Rangers Have 20-4 Vision in Victory Over White Sox

Mike Simms said it got tiresome in the Texas dugout just high-fiving each other.

Juan Gonzalez’s grand slam capped a 10-run, seventh-inning and the Texas Rangers set a club record with 23 hits in a 20-4 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday night at Arlington, Texas.

Five of the hits were homers, with Kevin Elster, Simms, Ivan Rodriguez and Lee Stevens also connecting for the Rangers. Texas scored its most runs since a 26-7 victory over Baltimore on April 19, 1996.

“In the seventh inning I got tired getting up off the bench and giving high fives going to the end of the dugout,” Simms said. “It was fun. Everybody got into the act.”

Aaron Sele (1-0) pitched five solid innings, giving up four runs--two earned--and six hits in his Texas debut. Roger Pavlik, making his first relief appearance since Aug. 15, 1992, came on in the sixth and was credited with a save.

Sele won 13 games at Boston last year and the Red Sox averaged six runs per game for him. Texas traded for him in December.

Elster hit a solo homer in the third inning and Simms had a two-run shot in a five-run fourth.

In the seventh, nine consecutive Rangers reached base and Gonzalez finished off the big inning with his sixth career grand slam off Tom Fordham and gave the Rangers a 16-4 lead.

Tampa Bay 7, Detroit 1--Mike Difelice tripled with the bases loaded to break a seventh-inning tie at St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Devil Rays became the fifth expansion team to win its initial series.

Tampa Bay, which won two in a row after losing its opener, joined Houston (1962), Kansas City (1969), San Diego (1969) and Toronto (1977) as expansion teams thatfinished their first series over .500.

Tony Saunders and Esteban Yan (1-0) combined on a five-hitter, with Yan getting his first major league win.

Yan pitched three hitless innings, striking out and walking two. Saunders, the first pick in the expansion draft, made his AL debut. He struck out seven in six innings, giving up one run, five hits and two walks.

Difelice, who also threw out two runners trying to steal, came up with the score tied, 1-1, and drove Doug Bochtler’s first pitch into the left-center-field alley for a 4-1 lead.

Quinton McCracken, Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff followed with RBI singles off Bochtler.

Baltimore 4, Kansas City 3--Jeffrey Hammonds’ two-run single in the bottom of the ninth inning capped a four-run uprising for the Orioles at Baltimore.

Baltimore had only two hits and trailed, 3-0, before rallying against Jeff Montgomery (0-1).

Harold Baines led off the ninth with a home run and Cal Ripken drew a one-out walk before Chris Hoiles singled with two out.

Montgomery then hit pinch-hitter Joe Carter to load the bases and forced in a run by walking Brady Anderson.

Hammonds followed by grounding a 2-and-2 pitch through the left side, scoring pinch-runner Mike Bordick and Carter, who easily beat the throw from left to score the winning run.

Minnesota 3, Toronto 2--Paul Molitor hit a bases-loaded triple off Kelvim Escobar in the eighth inning as the Twins rallied at Toronto.

Escobar (0-1) relieved Pat Hentgen at the start of the inning with a 2-0 lead but gave up a two-out singles to Pat Meares and Otis Nixon, then walked Matt Lawton.

Molitor fouled off several 3-and-2 pitches, then tripled off the glove of Felipe Crespo in left.

Hentgen gave up four hits in seven shutout innings, struck out one and walked one.

Minnesota starter LaTroy Hawkins, 6-12 with a 5.84 earned-run average last season, gave up both runs and two hits in 6 1/3 innings, walked five and struck out four.

Boston 6, Oakland 3--Mo Vaughn singled in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning, and the Red Sox completed a season-opening two-game sweep at Oakland.

Nomar Garciaparra had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the eighth. John Wasdin (1-0) got the win in relief of Tim Wakefield.

Kenny Rogers, acquired in an off-season trade with the Yankees, had control problems in his first start for Oakland. He walked five and hit a batter in 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs and four hits.

Tom Gordon pitched a perfect ninth for his second save. Wakefield, 12-15 last season, gave up three runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.

A.J. Hinch put Oakland ahead with a sacrifice fly in the second, his first RBI in the majors.

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BESTS OF THE DAY

BATTING

* Paul Molitor, Minnesota

1 for 4, 3 RBIs, triple in 3-2 victory over Toronto.

* Mike Difelice, Tampa Bay

2 for 4, 3 RBIs, 1 triple in 7-1 victory over Detroit.

* Juan Gonzalez, Texas

3 for 5, 4 RBIs, grand slam in 20-4 victory over Chicago.

PITCHING

* Pat Hentgen, Toronto

7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, in 3-2 loss to Minnesota.

* Tony Saunders, Tampa Bay

6 innings, 5 hits, 1 run in 7-1 victory over Detroit.