BOSTON (AP) — Oakland's Pat Venditte became the first player in 20 years to pitch with both hands during the same Major League Baseball game, as he made an impressive debut appearance in Friday's game at Boston. The ambidextrous pitcher entered the game at the start of the seventh inning. To his first batter, left-handed Brock Holt, Venditte pitched left-handed, and got him on a ground out. He then switched his specially-made two-thumbed glove onto his left hand and pitched right-handed to Hanley Ramirez, who hit a single on the second pitch. Then, still pitching with his right arm, he got Mike Napoli to ground into an inning-ending double play. Then Venditte pitched a perfect eighth inning. Although the Athletics lost the game 4-2, it was a satisfying personal performance for a man who had spent more than seven years in the minor leagues waiting for his chance on the big stage. Boston ended the Athletics' four-game winning streak as left-hander Wade Miley worked 7 1/3 strong innings for Red Sox. Yankees 8, Angels 7: Designated hitter Alex Rodriguez had his first four-hit game in more than four years and moved within nine of 3,000 hits as the New York Yankees held on for an 8-7 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. His second hit also was his 1,997th RBI which, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, broke a tie with Barry Bonds for second place on the all-time list. But the Angels almost won the game. After trailing 8-1, the visitors scored six runs in the top of the ninth, bringing 11 batters to the plate before stranding the tying run on third base as the Yankees escaped for their fourth win in a row. Rangers 4, Royals 0: Chi Chi Gonzalez blanked Kansas City on three hits and first baseman Mitch Moreland homered as the Texas Rangers topped the Royals 4-0. Gonzalez (2-0) limited Kansas City to three singles as the Royals, who have dropped eight of 10, were shut out for the third time this season. White Sox 4, Tigers 3 (11 innings): Detroit reliever Alex Wilson hit Avisail Garcia with a pitch with the bases loaded to score Adam Eaton with the winning run as the Chicago White Sox sent the Detroit Tigers to their eighth straight loss with a 4-3 victory in 11 innings. Other results: Blue Jays 6, Astros 2; Orioles 5, Indians 2; Rays 1, Mariners 0. National League Cardinals 2, Dodgers 1: Third baseman Matt Carpenter drove in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning, lifting the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 road victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cardinals (37-18), who own the best mark in the major leagues, captured their fourth consecutive win and handed the Dodgers (31-24) their fourth straight loss. Pirates 10, Braves 8: Starling Marte ended an 0-for-21 slump with a two-run homer to spark the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 10-8 win over the Atlanta Braves. Marte was 2-for-3 with two walks and scored three runs and the Pirates won for the 12th time in 14 games. Padres 6, Reds 2: Will Venable, Will Middlebrooks and Derek Norris all hit solo home runs in support of the right-hander Tyson Ross as the San Diego Padres picked up their fourth win in their last five games, 6-2 over the Cincinnati Reds. Giants 5, Phillies 4: Buster Posey hit a tie-breaking solo homer in the seventh inning as the San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies 5-4 to snap a five-game losing streak. Third baseman Matt Duffy and right fielder Justin Maxwell also homered for the Giants, who have won their last four on the road. Other results: Diamondbacks 7, Mets 2; Nationals 7, Cubs 5; Marlins 6, Rockies 2. Inter-League Brewers 10, Twins 5: The Milwaukee Brewers blew a five-run lead before scoring twice in the eighth inning and three more times in the ninth in a 10-5 win over the Minnesota Twins. — Agencies
