Japanese slugger Hideki Matsui delivered a two-run double Thursday to send the New York Yankees over the Minnesota Twins 2-0 for their fourth straight victory.
The Yankees improved to 8-1, their best start since posting the same record to open the 1988 season. New York sent the defending AL Central champions to their sixth successive loss.
PHOTO: AP
Matsui and Bernie Williams each had three hits as New York completed a three-game sweep and beat the Twins for the ninth consecutive time. Matsui continued to show he's much more than just a power hitter.
After grounding back to Minnesota pitcher Rick Reed(0-2) to strand two runners and end the first inning, Matsui came up again in the third with runners on second and third and one out.
Reed appeared as though he was trying to pitch around Matsui, throwing three balls. Then on a 3-1 pitch, the left-handed Matsui neatly went the opposite way with an outside pitch and lined it into the left-field corner for a double.
The Japanese star came back from his lone hitless game of the season and raised his average to .316 with one home run. He has 10 RBIs, tied with Alfonso Soriano for the team lead.
``I wasn't expecting to start off like this,'' Matsui said through a translator. ``I haven't been able to adjust yet and hit home runs. What I'm concentrating on right now is to make contact.''
New York's David Wells pitched a three-hitter in his first appearance at Yankee Stadium this season, and the first time since he was fined US$100,000 by the Yankees for writing his autobiography, Perfect I'm Not! Boomer on Beer, Brawls, Backaches & Baseball.'
``There were so many things swirling around him this spring,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said. ``When he gets challenged, he's pretty darn good.''
Wells (2-0) was in control the whole way, never permitting a runner past second base in his 12th career shutout and first since last May 16 against Tampa Bay. He walked none, struck out six and twice hit A.J. Pierzynski with pitches.
Minnesota has scored only 24 runs in nine games overall this season, and New York pitching is partly the reason. Yankees starters are 8-0 with a 2.12 ERA so far.
``You know good pitching does this, but we can hit better than this,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. ``I think everybody's struggling to do too much. It's a little frustrating. We wanted to get off to a good start.''
Johan Santana relieved Reed to begin the fifth and shut out the Yankees the rest of the way, striking out eight in four innings.
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