Yankees Carry Their Streak to the Nines

Bernie Williams rallied New York with his 11th grand slam, and the Yankees beat the host Seattle Mariners, 6-3, Monday night to extend their winning streak to nine games.

The Yankees (20-19) moved over .500 for the first time since they were 3-2 after beating the Baltimore Orioles on April 9.

With New York trailing, 2-1, in the seventh inning, Williams drove the first pitch from right-handed reliever J.J. Putz just out of the reach of center fielder Jeremy Reed, whose glove went over the wall as he crashed into it. On Saturday, Putz gave up a grand slam to Trot Nixon in Boston’s 6-3 win.

Williams had been batting .342 against left-handers and .194 against right-handers.

Rookie Chien-Ming Wang (2-1) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking none. He retired 17 consecutive batters after Raul Ibanez’s two-run double in the first inning.

Mariano Rivera earned his seventh save in nine opportunities.

The Yankees are on their longest winning streak since winning nine in a row from June 27 to July 6, 2001.

Williams returned after a three-game break aimed at getting Jason Giambi more at-bats. Williams ranks fourth in grand slams for the Yankees behind Lou Gehrig (23), Joe DiMaggio (13) and Babe Ruth (12).

Texas 7, Chicago 6 -- Kevin Mench homered twice, including a tiebreaking solo drive in the top of the ninth inning.

Mench, who had homered in the first inning, sent a pitch from Damaso Marte (2-3) over the left-field wall to help the visiting Rangers to their ninth win in 13 games.

The White Sox have lost three in a row, matching a season high.

Oakland 6, Boston 4 -- Matt Watson hit a tiebreaking two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning and the host Athletics ended an eight-game losing streak.

Watson was called up from triple-A Sacramento on Saturday to put some pop in the major leagues’ worst offense, and he came through with a bases-loaded hit against Mike Timlin.

Eric Chavez ended a five-for-37 skid with three hits, and Mark Kotsay had a three-run triple in the fifth for the A’s, who ended their longest losing streak since July 21-29, 1998, when they lost nine in a row.