Rivera’s Grand Inning Leads Expos in Slugfest

MONTREAL â€”  Even after Juan Rivera hit two homers in the second inning, the Montreal Expos had to hang on before they finally ended their seven-game losing streak.

Rivera hit his first grand slam and a two-run shot in the second inning and Montreal built a 10-run lead before ending a wild 17-14 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.

“At the end, I enjoyed it very much,� Expo Manager Frank Robinson said. “It wasn’t very enjoyable from about the fourth inning on.�

Juan Uribe had a career-high seven RBIs for the White Sox, who overcame an 11-1 deficit to draw as close as 15-14.

“The positive thing is that we came back,� White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen said. “We had a chance to win it.�

Rivera drove in six runs in the inning, tying Andre Dawson’s team record. His homers came against Arnie Munoz (0-1), who made his major league debut.

“It felt great because it was obviously the first time I’ve hit two home runs in one inning, and it was first grand slam in the big leagues,� Rivera said.

Tim Raines’ No. 30 was retired by the Expos in a pregame ceremony as the game drew 18,114, the biggest Olympic Stadium crowd since 30,112 attended the team’s Montreal opener on April 23.

Montreal, which ended a seven-game losing streak, scored nine of its 11 runs off Munoz in the second for its biggest inning in nearly five years. The Expos scored nine runs in a 10-4 win in Milwaukee on Aug. 1, 1999.

Rivera became the first major league player to hit two homers in one inning since Pittsburgh’s Reggie Sanders on Aug. 20.

It was the fifth time a Montreal player hit two homers in the same inning, and first since Mike Lansing did it in the sixth inning of a 19-3 win in San Francisco on May 7, 1997.

Dawson accomplished the feat twice for the Expos.

His record of six RBIs in an innings was set Sept. 24, 1985, in the fifth inning at Wrigley Field against the Cubs.

Jeremy Fikac (1-2) got two outs in the seventh for the win.

Munoz, who turns 22 on Monday, made his major league debut after he was recalled from double-A Birmingham on Friday.

He allowed 11 runs and 10 hits in three innings in the worst debut by a starter in the majors since April 7, 1996, when St. Louis’ Mike Busby allowed 13 runs -- eight earned -- and nine hits in four innings of a 13-3 loss in Atlanta.