AMERICAN LEAGUE ROUNDUP : Tiger Stadium Turns Into Homer Home: White Sox Win, 14-12

L.A. Times Archives

May 29, 1995 12 AM PT

From Associated Press

Before Sunday’s game at Tiger Stadium, a feature about the old “Home Run Derby” show was played on the ballpark’s closed-circuit TV system. Then the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox went out and played their own version.

The teams combined for a major league-record 12 home runs and an American League record 21 extra-base hits as the White Sox rallied to defeat the Tigers, 14-12.

“Everything was flying,” said Chicago’s Frank Thomas, who tied the game at 10 with his homer in the sixth. “It was weird.”

Cecil Fielder, Chad Curtis and Kirk Gibson each homered twice for the Tigers, and Ron Karkovice hit two for the White Sox. The four players with at least two homers set an AL record and tied the major league mark set in 1947 by Pittsburgh and St. Louis.

It was 69 degrees when the game started, but it got warmer and more muggy as the game went on and a steady breeze blew out to left.

“Anything you hit good up in the air today was gone,” Karkovice said.

The 12 homers broke the major league record of 11 in a game, which had previously been done four times in each league.

“I was with Toronto when there were 10 in a game,” said Fielder, who hit the only homers Sunday with men on base. “Today was just one of those days.”

The 10 solo homers were another major league record. Boston and Toronto set the previous mark with seven on July 4, 1977.

“All those home runs don’t impress me,” Tiger Manager Sparky Anderson said. “All I know is we had a 7-1 lead. I’m not proud to be part of a record that sets the most home runs in the major leagues.”

Ray Durham, Karkovice and Craig Grebeck hit consecutive homers for Chicago in the fourth inning. Lou Whitaker got the other homer for the Tigers.

The 21 extra-base hits broke the AL record of 19 set by Minnesota and Toronto in 1979. The major league record is 24.

Detroit’s seven homers broke the club record of six, accomplished six times previously.

Curtis led off the first and second innings with home runs. Fielder hit a 450-foot, three-run shot to the center-field bleachers in the first and added a 420-foot homer with Whitaker aboard in the second.

All four homers came off James Baldwin as Chicago starters continued to struggle. In the last eight games, a White Sox starter has gotten past the sixth inning only once, when Jason Bere went eight innings in Saturday’s 1-0 victory over the Tigers.

“It was 1-0 yesterday and 14-12 today,” Chicago Manager Gene Lamont said. “You go from one to 26 runs. It’s hard to figure.”

Kansas City 7, Milwaukee 4--County Stadium is fast becoming a pitchers’ park--but only for those who don’t wear a Brewer uniform.

Wally Joyner hit a pair of RBI doubles as the Royals handed the punchless Brewers their seventh consecutive home defeat.

The Royals won their fourth in a row and third over the Brewers, whom they swept for the first time since 1991.

The Brewers, who have dropped 11 of their last 14, haven’t won at County Stadium since May 12. The skid is one short of the franchise mark, set in 1987.

The Brewers hit into seven double plays in the series and had only four extra-base hits, all doubles. They haven’t held a lead in any of their last seven losses at home.

“This is ridiculous right now, the way it’s going. We’re in one of these funks,” Manager Phil Garner said. “We’re going to come back out here tomorrow and we’re going to take about seven hours of batting practice. We’re going to get those cutout figures and we’re going to put them on the bases out there and see if we can stay out of double plays.”

Mark Gubicza (2-4) went 7 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs for his first victory since May 2. Jeff Montgomery pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

Cleveland 5, Toronto 4--Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Tony Pena homered at Toronto as the Indians defeated the Blue Jays.

Cleveland starter Charles Nagy (3-1) went six innings, giving up one run on six hits.

Jose Mesa, the Indians’ fifth pitcher, got his eighth save despite giving up an RBI single to Joe Carter in the ninth. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam by getting Ed Sprague to hit into a game-ending double play.

Sprague had struck out four consecutive times.

Texas 4, Minnesota 2--Rusty Greer drove in three runs and Roger Pavlik pitched seven strong innings at Minneapolis as the Rangers won their fourth game in a row and 10th out of 12.

Pavlik (3-1), who retired the first 10 batters, gave up six hits, struck out six and walked one before being relieved in the eighth by Ed Vosberg.

Former Dodger Roger McDowell pitched the final 1 2/3 innings for his first save.

New York 4, Oakland 1--Bernie Williams homered and Jim Leyritz had three singles as the Yankees broke out of a slump with 10 hits at Oakland.

The Yankees had scored only six runs while losing the first five games of their nine-game trip.

Mariano Rivera (1-1), who was pounded by the Angels last week in his first major league start, gave up one run on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings for New York.

Mark McGwire, who has 11 homers and 31 RBIs, left the game with back spasms. McGwire, who had singled in the first to raise his average to .306, left the game when his turn to bat came up in the third.

Seattle 5, Baltimore 2--Mike Blowers hit a two-run single during a four-run Seattle fourth inning as the Mariners beat the Orioles at Seattle.

Blowers entered the game in the first inning for second baseman Joey Cora, who was forced to leave after colliding with center fielder Alex Diaz while attempting to catch a bloop double by Jeffrey Hammonds.

Chris Bosio (3-0) lowered his earned-run average to 2.25, allowing one run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Baltimore starter Kevin Brown (4-2) pitched his second complete game of the season, allowing nine hits, all singles, and five runs--four earned.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

WHAT A BLAST

The 12 home runs hit by the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit Tigers:

1. Detroit, Chad Curtis

1st inn., none on, off James Baldwin

2. Detroit, Cecil Fielder

1st inning, two on, off Baldwin

3. Detroit, Curtis

2nd inn., none on, off Baldwin

4. Detroit, Fielder