Rangers Sweep Yanks to Stay Undefeated

By JAIME ARON
Associated Press

ARLINGTON - Dwight Gooden showed good stuff in his first major league game since June 1994, but two Texas homers made him a 7-2 loser in his American League debut for the New York Yankees in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday.

The Rangers won the nightcap 4-1 to match their best start in team history and remain the majors only unbeaten team.

Warren Newson homered and had an RBI single as part of a three-run eighth inning that helped the Rangers improve to 6-0.

Gooden looked more like a rookie than a 12-year veteran when he took the mound. His first pitch was way outside and his first curveball bounced to the catcher.
The 1985 NL Cy Young winner eventually composed himself and even showed flashes of the great curveball that made him one of baseball's best pitchers before drug problems put his career on hold.

But Gooden didn't have enough, allowing two homers in five innings.
"I lost the game, but overall I'm pleased," said Gooden, who allowed five runs on five hits, struck out seven, walked four and hit a batter. "I was happy with the velocity and I found my curveball."

Mickey Tettleton found one of Gooden's curves with two on in the fifth and homered to break open a 2-1 game. Gooden's former New York Mets teammate Kevin Elster hit a solo homer in the second.

Those were the negatives. The positives included getting out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third and an overall sense of relief that he's completed the long road back and can now concentrate on improving.

"I'm not pleased with the result," Gooden said. "I am pleased with he way things went. I know I'm getting a lot closer. Take out the two mistake pitches and it was a one-run game."

The nightcap was a 1-1 game for seven innings as Bernie Williams and Newson traded solo homers in the first. Roger Pavlik (2-0) matched David Cone for most of the night, then the Yankees bullpen blew it in the eighth.

Steve Howe (0-1) allowed a single by Darryl Hamilton to open the inning, then Newson - starting because Juan Gonzalez was hurt by a Gooden pitch in the opener - drove him in with a two-out single. Jeff Nelson relieved and gave up RBI singles to Dean Palmer and Rusty Greer.

Pavlik limited the Yankees to five hits in eight innings. He walked one and struck out six. Ed Vosberg pitched the ninth for his second save.

The victories allowed Texas to tie the start of their 1979 club. The Rangers also kept alive an impressive streak in which all six victories have gone to their starters.
Ken Hill (2-0) was the winner in the opener as he allowed two runs on six hits in 5-1/3 innings.

"I struggled a little bit," Hill said. "I knew warming up I didn't have real good stuff. I don't think I was wild. I was around the plate, but I was rushing a little bit. But I made pitches when I had to."

Texas capitalized on Gooden's opening-inning jitters as leadoff hitter Hamilton walked on five pitches, then Will Clark guessed right on a first-pitch fastball and lined it into right-center for an RBI double.

Gooden erased an inning-opening error by shortstop Derek Jeter in the second by getting Mark McLemore to ground into a double play. He hurt himself by allowing the two-out homer to Elster, the No. 9 hitter.

Gooden helped Texas load the bases with one out in the third by hitting Gonzalez and walking Tettleton. With the bullpen warming up, Gooden threw his best curve of the day to Dean Palmer, striking him out looking, then Rusty Greer grounded out to second.

"After he got out of that jam, he told me he found out something about himself," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "The more he pitches, the more he'll get the feeling back of what he used to be about a couple of years ago. That's all he needs to do now."