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Chicago wins postseason battle of the Sox

New York Yankees starting pitcher Wang Chien-ming, a native of Tainan, throws against the Los Angeles Angels during game 2 of the American League Division Series at Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California, on Wednesday. PHOTO: EPA

American League

Tadahito Iguchi hit a go-ahead, three-run homer off David Wells after a costly error by Red Sox second baseman Tony Graffanino, and the Chicago White Sox rallied for a 5-4 victory over Boston on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead against the defending World Series champions in their AL playoff series.

The Red Sox, 14-2 losers in Tuesday's opener, took a 4-0 lead in the third, then were shut out on three hits for the final six innings by Mark Buehrle and Bobby Jenks.

Graffanino hit a one-out double in the ninth, but Jenks got the save by retiring Johnny Damon on a foulout to the catcher and Edgar Renteria on a groundout.

Games 3 and possibly 4 in the best-of-five series are at Fenway Park today and tomorrow. A fifth game, if necessary, would be at Chicago on Sunday.

After a 19-8 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the AL championship series a year ago, the Red Sox won eight straight games to capture their first World Series title since 1918. Boston has won eight of its last nine games when facing postseason elimination.

Wells dropped to 10-4 in postseason play.

Angels 5, Yankees 3

At Anaheim, California, Orlando Cabrera, Bengie Molina and the Angels' slick gloves got Los Angeles even against the New York Yankees.

Cabrera scored the tying run after a costly error by Alex Rodriguez and hit a go-ahead single, Molina got two big hits and the Angels beat the Yankees to tie their AL division series at one game each.

New York went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position -- 0-for-8 after Robinson Cano doubled in the first run -- and made three errors that led to three unearned runs.

The Angels saved two runs with sparkling defense.

Now the series shifts to Yankee Stadium, where Randy Johnson starts for New York tonight against Paul Byrd.

The Yankees won Tuesday night's opener 4-2 by beating 21-game winner Bartolo Colon, but the Angels bounced back -- just as they did after losing the opener of each series on the way to the franchise's first championship three years ago.

National League
AP, Atlanta, Georgia

Morgan Ensberg Ensberg had five RBIs and Andy Pettitte overcame a couple of homers for a record-tying 14th win in the Major League playoffs on Wednesday, leading the Houston Astros over the Atlanta Braves 10-5 in Game 1 of their National League divisional series.

The victory tied Pettitte with John Smoltz for most postseason wins, improving to 14-8. The Houston left-hander pitched four-hit ball over seven innings.

Smoltz was to start for Atlanta against Roger Clemens in Game 2 last night.

Concerned about Smoltz's ailing shoulder, Atlanta manager Bobby Cox chose Tim Hudson for the opener, but the right-hander allowed five runs -- the most since a June 13 loss at Texas -- over 6 2/3 innings and Houston completed the win with five runs in the eighth against the Braves bullpen.

Houston's 39-year-old leadoff hitter Craig Biggio was critical, scoring three runs and driving in another with two hits, a sacrifice fly, a sac bunt and a walk in six trips to the plate.

Ensberg tied a Houston postseason record with his five RBIs. He had a run-scoring single in the first, a two-run single in the third, another RBI single in the seventh and walked with the bases loaded in the eighth, when the Astros sent 11 batters to the plate against Chris Reitsma, John Foster and Jim Brower.

Houston scored only 13 runs in six regular-season games against the Braves, losing five of those meetings -- two by shutout. But those games came early in a season that began miserably for the Astros, who bounced back to capture the wild card.

Atlanta got homers from Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones.

Atlanta has won 14 straight division titles but won only one World Series championship during that time. Last year, they were eliminated in the divisional series by Houston.
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