Bosox Finally Clinch Tie As 27,060 Faithful Witness

American League

The struggling Boston Red Sox have waited a long time to clinch the A.L. East title outright. They’ll have to wait one more day to do it in front of their fans at Fenway Park.

The Red Sox, losers of eight of their previous 11 games, finally clinched a tie by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 5-3 Tuesday night in Boston. Then the Red Sox quietly watched television in their clubhouse as the second-place Yankees beat the Blue Jays.

There were no groans of disappointment.

“I was thinking that if the Yankees lost, it would be just us, no fans, no electricity,” Tim Naehring said. “If we can go out and win (Wednesday), we can celebrate and let the fans enjoy it.”

The Red Sox could clinch tonight if they beat Milwaukee or the Yankees lose to the Blue Jays.

Boston has been in first place by itself since May 13. It held a season-high 16-game lead Aug. 28. Then its pennant drive stalled.

“The team was just trying too hard,” John Valentin said. “When you press and try too hard, you don’t win ballgames.”

A crowd of 27,060, compared with the Fenway Park season average of 30,274, was largely subdued for most of the game.

Indians 8, White Sox 2 Chicago

Albert Belle hit three home runs, breaking Al Rosen’s single-season Indians record and tying a major-league record for most homers in two straight games, as Cleveland beat Chicago.

Belle, who hit two homers Monday night, had his first three-homer game of the season and the second of his career. The homers came leading off the sixth, eighth and ninth innings.

Rosen set the old team record of 43 homers in 1953.

Athletics 3, Angels 2 (10) Oakland

Staggering California lost its sixth straight game and saw its A.L.-West lead drop to one game as Terry Steinbach hit a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 10th to give Oakland the victory.

Just monents later, Seattle beat Texas 5-4 in 11 innings to tighten the race that California seemed to have wrapped up a month ago.

Yankees 5, Blue Jays 3 New York

Rookie Andy Pettitte won his fifth straight start and wild card hopeful New York took advantage of Juan Guzman’s six walks in 1-1/2 innings to beat Toronto.

An announced crowd of only 15,772 saw the Yankees, despite getting just three singles, keep the pressure on Seattle.

Tigers 7, Orioles 3 Detroit

Danny Bautista and Chad Curtis homered as Detroit snapped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Baltimore.

Twins 7, Royals 3 Kansas City

Kansas City pinch-hitter Chip Hale’s bases-loaded single broke a seventh-inning tie and Rich Robertson got his first major-league win as Minnesota beat wild-card contending Kansas City.

Robertson (1-0) gave up four hits in seven innings with three strikeouts and four walks.