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Wednesday, May 23 7:05pm ET
Blue Jays get a kick out of pounding Wells
RECAP | BOX SCORE | GAME LOG

TORONTO (AP) -- David Wells gave the Toronto fans even more reason to boo -- and laugh.

David Wells
David Wells allowed Toronto's Raul Mondesi to score from second after thinking the second out of the first was the third.

Wells allowed a career-high 13 hits and eight runs in his return to SkyDome, and made a mental gaffe that helped the Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox 9-6 Wednesday night.

"Boomer had an off-night," Toronto starter Joey Hamilton said. "Maybe the pressure got to him."

Wells (3-5) gave up seven earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. The White Sox lost their eighth in a row, all on the road.

Wells, who said Blue Jays' fans "stink" before being traded to the White Sox in the offseason, did not talk to reporters after the game.

The left-hander lost track of the outs in the first inning and tossed the ball to an umpire, allowing a run to score.

"I laughed about that for three hours," Toronto reliever Billy Koch said. "That was just funny."

After Toronto's Raul Mondesi hit a two-run double, Brad Fullmer batted with one out and hit a grounder to first baseman Paul Konerko.

Konerko threw to Wells, who stepped on first. Wells, thinking he'd gotten the third out, then flipped the ball to first-base umpire Terry Craft.

Craft jumped out of the way of the ball, and Mondesi ran home for Toronto's third run as Wells walked toward the dugout. Wells was charged with an error.

"The fans were laughing at him, too," Koch said. "He's definitely going to get on plays of the week with that."

Chicago manager Jerry Manuel has seen the mistake before.

"It's happened before, and it will happen again," Manuel said.

Hamilton had a chuckle at Wells' expense.

"Occasionally you tend to lose track of the outs, and it was a bad time for him to lose track of the outs," Hamilton said. "It was funny. There's no doubt about that."

Hamilton (2-2) won for the first time since April 9. He allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings.

Alex Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with two RBI. His RBI single in the seventh gave Toronto a 9-6 lead.

"David made the fans upset about what he said, and I understand that," Gonzalez said. "They made a point that they were here, and they heard every word he said about them."

A crowd of 19,115 saw Koch pitch the ninth for his 10th save in 12 opportunities.

The White Sox took a 4-2 lead in the second as Jeff Liefer hit an RBI double, Royce Clayton had a run-scoring grounder and Jose Valentin hit a two-run homer.

But Wells gave up three more runs in the bottom half as Darrin Fletcher hit an RBI double, Shannon Stewart doubled home a run and Gonzalez singled.

Wells loaded the bases in the sixth before hitting Fullmer and allowing a sacrifice fly to Tony Batista.

Ray Durham cut Toronto's lead to 8-6 with a two-homer in the sixth.

Game notes
Wells said before the game that he plans to retire if his $10 million option for next season isn't guaranteed by the White Sox -- or any other team. Struggling Chicago, on course to fall from first to last in the AL Central, is trying to trade the left-hander. ... Gonzalez matched a career high for hits. ... Chicago sent pitchers Mike Sirotka, Kevin Beirne and Mike Williams and outfielder Brian Simmons to Toronto for Wells, a 20-game winner last season, and pitcher Matt DeWitt in the offseason. ... White Sox left fielder Carlos Lee left with a strained left hamstring. ... With a 5-17 record, the White Sox have the worst road record in baseball. Last season, Chicago led the majors with a 49-32 road record.

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Wells says he'll retire if ChiSox don't pick up option


RECAPS
Seattle 5
Minnesota 4

Baltimore 12
Anaheim 5

Cleveland 4
Detroit 3

NY Yankees 7
Boston 3

Toronto 9
Chi. White Sox 6

Tampa Bay 10
Texas 6

Kansas City 4
Oakland 1

Chicago Cubs 4
Cincinnati 2

Los Angeles 6
Colorado 4

San Diego 7
Houston 6

Philadelphia 4
Pittsburgh 0

Philadelphia 5
Pittsburgh 2

(2nd game)

Atlanta 0
Florida 0

NY Mets 4
Montreal 2

Milwaukee 7
St. Louis 3

San Francisco 5
Arizona 1

AUDIO/VIDEO
audio
 Joey Hamilton knows you won't get too many blowout victories off David Wells.
wav: 59 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6

 Buck Martinez feels like the Blue Jays were able to keep David Wells from getting into a groove.
wav: 44 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6





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