Indians make record comeback

Lofton scores the game-winning run

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American League

The Cleveland Indians became the first team in 76 years to come back from a 12-run deficit as they defeated the Seattle Mariners, the best team in baseball, 15-14.

The Indians, second in the AL Central, had trailed 12-0 and were 14-2 down as late as the seventh innings before rallying to clinch the game in the 11th innings.

Jolbert Cabrera hit the winning run in the 11th innings despite a broken bat broken-bat, allowing Kenny Lofton to score.

It was the 40th hit in the four-hour, 11-minute contest.

The Indians scored two runs in the fourth, three in the seventh, four in the eighth and five in the ninth, after being down to their last strike three times

Jim Thome hit two homers, and Russell Branyan and Marty Cordova also homered for the Indians.

They became just the third team to make up 12 runs in a game and win.

The only other teams to do it were the 1911 Chicago White Sox and the 1925 Philadelphia Athletics, who scored 13 runs in the eighth to beat Cleveland 17-15.

The win was all the more impressive, as the Mariners have got off to one of the best starts in baseball history and remain 19 games ahead in the AL West.

Lofton and Eddie Taubensee celebrate the Indians' victory

Elsewhere, Doug Mirabelli went three-for-three with two doubles and three RBI against his former team and Rolando Arrojo pitched six strong innings as the Boston Red Sox defeated the Texas Rangers 6-3 for their third straight win.

They are now 3.5 games behind the New York Yankees, who went down 4-3 to the Anaheim Angels.

The AL Central-leading Minnesota Twins lost 10-5 to the Kansas City Royals, for whom Mike Sweeney homered twice and tied a career high with five RBIs.

National League

Curt Schilling became the first 16-game winner in the major leagues after Junior Spivey's two-out, eighth inning homer led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets.

Arizona remain half a game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-2 victors over the Chicago Cubs, in the NL West.

Rich Aurilia belted his career-high 23rd home run and knocked in five runs as the San Francisco Giants captured the deciding game of the three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies 8-4.

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Sunday's results:

American League

Boston 6-3 Texas
Oakland 4-1 Detroit
NY Yankees 3-4 Anaheim
Toronto 5-4 Baltimore
Chicago White Sox 4-6 Tampa Bay
Minnesota 5-10 Kansas City
Cleveland 15-14 Seattle 14 (11 innings)

National League

Milwaukee 8-12 Atlanta
St Louis 3-5 Florida
Houston 4-1 Montreal
Colorado 4-5 Pittsburgh
San Francisco 8-4 Philadelphia
Arizona 2-1 NY Mets
San Diego 9-10 Cincinatti
LA Dodgers 3-2 Chicago Cubs (10 innings)