Major League Baseball

Torre passes Sparky on wins list

Published Jun. 19, 2009 8:04 a.m. ET

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Joe Torre got an opportunity to match wits with Sparky Anderson during his first two seasons as a big league manager in the late 1970s with the New York Mets, losing 14 of 20 games to the Cincinnati Reds.

In time, Torre got better at the job - and now he has more victories than the Hall of Famer. Torre earned his 2,195th regular-season win Thursday night, taking over sole possession of fifth on the career list with the Dodgers' 3-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics.

"If you told me a dozen years ago that I'd be in this rarefied air, I'd tell you you're full of baloney — because I certainly started way under .500 when I took over the Yankees in 1996," Torre said. "But I have to thank George Steinbrenner for putting me in a position to do this. I've admired what Sparky did for all those years, and I'm proud to be in that company."

Orlando Hudson homered, pinch-hitter Mark Loretta drove in the go-ahead run and Randy Wolf pitched six solid innings to help the Dodgers take the rubber game of the interleague series and improve to a major league-best 44-23.

"Joe passed another great man in Mr. Anderson. Just to be in uniform and be a part of this is a big deal," Hudson said. "He knows the game because he's played it and managed for so many years. He's got four World Series rings and tons of pennants, and he's gone to the playoffs year after year. That's the beauty of playing for somebody who understands the game and knows how hard it is."

Brad Ziegler (1-3) relieved Oakland starter Vin Mazzaro after six innings, giving up a one-out double in the seventh to James Loney and a walk to Russell Martin. Loretta, hitless in his previous 14 at-bats as a pinch hitter, singled to left field to snap a 2-2 tie.

Wolf allowed a run and five hits. Rookie Brent Leach (2-0) got the victory, getting Adam Kennedy to ground into an inning-ending double play in the seventh after Cory Wade gave up the tying run.

Wolf has 10 no-decisions in 15 starts this season. He allowed two hits over five innings in his previous start at Texas, but a power failure led to a 1-hour, 41-minute delay and the hard-luck left-hander did not return to the mound. The Dodgers scored all of their runs after the game resumed, and won 3-1.

With closer Jonathan Broxton sitting out his second straight game after getting a cortisone shot to treat a sore toe on his right foot, Ramon Troncoso got the final two outs for his fourth save in five attempts after 1 1-3 scoreless innings by Ronald Belisario.

Juan Pierre singled in Russell Martin in the fifth to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. Martin led off with an infield hit and advanced on Wolf's sacrifice.

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