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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Giants’ Benjamin Electrifies Chicago

Associated Press

National League

Mike Benjamin went 6-for-7, setting a major league record with 14 hits in three games, and drove in the winning run in the 13th inning as the San Francisco Giants beat Chicago 4-3 at Wrigley Field.

Benjamin, in the lineup because of injuries to Matt Williams and Steve Scarsone, is 14-for-18 in his last three games. He has raised his average from .150 to .447.

The previous record of 13 hits in three games was set by Joe Cronin of Washington in 1933 and matched by Walt Dropo of Detroit in 1952 and Tim Salmon of California in 1994. Benjamin’s six hits tied a Giants record, accomplished previously by seven players, most recently Jesus Alou in 1964.

Robby Thompson doubled leading off the 13th, Darren Lewis walked with two outs, and Benjamin singled off Anthony Young. Steve Mintz pitched one inning and Rod Beck picked up his 10th save.

Dodgers 8, Pirates 5

Pittsburgh

Hideo Nomo struck out a major league seasonhigh 16 in eight innings, pitching Los Angeles past Pittsburgh.

Nomo’s 16 strikeouts set a record for a Dodgers rookie and left him two short of the major-league rookie mark set by Montreal’s Bill Gullickson in 1980.

Rockies 10, Reds 4

Denver

Vinny Castilla had four hits, including a pair of home runs, and Colorado beat Cincinnati.

Castilla, who drove in three runs with his 11th and 12th homers, has three two-homer games this season.

Astros 9, Phillies 5

Philadelphia

Brian Hunter, promoted from the minors a day earlier, hit a tiebreaking, two-run triple in the eighth inning that put Houston over Philadelphia.

Braves 7, Expos 3

Montreal

John Smoltz settled down from a shaky start to pitch his first complete game of the season, helping the Atlanta Braves cool off Montreal.

Padres 3, Cardinals 0

St. Louis

Joey Hamilton pitched a two-hitter and Tony Gwynn’s two-run homer in the ninth inning broke up a scoreless game as the San Diego beat St. Louis.

Marlins 4, Mets 0 New York Chris Hammond pitched Florida’s first complete game of the season, striking out eight as Florida beat New York.

Clearing the bases

Colorado became the first club to reach one million in attendance this season. The Rockies drew 48,255 - their sixth sellout - for a total of 1,034,636 fans. Their 44,984 average at new Coors Field leads the majors… . Dante Bichette of the Rockies had an infield single in the eighth inning that extended his hitting streak to 20 games, longest in the major leagues this year.… Hideo Nomo of Los Angeles has allowed only 12 hits and four runs while striking out 23 in 24 innings during his three-game winning streak. Overall, Nomo has fanned 75 in 57 innings.