April 16, 2000
New York Yankees 8, Kansas City Royals 4
NEW YORK (AP) - Jason Grimsley pitched effectively in his first start in four seasons, and Jim Leyritz got his first hit of the year, a tiebreaking solo homer in the seventh inning, as the New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4 on Sunday to wrap up a 5-0 homestand. Leyritz was 0-for-11 before the homer. Leyritz, starting consecutive games for the first time this season, led off the seventh against Chris Fussell (1-1) with a long drive to right-center to give the Yankees a 5-4 lead. Leyritz's homer put the Yankees back in front after Jeff Nelson (3-0) blew a 4-2 lead that cost Grimsley a win in his first start since Aug. 19, 1996. Grimsley allowed two runs and six hits in five-plus innings. Mike Sweeney went 3-for-4 with three RBIs for the Royals. He hit a two-run homer, his league-leading seventh.
April 15, 2000
New York Yankees 7, Kansas City Royals 1
NEW YORK (AP) - For 6 1/3 innings, it appeared Ramiro Mendoza would pitch one of those commonplace perfect games at Yankee Stadium. Then the Kansas City Royals found a hole. Carlos Febles lined a single off diving third baseman Clay Bellinger's glove with one out in the seventh, and Mendoza fell short of perfection Saturday in the New York Yankees' 7-1 win over the Royals. One out later, Jermaine Dye hit a smash into left for an RBI double. That was it for Mendoza, who allowed just the two hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. Mendoza (2-0) went to three balls just once, going to 3-0 on Carlos Beltran in the first before striking him out. Shane Spencer homered and drove in four runs to lead New York's offense against Jose Rosado (1-1).
April 14, 2000
New York Yankees 7, Kansas City Royals 5
NEW YORK (AP) - Roger Clemens became the first Yankees starter other than Orlando Hernandez to win, and New York stopped the streaking Kansas City Royals 7-5 Friday night. Clemens (1-1) threw 104 pitches, 53 of them balls. Still, he improved to 19-7 against Kansas City, allowing five runs, seven hits and four walks in six innings. Jorge Posada hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the second, Ricky Ledee put the Yankees ahead 3-2 with an RBI double in the third. Bernie Williams chased Jay Witasick (0-3) with a two-run double in the fourth -- a pop down the third-base line that third baseman Joe Randa pulled off of, allowing it to drop between himself and shortstop Rey Sanchez. Derek Jeter's two-run single off Brad Rigby put the Yankees up 7-3 in the fifth, but Gregg Zaun hit a two-run homer off Clemens in the sixth.
April 13, 2000
Kansas City Royals 6, Baltimore Orioles 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Royals didn't need a last at-bat home run to win again. A game-winning single was good enough. Carlos Beltran drove in the winning-run with a ninth-inning single Thursday, as Kansas City continued its string of last at-bat wins with a 6-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The Royals, who ended the last three games with winning home runs, rallied after blowing a 5-0 lead and swept the Orioles for the first time since August 1988. Rey Sanchez led off the ninth with a single off B.J. Ryan (1-1), Johnny Damon followed with a sacrifice bunt and Carlos Febles walked before Beltran's game-winning hit. Baltimore scored four runs in the eighth and tied it on Mike Bordick's single off closer Ricky Bottalico (2-0) in the ninth.
April 12, 2000
Kansas City Royals 7, Baltimore Orioles 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Rey Sanchez hit a three-run homer off Mike Trombley in the ninth inning and the Kansas City Royals, coming back in their last at-bat for the third straight game, beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-6, Wednesday night. Baltimore, which led 6-0 in the seventh, was still ahead 6-4 in the ninth when Mike Trombley (0-1) walked Gregg Zaun leading off and Mark Quinn followed with a double. Next up was Sanchez, and he worked the count to 3-2 before hitting his first home run of the season, a drive off the top of the left-field fence that bounced into the Orioles bullpen. Cal Ripken singled in a run to move within four hits of 3,000, and Mike Bordick had three RBIs for Baltimore. Jose Santiago (2-0) won for the second straight night.
April 11, 2000
Kansas City Royals 7, Baltimore Orioles 5 (12)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Brian Johnson's two-run homer with one out in the 12th inning gave the Kansas City Royals a 7-5 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. The Royals got an infield single from Joe Randa to lead off the 12th against Tim Worrell (1-1). One out later, Johnson hit a shot to left-center for his second home run of the season. Jose Santiago (1-0) pitched the 12th for the win. Randa's three-run homer off reliever Al Reyes in the eighth tied the game at 5. The Royals looked like they would win it in the ninth, when they loaded the bases with one out against B.J. Ryan. Jermaine Dye grounded into a forceout and Mike Sweeney flied out to end the threat. Cal Ripken homered in his first at-bat, leaving him five hits away from 3,000.
April 10, 2000
Kansas City Royals 6, Minnesota Twins 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Johnny Damon homered leading off the ninth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 6-5 Monday after wasting a two-run lead in the top half. Jacque Jones tied it at 5-5 with a two-run homer off Ricky Bottalico (1-0), who relieved Dan Reichert starting the top of the ninth. Corey Koskie was on base after hitting the 10th double of the game. Damon's home run off LaTroy Hawkins (0-1) was his first of the season. Jose Rosado allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, and Reichert struck out four in the next two innings. Minnesota starter Sean Bergman gave up four runs and 11 hits in 5 1/3 innings. Nine different players hit doubles in the game, including two by Kansas City's Mark Quinn.
