New York pitcher Roger Clemens' bid for a 300-game milestone victory became a bust Monday when the Boston Red Sox banged him around, winning 8-4 and sending the Yankees to their eighth straight home loss.
Clemens slowly trudged off the mound, his head down the whole way, after Todd Walker's single chased him in the sixth inning. Now, he'll have to wait until next Sunday in Detroit -- and the following weekend at Wrigley Field, if necessary -- to try to join 20 other pitchers with 300 career victories.
PHOTO: AP
But bad omens surrounded Clemens, even before his first fastball.
The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 42 minutes by rain, and Clemens' routine was further disrupted right after his final warmup. That's when Red Sox manager Grady Little walked out to complain about Clemens' glove.
The Rocket was wearing a new glove with a shiny "300" patch on the back of it, and plate umpire Bill Miller agreed with Little that it was not within regulations. Clemens had to toss aside that mitt while another one was brought from the dugout.
Clemens (6-3) threw 133 pitches -- his highest total in more than two years. Still, he remained winless in his last nine starts at Yankee Stadium.
Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to 26 games and Walker drove in three runs as Boston increased its American League East lead over the Yankees to 2 1/2 games. Tim Wakefield (5-2) got the win.
Walker's two-out, two-run single chased Clemens after 5 2-3 innings, and he gave up 10 hits and eight runs.
Blue Jays 11, White Sox 5
In Toronto, Carlos Delgado hit a two-run single in a five-run sixth inning as Toronto beat Chicago. Chris Woodward and Josh Phelps homered for the Blue Jays, who returned home from an 8-2 road trip and handed struggling lefty Mark Buehrle (2-8) his seventh consecutive loss.
Magglio Ordonez and D'Angelo Jimenez homered for the White Sox, who allowed four unearned runs and matched a season high with four errors. Josh Towers (1-0) was the winner. Jeff Tam got four outs for his first save since June 13, 2001, for Oakland.
Pinch-hitter Adam Dunn came through with a grand slam in the 11th inning, leading the Cincinnati Reds past the Atlanta Braves 7-6 Monday to snap a four-game losing streak. It was Dunn's 18th homer this season, most in the majors.
Helped by left fielder Jose Guillen's two-run error, Atlanta got three in the 11th to cut the lead to 7-6. Chipper Jones drove in a run with an infield single, but Felix Heredia struck out Andruw Jones with a runner on to end it.
John Smoltz struck out two in a hitless ninth, but the Braves lost a game in which he appeared for the first time since May 29, 2002. Atlanta had won 73 consecutive games in which Smoltz pitched, a major league record.
Dunn connected off Roberto Hernandez (4-2).
Pirates 10, Cubs 0
In Chicago, Josh Fogg outpitched Kerry Wood, and Pittsburgh broke open a tight game with nine runs in the eighth inning.
Jeff Reboulet and pinch-hitter Randall Simon each hit a two-run single in the big inning, and Cubs pitchers walked in three runs.
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