A’s Heredia Savors ‘Real’ Complete Game

Gil Heredia’s first complete game was a rain-shortened, five-inning tie in 1993. Now he has one he can be proud of.

“This is a real one,” he said Tuesday night after going nine innings in the Oakland Athletics’ 12-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox at Boston. “Now I can frame that ball and say, ‘I pitched a nine-inning complete game.’ ”

Heredia (10-5) scattered 10 hits while striking out six and walking two to cut Boston’s lead in the AL wild-card race to one game. The Red Sox hold a 2 1/2-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays, who lost to the Seattle Mariners, 8-5.

Miguel Tejada went three for four, including a three-run homer that helped limit Bret Saberhagen to his shortest outing in four years. Saberhagen said he might have to go on the disabled list because of a weak right shoulder.

Ben Grieve and Scott Spiezio also homered as Oakland scored eight runs in the seventh inning to squelch fears that its bullpen would blow a 4-0 lead for the second consecutive night. Spiezio and Randy Velarde each had three of Oakland’s 17 hits.

Saberhagen (9-5) gave up four runs, three of them earned, and six hits in two innings--his shortest outing since he injured his right shoulder while pitching for the Colorado Rockies on the last day of the 1995 season.

Texas 15, Cleveland 4--Juan Gonzalez hit a three-run homer and Tom Goodwin had four of the Rangers’ 19 hits at Cleveland.

Aaron Sele (13-7), staked to a 6-0 lead before his first pitch, coasted to his sixth victory in seven decisions. Sele, who contained the Indians with slow breaking balls, gave up four runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Texas, which rallied for a 13-5 victory Monday with 11 runs in the final four innings, scored 23 runs in a seven-inning span, taking a 12-1 lead after three innings Tuesday. The last team to score 10 runs or more in consecutive games against Cleveland had been Seattle on April 8-9, 1997.

Mark Langston (1-2) lasted only one inning, his shortest outing since Aug. 20, 1997. Langston, who left because of a strained quadriceps, gave up six runs--five earned--and six hits.

Seattle 8, Toronto 5--Edgar Martinez homered twice and Ken Griffey Jr. hit his league-leading 37th at Toronto as the Mariners extended the Blue Jays’ losing streak to six games.

Alex Rodriguez’s streak of consecutive games with a home run was stopped at five, three short of the record held by Griffey (1993), Don Mattingly (1987) and Dale Long (1956). Rodriguez went one for five.

Toronto remained 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL wild-card race.

Paul Abbott, who retired 11 batters in a row before Willie Greene chased him with a solo home run, gave up four runs and five hits, struck out a career-high nine and walked one in 6 1/3 innings.

Jose Mesa pitched the ninth for his 27th save.

New York 5, Kansas City 2--Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter hit run-scoring singles in a four-run seventh inning at New York.

Winner Orlando Hernandez (13-7) and Jose Rosado were locked in a scoreless duel until Jim Leyritz opened the seventh with his first triple since 1990. Tino Martinez, who later replaced Leyritz, homered in the eighth.