Texas’ Wetteland Learns Rocky Lesson In Denver

Interleague

In his first visit to Coors Field, John Wetteland learned why the place is a pitcher’s nightmare.

Wetteland gave up a three-run homer to Andres Galarraga and a bases-loaded walk to Walt Weiss in the ninth inning Wednesday, giving the Colorado Rockies a 10-9 win over the Texas Rangers.

Wetteland, who had allowed just three runs in 28-2/3 innings all season before the Colorado series, said the home-run pitch wasn’t where he wanted it. On Tuesday night, he struck out Galarraga in a similar situation.

“Last night it worked,” said Wetteland (4-1). “Today I tried the same thing. The ball didn’t stay up. If anything, it was down. I wanted another foot on that ball. He did a heck of a job hitting the pitch.”

Wetteland, who pitched in the N.L. for Montreal before Coors Field opened, refused to blame the ballpark for his sudden failings.

“It’s not a silly park,” he said. “The ball flies, but the dimensions are huge. That ball goes out of many of them.”

Yankees 3, Mets 2 (10)

New York

After three draining days, and only by the slimmest of margins, the Yankees became champions of New York.

David Cone took a no-hitter into the seventh inning only to blow the lead on a balk, and the Yankees seemed ready to let the game slip away.

Tino Martinez then broke an 0-for-21 slump with a game-winning single in the 10th, giving the Yankees the win over the Mets in the decisive third game.

Expos 1, Orioles 0

Baltimore

Carlos Perez pitched an eight-hitter and Sherman Obando broke up Jimmy Key’s perfect game with a sixth-inning homer as Montreal beat Baltimore.

Key (11-2) retired the first 16 batters before Obando, a former Oriole who entered the game hitting .086, hit a 2-2 pitch into the left-field seats.

Dodgers 7, Angels 5

Los Angeles

Billy Ashley, Raul Mondesi and Todd Zeile each hit two-run homers to lead Los Angeles over Anaheim.

The win gave Los Angeles a sweep of the two-game series against the Angels in the first regular-season meeting between the teams. They meet again in interleague play July 2-3 at Anaheim Stadium.

The game marked the first major league matchup of pitchers from Japan, with Anaheim reliever Shigetoshi Hasegawa coming on in the sixth inning while Dodger starter Hideo Nomo was still in the game. Neither, however, figured in the decision.

Tigers 6, Marlins 2

Detroit

Omar Olivares pitched a four-hitter and Joe Hall, making his first major league start in nearly two years, drove in three runs as Detroit became the last team with an interleague victory, beating Florida.

The 31-year-old Hall had a two-run single in the first inning and added an RBI double in the third.

Athletics 11, Padres 9

San Diego

Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire put on a show with tape-measure home runs, but it was rookie Jason McDonald’s first big-league homer that gave Oakland the win over San Diego night to complete a two-game sweep.

The win gave A.L. teams a 48-36 edge over N.L. clubs in this first round of interleague play. The competition resumes June 30.

McDonald’s two-run homer off Padres ace Trevor Hoffman (3-4) came with two outs in the eighth and put the Athletics ahead 10-8. It was the sixth home run of the game.

Canseco hit consecutive homers measuring 399 and 439 feet, and McGwire hit one 434 feet, his 26th of the season.

White Sox 3, Cubs 0

Chicago

Thanks to Wilson Alvarez, the White Sox rule the Windy City.

Alvarez pitched a four-hitter for his first shutout in more than three years as the White Sox defeated the Cubs to win the first regular-season crosstown series in Chicago history.

The Cubs won the opener but the White Sox rebounded to take the next two as the teams met in games other than exhibitions for the first time since the 1906 World Series.

Twins 8, Pirates 2

Minneapolis

Ron Coomer hit a three-run double and Brad Radke scattered seven hits in 6-2/3 innings as Minnesota won its second straight interleague series with a win over Pittsburgh.

The Twins, who won two of three in Houston last weekend, outscored the Pirates 27-3 over the final 20 innings to win the last two games of the three-game series.

Blue Jays 5, Braves 3

Toronto

Carlos Delgado hit a three-run homer through the fog and Toronto beat Atlanta, avoiding a three-game sweep by the Braves.

There was a 14-minute fog delay in the fourth inning. The game was interrupted while the retractable roof at SkyDome was closing.

Reds 5, Indians 2

Cleveland

They may not have the best record in Ohio, but Cincinnati is state champ.

Journeyman Mike Remlinger shut out Cleveland on two hits through six innings and gave bragging rights to the Reds, who beat Cleveland in the finale of the first regular-season all-Ohio series to win the series 2-1.

Royals 6, Astros 2

Kansas City, Mo.

Jeff King hit his fourth interleague homer, a grand slam in the first inning that sent Kansas City over Houston.

King, who played the previous eight seasons in Pittsburgh, continued to pound N.L. opponents. In Kansas City’s six interleague games, King went 10-for-21 with 12 RBIs.

Brewers 8, Cardinals 4

Milwaukee

Jeromy Burnitz hit a bases-loaded triple and Milwaukee defeated St. Louis for a three-game sweep.

The loss left St. Louis with a 1-5 record in interleague play.

Red Sox 4, Phillies 2

Boston

Shane Mack hit a tiebreaking, two-run single in the seventh inning that gave Boston a win over Philadelphia.

It was Boston’s fifth victory in six games against N.L. opponents. Philadelphia dropped to 1-5 after the first round of interleague games.

Clearing the bases

The New York interleague series drew 168,719, the most for a three-game series at Yankee Stadium since the remodeled ballpark opened in 1976. … Paul Molitor of the Twins went 1 for 4 to tie Cap Anson in 16th place with 3,081 career hits.

Colorado is recalling the slick-fielding shortstop Neifi Perez, along with right-handed pitcher Bryan Rekar, from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Right-hander Jamey Wright and utility infielder Jason Bates were optioned to Colorado Springs. … Baltimore Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles will miss at least three weeks with a knee injury suffered during a home-plate collision with Montreal Expos outfielder F.P. Santangelo on Monday night. … Bret Boone , the Cincinnati Reds’ slumping second baseman, was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in the midst of a second straight disappointing season.