Manny follows 500th with 501st
If Manny Ramirez celebrated his 500th home run deep into the night, it sure wasn't evident by his performance against the Baltimore Orioles.
If Manny Ramirez celebrated his 500th home run deep into the night, it sure wasn't evident by his performance against the Baltimore Orioles.
Ramirez hit his 501st homer, had three hits and drove in three runs, and the visiting Boston Red Sox continued their hitting revival at the expense of the Orioles yesterday, 9-4.
On Saturday night, after he became the 24th major leaguer to hit No. 500, Ramirez said, "The next goal is 501."
He took care of that item of business in his third at-bat, driving a 1-0 pitch from Brian Burres into the rightfield seats to put Boston up 6-3 in the fourth inning.
"The same when I hit No. 1," Ramirez said afterward, referring to his second major league game against the New York Yankees on Sept. 3, 1993, when he followed his first career home run with another.
In other games:
* At Minneapolis, Michael Cuddyer drove in three runs and Minnesota's bullpen came through with 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in a 5-1 win over the Yankees.
* At St. Petersburg, Fla., Gabe Gross hit a leadoff homer in the 10th inning, giving AL East-leading Tampa Bay a 4-3 comeback victory over the Chicago White Sox.
* At Kansas City, Brian Bannister pitched into the eighth inning and Mark Grudzielanek and Jose Guillen homered to help Kansas City beat Cleveland, 6-1, a day after the Royals snapped a 12-game losing streak.
* At Seattle, Curtis Granderson scored three times, including once in Detroit's four-run ninth inning against J.J. Putz, and the Tigers rallied past the Mariners, 7-5.
* At Arlington, Texas, Jack Cust and Mark Ellis homered in a nine-run seventh inning as Oakland rallied for a 13-8 victory over the Rangers to end a four-game losing streak.
* At Anaheim, Toronto closer B.J. Ryan hit Howie Kendrick with a bases-loaded pitch in the ninth inning to force in the tying run, and Maicer Izturis singled home the game-winner one pitch later to give the Angels a 4-3 victory over the Blue Jays.
All four of the Angels' victories on a six-game homestand were walk-off wins.
Noteworthy
* Texas righthander Vicente Padilla has left the team, returning to his native Nicaragua to attend to what manager Ron Washington termed "a family personal matter."
Washington said he was hopeful Padilla (7-2, 3.67 ERA) would be back to start tomorrow night against Cleveland. He had been scheduled to start tonight.
* The New York Yankees designated infielder Morgan Ensberg for assignment and recalled righthander Scott Patterson for another option out of the bullpen. *