CLEVELAND (AP) – Travis Hafner became the first player in major league history to hit five grand slams before the All-Star break, backing C.C. Sabathia’s fourth career shutout and sending the Cleveland Indians to a 9-0 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Hafner’s second-inning shot off Kris Benson (9-7) padded the gaudy stats of Cleveland’s hard-hitting designated hitter, who despite being ranked in the top five in the American League in nine offensive categories, won’t be playing in next Tuesday’s All-Star game.

Sabathia (7-4) threw a career-low three-hitter – all singles – and didn’t allow the Orioles to get a runner to second base. The only one who came close was Jeff Conine, who singled in the second but was thrown out trying to steal.

Hafner was first snubbed as an All-Star reserve by Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen – he chose White Sox DH Jim Thome and Boston’s David Ortiz – and then finished third in an Internet poll to determine the AL’s final roster spot.

With his 25th homer, a laser drive into the seats in right that made it 6-0, Hafner set Cleveland’s season record for grand slams, breaking his tie with Al Rosen, who hit four in 1951.

The 29-year-old Hafner is the fourth major leaguer to hit five slams in a season. Don Mattingly of the New York Yankees holds the record with six in 1987. Jim Gentile of the Baltimore Orioles (1961) and Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs (1955) each had five.

Sabathia didn’t walk a batter and struck out seven. The left-hander improved to 5-1 with a 1.06 ERA in seven starts following an Indians loss this season.

Rookie Franklin Gutierrez went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Cleveland.

Jhonny Peralta opened the Indians’ second with a double and scored on Gutierrez’s one-out single. Jason Michaels reached on a fielder’s choice and Ronnie Belliard singled. Hafner followed by hitting Benson’s first pitch over the wall in right to give Cleveland a 6-0 lead.

Hafner is 7-for-10 with five homers and 25 RBIs this season with the bases loaded.

The Indians tagged Benson for seven runs and 10 hits in three innings, his second shortest outing of 2006.

Cleveland scored runs in the third, fourth and fifth to open a 9-0 lead.

The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first on Belliard’s sacrifice fly, and they probably would have scored more but Ben Broussard, who beat out a two-out infield single, was picked off first by catcher Ramon Hernandez.

Notes: Lou Gehrig (1934), Sid Gordon (1950), Gentile (1961) and Jim Northrup (1968) all hit four grand slams before the All-Star break. … Hafner entered the weekend leading the league in grand slams, walks, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. … When Indians C Victor Martinez threw out Conine trying to steal in the second, it made him just 6-for-67 against basesrunners. … Peralta was dropped from the No. 3 spot in Cleveland’s lineup to No. 7. Belliard moved into the three hole for the first time this season.

AP-ES-07-07-06 2147EDT