Improving baseball's best record has become a daily event for the New York Yankees. They've done it 10 straight games.
New York scored seven ninth-inning runs Sunday to beat expansion Tampa Bay 9-2 and improve to 65-20. It was the Devil Rays' 10th straight loss.The Yankees' 14th victory in 15 games includes their longest winning streak since May 1994 and kept them on pace with the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates for baseball's best start this century.
"I sit back and look at our team and it's a fascinating thing," manager Joe Torre said. "When we're in the dugout, we expect to win the game. We know we will win the game."
Against the Devil Rays, they won 2-0 twice and broke open two other close games in the late innings.
"I think you can judge them in this series by how they played when the games were on the line," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "They were a little different team. . . . That shows you what they can do."
BLUE JAYS 7, TIGERS 2: At Detroit, Roger Clemens struck out 10 in the first five innings for his fifth straight victory and Ed Sprague homered twice for Toronto.
Jose Canseco hit a tie-breaking two-run double in the eighth inning, and Shannon Stewart and Shawn Green added homers for the Blue Jays.
TWINS 11, INDIANS 6: At Cleveland, Minnesota rookie Eric Milton (5-7) didn't allow a hit or baserunner until David Bell hit his seventh homer with two outs in the sixth. David Ortiz had a career-high four RBIs for the Twins.
ORIOLES 11, RED SOX 7: At Baltimore, Eric Davis hit his 10th career grand slam and drove in a season-high five runs as the Orioles completed their first four-game sweep of Boston in 18 years.
The Red Sox got a homer from Mo Vaughn in a six-run fifth.
ROYALS 4, WHITE SOX 3: At Chicago, Jeff Conine blooped an RBI single for his fourth hit as Kansas City scored twice in the ninth inning. Shane Mack singled off Matt Karchner (2-3) and Dean Palmer doubled before Jeff King hit a game-tying sacrifice fly. Conine then dropped a single into shallow right to score Palmer.
ANGELS 8, MARINERS 5: At Seattle, Dave Hollins hit a three-run homer as Anaheim regained first place from Texas in the AL West with its second win in nine games.
Dave Hollins' 10th homer capped a five-run second against Bill Swift (8-5).
ATHLETICS 7, RANGERS 5: At Oakland, Jimmy Haynes (7-3) pitched seven strong innings to snap Texas' five-game winning streak. The Rangers closed to 7-5 in the ninth on pinch-hitter Mark McLemore's infield RBI single and a two-run double by pinch-hitter Domingo Cedeno. But Bill Taylor struck out Roberto Kelly with a man on for his 19th save.