| |
 Belle ties the Babe Slugger has 30 homers, 100 RBIs for 8th straight season
Posted: Friday September 10, 1999 05:11 PM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Albert Belle made the history books with just an infield single. Belle's hit scored Jerry Hairston to cap a three-run seventh inning rally as the Baltimore Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins with a 6-5 victory Thursday night. The single drove in Belle's 100th run of the year. The slugger has at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs in eight straight seasons, tying Babe Ruth for third in that category. Only Jimmie Foxx (12) and Lou Gehrig (nine) have more consecutive 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons. "That's some pretty good company," Orioles manager Ray Miller said. Belle, who has 33 homers, also became the 14th player in major league history to drive in 100 runs for three different teams. He also did it for the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. Brady Anderson and Jerry Hairston homered and scored two runs apiece for Baltimore, which won its season series with Minnesota 8-1 and is 25-5 against the Twins over the past three seasons. Pinch-hitter Rich Amaral led off the seventh with a single off Travis Miller (2-2), went to second on Anderson's single. Hairston then bunted one pitch foul, and Ray Miller changed the sign to a hit-and-run. Hairston singled to right, scoring Amaral and sending Anderson to third. Anderson scored on Miller's wild pitch, and Belle's infield hit scored Hairston. "That was the big play of the inning," Anderson said. "We got the run without giving up an out." Reliever Al Reyes (1-3) got the victory despite allowing two runs in the sixth on Matt Lawton's RBI double and Denny Hocking's sacrifice fly. The Twins rallied to within a run in the eighth inning on three walks and a single. But Jesse Orosco entered the game with one out and the bases loaded and got Jacque Jones to line to shortstop Mike Bordick, then struck out Doug Mientkiewicz looking. Mientkiewicz was ejected by home-plate umpire Marty Foster for arguing the third strike. Mike Timlin, the seventh Baltimore pitcher, worked the ninth for his 20th save. "One pitch here or there -- the calls don't go our way," said Minnesota's Chad Allen, who walked four times. "Jacque hit a screamer to short but it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully things will go our way soon." Jason Ryan pitched six innings for the Twins and left with a 4-3 lead. He allowed six hits and three runs in his fourth major league start. Baltimore starter Matt Riley lasted just 2 2-3 innings in his major league debut. The 20-year-old left-hander allowed two runs on four hits and four walks. He also committed two balks. "I had trouble getting relaxed out there," Riley said. "I wasn't nervous, but I was out of sync. I had trouble with my delivery and finding my rhythm." Orioles pitchers issued a total of 10 walks, but the Twins stranded 11 runners in the game. Notes: At 20 years and 39 days, Riley was the youngest pitcher to make his debut for the Orioles since Mike Adamson in 1967. ... Twins shortstop Cristian Guzman dropped the appeal of his three-game suspension and will begin serving the suspension Friday night against Anaheim. Guzman charged the mound after being hit by Toronto's Paul Spoljaric on Aug. 31. ... Cal Ripken's single in the second inning was the 2,974th hit of his career. Ripken also set an American League record by grounding into the 324th double play of his career. ... Anderson's 22 homers are the second-most in a season for his career. He hit 50 in 1996. ... The Orioles last swept the Twins in Minnesota from April 29-May 1, 1997. ... Attendance for the three-game series was only 28,730.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
