Baltimore Sails Past New York
American League
Bobby Bonilla hit a grand slam and Rafael Palmeiro had a three-run shot, powering the Baltimore Orioles past New York 3-1 Friday and dropping the Yankees into second place in the A.L. wild card chase.
Scott Erickson pitched an eight-hitter for the Orioles, who managed only five hits but took advantage of 12 walks. Erickson (11-10) pitched his team-high fifth complete game of the season.
Palmeiro hit his 36th homer in the first off Sterling Hitchock (8-10). Bonilla’s fourth career slam came in the sixth off Mariano Rivera.
Brewers 5, Blue Jays 1, (15) Toronto
Two-time World Series champion Toronto was officially eliminated from playoff contention, falling to Milwaukee for its seventh straight loss.
Tigers 3, Rangers 2 Detroit
Cecil Fielder hit the 250th home run of his career and Detroit stopped Texas’ five-game winning streak. The Rangers fell two games behind Seattle for the wild card spot.
Red Sox 6, Indians 3 Cleveland
Mo Vaughn hit a three-run homer during a five-run eighth inning, sending Boston over Cleveland. The Red Sox reduced their magic number for clinching the A.L. East to four.
Vaughn’s home run temporarily tied him with Cleveland’s Albert Belle for the league lead. Belle moved ahead again in the ninth with his second home run of the game and his 39th of the year.
Athletics 6, Twins 5 Oakland, Calif.
Brent Gates hit a two-out, solo homer in the ninth inning off reliever Pat Mahomes to give Oakland a win over Minnesota.
Royals 5, Angels 0 Anaheim, Calif.
Kevin Appier pitched his first shutout in nearly two years, striking out 13 in a three-hitter and leading Kansas City past slumping California.
La Russa’s getaway path cleared
The sale of Oakland received final approval from Major League Baseball, and the vote by owners passed without so much as a blink of an eye from manager Tony La Russa - even though it clears the way for him to leave the A’s if he so desires. La Russa is close to the Haas family, which had owned the A’s for 15 years and hired him as manager in 1986. He has a clause in his three-year contract that allows him to leave at the end of each year, or at certain points during the season, if the club is sold by the Haas family or if general manager Sandy Alderson were to leave. The A’s new ownership group - Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann - was not available to discuss what its plans for the team might be.