Hat trick: Triple play to grand slam

BOSTON — Boston's Scott Hatteberg performed the ultimate baseball opposite.

Hatteberg hit a grand slam in his next at-bat after lining into a triple play, powering the Red Sox to a 10-7 win over the Texas Rangers last night.

Hatteberg lined into a triple play in the fourth inning and in the sixth he hit his second career slam to move Boston ahead for good.

"That's from the outhouse to the penthouse right there," Hatteberg said. "I don't ever recall hitting into a triple play and then hitting a grand slam. It was an odd night."

The Rangers turned a triple play when Hatteberg lined to shortstop Alex Rodriguez with Red Sox runners on first and second moving on the pitch. Rodriguez flipped to second baseman Randy Velarde, who forced the first runner and tagged the second.

The Red Sox then rallied from a 7-5 deficit in the sixth.

Carl Everett reached base on an infield hit that knocked out Rangers starter Rob Bell. Troy O'Leary singled off reliever Juan Moreno (2-2) and Brian Daubach walked to load the bases. After Chris Stynes' single made it a one-run game, Hatteberg hit a 2-1 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen.

"I was trying to get the ball in the air, trying to stay out of the double play," said Hatteberg, a former Washington State University catcher from Salem, Ore. "It was a great feeling going around the bases."

"How many times you see a guy hit into a triple play and a grand slam in the same game?" Rangers Manager Jerry Narron asked. "It's probably never happened before."

Boston, which opens a three-game series in Oakland today, finished a season-long homestand 8-5.

"It was a big comeback, not just tonight," Hatteberg. "After losing three to Anaheim, we didn't feel too good about the way we were playing, and we knew Texas was coming to town. They're a team that can really swing the bat, and we bounced back."

Casey Fossum, the first Red Sox pitcher to make the jump from Class AA Trenton to the major leagues since Jin Ho Cho in 1998, also won the hearts of Sox fans, securing his first win with two scoreless innings of relief.

The left-hander had his breaking ball working, as he gave up just one hit and struck out three.

Fossum relieved starter Hideo Nomo when Nomo left after 4-2/3 innings with a torn callous on his right thumb. Nomo had been off to a blazing start, striking out nine.

Nomo struck out three in the first inning, but the two hits he gave up that inning proved costly, as Texas took a 2-0 lead on Rodriguez' 445-foot homer.

The Texas shortstop unloaded a 2-0 pitch into the left-field lights. The ball bounced in the lot behind Fenway Park's Green Monster and rolled into a nearby parking garage.

"Casey came in and did a great job and Derek (Lowe) closed the door (for his 23rd save). So it was a great ending to a good homestand," Hatteberg said. "Hopefully we can carry it over."