The Cleveland Indians pulled off another triple triumph.
The Indians stole three bases on the same play Tuesday night, 15 days after they turned the 14th triple play in major league history.
This time Cleveland used the rare feat to help win its game, beating the Chicago White Sox 8-2.
The last triple steal came on Oct. 1, 1987, by Atlanta against Houston according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
With the bases loaded and Ben Francisco batting, White Sox pitcher Ehren Wasserman faked a throw to third and threw to first, which caught Jamey Carroll off the bag. First baseman Paul Konerko got Carroll in a brief rundown. David Dellucci broke from third and Konerko’s throw to catcher Toby Hall was in the dirt, allowing Dellucci to score. Dellucci, Carroll and Grady Sizemore, who was on second when the play began, were given stolen bases.
The odd play didn’t result in good reviews from either team.
“Those are not plays we practice in spring training,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said.
“It was crazy,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “We really did a lot wrong. You can name it and name it. It’s a good thing it was one game.”
In other AL games, it was: Seattle 4, Boston 3; Texas 12, Tampa Bay 6; Minnesota 4, Kansas City 3, 12 innings; Baltimore 10, New York 9, 11 innings; Los Angeles 3, Detroit 2; and Oakland 3, Toronto 1.
The Indians already had a cushion at that point as Franklin Gutierrez hit a grand slam in the first inning to give Cleveland all the runs its would need. Gutierrez thrives against Mark Buehrle.
“I know this guy,” said Gutierrez, who hit a three-run homer off Buehrle on opening day and is batting .417 (5-for-12) with two homers and seven RBIs in his career against the left-hander. “I know what he can throw. I was relaxed and looking for a good pitch to hit.”
Mariners 4, Red Sox 3
At Seattle, Jose Lopez lined a single past diving third baseman Mike Lowell to score Wladimir Balentien with the game-winning run and the Mariners ended a season-high seven-game losing streak.
The Mariners overcame Manny Ramirez’s 499th career home run.
The ninth inning began with a one-hopper by Balentien that went off the backhanded glove of Alex Cora for an infield single to deep shortstop. Miguel Cairo then sacrificed Balentien to second. Pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed sent Balentien to third base with a groundout and Mike Timlin (2-3) intentionally walked Ichiro Suzuki before Lopez got his hit – and then got mobbed near second base by teammates who hadn’t had something to celebrate for most of a dreadful May.
J.J. Putz (2-2) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth for the Mariners.
Daisuke Matsuzaka was in the clubhouse when Ramirez hit his home run. The right-hander left the game before the bottom of the fifth with an injury.
Rangers 12, Rays 6
At St. Petersburg, Fla., one-time Tampa Bay prospect Josh Hamilton hit a grand slam and matched his career high with five RBIs, helping Vicente Padilla and Texas cool off the AL East-leading Rays.
Padilla (7-2) allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings to win his fifth straight decision and stop Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak. The right-hander walked four and struck out a season-high 10.
Hamilton, the former No. 1 overall pick in the draft whose career with the Rays was derailed by drug addiction and injuries, had an RBI double off Andy Sonnanstine (6-3) in the first and added his second grand slam of the season in the eighth off J.P. Howell.
Twins 4, Royals 3, 12 innings
At Kansas City, Mo., Michael Cuddyer singled home Joe Mauer in the 12th inning, giving Minnesota a victory and sending the Royals to their ninth straight defeat.
Jesse Crain (2-2) picked up the victory, and Matt Guerrier worked the 12th to earn his first save.
The Royals had tied it at 3 in the ninth on Mark Teahen’s three-run, inside-the-park homer off Joe Nathan, who blew his first save in 14 opportunities.
Leo Nunez (3-1), the Royals’ fifth pitcher, was charged with the loss.
Orioles 10, Yankees 9, 11 innings
At Baltimore, Aubrey Huff doubled in the tying run in the 11th inning and scored the game-winner on a long single by Alex Cintron, giving the Orioles a win over the Yankees.
After New York took a 9-8 lead in the 11th against Matt Albers (3-1) on an RBI single by Hideki Matsui, Melvin Mora led off the bottom half with a single off LaTroy Hawkins (1-1). One out later, Huff doubled and took third as Mora beat the throw to the plate.
Hawkins then issued two straight intentional walks before Cintron hit a fly ball to right over the drawn-in outfield.
Alex Rodriguez hit his 525th career home run.
Angels 3, Tigers 2
At Anaheim, Calif., Gary Matthews Jr. hit an RBI single off Aquilino Lopez with two outs in the ninth to lift Ervin Santana and the Angels to a victory over the Tigers.
Santana (7-2) held Detroit to two runs and three hits, including Miguel Cabrera’s two-run homer in the second. The Angels right-hander pitched his second complete game of the season and third of his career, striking out seven and walking none.
Matthews’ game-winning hit came after Lopez (1-2) walked Sean Rodriguez and Maicer Izturis with two outs.
Athletics 3, Blue Jays 1
At Oakland, Calif., Greg Smith ended a five-start winless stretch, Jack Hannahan had an RBI double and Bobby Crosby also drove in a run in the Athletics’ victory over the Blue Jays.
Frank Thomas, released by the Blue Jays last month before he rejoined the A’s, left the game in the fifth inning with a slight strain of his right quadriceps muscle.
Smith (3-4) effectively threw all of his pitches to outduel A.J. Burnett (5-5) and the A’s won their fifth straight. Smith pitched 6 2-3 scoreless innings, allowed six hits, struck out three and walked one.
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