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  Sunday, Jun. 25 1:05pm ET
Delgado homers to deny Pedro victory
 
  RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

TORONTO (AP) -- Carlos Delgado made Pedro Martinez look ordinary.

Delgado hit a two-run homer off Martinez -- the first homer off Martinez with a man on base in two seasons -- and Tony Batista's RBI single in the 13th gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 6-5 victory over Boston on Sunday.

Carlos Delgado
Carlos Delgado took a curtain call after homering in the seventh off Pedro Martinez, his AL-leading 27th dinger.

"I'm glad I gave up five runs," Martinez said. "In a way it's relaxing for me that I give up a few, so that you (reporters) start thinking I'm normal."

The Red Sox are winless in Martinez's last three starts -- his longest winless streak since losing three straight in September 1998.

The Blue Jays have won five straight to move two games ahead of New York and 2½ in front of Boston in the AL East.

"We played a tough opponent, and came out big," Delgado said.

Boston reliever Bryce Florie (0-2) retired the first two batters in the 13th before Chris Woodward hit a fly ball to left-center that ticked off the glove of center fielder Carl Everett for a three-base error. It was Boston's fourth error of the game.

"I should have caught that ball," said Everett, who waved off left-fielder Curtis Pride.

Pride, who is deaf, said it was his fault.

"I should have backed off earlier," he said.

Batista lined the next pitch to right field for the win.

"We were just trying to compete with Martinez," said Batista, who hit a solo homer in the fifth off Martinez. "I don't know what happened with him. Maybe he lost his concentration, and we just took advantage."

Rookie Matt Dewitt (1-0) pitched one scoreless inning for his first career win.

Delgado, just 4-for-24 in his career against Martinez, hit a game-tying, two-run homer off Martinez in the seventh. Martinez hadn't allowed a home run with a runner on base in 43 starts, since Baltimore's Chris Hoiles hit a two-run shot Sept. 24, 1998.

"I didn't have my location," Martinez said. "It cost me the game."

Delgado, who extended his hitting streak to 19 games, leads the AL with 27 home runs.

"It was a clutch hit," Delgado said. "It was a fastball in the middle of the plate."

Martinez gave up three home runs for the second straight start after allowing only three in his first 12 starts.

Shannon Stewart led off with a homer for the Blue Jays, who have homered in a club-record 23 straight games, two short of the major league mark.

"What am I supposed to do?" Martinez asked. "They hit good pitches, and when they do that they're going to him them out."

Martinez allowed a season high five runs -- four earned -- and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. He struck out 10, walked one and hit two batters.

Toronto swept the three-game series and won the season series with Boston 8-4.

"You have to beat the good teams to make the playoffs," Delgado said.

Not since winning their second straight World Series in 1993, have the Blue Jays been in first place this late in the season.

"It's early," Delgado said. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

Boston took a 2-0 lead in the first on Nomar Garciaparra's two-run double. After Stewart homered in the bottom half, Boston made it 4-1 in the third on Scott Hatteberg's two-run double.

Brad Fullmer's RBI double in the third made it 4-2 before Boston went back up by three on Jeff Frye's RBI single in the fourth.

Batista's 19th homer just made it 5-3.

"When you're behind Martinez 4-1 and 5-2, usually the game is over," Toronto manager Jim Fregosi said.

Game notes
Before allowing Delgado's homer, Martinez hadn't allowed a homer with a runner on in 325 innings. ... Delgado turned 28 Sunday. ... Toronto SS Alex Gonzalez is day-to-day with a strained right groin. Chris Woodward played in is place ... Blue Jays OF Raul Mondesi is day-to-day with a strained left wrist. Mondesi hurt the wrist while swinging a bad Saturday. ... Boston OF Trot Nixon is day-to-day with tightness in his right hamstring. ... Boston OF Darren Lewis missed the game with tightness in his left hamstring. ... Martinez hadn't allowed a leadoff homer since April 20, 1996. ... The Red Sox demoted RHP Brian Rose to the minors. Rose, winless in his last six starts, gave up four runs in just 2 1/3 innings in Saturday's 6-4 loss. ... Boston's Israel Alcantara got his first major league hit when he singled in the 12th.

 


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AUDIO/VIDEO
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 Pedro Martinez proved he is human by giving up 5 runs on Sunday.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Carlos Delgado says Toronto came up big on Sunday.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6