American League Roundup : Brewers Score 10 in Last 2, Beat Tigers

The Milwaukee Brewers had something going and Ted Simmons knew what was coming.

Simmons hit a grand-slam home run with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning and the Brewers scored 10 runs in the last two innings to overcome the Detroit Tigers, 11-7, Thursday night at Milwaukee.

“(Bill) Scherrer threw a curve on the first pitch to every batter he faced,” Simmons said. “When I got up there, he quickly shook off the first sign, and I knew he would be coming with a fastball.

“I was ready for it, and when I hit it I knew it was a home run. It didn’t occur to me until after it was over the fence that the bases were loaded.”

The Brewers tied the game on Paul Molitor’s first home run of the year with two out in the ninth. Robin Yount and Brian Giles singled and Ben Oglivie was hit by a pitch before Simmons hit his first home run of the season. It was his eighth career grand slam, his first in the American League.

“We were due one,” Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson said. “It’s the first time we’ve been beaten in the ninth inning in a long time. I won’t forget this one right away. I imagine I’ll think about it for awhile. Scoring 10 runs in two innings I’m sure is going to give the Brewers a boost.”

Milwaukee’s Bob Gibson (3-0) allowed one run over the final 3 as the Tigers lost for the sixth time in their last eight games.

Detroit’s Milt Wilcox had a 7-1 lead in the eighth when singles by pinch-hitter Paul Householder and Rick Manning plus Molitor’s two-run double brought on relief ace Willie Hernandez.

Hernandez walked Robin Yount and Ben Oglivie’s double made it 7-4. Simmons singled home another run and Bill Schroeder’s sacrifice fly made it 7-6 before Hernandez got the last out.

Detroit’s Alan Trammell homered, tripled twice and drove in the Tigers’ first four runs.

New York 5, Boston 1--Phil Niekro tossed a five-hitter and struck out nine over 7 innings as the Yankees apparently saved Manager Yogi Berra’s job for another day by downing the Red Sox at New York.

There were reports that George Steinbrenner would fire Berra if the Yankees lost their sixth straight to Boston this season.

New York snapped a 1-1 tie with two out in the third when Dave Winfield, Don Baylor and Ken Griffey hit consecutive doubles off Bruce Hurst (1-1).

Baltimore 7, Cleveland 1--Rookie Ken Dixon pitched a three-hitter for his first major league victory, allowing one hit over the first eight innings, as the Orioles pounded the Indians at Baltimore.

Dixon struck out six and walked two.

The Orioles scored an unearned run in the fourth inning and erupted for six runs in the sixth on homers by Eddie Murray, Fred Lynn and Rick Dempsey.

Minnesota 5, Oakland 4--Kirby Puckett hit the first pitch from reliever Tom Tellman for a single to score Tim Teufel from second base with one out in the ninth inning and the Twins won their fifth straight game by beating the A’s at Minneapolis.

The A’s pulled even, 3-3, in the sixth on Dwayne Murphy’s two-run homer, but the Twins untied it on Tom Brunansky’s 415-foot homer in the bottom of the inning.

Oakland tied it again in the seventh on Dave Collins’ run-scoring single.