April 9, 2000
Minnesota Twins 13, Kansas City Royals 7
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Eric Milton didn't allow a runner until Carlos Beltran's two-out double in the seventh, and the Minnesota Twins hit six homers in a game for the first time since 1993, then hung on to beat the Kansas City Royals, 13-7, Sunday. Ron Coomer homered twice for the Twins, and Butch Huskey, Jacque Jones, Matt Lawton and Matt LeCroy also connected. Coomer, Jones and LeCroy homered off Brad Rigby during in a four-pitch span in the sixth, the first time three straight Twins homered since June 7, 1982. Kansas City trailed 13-0 entering the eighth, then had nine straight batters reach. The Royals also had three straight homers: by Beltran, Jermaine Dye and Mike Sweeney. Milton (1-0) gave up two runs and four hits in 7 2/3 innings. Jay Witasick (0-2) took the loss.
April 8, 2000
Kansas City Royals 5, Minnesota Twins 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Carlos Beltran drove in two runs and Johnny Damon scored twice and drove in a run as the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Saturday for their fourth straight win. Jeff Suppan (2-1) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings as the Royals matched their longest winning streak from last season. Jose Santiago pitched three hitless innings for the save. Brad Radke (0-2) led 2-1 when Damon singled with one out in the sixth. With two outs, Beltran doubled into the gap in right-center knotting the score at 2. Jermaine Dye followed with an RBI single to give the Royals the lead. In the seventh, Joe Randa and Greg Zaun singled and Rey Sanchez hit a ground-rule double that made it 4-2. Eddie Guardado relieved and surrendered a sacrifice fly to Damon for a 5-2 lead.
April 7, 2000
Kansas CIty Royals 10, Minnesota Twins 6
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Mike Sweeney had two homers and four RBIs, and Jermaine Dye added a three-run shot as the Kansas City Royals rallied from a six-run deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 10-6 Friday. Minnesota led 6-2 before Dye's three-run homer in the seventh off Bob Wells. Sweeney fouled off six two-strike pitches before tying the score with a solo homer. An inning later, the Royals went ahead on an error by catcher Matt LeCroy to make it 7-6. Sweeney hit a 452-foot drive to center with two on to pad the lead. Dye and Sweeney were each 3-for-5 to back Chris Fussell (1-0), who got his first major league win. Fussell allowed two runs -- both unearned -- and six hits in four innings. Travis Miller (0-1) took the loss for Minnesota.
April 6, 2000
Kansas City Royals 9, Toronto Blue Jays 3
TORONTO (AP) - Rookie Chad Durbin, making his first major league start, allowed just one hit in six innings and Kansas City scored all nine of its runs in the sixth inning as the Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-3 Thursday. The 22-year-old Durbin (1-0) retired the side in the first, second, fourth and fifth innings. Darrin Fletcher's first-pitch homer leading off the bottom of the third was Toronto's lone hit off Durbin. Toronto's Brad Fulmer hit a two-run homer in the ninth. The Royals, who got a split of the four-game series, sent 13 men to the plate in the sixth. Mike Sweeney singled home two runs, Joe Randa had two RBIs, and Johnny Damon and Carlos Feebles one each. Toronto starter Kelvim Escobar (0-1) gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.
April 5, 2000
Kansas City Royals 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3
TORONTO (AP) - Joe Randa homered twice and Jose Rosado allowed just two hits in six innings Wednesday night, leading the Kansas City Royals over the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3. Randa, who drove in three runs, homered in the second inning for Kansas City's first run, then made it 3-0 in the seventh. He walked with the bases loaded in the eighth against Paul Quantrill. Rosado (1-0) took a shutout into the seventh before a walk to Carlos Delgado followed by Tony Batista's RBI double. Alex Gonzalez's bloop single off Jose Santiago made it 3-2. Ricky Bottalico got three outs for his first save, allowing Batista's third homer of the season. Chris Carpenter (0-1) gave up three runs and four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Mike Sweeney's fourth-inning homer gave Kansas City a 2-0 lead.
April 4, 2000
Toronto Blue Jays 6, Kansas City Royals 3
TORONTO (AP) - Before the smallest crowd in SkyDome history, Shannon Stewart hit his third home run of the season and Jose Cruz hit a two-run shot as the Toronto Blue Jays beat Kansas City 6-3 Tuesday night. Only 13,514 fans watched the Blue Jays improve to 2-0. The previous smallest crowd at SkyDome was 20,258. Stewart tied it at 3 with a solo shot in the fifth. The Jays leadoff man homered twice on opening day. Cruz lined a 428-foot homer in the fourth. Royals starter Jay Witasick (0-1) walked Brad Fullmer and hit Tony Batista to start the sixth before Darrin Fletcher hit a two-run double to make it 5-3. Roy Halladay (1-0) did not allow a hit until Jermaine Dye homered with two outs in the fourth. Halladay allowed five hits in seven innings. Billy Koch worked the ninth for his first save.
April 3, 2000
Toronto Blue Jays 5, Kansas City Royals 4
TORONTO (AP) - Tony Batista and Shannon Stewart got the Toronto Blue Jays off to a great start. Batista homered twice, including a game-winning drive in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Stewart also connected for two home runs Monday as the Blue Jays opened with a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals. Batista hit a two-run homer off Jeff Suppan in the fourth and connected again in the 10th off Jerry Spradlin (0-1). Toronto closer Billy Koch got his first career win after wasting a 4-2 lead in the ninth when Gregg Zaun hit a two-run single. Stewart hit opposite-field homers to right-center in the first and fifth innings as the Blue Jays took a 4-0 lead. Toronto starter David Wells struck out five, allowing five hits in six-plus innings.