Alex Rodriguez responded to a hostile crowd by matching a career-high five hits to lead the New York Yankees to an 11-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday in their American League clash. Rodriguez also drove in four runs in his first game in Texas since admitting earlier this year that he used steroids while playing for the Rangers from 2001-03. "Texas is a place that has been really good to me," Rodriguez said to ESPN after the win as he played down the negative reaction that he had received.
"I have a lot of respect for the ownership here. I have a lot of good friends." The Yankees manager Joe Girardi added of Rodriguez: "He looked great. He didn't try to do too much. "He pulled the ball, hit some balls in the gaps, some up the middle." Phil Hughes tossed eight shut-out innings for New York, who have won 11 of their last 13 games, allowing three hits, walked one and struck out six before leaving after 101 pitches.
Elsewhere in other action, Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis hit two-run doubles as the Boston Red Sox started a 10-game road trip with a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins. Michael Cuddyer homered early on for Minnesota, but Brad Penny (5-1) pitched into the sixth for his third straight victory. Miguel Cabrera had four of Detroit's season-high 19 hits as the Tigers mauled the Kansas City Royals 13-1 in a one-sided encounter.
Justin Verlander held slumping Kansas City to five hits through seven scoreless innings and Cabrera drove in three runs for the Tigers, who won for the 23rd time in their last 31 outings at Kauffman Stadium. Gerald Laird, Brandon Inge and Clete Thomas had two RBIs apiece for the Tigers. Travis Buck homered and scored three runs as the Oakland Athletics beat the Seattle Mariners 6-1, and after trailing by 10 runs in the fourth the Tampa Bay Rays hit seven runs in the ninth to rally past the Cleveland Indians 11-10.
And finally the Chicago White Sox hit 14 runs in the first five innings to run up a massive 17-3 victory against the Los Angeles Angels, a game in which Jim Thome surpassed Mike Schmidt for 13th place on the career home run list with his latest homer. * PA Sport
