to score Gibbons with the go-ahead run.

*

Toronto 4, Chicago 2 -- At Toronto, Josh Phelps hit a tiebreaking, two-run homer in the eighth inning -- four pitches after having one overturned -- and the Blue Jays won their season-high fourth in a row.

Phelps hit Neal Cotts’ first pitch down the right-field line for what first-base umpire Larry Vanover ruled was a two-run homer. Chicago Manager Ozzie Guillen argued the call and the umpires huddled and overruled Vanover’s call, changing it to a foul ball. Television replays indicated the ball was foul.

Advertisement

Four pitches later, Phelps homered over the left-field wall off Cotts (0-1), giving Toronto a 4-2 lead. The Blue Jays have won five of their last six at home after starting the season 1-9 at SkyDome.

Jason Frasor (1-1) pitched the eighth for his first major league win, and former Dodger Terry Adams pitched the ninth for his first save of the season.

*

New York 6, Seattle 0 -- Mike Mussina pitched eight innings at Seattle for his fifth consecutive victory over the Mariners. Mussina (3-4), who improved to 16-5 against Seattle, limited the Mariners to three singles. The Yankees broke through in the sixth, using four straight doubles to take a 3-0 lead.

Advertisement