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September 18, 2002
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tim Salmon homered in the 10th inning as the Anaheim Angels reclaimed sole possession of first place in the West with a 1-0 victory over the Athletics on Tuesday night.
Salmon's one-out shot against closer Billy Koch decided an exceptional duel between two of the league's premier left-handers. Anaheim won for the 17th time in 19 games.
Mark Mulder matched his career high with 12 strikeouts for Oakland, allowing five hits over nine masterful innings. He was matched for eight innings by 18-game winner Jarrod Washburn, who yielded three hits in eight innings while pitching on three days' rest.
Neither pitcher walked a batter, and Washburn didn't allow a runner past first. Fans at the Coliseum stood and applauded both pitchers in the late innings.
Koch, who won for Oakland on Monday night, relieved Mulder to start the 10th. Salmon, who was batting .162 in September, worked a full count before hitting his 20th homer of the season to left.
Ben Weber pitched the ninth for the win. Troy Percival pitched the 10th for his 40th save in 44 chances and the 250th save of his career.
After Oakland climbed back into a first-place tie with a win over the Angels on Monday night, Anaheim returned the favor in a four-game series that has big implications on baseball's tightest division race.
The Angels haven't won a division title or been to the postseason since 1986, and the A's are looking for their second West crown in three seasons. Both teams almost certainly will be in the playoffs, but both would prefer the homefield advantage that comes with the division title.
Washburn retired 14 of 15 at one point, and Mulder struck out three straight batters three times, including four straight spanning the seventh and eighth innings.
Mulder's strikeout totals were all the more remarkable against the Angels, who have struck out more than 100 fewer times than any team in the majors.
RED SOX 4, INDIANS 2: Tim Wakefield won his fourth straight start and Manny Ramirez hit his seventh homer in 11 games for host Boston.
Wakefield allowed one earned run for his seventh straight start, lowering his ERA in that stretch to 1.24. He is 8-2 since leaving the bullpen and joining the rotation July 23.
Ramirez, who began the day tied for the league batting lead at .340 with Kansas City's Mike Sweeney, went 3-for-4 to improve to .344. He hit his 33rd homer in the eighth, reaching 100 RBIs for the fifth straight season.
MARINERS 3, RANGERS 2 (10): Carlos Guillen drove in pinch-runner Jose Offerman with a two-out single in the bottom of the 10th for Seattle's third win in a row.
TWINS 7, TIGERS 4: Luis Rivas tied a career high with four hits as Central champion Minnesota defeated host Detroit for the seventh straight time. The Tigers have lost 21 of 26.
Tampa's Brad Radke beat Detroit for the second time in six days, giving up three runs on eight hits in six innings. He is 4-0 against the Tigers this season and 13-4 in his career.
WHITE SOX 6, ROYALS 1: Mark Buehrle got his 18th win on the third try, scattering six hits over seven to lead host Chicago. With two starts left, Buehrle is trying to become the White Sox's first 20-game winner since Jack McDowell in 1993.
ORIOLES 10, BLUE JAYS 4: Chris Singleton hit two of host Baltimore's season-high five home runs, and rookie John Stephens earned his second major-league win.