In New York, Jimmy Key blamed a couple of bad pitches.
In Minneapolis, Ron Coomer said things snowballed.In Cleveland, the Mariners and Indians played what Seattle manager Lou Piniella called "a six-pack inning."
What was happening was runs - lots and lots of runs - as scoreboards were jumping in the American League on Wednesday night.
The Indians and Mariners combined for 10 runs off seven pitchers on seven walks, six singles and a hit batsman - all in the seventh inning, which took 61 minutes to play.
"Yeah, it was a long inning," said Piniella, whose Mariners ended up on the short end of a 13-5 score. "One long, ugly inning. A six-pack inning, one that I don't want to talk any more about."
They weren't alone.
Minnesota clobbered California 14-3.
"Mark Langston was at 86 pitches in three-plus innings, so he was grinding it out," Angels manager Marcel Lachemann said. "The next thing you know the inning's over and it's 13-2, and you just can't do that."
Toronto defeated the New York Yankees 12-7.
"Clearly today the hitters were the stars of the game," said Pat Hentgen (6-4), the Blue Jays' starter who won the game despite allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings.
Indians 13, Mariners 5
Cleveland got the better of the big inning, outscoring the visiting Mariners 7-3 to break a 3-3 tie.
Albert Belle hit his major league-leading 23rd home run and drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the go-ahead run.
Twins 14, Angels 3
In Minneapolis, Chuck Knoblauch's grand slam was the big blow in the Twins' nine-run fourth inning as Minnesota swept the three-game series.
Blue Jays 12, Yankees 7
In New York, Ed Sprague's three-run homer capped a four-run sixth inning and Alex Gonzalez added a two-run shot as Toronto overpowered the Yankees and halted its 13-game losing streak against New York.
White Sox 8, Red Sox 6
In Boston, a sacrifice fly by Frank Thomas snapped a 12th-inning tie and led Chicago to its sixth straight victory. It was Chicago's 15th victory in 17 games.
Royals 5, Athletics 2
In Oakland, Chris Haney (4-5) pitched seven strong innings and shut down the Athletics for the second time this spring as Kansas City avoided a series sweep.
Orioles 6, Tigers 4
In Baltimore, Cal Ripken singled in the tiebreaking run in the eighth inning as the Orioles handed Detroit its 18th loss in 19 games.
Brewers 6, Rangers 4
In Milwaukee, Ben McDonald pitched six solid innings for his first victory in more than a month, and Dave Nilsson drove in two runs for the Brewers.
National League
Padres 6, Cardinals 4
Already mired in a rare slump, he was coming off one of his worst at-bats of the season.
Tony Gwynn picked the perfect time to hit his first home run of the year, connecting for a three-run drive with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning that sent San Diego past St. Louis.
Gwynn, the six-time NL batting champion, capped a four-run rally with his first home run since last Aug. 22, a span of 327 at-bats. He was in a 7-for-38 skid, having grounded back to pitcher Rick Honeycutt in a key spot in the eighth, before homering off Tony Fossas.
Cubs 9, Phillies 6
Sammy Sosa produced the 27th three-homer day in Cubs history and drove in five runs as Chicago overcame an early 4-0 deficit. Sosa hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning, a solo shot in the sixth and another two-run drive in the seventh. He has 20 home runs this season.
Pirates 7, Dodgers 3
Rookie Marc Wilkins, pressed into a starting role when Denny Neagle was bothered by back spasms, pitched five shutout innings that helped Pittsburgh win at Dodger Stadium.
Giants 15, Reds 4
Matt Williams and Marvin Benard each had four RBIs as San Francisco set season highs for runs and hits (17).
Braves 8, Mets 6
Pinch-hitter Tyler Houston delivered a bases-loaded triple with two outs in the seventh inning, rallying Atlanta past visiting New York.
Astros 4, Rockies 1
Donne Wall, for the second time in 21/2 weeks, came within one out of his first major league shutout. This time, though, the Houston rookie finished for his complete game.
Expos 2, Marlins 1
Montreal manager Felipe Alou, unhappy with his team's recent 3-7 skid, held a pregame meeting and then watched the Expos win on the road. Rheal Cormier (3-3) shut out Florida for 72/3 innings.